Slim fan <15 mm thick compilation

MrJerico

n00b
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
27
Hey all, its been a while. It's getting close to rebuilding time, and I have been looking into slim fans to fit in our beloved sff systems. I am mostly interested in the highest static pressure, but I compiled a list of all of the slim fans I know of with the company listed specs and thought you lovely bunch of people would like to see it.


Slim Fan List


Let me know if I missed anything or if you feel any of the specs are wrong. Also if any of you have any personal experience with any of them let me know.

I can tell you I have experience with the Sythe slip stream M series mounted on a Alpha Cool ST30 and they are LAME!!!



Out.
 
The 92mm mvp NF-A9x14 isn't on the list.

Added. I was originally only going to include 120mm fans, but lets make this thing complete!



Is 20mm considered slim as well or 15 and under?

I don't have clearance for 20mm thick fan. I know Yate Loon and Deepcool make a 20 mm. You are more than welcome to add them if you want. I was hoping to make this a collaboration!
 
Hey all, its been a while. It's getting close to rebuilding time, and I have been looking into slim fans to fit in our beloved sff systems. I am mostly interested in the highest static pressure, but I compiled a list of all of the slim fans I know of with the company listed specs and thought you lovely bunch of people would like to see it.


Slim Fan List


Let me know if I missed anything or if you feel any of the specs are wrong. Also if any of you have any personal experience with any of them let me know.

I can tell you I have experience with the Sythe slip stream M series mounted on a Alpha Cool ST30 and they are LAME!!!



Out.

Thanks for doing this... There's a heap of people on the Ncase M1 thread who would love this info.
I didn't know the cooler master fan had such high performance rating - I haven't seen a build with these yet.

Experience: Silverstone FW121 - seem to move air well but fairly noisy fans at all speeds. At full speed they are unacceptably noisy but offer decent performance for a slim fan.
(Used with EK 240SE - Unacceptable noise/flow/performance. Used with Hardware Lab Black Ice Nemesis 240 GTS - Passable noise/passable flow/good performance)
 
I'd also add that it might be helpful to graph the results at commonly used rpm for noise and flow instead of at max speed.

For example: The silverstone fans beat basically everything else at full speed but no one is likely to want to run at 2000rpm due to noise.

Rpm steps of 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600 would be helpful using data from cooling technique.
 
I'd also add that it might be helpful to graph the results at commonly used rpm for noise and flow instead of at max speed.

For example: The silverstone fans beat basically everything else at full speed but no one is likely to want to run at 2000rpm due to noise.

Rpm steps of 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600 would be helpful using data from cooling technique.

Yea, that's a good idea. Once I have a better sampling from others suggestions I will look into my top favorites with some higher resolution. It's unfortunate you were unhappy with the noise from the FW121 it is my top choice from the options I've seen so far.
 
Also, just to remind every one who is interested at Computex 2016 Noctua said they are now in pre-production of their 120x15mm fan which are "scheduled for launch in late 2016": Noctua on Computex 2016
 
Also, just to remind every one who is interested at Computex 2016 Noctua said they are now in pre-production of their 120x15mm fan which are "scheduled for launch in late 2016": Noctua on Computex 2016
About a week ago, I asked Noctua about this (attached to a question about NH-C14 availability, since running dual fans on the C14S is incompatible with the NCase M1), and they stated that they don't expect to have these for sale for another 6 months, give or take. :(
 
Yeah - not holding my breath for these...

I know they had the acrylic prototypes on display, but I would love for the production fans to also be clear!
 
I've recently ordered something called Raijintek Aeolus Beta - It's kind of oversized 120mm with its frame being 130mm wide in one direction, 13mm thick with PWM - it might be interesting addition to Your list.
 
I've recently ordered something called Raijintek Aeolus Beta - It's kind of oversized 120mm with its frame being 130mm wide in one direction, 13mm thick with PWM - it might be interesting addition to Your list.


Done! Cool fan. It has normal 120mm mounting points right?
 
I assume it has, I'll see how it looks and get back to You when I'll get that delivered.
 
There's an entire menu of 120mm mountable 140x150x13 fans:

Thermalright TY-14013R http://www.thermalright.de/en/fans/28/ty-14013r problem is, I can't find the static pressure

Raijintek Aeolus α http://www.raijintek.com/en/products_detail.php?ProductID=5

Silverstone FW141 http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=530

120mm:

Raijintek Aeolus β http://www.raijintek.com/en/products_detail.php?ProductID=14
CoolerMaster XtraFlo 120 Slim http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/case-fan/xtraflo-120-slim/


In the tiny section, we also have

Akasa AK-FN077 http://www.akasa.com.tw/update.php?...no=181&type=Fans&type_sub=Slim&model=AK-FN077
 
Last edited:
Looking to replace my Cryorig C7 fan. I have a different cooler, the Dynatron R15 which is a 90mm x 90mm CPU cooler. I probably should stick with a 92mm fan as a replacement but the Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 is so quite and has a rediculous CFM. Any suggestions?
 
Looking to replace my Cryorig C7 fan. I have a different cooler, the Dynatron R15 which is a 90mm x 90mm CPU cooler. I probably should stick with a 92mm fan as a replacement but the Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 is so quite and has a rediculous CFM. Any suggestions?

That's a nice cooler!

I'd stick with a 92mm fan - for best efficiently you want to force turbulent air through the heatsink fins and away somewhere...
A bigger fan could potentially create a deadspot centered right over your heatsink which would perform poorly.

If you need a super slim fan then I'd recommend: Scythe Kaze Jyu slim - it mounts on a 92mm fan footprint, 12mm thick.
If you can do with a slightly thicker then the Noctua NF-A9 14mm kills it. Actually the NF-A9 comes in a regular thickness option too!!
 
Last edited:
Looking to replace my Cryorig C7 fan. I have a different cooler, the Dynatron R15 which is a 90mm x 90mm CPU cooler. I probably should stick with a 92mm fan as a replacement but the Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 is so quite and has a rediculous CFM. Any suggestions?
combine these two items to make a 92 to 140mm adapter but noise would go up!
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...FG01-0100-AKS.html?tl=g47c121s262&id=oHX5zT9w
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...apter_-_Black.html?tl=g47c121s262&id=oHX5zT9w
 
I forgot to make an update on Aeolus Beta:

I'm running EVGA GTX 1060 SC 6GB with fan and shroud detached + Aeolus Beta underneath controlled by the 1060 AND 120mm AIO in the same GPU chamber of my Sentry.
So far runs quite okay until I run some synthetic full load on gpu, but that's predictable...
 
I forgot to make an update on Aeolus Beta:

I'm running EVGA GTX 1060 SC 6GB with fan and shroud detached + Aeolus Beta underneath controlled by the 1060 AND 120mm AIO in the same GPU chamber of my Sentry.
So far runs quite okay until I run some synthetic full load on gpu, but that's predictable...

Is there a noticable improvement in sound? Trying to figure out how I should rig my 1060 in my own build.
 
Thanks for this. I've been trying to pick a case and really haven't found what I want. This will help. I'm hopefully going to build a prototype to hand off to a local machine shop this weekend.
 
Is there a noticable improvement in sound? Trying to figure out how I should rig my 1060 in my own build.

I've literally stripped the fresh out of the box card that wasn't launched before just for the sake of this build. I haven't tested this GPU before with its default cooling.

The only thing I can say for sure is that in comparison to similar units with such fans it's incredibly quiet when not pushed to the limits, just playing normal 1080p in 60fps
 
Thanks!
Very useful in research on 140mm slim fans (in my Fractal Design Core 500 build)


Using a pair of Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 for now, but I'm looking forward to what Noctua is able to do in that form factor.
 
Fan list looks messed up on mobile, only two fans listed for some reason. I'm not at my desktop to see if it's a problem exclusive to mobile.
 
I'm having the same problem and on mobile. Does anyone know if there are any slim 92mm fans aside from the Noctua? I'm considering the NH-L9i for my Sentry and while I know the fan is great as I've owned it in the past, I'm not sure I'm willing to give up my aesthetic for it. They also make a 25mm redux fan but not sure if that would fly in the Sentry.
 
Looks good on iOS here. Scrollls appropriately and links appear intact.
IMG_0328.PNG
 
I'm having the same problem and on mobile. Does anyone know if there are any slim 92mm fans aside from the Noctua? I'm considering the NH-L9i for my Sentry and while I know the fan is great as I've owned it in the past, I'm not sure I'm willing to give up my aesthetic for it. They also make a 25mm redux fan but not sure if that would fly in the Sentry.

ID cooling makes one. If you don't like that color you can call up Silverstone and they can sell you the one that comes with their AR06. It works okay. Not as nice as the Noctua.
 
Yep looks like it got fixed

Yea, people keep leaving the filters on so the list doesn't fully populate. I turn them off every once in a while. Make sure you check those if you're having issues.

Glad everyone's finding this useful. There has been a lot of help from the community adding to this, thanks every one.
 
Anyone know what the quietest fan here is? From the spreadsheet it's the Scythe Kaze Jyu low speed, but it's probably got a sleeve bearing. Do any of the slim 120s have ball bearings, or other?
 
Anyone know what the quietest fan here is? From the spreadsheet it's the Scythe Kaze Jyu low speed, but it's probably got a sleeve bearing. Do any of the slim 120s have ball bearings, or other?

The Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 and 14 both have double ball bearings.
 
Anyone know what the quietest fan here is? From the spreadsheet it's the Scythe Kaze Jyu low speed, but it's probably got a sleeve bearing. Do any of the slim 120s have ball bearings, or other?

My experience is that production factors aside - good bearings, no faulty moldings for the blades etc... most fans (especially at low speed) will be very similar.
The noise will basically scale with rpm.

I find actually that fans with strange blade shapes ( notches, fences, strange profiles) are generally noisier...
 
Another thing to remember is bearing noise. - At lower RPMs in a super silent build, bearing noise is relevant, and a sleeve bearing is the way to go.

At the higher end of the RPM scale, Aerodynamic noise is your most significant factor, but at lower RPMs, when aerodynamic noise drops, the noise that comes from the motor and the bearings become more important, especially if your after the super silent build.

Ball bearings have the longer rated life and technically lower friction, but are definitely the noisier type. Noise comes from the fact that the balls are designed to roll on a metal surface (race). The smaller the contact area, the lower the friction, however if the race or ball not absolutely smooth so you will get minute vibrations and thus noise from the rotation of the bearing. The small contact area also makes ball bearings less resistance to handling, as any forces applied to the bearing are transmitted onto a very small point. Despite using hardened steels, the race/ball can still be minutely damaged, causing more noise or rough running.

Sleeve type bearings are definitely the quieter type, for as long as the bearing has sufficient oil for the shaft to glide within the bearing. Once the oil is lost, its a totally different matter, but this is where the fancier types of sleeve bearings are designed to keep the oil in for as long as possible.

A slim fan is however most likely going to spend most of its time at higher RPMs, so more often than not, bearing noise is not your biggest worry. Although not a slim fan, the Scythe Gentle typhoon fans are my favourite fan, and push the most air through a restrictive medium for a given amount of noise, but at idle speeds, the bearings are the loudest part of a super silent system, producing a hissing sound. Again, putting it in perspective, it is still quieter than a 2.5" HDD, but louder than the hiss from my PSU.
 
I'm having the same problem and on mobile. Does anyone know if there are any slim 92mm fans aside from the Noctua? I'm considering the NH-L9i for my Sentry and while I know the fan is great as I've owned it in the past, I'm not sure I'm willing to give up my aesthetic for it. They also make a 25mm redux fan but not sure if that would fly in the Sentry.

I've got an L9i and a white Sentry - there's absolutely zero hint of brown and tan showing through - remember the fan isn't up against the grill, it's significantly recessed.

The only way I could see it being visible is if you had white LEDs shining directly down the front of the motherboard - which wouldn't really be a way to mount them anyways. :)
 
Most folks already know this...
I just wanted to share that I'm using the slim 120 Noctua NF-A12x15 fans and they're definitely much nicer than the competitor slim 120s. Comparing specs on paper (or spreadsheet) didn't really do these fan justice. E.g. I also have the CoolerMaster XFlo slims, and while they're powerful, they tend to vibrate more than the NF-A12x15's. At max speed, the Noctua are only slightly less loud, but the sound is more pleasant.
 
Last edited:
Just a heads up for anyone thinking of using the Titan 95mm extreme fan - it has to mounting holes for an 80mm fan, not a 92mm fan. I read it on the spec sheet before I bought it, but figured it had to be a typo. It wasn't.
 
Back
Top