Help with case fan

[wilma101]

hi there,
i have and antec 902 and have been reading on the net that the fans that antec use in the case arent that good at their jobs. so my question is do you know of better fan manufactures that i can replace them with. the only one that i have seen that stands out is the Silverstone Air Penetrator AP121, im sure most of you have seen the demo video of this fan on you tube already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m8fC809TK0


thanks for you're help in advance

[spac3d]

You should purchase a replacement based on what you want from a fan. Some offer high performance (high airflow), but obviously have the adverse effect of noise. Some offer low performance, (low airflow), but obviously are whisper quiet.

You can view the dB or air ratings by viewing the specs... decide what you want and read a review, personally i've bought alot of expensive fans, and been disappointed with teh noise.. but i wanted an O/C system and a quiet one. Kinda impossible, sadly

[Queelis]

The thing with fan specs is that most of the times they're rubbish - you're better off reading reviews (at SilentPCReview or XbitLabs) and finding some real data (and knowledgeable opinions). They have many "shootouts" where they compare lots of different fans.

[scaryjim]

tbh, unless you need an unusually high airflow through your case, the Antec stock fans are pretty decent: and let's face it, they're definitely the best fan you can get at the price, because they come free with your case

A fan's job is to move air, and the Antecs do that just fine.

disclaimer: I am a bit of an Antec fanboy. Antec fans are *not* the best fans out there. But they're also *not* cheap rubbish. I think you'd need a very good reason to think about changing them (i.e. better than "I heard they're not that good").

[Pob255]

I agree with Jim here, the question is Why?

Best/worst is meaningless without quantification.

Antec Tri-cools are an good all round fan with the advantage of the built in speed control.
The Antec BigBoy is probably one of the best over sized fans for it's low noise, high air flow and built in speed control.
It's also designed to fit the 902 which the silverstone 180mm fans are not, fitting a silverstone 180mm in the top of the 902 would require some modding.

PS all that demo does is show the shape of the air cone, not the volume of air being moved by the fan.
The smoke looks thicker because the air cone is much narrower so the concentration of smoke is greater.
Not that the silverstone air penetrator fans are bad, they are not, it all depends on what you want it for.