Which case fans?

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
160,229
Hi guys,

I have 4 80mm YSTech 'silents' in my case. They shift 27cfm at 21.2dba. Or at least they did back in 2002 when I bought them :eek:

I'd like to replace them because they are noisy but I do not wish to compromise cooling ability.

Whats the best bet to replace them with? I guess they are going to be both noisier and pushing less air then when new anyway?

Thanks!
 
Well take a look here.

As you can see, the Noctua's are top of the pile, but at £12 odd each they're very expensive.

Sharkoon Silent Eagles, Xilence and Akasa Ambers are also very popular choices for price/noise/performance.

If you don't already, it might be worth getting a fan controller to adjust RPM if you want complete control over how loud the system is. You can then find a good noise/performance setting for the various tasks you're asking of the machine.
 
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Don't trust manufacturers' specs on noise/airflow. They are all tested under different conditions and are optimistic at best.

Noctua undoubtedly make some of the best quiet fans, but you pay a premium. Sharkoon are also decent.

Could you possibly fit an 80-> 120mm adapter in? 120mm fans are better for all the obvious reasons.
 
[TW]Fox;15730430 said:
Can't use 120mm unfortunately - I am fitting them into a CM ATCS201.

What I'm after is the same airflow (or similar) as the YSTechs with less noise. Is this possible? I appreciate the manufacturer specs are a bit whacky.

These look good:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-039-AK&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=819

?
Click to expand...

They'd probably match them tbh, they're not bad fans but I think the bearing in them is not as quiet as the Ambers (which are much more highly recommended) and also this means the MTBF may be smaller. On a reasonable budget, a set of those would be fine though. They can be cheaper elsewhere, but with free shipping here it's worth it.
 
alexhull24 said:
They'd probably match them tbh, they're not bad fans but I think the bearing in them is not as quiet as the Ambers (which are much more highly recommended) and also this means the MTBF may be smaller. On a reasonable budget, a set of those would be fine though. They can be cheaper elsewhere, but with free shipping here it's worth it.
Click to expand...

The Ambers look good - 20dba and 25cfm. How noisy is this in the real world?
 
I pulled this from the net:

194 Theoretical limit for a sound wave at 1 atmosphere environmental pressure; pressure waves with a greater intensity behave as shock waves.
188 Space Shuttle liftoff as heard from launch tower (less than 100 feet) [1] [2].
180 Krakatoa volcano explosion at 1 mile (1.6 km) in air [3]
160 M1 Garand being fired at 1 meter (3 ft); Space Shuttle liftoff as heard from launch pad perimeter (approx. 1500 feet) [4] [5].
150 Jet engine at 30 m (100 ft)
140 Low Calibre Rifle being fired at 1m (3 ft); the engine of a Formula One car at 1 meter (3 ft)
130 Threshold of pain; civil defense siren at 100 ft (30 m)
120 Space Shuttle from three mile mark, closest one can view launch.[6] [7]. Train horn at 1 m (3 ft). Many foghorns produce around this volume.
120 Concert of music, louder if indoors.
110 Football stadium during kickoff at 50 yard line; chainsaw at 1 m (3 ft)
100 Jackhammer at 2 m (7 ft); inside discothèque
90 Loud factory, heavy truck at 1 m (3 ft), kitchen blender
80 Vacuum cleaner at 1 m (3 ft), curbside of busy street, PLVI of city
70 Busy traffic at 5 m (16 ft)
60 Office or restaurant inside
50 Quiet restaurant inside
40 Residential area at night
30 Theatre, no talking
20 Whispering
10 Human breathing at 3 m (10 ft)
0 Threshold of human hearing (with healthy ears); sound of a mosquito flying 3 m (10 ft) away
Click to expand...

For a fan, it's pretty darn good, most aren't much less than that.
 
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