120mm Case Fan Recommendation

[Optimis0r]

Guys,

I am purchasing a Silverstone FT03. I am going to replace the case three 120mm case fans.
I was wondering if anyone else here have a recommendation for a good quality low noise case 120mm case fan?

I am thinking of Be Quiet Silents Wings 2. Anyone here who has the FT03 and what case fan did they use? My main goal is quietness with good cooling.

Would it be better to use 2 x80mm fans instead of the 120mm fan in this case?

Thank you.

[Vancha]

Avoid 80mm fans if you want quietness. 120mm are significantly quieter.

The best case fan right now is probably the Noiseblocker E-Loop B12-1 or B12-2. I'm not aware of anyone else that can provide better airflow for the noise (Noctua doesn't, Be Quiet! doesn't and Scythe doesn't).

[Pob255]

Sigh, there is no such thing as "best fan" Fans are designed in different ways for different rolls.
There are all sorts of environmental factors that effect the air flow and noise of a fan so you need the right fan for the right situation.
This is made worse because sound is subjective, just because you think something is quiet doesn't mean others will, sound pitch as well as profile is another factor.

the new Noiseblocker E-Loop are good quality fans but a lot depends on the situation as to if a fan is "better"

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Noctua are also worth considering too. I had one of their 92MM fans on the fansink in my Shuttle SFF PC,running at full speed for years. It still works fine.

Regarding noise,I would be careful of what type of bearing is used. AFAIK,some of the quieter fans like the be quiet! range use sleeve bearings,which from my experience tend to wear out quicker,despite being quieter initially than fans which use ball bearings for instance.

[Vancha]

Sigh, there is no such thing as "best fan" Fans are designed in different ways for different rolls.
There are all sorts of environmental factors that effect the air flow and noise of a fan so you need the right fan for the right situation.
This is made worse because sound is subjective, just because you think something is quiet doesn't mean others will, sound pitch as well as profile is another factor.

the new Noiseblocker E-Loop are good quality fans but a lot depends on the situation as to if a fan is "better"

My bad, I meant to write "best quiet case fan", and given those qualifications I think you can certainly pick better/worse candidates objectively. Now, sound is of course subjective, but most people have the same preferences (low volume, low tonality, consistent sound). Similarly, CFM-per-dB is pretty cast-iron. The one variable would be need...It's possible someone would prefer a fan that directs air rather than simply moves a lot of it, but those kinds of fans don't tend to be able to get down to the same noise levels, plus we're talking about an FT03 in this case.

So, given a need for low noise and good cooling for an FT03's case fans, assuming Optimis0r shares the general preference for noise character, I think you can probably find a "best" candidate.

Then again, on the off-chance the OP prefers his fans to click, perhaps a Phobya fan would be better.

[Pob255]

The noiseblocker eloops have some other interesting quirks, apparently any grill or filter within about 1cm of the front of them causes odd resonance effects at certain rpm speeds, this seems to be directly linked to the even number of blade used which is a result of linking them together, all fan systems using linked blades seem to need even numbers of blades, don't know why, could well be limitations of manufacturing process.
They also run at lower rpm's than listed with the B12-1 running at 650-700rpm at 12v not 800rpm

edit: also there are reports of quiet motor clicking from the eloop fans, not all just some, this is an issue that affects all fans, some noctua fans don't tick but the one I have does.
I've got some cheap xcilo fans that are just hideous, they hardly move air while having terrible vibration issues which cause all sorts of resonance and vibration problems, they've become my total fan benchmark.
At the same time I've got some other dirt cheap xcilo fans that while still not amazing they are just as good as many fans which cost far far more. I have 4, they are 1200rpm amber led (only amber/orange led I could find at the time) and cost £2.70 each, they have some motor tick, on 3 the tick is quiet on 1 it's much louder.

[Vancha]

The RPM/Resonance isn't really an issue. I hadn't heard about the motor clicking though. Any idea how prevalent it is, or can you link a source?

[dacads]

Xigmatek XOF-F1251 Fan
Scythe Slip Steam 500
Akasa Apache Black AK-FN058

Or the Fractal Design Silent Series R2 120mm Case fan, I have one myself very quiet and good airflow

[Pob255]

The RPM/Resonance isn't really an issue. I hadn't heard about the motor clicking though. Any idea how prevalent it is, or can you link a source?

There's a good thread on them on the SPCR forum about the eloop, there's also a good french review which did a big fan roundup includeing these.
I never said they where bad, they are good, they just have a couple of odd quirks but they do have a high price tag.

[csgohan4]

If you got space try the TY-140 a 140mm fan that uses 120mm holes, voted the best 140mm fan a few years back. here.

You might want to take a look at the latest fan round up by Toms hardware Here.

[Bonebreaker777]

Long term experience (2 years in two separated computers).

Still quiet and working perfectly Nexus D12SL-12 or R4-S2S-12AK-GP.

Personally I am the fan of the Nexus fan

[Vancha]

There's a good thread on them on the SPCR forum about the eloop, there's also a good french review which did a big fan roundup includeing these.
I never said they where bad, they are good, they just have a couple of odd quirks but they do have a high price tag.

I'd read the SPCR thread before, but reading through again the only mention of motor clicking I can find is with the PWM version. Being that PWM fans have a reputation for motor noise, do you know that it happens on other fans?

I didn't take them to be bad, but I'm also a big fan of the M12-S1, so I may revert to recommending that over the ELoops as quiet case fans if the motor clicking was a prevalent issue.

[hb904460]

Im a big fan of the Noiseblocker XL2. Good price, quiet even at full speed and moves a decent amount of air. :-)

[MrJim]

The Corsair range of fans did very well in these recent comparative reviews, although I haven't tried them myself:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...roundup-4.html

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...roundup-3.html

[Vancha]

The Corsair range of fans did very well in these recent comparative reviews, although I haven't tried them myself:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...roundup-4.html

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...roundup-3.html

Corsair are alright, not the greatest. xbit managed to omit nearly all the best competition. Slower Scythes, Noiseblocker, Be Quiet!, Coolink, Cougar, Nexus etc.

[csgohan4]

Do companies do that to avoid peeing off their sponsers or future test products?