Best high CFM to noise ratio case fans?

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 9:41 am

Hey Guys

I want to replace the stock fans that came with my case, they are running at 5V atm and don't generate nearly enough airflow.

What recommendation would you give for a decently high CFM case fan that is still reasonably quiet? (as a reference, I consider my Thermalright 1600RPM FDB fan running at 12V to be fairly quiet, but just over the edge of not being quiet enough) if that helps any.

Should I shoot for 1200RPM?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 9:52 am

Any case fan over 1000 rpm's cannot be considered quiet. If you need to go over that you need to improve airflow somehow or get better coolers.

Cut fan grilles off case, clean your cabling providing as clean path way to air as possible. Single 800 rpm slipstream should keep almost any single GPU system cool enough... Going for 1600 rpm fan, even undervolted slightly or 1200 rpm fan full tilt is way too high and neccessarily high for any decent case.

Your best bet is probably 1200 rpm scythe slipstream undervolted to @ 7v using resistor or fan controller. 1200 rpm slipstreams provides excellent amount air with very low noise but its way too noisy @at full tilt for many SPCRian.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:07 am

I'm running my Heatsink FDB fan at the full 1600rpm and I have a GTX285 with the stock fan, so my tolerance for noise is a littler higher than the standard SPCRian, but I still have my limit

Thank you for the advice, it looks like I will go with the Scythe Slipstream 1200rpms and try them at full speed, if it's too loud I'll undervolt.

Sorry one more question, where can I get rubber case fan mounting grommets to reduce vibration?

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:10 am

Compddd wrote:Sorry one more question, where can I get rubber case fan mounting grommets to reduce vibration?

You don't need them, to be honest. With the current best-in-class fans like the Slipstream vibration from the fans transmitted to the case is fairly low down your list of problems I'd say. TBH it's been that way for quite a while, even with half-decent fans.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:17 am

nutball wrote:
You don't need them, to be honest. With the current best-in-class fans like the Slipstream vibration from the fans transmitted to the case is fairly low down your list of problems I'd say. TBH it's been that way for quite a while, even with half-decent fans.

Even slipstream's and Nexus Real Silents do vibrate, more or less when undervolted. There's sample variance in this too.

Compddd wrote: Sorry one more question, where can I get rubber case fan mounting grommets to reduce vibration?

ask all you want, I do my best to answer them:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... s_id=21656
These Nexus silicone fan mounts are excellent. They kill all fan vibrations are very soft and better than most rubber ones.

nutball · Post by **nutball** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:29 am

thejamppa wrote:Even slipstream's and Nexus Real Silents do vibrate, more or less when undervolted. There's sample variance in this too.

Well, yeah, but my recent experience over the past few years is that vibration is the least of your worries from a decent fan. Motor/bearing noise is a much more likely issue from the fan itself, as are sources of vibration from other components.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 10:47 am

Why does no one talk about the Scythe Gentle Typhoon fans? Did they end up not being as good as the Slipstreams?

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:41 pm

Gentle typhoon's push less air than Slipstreams and Slipstreams are tested by SPCR, Gentle Typhoons are not. I am waiting my 800 RPM and 1150 rpm Gentle Typhoon's arriving this week to make some comparisions with Slipstreams and Nexus RS Basics.

Olle P · Post by **Olle P** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 1:06 pm

Compddd wrote:I want to replace the stock fans that came with my case, they are running at 5V atm and don't generate nearly enough airflow.
(as a reference, I consider my Thermalright 1600RPM FDB fan running at 12V to be fairly quiet, but just over the edge of not being quiet enough)

So, in conclusion: With your current fans 12V is a little too noisy and 5V too slow?

Then I suggest you to simply run your fans at some 9-10V. That way you save money and get sufficient cooling at an acceptable noise level!

Cheers
Olle

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 1:42 pm

The stock fans my case came with are much too noisy at anything above 5V.

I'm going to go with the 1200 Slipstreams and some silicon mounting plugs.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 3:32 pm

thejamppa wrote:Gentle typhoon's push less air than Slipstreams and Slipstreams are tested by SPCR, Gentle Typhoons are not. I am waiting my 800 RPM and 1150 rpm Gentle Typhoon's arriving this week to make some comparisions with Slipstreams and Nexus RS Basics.

Look forward to hearing your opinion!

Now if Scythe would just be so kind as to send some of these fans in to SPCR as well...

For the OP, I find the Slipstream 1200rpm fan I've got in my P182 too noisy above approx 6V personally, but if your tolerance is a little higher you might be fine up to a higher voltage, but full speed at 12V is quite loud to me.

Broadleaf · Post by **Broadleaf** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 4:45 pm

"...a decently high CFM case fan that is still reasonably quiet?'

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/di ... html#sect0

"...where can I get rubber case fan mounting grommets to reduce vibration?"

http://216.139.228.207/Anti-Vibration-P ... 4KXwmX4x4v

"...about the Scythe Gentle Typhoon fans?"

The Scythe Gentle Typhoon has the most non-annoying noise signature that I know of. I use a Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm 1,150rpm Silent Case Fan on the rear chassis location with a 2.5 cm (1 inch) duct in between the fan and the chassis grill to give the turbulent air time to moderate before hitting that nasty cheap steel stamping rear grill. The duct is made out of a 120mm fan with the guts cut out. This fan is connected to the cpu fan header for temperature controlled variable speed. Your heat situation might require a stronger solution....

Have fun.

alleycat · Post by **alleycat** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:13 pm

I got these silicone fan mounts, great price:
viewtopic.php?t=52868

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:55 am

Broadleaf wrote:"...a decently high CFM case fan that is still reasonably quiet?'

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/di ... html#sect0

"...where can I get rubber case fan mounting grommets to reduce vibration?"

http://216.139.228.207/Anti-Vibration-P ... 4KXwmX4x4v

"...about the Scythe Gentle Typhoon fans?"

The Scythe Gentle Typhoon has the most non-annoying noise signature that I know of. I use a Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm 1,150rpm Silent Case Fan on the rear chassis location with a 2.5 cm (1 inch) duct in between the fan and the chassis grill to give the turbulent air time to moderate before hitting that nasty cheap steel stamping rear grill. The duct is made out of a 120mm fan with the guts cut out. This fan is connected to the cpu fan header for temperature controlled variable speed. Your heat situation might require a stronger solution....

Have fun.

So you're saying the gentle typhoons are annoyingly bad or are they good?

CyberDog · Post by **CyberDog** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:10 am

Shamgar · Post by **Shamgar** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:59 am

thejamppa wrote:1200 rpm slipstreams provides excellent amount air with very low noise but its way too noisy @at full tilt for many SPCRian.

Very true. Once your tolerance level goes below 1000, it will then go to 800, 600, 500 and below--depending on your sensitivity of course. When does it end? Assuming we still want/need fan-cooled airflow, which many of us do.

Compddd wrote:I'm running my Heatsink FDB fan at the full 1600rpm and I have a GTX285 with the stock fan, so my tolerance for noise is a littler higher than the standard SPCRian, but I still have my limit

Thank you for the advice, it looks like I will go with the Scythe Slipstream 1200rpms and try them at full speed, if it's too loud I'll undervolt.

In extreme temperature conditions, my tolerance can be acceptably raised as my instinct to protect my computer from frying kicks in. During summer, ambient and street noise usually suppresses computer noise anyway. If you need to run at or near full speed, don't be hesitant to. A bit more noise is better than deep fried computer parts.

Compddd, Scythe Slipstreams do not appear to be well oiled (pardon pun) according to many user reports. Consider reoiling the fans when you get them, as over time, the lubrication wears off and the fan may be less than optimal cooling and noise wise. This is a very old guide, but it gives you an idea how to reoil fans.

BTW...

SPCRian = Cultivated European lingo
SPCRer = Colloquial urban N.American lingo
SPCRo = Ozzo yobbo lingo

YMMV...

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:01 am

I've never heard of Slipstreams having to be manually oiled? What?

Should I get SFlex instead?

Shamgar · Post by **Shamgar** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:13 am

They should be fine for quite some time before needing to be reoiled. However, it would improve their lifespan to oil them before use. I am going to attempt to do it with my two Slipstreams (I've only used them a few times; they're packed away for now). Sewing machine oil or car oil will work from what I read and heard.

Because Slipstreams are budget line sleeve bearing fans for low cost with excellent cooling for low noise, it became a very popular fan on SPCR. They are not as durable as Fluid Dynamic Bearing or their variants.

S-Flex are FDB fans, very durable and better manufacturing quality than Slipstreams, assuming you get a good sample. But they cost more. Sometimes for the cost of 1 S-Flex, you can get 2 Slipstreams. YMMM however.

Someone else will post sooner or later and give you more advice. Don't panic. Slipstreams are cheap enough anyway. Give them a go; they are quite good for your needs. Scythe provide a 2 year warranty and if they fail after that, you can always replace it with another better fan. Someone like thejamppa who owns many fans can tell you more from his experiences. I hope I haven't unsettled you. Forgive me if I have.

Shamgar · Post by **Shamgar** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:25 am

These threads may give you some insight and prove I am not kidding you:

viewtopic.php?t=54169&highlight=slipstream+oil
viewtopic.php?t=53702&highlight=slipstream+oil
viewtopic.php?t=51173&highlight=slipstream+oil

It may not be a widespread problem and few users here have reported of problems due to lack of fan oil in Slipstreams. I have just provided you with the information so you can make a more informed choice.

Best high CFM to noise ratio case fans?

Best high CFM to noise ratio case fans?

Re: Best high CFM to noise ratio case fans?