Best case fan?

danceMB

danceMB

danceMB

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I used to have water cooling, but after an accident of the pump failing, I am back to good old air cooling again.

I am going to be fitting an SI-120 shortly with an Akasa Amber 120mm fan, but I wondered whats the best case fans I can buy? Because having a look it appears I dont have any case fans which is not really a good idea.

So, how many case fans should I invest in? And whats the best sizes/makes?
 
120mm are usually considered the best as their noise/CFM ratio is good. I'd recommend panaflo L1s or M1s :)
 
Panaflo fans for the case then? Im not sure the 120mm fan would fit as a case fan due to the size that has been alloted. Its a dragon case, not sure what the maximum case fan size is, but id guess its either an 80mm or 92mm fan.
 
Depends on the budget.

Low end Ambers are excellent value and very good but not 'the best'.

Panaflo's I believe are pretty good but not sure what the out and out best are...

Incedently what do you consider 'best'

Quietest?
Highest amount of air?
 
Best for air-flow = Delta
Best for quality = PAPST or Panaflow (Also quiet)
Best for £-Airflow/Noise = YS Tech
Best for colour = Coolermaster (Blue & white)
Best for long lasting colour = Antec
Best Red Fans = Akasa (But I have had more failures with Askasa kit than any other manafacturer)

Depends entierly on what you consider "best".
 
I dont really care about colours as the dragon case is black, but then I dont want a loud fan. Im after good airflow but also which isnt too loud, and dont mind paying decent money to get one that would last me 18 months or so, considering I dont currently have any case-only fans, which might explain why my CPU temps are always so high
 
danceMB said:
Im after good airflow but also which isnt too loud, and dont mind paying decent money to get one that would last me 18 months or so...
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Then I would suggest Panaflow or PAPST.
Both make high quality fans (last ages) and quiet.
Althoughthey are not the cheapest - You get what you pay for. :)
 
danceMB said:
So, how many case fans should I invest in? And whats the best sizes/makes?
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You'll need at least an intake at the front, and exhaust (rear) both 120mm would be best, if you have a side intake to blow across the MOBO that would be ideal for an 80mm. For the intake and exhaust you ideally want matched fans, as this helps prevent dead spots, and even the flow. I personally found the akasa pci slot exhausts noisy and not much help with cooling.

I (in my humble opinion :D ) would say either akasa fans or ThermalTakes range is quite extensive. Both brands have been reliable for me. As the other posters have said the 120mm fans are best for air movement/noise ratio.

lol, there's me tuppence worth anyway! :)
 
danceMB said:
Well thats fine if they are a good make and last. Can I buy them off here? If so, what sizes are available?
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I've got some Panaflo M1's which i find to be very good.

OcUK don't sell them but they can be had from a place with a similar name for around £13. Put them on a fan controller and they are silent at 7v and still have a good airflow.
 
Another vote for Papst here (Though the 'thing' I picked up off the net for my chiller isn't exactly quiet - but then at 240v and enough power to hover a small family car... :D )
 
Im quite tempted to get those PAPST case fans if they are considered to be the best?

I have 3 holes basically pre-cut into my dragon case specifically for case fans, with 1 space at the front of the case, and 2 at the back, but they are not for 120mm fans, looks like it is for either 80mm or 92mm which is a shame really considering a 120mm would be quieter.

So if I got 2 x 80mm PAPST case fans it would be cool & quieter inside my case? I managed to find several of these fans, some with fan controllers, some without. Whats the difference in the model numbers?

Some are rated @ 26db, which I assume would be quite high in real world performance?
 
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I managed to find the fans in question, and it recommends 26db PAPST fans. To me that sounds a little bit too loud, considering I would be getting 2 of the fans - one at the front, one at the back, which should improve on the heat issues inside the case and stop my CPU from having hot moments while I still have the stock cooler.

Anyway, am I right in thinking 26db is too loud, or is that the norm?
 
Was my lack of case fans up until now a possible cause of why my temps were higher with the stock cooler than I would have expected?
 
Have to say i found NoiseBlocker Fans to be very good. Have been running some 80mm S4

High build qaulity, good air flow, quite & look good :D
 
i would advise the YStech 120mm fan, if you dont mind some noise leave it on 12V where it isnt that loud, and it pushes some serious air(125cfm). Or 7V it and ive been told it goes virtually silent still pushing about 75cfm.
I have one, and ive just left it at 12V and it doesnt bother me in the slightest. Great fan :D.
 
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