Xigmatek 120mm XSF-F1251

[Maccer101]

Are these babies any good? I plan to undervolt and want something silent/very quiet with good airflow.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...Quiet-Case-Fan


Was also considering the Akasa Smokey Grey (not undervolted)

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...value-case-fan

Reviews for these are pretty much non-existant so wanted some user feedback

cheers

[Pob255]

Akasa Smokey grey, No, I've used both the 92mm and 80mm versions, the plastic of the frame is not very robust and the blades are unbalanced so they buzz.

not sure on the Ximagtec but it seems a bit pricey
For low cost, I'd recomend both the Silverstone FN122
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...bearing-design
and the Sharkoon System Fan Silent
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...dB(A)-Case-Fan
(looks identical to the xig,atec fan)

If you don't mind running off a molex the Silverstone FN121 is not bad.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...se-Fan-1200rpm
not exactly silent but moves a good amount of air, I'm going to be doing some testing of this fan in the next couple of days.

[Maccer101]

The Xigmatek is reduced on Scan today otherwise I wouldn't have given them a look

[amjedm]

I've used one of these in a build and was impressed with how quiet it was.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...Retail-Package

[Hicks12]

The smokey grey are quiet(or maybe its the ambers) but the xigmatek shift more air although they are very loud at max almost double the akasa. Ive had both the 92mm and 120mm xigmatek and they are ok undervolted but run very low id say for 92mm akasa ambers are best and probably the same for the 120mm versions.

[Webby]

My brother has Akasa Smokey Blue 120mm in his CM690 (4 of them in fact) running at 7v they are inaudible over hard drives and graphics fans etc.

I have 2x Akasa Amber 120mm they are pretty good at 12v a touch more than audible but knock them down to ~1200rpm and they go inaudible above HDDs etc. The noise is more due to air turbulance than bearing noise though.

Ambers have ball bearings rather than sleeve which makes them longer lasting and also they work in all orientations sleeve bearings work best vertical (horizontal can cause them problems).

If you want quiet fans you really need to be looking at 1000rpm or less and consider fans like the scythe S-Flex or the Thermalright Fluid dynamic bearing range, they are pricy though at £10+ each but worth the investment if you want the best.

If budget is a real issue then get some Yate Loons (http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/index.php?cPath=75_89) £4 each and worth every penny.

[Tom O]

Just put an Akasa smokey 120mm in my second rig. not completely silent, but prety quiet. guess it depends on what you call 'silent'. you could always volt mod it if you want it quieter.

[Plantus]

Pretty comprehensive review of 120mm fans here...

http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=892

Make a good effort to rank fans at noise/performance ratio and at different voltages...

I recently bought some Nexus fans which are very quiet and less than £5 a pop but might not move enough air for some people (http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...cat=885&page=1)

[Maccer101]

Cool thanks for the advice, now I'm thinking:-

2 x Silverstones FN-122 for the intake and maybe a Scythe S Flex 1200rpm for the exhaust.

Need to Test my Case (in My System) as thinking of reversing the fan flow in of the rear 120mm (currently 3x120mm intakes) to see if it works better.

Still may buy an Akasa Smokey Grey just to see if they live up to the spec, and if not replace the stock fan in my HTPC (2nd PC).

Buying fans seeming like a dice roll when you have no 1st hand knowledge of how it will perform in you system.

Appreciate the responses, as always.

[Pob255]

Buying fans seeming like a dice roll when you have no 1st hand knowledge of how it will perform in you system.

It's not as bad as you might think.
Speed still seems to be the main factor, rpm = air flow + noise
unless you're going for actual silent fans rather than low noise fans then almost any fan/bareing will be fine as long as the rpm is very low.

Basic Fan Rule of thumb
1000rpm or lower, quiet but not much air flow
1200rpm (ish), low noise, reasonable air flow
1600rpm (ish), more noise, better air flow
2200rpm+ lots and lots of air but will make your pc sound like a vacum cleaner.
This is just a rough guide some fans step outside these rules, often because numbers are fudged to make a fan seem better.

It's intresting that people have said the 120mm smokey is not bad, esp considering my bad expreiences of the 80mm and 92mm version of that fan.
I'd guess that the lower rpm of the 120mm reduces the vibration enough so as not to have the problem.

[Maccer101]

Can both of these be run at 12v still silent and which of the 2 would be the best (noise + airflow), the Silverstone's specs are better on paper....

Silverstone FN122
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...bearing-design
Sharkoon System Fan Silent
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...dB(A)-Case-Fan

[amjedm]

Can both of these be run at 12v still silent and which of the 2 would be the best (noise + airflow), the Silverstone's specs are better on paper....

Silverstone FN122
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...bearing-design
Sharkoon System Fan Silent
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...dB(A)-Case-Fan

Not much help but...

Could be the Sharkoon specs are more accurate

I'd buy one of each and see which is better (I've done that previously with some 80mm fans), you may want to return the one you don't like.

I found the FN121 a bit noisy for my liking (I tend to stick to 1000rpm fans apart from a Globalwin NCB and Blue LED Yate Loon D12SM - both undervolted).

[hermeticist]

I was going to use a silverstone fan with my TRUE, but I read a review which slated the Silverstones and at £10ish (probably not the same model) decided not to risk it. Bought a Xigmatek on "today only" for £4ish (from recommendations on here) & it has been fine, quiet & I think my temps. on a Q6600 (not overclocked - haven`t got around to it yet!) are about 30C (coretemp).

[Stinga]

Xigmatek Fans are good value for money, although maybe a bit loud a 12V

[Maccer101]

Too late for the Xigmatek as was insterested when they were £4 only today only, now I like the look of the Ambers & the Silverstone FN122. May buy one of each (Akasa SG & Amber, FN122 & Sharkoon) and do a low-tech benchmark and post my results

[Maccer101]

Just to close of this thread...

In the end I completely changed my mind and brought 2 120mm Nexus fans and a 38mm thick Yate loon for the exhaust (from Specialtech). To be honest I'm not that impressed with the YL (I've heard their QC is not brill though) but am satisfied with the Nexus especially since it was only £1 more than a YL. I also bought a standard thickness Medium speed 120mm YL for my 2nd PC but it buzzes even when undervolted so I'm a bit dissapointed, maybe I should have got a Akasa Amber or a Magma Twister.

I may in the future replace the YL with a nexus and add a 80mm nexus to the top of the case.