Which Fans for a Fractal Design Mini Case?

JaseUK · 7 Nov 2019 at 14:40

Recently built the below build in the above case. The case came with two Fractal Design 120mm DC fans, one at the front and one at the rear. According to their website these are the fans - Fractal Design Dynamic X2 GP12.

The fans are very loud and appear to have a mind of their own as they appear to speed up and then slow down continuously. I presume this is to do with the changing in voltage from the motherboard. The fans have the 3 pin header connectors so I believe they are the DC type.

They're both connected to the fan headers on the motherboard which allow the 4 pin PWM headers. I have checked the BIOS but cant seem to gain much control over the fans. Is there something I am missing in the BIOS or do I need to get myself some PWM fans?

I do like using fan curves and have done so for the AMD wraith prism cooler I have fitted.

JaseUK · 7 Nov 2019 at 16:11

I've installed MSI Command Centre and it allows me control over the case fans. Strange thing is its allowing me to set a fan curve based on temperature as opposed to voltage (BIOS). I thought you could only do that with PWM fans.

Relentless81 · 7 Nov 2019 at 16:17

I assume you have an MSI board, if so in the BIOS if you switch to Advanced mode you can see the Hardware Monitor where the fan control software is

I would use Windows based software personally, in the BIOS you can set it and forget it, if you do make a note of your settings otherwise they'll get wiped at some point and you'll need to tune them all over again

BTW the GP12 fans aren't very good, you would benefit from changing them to Artic P12's or Be Quiet, Noctua etc

JaseUK · 7 Nov 2019 at 16:20

Relentless81 said:
I assume you have an MSI board, if so in the BIOS if you switch to Advanced mode you can see the Hardware Monitor where the fan control software is

I would use Windows based software personally, in the BIOS you can set it and forget it, if you do make a note of your settings otherwise they'll get wiped at some point and you'll need to tune them all over again

BYW the GP12 fans aren't very good, you would benefit from changing them to Artic P12's or Be Quiet, Noctua etc

I have the MSI B450M Mortar Max board. I managed to find the fan control in the BIOS but it wouldn't allow me to do a fan curve for the case fans. It had voltage on the graph as opposed to temp.

MSI Command Centre does allow a lot more control even over the case fans however it doesn't save its settings on reboot.

Relentless81 · 7 Nov 2019 at 16:23

JaseUK said:
I have the MSI B450M Mortar Max board. I managed to find the fan control in the BIOS but it wouldn't allow me to do a fan curve for the case fans. It had voltage on the graph as opposed to temp.

MSI Command Centre does allow a lot more control even over the case fans however it doesn't save its settings on reboot.

Not sure what's happening there, on mine you have to tick Smart Mode for all the options to become available

doyll · 10 Nov 2019 at 15:59

Stock Fractal Design case fans are junk. They have such low pressure ratings they can't ovecome grill and fitler resistnace unless at full speed, and then only minimal airflow. I suggest you get 2x 2-packs of PH-F120MP fans.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/two-...120mm-fan-radiator-performance-bu-002-pt.html

Mount 1x bottom intake and 3x front as intakes and block all openings not covered by fans so the air they are pushing into case can't leak back in front of fans. You don't need exhaust fans. Remove all PCie back slot cover/grills becasue open slots will flow 3 times as much air giving you much more rear vent area around GPU so much better front to back airflow and lower GPU and CPU temps. Taller feet on case so case bottom so there is about twice as much space between bottom of case and what it sets on give bottom vents/fans much better airflow and lowers noise levels. Setup fan speed curves so they sync with cooler fans speeding up as they do so case is flowing air based on components' needs.

JaseUK · 20 Nov 2019 at 15:31

doyll said:
Stock Fractal Design case fans are junk. They have such low pressure ratings they can't ovecome grill and fitler resistnace unless at full speed, and then only minimal airflow. I suggest you get 2x 2-packs of PH-F120MP fans.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/two-...120mm-fan-radiator-performance-bu-002-pt.html

Mount 1x bottom intake and 3x front as intakes and block all openings not covered by fans so the air they are pushing into case can't leak back in front of fans. You don't need exhaust fans. Remove all PCie back slot cover/grills becasue open slots will flow 3 times as much air giving you much more rear vent area around GPU so much better front to back airflow and lower GPU and CPU temps. Taller feet on case so case bottom so there is about twice as much space between bottom of case and what it sets on give bottom vents/fans much better airflow and lowers noise levels. Setup fan speed curves so they sync with cooler fans speeding up as they do so case is flowing air based on components' needs.

Just seen this reply today. thank you for your advice and I'll look into it.

EsaT · 21 Nov 2019 at 18:12

JaseUK said:
Just seen this reply today. thank you for your advice and I'll look into it.

Just save money and go for Arctic P12 designed to work with various restrictions from case meshes to heatsinks.
On top of excellent performance especially considering price Arctic also gives 10 year warranty.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/arctic-cooling-p12-pwm-pst-black-fan-120mm-fg-04h-ar.html

That Phanteks has overdoze of marketing BS design and isn't good acoustically

The noise emitted by the PH-F120MP is tonal at all speeds. At 550 RPM, it produces a low, dry-sounding hum which continues throughout most of its range. Generally, the pitch of this ~380 Hz tone increases with speed except around 900 RPM where it regresses, unexpectedly creating a less annoying output. At about 1000 RPM, the previous acoustics come back in full force and multiple strong tones appear together. At 1100 RPM, the fan starts to buzz and become turbulent as well, adding more complexity to the sound. In short, the acoustics are an absolute mess and a complete reverse of the PH-F140HP.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Fan_Roundup_2015a

doyll · 24 Nov 2019 at 15:57

Arctic P12 seem to be decent, although I haven't used any. I have used lots of Phanteks PH-F120SP, PH-F140SP, PH-F120XP, PH-F140XP and PH-F120MP, PH-F140MP case and PH-F140HP, HP I and HP II cooler fans with no complaints. While all work well newer PH-F120MP, PH-F140MP and PH-F140HP II are better.

OcUK has PH-F140MP 2-pack for £16.26
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/two-...140mm-fan-radiator-performance-bu-003-pt.html

And PH-F120MP 2-packs for £14.99
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/search/index/sSearch/ph-f120mp

So I would go with PH-F120MP or PH-F140MP that I know are good. Sure, most users love their P12 or P14 fans, but how many of those users have really used and compared them against PH-F120/140 MPs, Silent Wings 3, Ty-147A, TY-143 or other top tier fans to really be able to know which are better? I have used/tested all I've listed except but Arctic P series, and I'm not saying Arctic P series are not good, just saying there have been some complaints and most 'reviews' are from people with limited fan experiences.