Which fan would you pick?

sparky05084 · 16 Jan 2013 at 20:27

Need some help please in choosing one. I require a fan for the front of my NZXT Phantom Enthusiast and I don't know what's best.

This is my first build and I'm struggling to say the least

Due to the fact I can't fit a side 200mm fan (K2 Mount Doom cooler would clash) I am thinking I need a really good intake fan at the front that's capable of shifting lots of air.

I'm currently looking at these fans:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm 1850 RPM - 3 Pin £14.98
1 x BitFenix Spectre PRO 140mm Blue LED - Black £13.99
1 x Corsair SP120 Performance Series High Pressure - Single Pack £13.99
1 x NZXT FZ-140 Airflow Fan Series, Blue LED - 140mm £12.98
1 x Akasa 120mm Piranha high performance PWM air ripper blade fan £12.00
Total : £76.64 (includes shipping : £7.25).

The NZXT & BitFenix fans have been added on the basis that they offer the LED facility and I thought this would look nice to accompany the top LED fans. However, this is not something I absolutely must have.

I intend to keep all the other fans (for the time being) as the supplied NZXT variants.

So, which one would you pick and why?

Thanks

AgedIdiot · 16 Jan 2013 at 20:38

What other fans are you running? (in partic. are you running the 2 side fans; sucking cool air over the hd's)

and set up as intake or exhaust ?

sparky05084 · 16 Jan 2013 at 20:41

The 2 side fans (120mm) are the original NZXT fans and yes they are pulling air in to cool both the SSD and HDD. Setup exhaust obviously.

AgedIdiot · 16 Jan 2013 at 20:48

Keep it simple - try without a front fan and see what temps you get
then fit 'any' spare 120/140m fan that you have to see what if any difference it makes.
If it is a lot better then buy a good quality fan for, hopefully , even better results.

I've never been sure wether the front fan is such a good idea given the fact that it is intended to pull air in and when it does it immediately hits the air being drawn in by the side fans.

sparky05084 · 16 Jan 2013 at 21:11

I made an error in my previous post. The side fans are intakes not exhaust. It's been a long day

Yes I see your point regarding air colliding with the side intakes. If this is indeed the case then would you say that this is a design flaw on NZXT's part?

Mind you saying that, quite a number of cases have the same profile where side fans and front intakes are in close proximity.