Quietest fans for a radiator?

Goose

Goose

Goose

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I currently have a couple of Akasa Apache's on my AIO radiator and while they undervolt to 700rpm or so nicely the noise of the motor actually becomes quite noticeable.

Noctua seems to be the recommendation from most people when it comes to premium fans and I was wondering if anyone knows from personal experience if any of the current range would be better than my Apache's in terms of noise?

Thanks
 
Thanks, dacads.

The main reason I thought of Noctua is because from what i've read they have the best/quietest motor which is pretty important when running fans at 700rpm or so.

Do you have any experience with the fans you listed?

Thanks again.
 
The top fans tend to be Noctuas, EKWB's Varders or Blacknoise NoiseBlocker eLoops.

Some Varders seem to have a few issues at the moment, though and I'm not sure if they've been resolved. Might just be a bad batch.

A lot depends on the specific factors of your rig, from radiator fin spacing, to case accoustics, to airflow over components and even down to your personal idea of noise.
I usually just get fans and try them out, really.

Personally, I use 120mm Noctuas throughout.
 
Goose said:
Thanks, dacads.

The main reason I thought of Noctua is because from what i've read they have the best/quietest motor which is pretty important when running fans at 700rpm or so.

Do you have any experience with the fans you listed?

Thanks again.
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No I don't I'm afraid but I do have another Noiseblocker fan the PL1, which isn't for rads but to give you an idea it is very good quality and pretty much silent.

I also have the Akasa Apache and haven't had any issues with motor noise! I agree though it's an important aspect if you're going for silence.
 
I wouldn't get Phanteks, they are overpriced sleeve bearing fans, they push a lot of air but also make a variety of bad noises, clicking, squeaking, humminh etc. depending on rpm.

The new fractal HP fans might be good for radiators and have fluid dynamic bearings (quiet) but no reviews.

noctua redux are good fans if you like the colors.
 
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Try enermax if you can get their new PWM mondel somewhere.
I had 17 Enermax UTB 120s and 1 140 in my old rig and it was so quiet I could only hear itwith my head just next to the case.
They have a good static pressure and move air very well, they are quiet and have detachable blades too (so you can pain them if you don't like the color).
 
The colour of the Noctua Redux fans dont bother me at all, how do they compare performance wise to the regular range?
 
Goose said:
The colour of the Noctua Redux fans dont bother me at all, how do they compare performance wise to the regular range?
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I think they are the same but with less accessories (?)

I bought 2 recently for intake fans and they push a lot of air for the amount of noise they make, and when they do make noise its not annoying like clicking or squeaking etc. just a humming noise. They are ball bearing which will last a long time and work in any direction as well. Don't know about radiators, but noctua site says they have good static pressure.
 
I have the vardar 2200rpm version and they are the most noisy things in my case. They are not as bad as the h60 aio stock fan but get pretty noisy when they go past 1500rpm.

I should have listened to my bird and gone with the noctuas (the more expensive fan).
 
Been running 4 x Noctua NF-P12s for years now and been really happy with the lack of noise and cooling power from them on my rad. You pay a premium, but worth it imo.
 
Yeah Redux are basically a better colour and with no accessories.

D1craig said:
I have the vardar 2200rpm version and they are the most noisy things in my case. They are not as bad as the h60 aio stock fan but get pretty noisy when they go past 1500rpm.

I should have listened to my bird and gone with the noctuas (the more expensive fan).
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What did you expect? ;)

Which is why I recommended slightly lower RPMs but at full whack you have to expect a bit of noise, unless you want poor performance.
 
I switched from corsair SP's to Thermaltake Riing's much quieter and i can run them at a higher RPM before i can hear them. circa 800-1000rom as appose to my corsair ones that i had to run at 650-700 rpm supposedly better static pressure as well.
 
@dacads - I went for the higher rpm ones as they don't offer better performance than the stock h60 at lower rpm. They are still an improvement over the stick fan noise wise just now in thinking what are the noctuas like.
 
Bart_Hunt said:
Try enermax if you can get their new PWM mondel somewhere.
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Enermaxes perform fairly well, but I've gone through five or six, all of which ended up screaming, screeching, vibrating and generally sounding like a knackered Triumph Dolomite, within a year.

NirK said:
Don't know about radiators, but noctua site says they have good static pressure.
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The NF-F series are fantastic on rads.
I'm actually going to buy more...!
 
F12's are fantastic.Even at low rpms where the fan is inaudible(300-700rpm) they still push a good amount of air through a rad.

Also Noctua CS are great,managed to somehow crack the corner of one of mine when taking off my dust filters for a clean a few weeks ago.Although this wasn't covered under warrenty they still had no problems sending a free replacement :)
 
ttaskmaster said:
Enermaxes perform fairly well, but I've gone through five or six, all of which ended up screaming, screeching, vibrating and generally sounding like a knackered Triumph Dolomite, within a year.
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Well, then you had bad luck with them, dunno why.
I bought 18 of them from OCuk and they were near silent.
 
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