Noctua, Scythe, Apache

[DeludedGuy]

So I need two quiet 120mm fans with a high CFM.

Noctua and Scythe are quiet, however the Akasa Apache seems to have a higher CFM while also being very quiet, problem is I have only found 2 amateur reviews for the Apache.

I will not be installing a fan controller, so I want something which is constantly quiet but pushes out a lot of air, so...does anyone have any experience with all 3 fans mentioned?

Greatly apreciate any advice.

[cmndr_andi]

Not sure about the scythe fans, but I have heard from a person with the Akasa Apache and he was convinced the quoted stats were not entirely accurate as they did not match the performance of the equivalent noctua (which has worse quoted stats). Personally, I would also go with noctua fans, if its for a case fan get the S12B FLX, if its for a CPU cooler/radiator fan then the P12 is the one to go for. They are brilliant fans and well worth the premium (plus they come with speed reducing plugs so you can run them at lower speeds/noise without a fan controller).

[Syd]

So I need two quiet 120mm fans with a high CFM.

Noctua and Scythe are quiet, however the Akasa Apache seems to have a higher CFM while also being very quiet, problem is I have only found 2 amateur reviews for the Apache.

I will not be installing a fan controller, so I want something which is constantly quiet but pushes out a lot of air, so...does anyone have any experience with all 3 fans mentioned?

Greatly apreciate any advice.

I would pick up a copy of this months Custom PC - it has a huge review of 80/92/120/140mm fans

My personal view is that the Nocs are pretty efficient and whisper quiet (I run a few P12's) as well as others and although not the prettiest I think they are a good balance - although you pay for the quaility (as an aside they weigh about twice the amount of my other 120mm's!!)

[DeludedGuy]

I think I will give the Noctuas a try then, I plan to put one on a Corsair H50, and one as an intake fan.

[GoNz0]

all my rad and case fans are noctua

5 year warranty and fluid bearings FTW

[TAKTAK]

http://gilgameshreviews.com/index.ph...ling&Itemid=58

http://gilgameshreviews.com/index.ph...iews&Itemid=56

Get the NF-S12B FLX, it performs better in low impedance applications such as case airflow, however in my testing, it also performed slightly better than the NF-P12 when used on a TRUE.

So use S12B FLX's for everything except high impedance applications (such as rads, etc)

[Singh400]

Got a Noctua NF-S12-1200, and I'm very happy. It's quiet and pushes alot of air.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A word of warning about Noctua fans: there are both low pressure and high pressure variants! The low pressure fans work poorly in areas where the airflow is impeded such as a CPU heatsink or very cluttered case for example.

[Syd]

A word of warning about Noctua fans: there are both low pressure and high pressure variants! The low pressure fans work poorly in areas where the airflow is impeded such as a CPU heatsink or very cluttered case for example.

The P12 is designed for Rads,CPU and GPU whereas the S12 is designed for case use.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The P12 is designed for Rads,CPU and GPU whereas the S12 is designed for case use.

I know but a lot of people don't realise this and just look at the airflow and noise specs. There was lots of discussion about this on silentpcreview and it is a good think I knew about this when I bought a Noctua fan for my CPU cooler.

[watercooled]

P12 is the high pressure variant - I think of it like 'P' for pressure

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would thiknk that the P12 series would also be better for SFF use too. Also the naming strategy of Noctua is NOT consistent with their smaller diameter fans with the 92mm high pressure being called the NF-B9-1600 and their low pressure 80mm fan being called the NF-R8.

It is not even made clear on their own website:

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=p...s_id=16&lng=en

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=p...ts_id=9&lng=en

[watercooled]

Oh I didn't know there were other HP fans, I though the 120mm one was the only one.

[Syd]

Oh I didn't know there were other HP fans, I though the 120mm one was the only one.

I have one of their 92's as well which is a great top exhaust

[DeludedGuy]

Thanks all, I recieved my two Noctua P12s today

I will be using them for my SG03 build in October for Windows 7, with a core i5

[DeludedGuy]

End result and mini review here http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-hardwa...ml#post1806876