Rad fans, spend more or not needed?

Teuton

Teuton

Teuton

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Joined
16 Dec 2013
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310
Location
Staffordshire
Hi guys,

I'm looking for some fans to replace my SP120s on my radiators. The SP120s are quite loud and I think the following will help with noise:

OcUK/Silverstone FQ121WC: The cheapest option, look nice and rated for radiators. Will they be quieter than my SP120 quiet editions?

EK-Vardar 2200: A tad more expensive, 2200rpm in all-black version. Worth the extra money from the above?

Nidec/Darkside GTs: Probably the best in terms of noise and performance but they are a lot more expensive than the other two (looking at around £20 per fan) and would need the cables sleeving.

So what's your opinions guys? What should I get?
 
if you're going for silence over performance i'm not sure the vardars are the best option. i have 7 3000 rpm vardars and when they idle at 1200 rpm i can hear them a couple meters away. they never go above 1,800 rpm though and do an amazing job cooling (8350 44c max, 290x 54c max) the fans you're looking at will idle at a bit less so might be inaudible at idle but cant be sure.

the noise isn't a bad one, no rattle or whine but there's a low hum. most the noise is probably just the air moving.
 
I'm still finding Noctuas give the best performance for the noise levels.
There are higher performing fans (Varders), but the noise they put out is also higher.

But really, there isn't that much between them, so it's mostly just a case of trying them in your own build and seeing how well you get on with them.
 
I'd invest in a solution that allows you to control your fans. Nzxt grid+ v2 is my suggestion.

Difference between good fans and great fans is a couple of degrees at most.
 
Currently I've got my SP120s plugged into a Phanteks PWM fan hub, they're quite loud. I'm looking for quieter fans really.
 
ive got 3 Silverstone /ocuk fans and 6 Gentle typhoons can hear the ocuk ones over the GT's.

if you could find somewhere selling gentle typhoons then id get them but they are like rocking horse pooh now :(
 
NoobCannon said:
ive got 3 Silverstone /ocuk fans and 6 Gentle typhoons can hear the ocuk ones over the GT's.

if you could find somewhere selling gentle typhoons then id get them but they are like rocking horse pooh now :(
Click to expand...

Yeah the GTs seem to be top dog for sure. There is a place that sells them but they are £20 a pop + whatever it costs to sleeve them black :(
 
Teuton said:
Currently I've got my SP120s plugged into a Phanteks PWM fan hub, they're quite loud. I'm looking for quieter fans really.
Click to expand...

Turn them down.

Quiet fans tend to be normal fans - but slower.

SP120s are not bad fans at all.
 
honestly if noise is a big a factor as you're making it out to be I'd just get some low RPM Noctua / GT's. yeah they cost more but if that's what you want you should pay it. It's better than paying £10 a fan and not getting what you want
 
I've been messing with RPMs off my fans in Gigabyte Easytune. Fans are very quiet around 800rpm and getting reasonable temps like that. Atm running just 1 240 rad for CPU+GPU, second will be in soon so I'll wait until that's in to really test what temps are like vs noise at low RPMs.

Eventually I may just buy GTs for the prestige and to know I have the best in there. Thanks for the advice guys.
 
All my fans's are Noctua NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000RPM IP67 in my PC. (7x 140mm + 8x 120mm)

Best fans I've ever had. Expensive but you get what you pay for.

My rig is super quiet at idle you would not know it's on. Even at load it's very quiet indeed, just gentle whoosh of air!

They idle just below 600rpm and don't exceed 1000rpm. Just no need to run them faster.
 
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What rpm are your sp120s and what are you running them at?

I've got the 2250rpm but only running them at 650rpm on a phanteks fan splitter and they now run near silent.
 
I've got a similar sort of question:

I am thinking of replacing the fans on my h100i GTX and have considered a few options:
1) I splurge on 2 Scythe Gentle Typhoon AP-15s which I have read are the best in regards to low noise without sacrificing static pressure
2) Buying 1 Akasa Viper. I already have 1 so I only need one more and they are only half the price of the GTs, saving me around £30. The Vipers are also PWM so they would be easier to control using the CPU. I'm not entirely sure of the process of controlling 3 pin CPU fans on my mobo (Asus P8P67 Pro).

I'm not particularly flush with cash so the saved money would be helpful but am I sacrificing a lot by going with the second option?

My main aim is to get a more silent PC but still one that can keep cool. I've got a 2500k clocked at 4.3 and want to get a year or so more out of it so the plan is to OC it to 4.7/4.8 so I need the leeway that good quality fans give.

Are the Vipers a good enough compromise?
 
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