Best 120mm fans?

[DataMatrix]

I have been looking around for several types of fans and would like to hear peoples suggestions.

I am in need of:
* 6 x silent non-pwm controlled fans.
* 1 x silent pwm controlled fan that has very low starting voltages and can go up to 12v.

Both without LEDs.

I have saw a few but really can't make my mind up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

PS: Below 20dB please!

[jim]

I like the Scythe Slipstreams, some of the quietest fans around according to SPCR and not too expensive either. As ever, you'll probably have to limit the RPM with a fan controller of some kind, but that's inevitable for <20dB

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...id=57&subcat=4

[DataMatrix]

I was thinking about:
6 of these for non-pwm:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Therm...at-max-1000RPM
or
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Scyth...n-SY1225SL12SL

and 1 of these for pwm: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...nd-Rubber-Pins

[Zsev]

Its more than your 20db requirement but the yate loon fans are probably most highly regarded fans today.

http://www.chilledpc.co.uk/shop/prod...products_id=48

[Shurike]

I have an Xilence red wing 120mm, supposed to be around 21db, doesn't seem too loud. You could always buy a louder one and a fan controller & drop it down to a slightly quieter level?

[jim]

Actually, if you can find the 800rpm version of the Scythe (between our two recommendations), the SY1225SL12L then that looks perfect

They don't appear to rate the 500rpm version.

[DataMatrix]

Do you think

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Therm...at-max-1000RPM
or
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Scyth...n-SY1225SL12SL

Are suitible for use with
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Zalma...Fan-controller

?

[jim]

Why would you want to slow down a 500 rpm fan?

[DataMatrix]

I wouldn't but I thought that was just scan's way of advertising the same fan but just showing a different speed. I've seen it done on scan before.

[jim]

Eh?

If you look at the SPCR link I posted you'll see there are 5 different Scythe Slipstreams - the SH, H, M, L, and SL. They go down in speed as you continue. The SL is 500rpm, below silent, the L is 800rpm, effectively silent but difficult to get hold of, and the M is 1200rpm, but is the best performer of the whole lot according to SPCR when you drop the speeds down.

[sammorris]

I personally find Yate Loon fans quite over-rated. Their acoustic quality seems quite poor. The slipstreams I bought have been excellent, even in 1900rpm form. I imagine the lower-rated versions would be stellar for quietness/perfrmance.

[shbris]

good roundup of a few fans here:

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

[Pob255]

I wouldn't discount the older but still venerable Scythe S-FLEX 800rpm http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...1D-Fan-800-RPM

There's also the Noctua NF-P14 FLX http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Noctu...Quiet-Case-Fan very pricey and are actually 140mm but are designed to fit 120mm mounting holes.

Scythe Gental typhoon 1150rpm http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Scyth...PM-Cooling-Fan

As to PWM, the Akasa Apache is the single best PWM fan I've used http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...nd-Rubber-Pins (now in black )
It's not quiet at full speed however if you're running it via PWM it's unlikely to be at full speed.
I'm guessing you want this on a cpu cooler and for me I always prefur a PWM fan for a cpu cooler, I don't mind if it has to speed up to keep the cpu cool, I'd much prefur the temps kept in check than a low rpm fan being constantly quite while the cpu overheats.

And that's one important distinction to make, for the majority of fans, of the same size, the single biggest factor to air flow is rpm, it's also the single biggest factor to noise, untill you drop to around 1000rpm or less, because the air flow noise then tends to be below the motor and/or bareing noise many cheaper fans make.
Which is where the more expensive fans come in.

A big question is how much are you willing to spend on 7 fans? While the high end fan are good are you willing to spend £100+ just on fans?

[Fraz]

I really recommend the Coolink range:

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/pro...s/cl-swif2-120
http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/pro...s/cl-swif2-121
http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/pro...s/cl-swif2-12p

Nicely priced, really well made, and seem quieter and generally better to me than a lot of the more expensive competition (such as the Scythe gentle typhoon). Two thumbs up from me