what 120mm fan for my 120eXtreme?

[keef247]

running a q6600... have a crappy evercool on there atm and its giving me rubbish temps overclock wise...
so what i'm looking for is a beasty 120... i don't care about noise (within reason lol i don't want 55dba's! lmao)
with a huge cfm rate...
links to uk suppliers please.
preferably scan?
cheers

[hermeticist]

I think Anandtech used the Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 1600RPM fan:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

When they tested the TR120. I know quite a lot of people use this combination.

I would be interested to see what the Silverstone ST-FM121B/SST-FM121/FM122 would be like, specifications show 110CFM(approx.) @ 2400 compared to the Scythe (63.7 CFM @ 1600RPM) & of course the Silverstone has a fan controller, so if it is too noisy it can be turned down.

The FM122 is thicker than standard @ 32mm:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

Of course static pressure has a part to play as well & I think to some degree there is a point where higher CFM tales off with cooling, the cooler itself cannot exchange the heat any more quickly whatever the airflow.

Making sure that the cooler fan has access to cool air, via case airflow is of course important as well.

Then there are the Deltas!

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

190CFM @ 59DB - bit too much for most people.

And the cheapy Xigmatek:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

72 CFM @ <24 dB(!) 1800RPM

Don`t forget that a lot of these figures don`t seem to based on reality!

Apologies for the long post, hope it helps a bit.

[Optical668]

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

[keef247]

hmm was thinking a sycthe...
bad reviews XS Fan Roundup - Part 2 - XtremeSystems Forums

[staffsMike]

And the cheapy Xigmatek:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

72 CFM @ <24 dB(!) 1800RPM

Don`t forget that a lot of these figures don`t seem to based on reality!

Apologies for the long post, hope it helps a bit.

Hard figures to accept but it provided my mate a 3.8GHz overclock on his Q6600 where the S-Flex 1600 only managed 3.6Ghz..

It's not noisey either. I might even say it's quieter than the S-Flex

Not bad For ~&#163;5

[hermeticist]

Hi staffsMike, I didn`t mean to cause any offence, I meant with regard to fan specifications in general, not just the Xigmatek. Will be trying one of these myself at that price.

The above link to the fan roundup was very interesting, especially with regard to the Silverstones - Showing that even a purported quality brand can`t be trusted across the board, although I`ve never used a Silverstone fan & don`t know anyone that has.

Finally here`s a link for Panaflos, which I believe are considered one of the best:

www.DorothyBradbury.co.uk - Silent & Industrial Fans - Panasonic Industrial (NMB-MAT, Panaflo) - 40mm to 172mm

[staffsMike]

No offence caused I was very dubious of the fan when my mate got it but it is a really great performer. Sorry if I worded it a way to think you had caused offence.

Panaflow are (were) actually quite a good manafacturer. Unfortunatly as far as I know they have ceased to exist but some of their stock still floats around.

Scan often sell their 80mm fans at around 60p and they are very quiet indeed.

[hermeticist]

No, don`t worry, it`s just me not explaining myself properly.

The whole Thermalright/fan thing has been of interest to me for some time. I think Anandtech used the Scythe 1600RPM for their testing & I`ve seen many fans which seem to better the airflow (although static pressure et al remain unknown). The first fan that I considered was:

SilenX Fan Ixtrema Pro 18dBA 120x120x38 90CFM (IXP-76-18) |Specialtech.co.uk -

Look at the CFM/DB. But some `net research seemed to debunk their claims, which was rather a shame.

[Webby]

Silent PC Review have a good section of fans and there testing methods are probably some of the best and are at the very least consitant and well thought out.

Fans & Controls | silentpcreview.com

See here for their fan round ups and the testing methodology, they are obviously looking for quiet fans so don't expect to see the really high cfm models but they cover a good cross section of the market, and at different voltages so you can see what sort of cfm/dB can be achieved.

[TooNice]

I am not sure how well those compares to the Xigmatek, but the Yate Loons are well respected 'cheapy' worth considering. I think Scythes latest is the Slipstream. I don't think there are many reviews of it but it has got people from SPCR quite interested.

[Tarffie]

I am not sure how well those compares to the Xigmatek, but the Yate Loons are well respected 'cheapy' worth considering. I think Scythes latest is the Slipstream. I don't think there are many reviews of it but it has got people from SPCR quite interested.

Just be warned that the Ultra 120 fan clips don't go well with the Yate Loons, there's a tube between the screw holes so you either have to get the dremel out or use something else. Mine's currently held on with paperclips.

[Webby]

Just be warned that the Ultra 120 fan clips don't go well with the Yate Loons, there's a tube between the screw holes so you either have to get the dremel out or use something else. Mine's currently held on with paperclips.

The Ultima 90 doesn't have this problem, they redesigned the clips to hold the fan on the outer screw hole rather than the internal one and I believe you can buy fan clips in the new style for the Ultra 120 now as well.

[this_is_gav]

No, don`t worry, it`s just me not explaining myself properly.

The whole Thermalright/fan thing has been of interest to me for some time. I think Anandtech used the Scythe 1600RPM for their testing & I`ve seen many fans which seem to better the airflow (although static pressure et al remain unknown). The first fan that I considered was:

SilenX Fan Ixtrema Pro 18dBA 120x120x38 90CFM (IXP-76-18) |Specialtech.co.uk -

Look at the CFM/DB. But some `net research seemed to debunk their claims, which was rather a shame.

Bought a few SilenXs myself a few years back, and they're all in the bin. Absolutely useless. Didn't push that much air and while they weren't exactly Delta loud, they were far noisier than any of the other quiet fans I've used.

Got some Sharkoon Golfballs in at the moment, though considering an overhaul of this PC, and looking to see if there are any better alternatives now, or if it's just best to play it safe and buy another couple of 120mm Golfballs.

[hermeticist]

Bit of ingenuity, should allow the fitment of this:

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

[Webby]

Not sure how beneficial the larger fan would be as the hub is probably larger which as the fan sits directly on the fins is going to lead to a larger dead spot with little or no airflow, also how much of the air is going to be pushed around the edges of the cooler if its to much larger it may end up harming cooling performance.

Edit: Having thought about it the Ultima 90 benefits from the larger 120mm fan which also overlaps the edges of the cooler so this may not be of such a concern, however the hub size could still impact on the cooling efficiency but since I cant determine the size of the hub reliably from the photo that will have to stay as speculation.

[hermeticist]

Mmmh, I think that`s a good point, I too was thinking of the 120mm fan on the TR90, but as you say it might impact on performance.

Approx Fan Speed: 1200 rpm
Fan Airflow: 109.6 CFM
Sound Level: 27 dB

Those figures (if they can be trusted) look pretty good though. Then I think about the IFX-14, that didn`t seem to benefit much from being able to take 140mms, but then there`s the noise/performance tradeoff.

I did a quick google to see if anyone had tried such a combination, but couldn`t find anything.