Which 120mm Fan?

KWJay

KWJay

KWJay

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Hi guys. Just looking for a bit of advice.

Basically i'd like to know which 120mm fan is best to pair up with with a TRUE-120 cooler. I currently have a SilenX fan, but fancy a change and would like you recommendations!

So, hit me.... :D
 
Not sure what fans are best for CPU coolers, but I'm a fan of the Akasa Amber 120MM fans. From what I've seen, they have the best noise to CFM ratio. Picked them simply for the fact they shift a lot of air, and is inaudible :)
 
Akasa Amber don't have the best CFM/Noise ratio and to my ears are loud.

I use Nexus 120mm (1000rpm) running at 12v, failing that Yate Loons (1350rpm) which are basically the same fans but I run them at 7v or lower. Either would be great if you're concerned about noise. There's also the Silent Eagle 1000rpm and Noctua fans (these are far too expensive imo).
 
KWJay said:
Hi guys. Just looking for a bit of advice.

Basically i'd like to know which 120mm fan is best to pair up with with a TRUE-120 cooler. I currently have a SilenX fan, but fancy a change and would like you recommendations!

So, hit me.... :D
Click to expand...

Depends on the level of overclock you are looking for.. the fan you need will be very much dependant on the amount of air you want to move and the level of noise you can live with...
 
I use 4 Scythe S-FLex 1200RPM 120mm fans in my case and think they are an absolute joy. 49cfm at only 19db are the specs.... I also think they come with a lifetime warranty so it should be a fan for life.

The Noctuas are probably slightly quieter but then they are slightly more expensive. Sharkoons are good too and cheaper still. Failing that Yate Loons are a good budget fan.
 
Scythe S-Flex 1600 or Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000 imo, the latter you will need fan controller for though as full pelt it shifts tones of air but obviously not silent, set to low via fan controller its very quiet around 900-1000rpm, and still moves more air than Akasa Ambers on full pelt...
 
Ignore the specs. No single spec can be fairly compared to another...

Example:

Akasa Amber - 1400rpm - 18db - 44cfm

Yate Loon - 1350rpm - 28db - 47cfm

The Yate Loon is quieter in real life and pushes roughly the same amount of air.
 
I wouldn't normally reccomend zalman fans... but I happen to have a couple of their 120s in one of my PCs and they are very very quiet they _are_ rated 34db at fullspeed which isn't that good but they don't sound that loud... however your mileage may vary...
 
BlackDragon said:
Oh and Ambers are cheap too :)
Click to expand...

Yep they are, however >

"The 120mm Amber fan spins at 1,400rpm and scored 55cfm in our 'black bag' test, which is more than 10cfm more than Akasa's claimed figure of 44.8cfm. However, it was one of the noisier fans on test, emitting 32.1dBA, which is definitely audible. Worse still, the motor of the 120mm Amber broadcasts a noticeable buzz. With so many 120mm fans on the market that produce greater airflow at lower noise levels, it makes little sense to buy a 120mm Amber fan."

Quoted from site i cant link or admins will moan. ;)
 
I've got a couple of Noctua's, they're certainly very quiet and yet still seem to move a decent amount of air, but they are expensive for what you get imo...
 
I have 2 x akasa amber a sythe and a yate loon silent eagle and the yate loon is very quiet but just putting my hand infront i know it pushes nowhere near as much air as the ambers but is much quieter.
 
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