Thermaltake A2330 v Nexus 120mm??

akerr63 · Post by **akerr63** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 12:27 pm

I currently have a Nexus D12SL-12 120mmx25mm fan mounted in an Antec Sonata (first gen) case using soft ear mounts. From my normal sitting position I can clearly hear this rear case fan / air noise. It is not the CPU fan as turning that off (temporarily!) makes no difference despite it running at 100%. It is also not the stock Antec Sonata PSU fan, which is noticeably quieter (fan + air noise).

The Sonata still has the hexagonal fan grid because I have two inquisitive cats. But the Sonata has been modified to have a large (about 4" x 6") hole in the base with a pleated air conditioner filter. So I do not think the pressure is too high inside the case. The Nexus is undervolted using a Fanmate, but I have not measured the exact voltage. It was set to keep the internal temperature reasonable.

Does anyone have suggestions for a quieter 120mm fan? I cannot find any info about this Thermaltake A2330 fan: http://www.thermaltake.com/dcfans/Combo ... /a2330.htm
This seems to have fantastic specs, but I know that may not be the case in real life. Other suggestions are welcomed.

Shadowknight · Post by **Shadowknight** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:22 pm

You're not going to find a fan quieter than the Nexus. Period. You can try undervolting it with a fan controller. Since the first Sonata has restrictive grills, but them out. Buy the Nexus fan mounting kit or some rubber sticks from Veraxfans.com. They are soft mounts that will allow you to mount wire fan grills outside the case.

akerr63 · Post by **akerr63** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:23 pm

Thanks for the Nexus feedback - I suspected that. The fan is already undervolted, but perhaps not by enough. I'm going to try to duct air more to the CPU. I'm now thinking that a lot of the air from the bottom hole is short circuiting the case and going straight out the back! So better ducting would allow for a more undervolted rear fan.

Also these threads discuss similar problems:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... =fan+grill
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=15810

I'll try some of these suggestions, checking for case resonance etc, and perhaps cutting out the rear fan grills and replacing with a metal wire grill.

snowman59 · Post by **snowman59** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:38 pm

I would certainly go with cutting out the rear fan grill and replacing it with a standard grill in light of your cat situation. I even went so far as to take my dremel and remove every other ring to allow increased airflow and less turbulance. This mod greatly cut down on the noise from my system and increased the amount of air that circulates through my case therby helping temperatures too.

~best of luck to you

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:45 pm

120mm nexus fan @ 5v is the quietest fan you can get.

also, never compare a quality product brand like nexus with thermaltake. thermaltake is nothing but cheep rip-off crap.

mathias · Post by **mathias** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:10 pm

I disagree. That thermaltake fan is one of a few fans that actually does have a chance of being quiter than a nexus. Most likely it's crap, but perhaps it's made by yate loon, like the fan that comes with the big typhoon. Of course, a D14SL, probably beats both of those, and although the D14 will be problematic to fit in most places, the thermaltake wheel will also have problems fitting in many(like at the back of most cases, or on a thermalright).

EndoSteel · Post by **EndoSteel** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:08 am

mathias
Most likely it's crap, but perhaps it's made by yate loon, like the fan that comes with the big typhoon.
The BT fan is made by Hong Sheng, it's written on the sticker.
http://img239.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bt0gr.jpg

mathias · Post by **mathias** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:53 pm

Oh. That was stupid of us. Well, it turns out that it doesn't really matter in the first place anyway.

GHz · Post by **GHz** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 10:52 pm

The fan is not the problem... it's the restrictive stamped grill in the back of your case. Cut it out and replace with a wire grill. Problem solved.