Scythe Gentle Typhoon Fans by Nidec Servo Corp

Zenphic · Post by **Zenphic** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:05 am

Scythe finally makes a press release about their new fans!

120mm: http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/products/fa ... 20-mm.html
92mm: http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/products/fa ... 92-mm.html

Gentle Typhoon: Innovative design developed for a pleasant noise level

Hamburg, Germany November 11th, 2009: Scythe Co., Ltd. presents the new Gentle Typhoon case fans developed by the Japanese Nidec Servo Corporation. Eight versions in two different sizes (92 and 120 mm) with different speeds will be placed on the market at the same time.

All eight versions have a newly designed impeller which has a high performance with very low background noise. All fans are manually balanced to guarantee operation with less vibration.

In comparison to comparable fans the Gentle Typhoon is characterized by a pleasant noise level. The innovative design of the fan blades were designed to avoid disturbing air which means less noise at high performance.

The motor of the fan uses a patented double vibration reduction structure which also prevents vibrations produced by the fan.

Gentle Typhoon Case fans are available for $11,95 / 6,40 â‚¬ (excl. VAT, 92 mm version) and $16,95 / 8,00 â‚¬ (excl. VAT, 120 mm version).

CyberDog · Post by **CyberDog** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:05 am

Looks little like Akasa and Arctic Cooling fans... Might be good ones tho...

But those have ball bearings... All ball bearing fans I have tested had bearing noise...

Post by **MikeC** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:31 am

Nidec makes top quality fans that last a long time. They also have excellent bearings... tho I agree that all ball bearings almost always have that distinctive buzzy sound. The low friction of these bearings are very impressive tho, and I know that Nidec has been working recently with some other brands (ie, customers) to develop quieter fans.

I have a couple new Nidecs from a PSU maker I cannot mention -- very impressive, max speed is >2500rpm, yet starts at under 2V! Mainly because of the smoothness of the bearings -- and perhaps high number of poles? Not sure exactly what causes this, but when you turn the blades by hand, the little magnetic steps are extremely small, unlike in many fans where each step seems like half a turn. I'd look forward to these.

Zenphic · Post by **Zenphic** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:08 pm

Glad to hear that Mike! After the success of Scythe's Slipstreams, I'm only expecting something good from them.
For an MSRP of $16,95 for the 120mm though, these aren't the cheapest fan!

Ch0z3n · Post by **Ch0z3n** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:34 am

I am really interested in these fans. I think a better comparison than to slipstreams would be to an S-Flex or Kama-Flex. Well, at least in the sense that they could be mounted in other than vertical positions because of the bearing. Also, how good they are with higher impedance, like on a CPU heatsink or so.

zgundam · Post by **zgundam** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:55 pm

uh... I put a topic up about this about two months ago with impressions of these fans + did some quickie testing:

Scythe Gentle Typhoon - 120mm - pics and impressions

I've had two of the 1450rpm models on my PA120.3 radiator (pull config) so far and I must say @7v they're def. quieter than the Slipstream 1200rpm also @7v, although they seem to push slightly less air. They are definitely quieter than the S-Flex Medium's @7v imho. Very happy with them so far.

Dunno about the lower rpm models, but don't bother with the 1850rpm variant - it's noticeably louder @ 7v compard to the 1450rpm model.

Ch0z3n · Post by **Ch0z3n** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:21 pm

yeah I saw that, and am grateful you did it, I just want an official review with numbers and such =D

Approximately what is the rmp at 5v on the 1450? I know 7v mod probably isn't going to do anything to my PSU but I am still a little wary and I already have 5v adapters made.

What roll would these fit into? Cuz it seems like slipstreams are the vertical case fan of choice and I like the S-Flex S-FDB for higher impedance or horizontal mounting.

zgundam · Post by **zgundam** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:07 pm

yeah I saw that, and am grateful you did it, I just want an official review with numbers and such =D

Fair enough, I'd like to see some official numbers too!

The typhoons are currently hooked up to my Sunbeam Reobus atm so I have no idea what rpm they're running at all

Maybe when I get home I'll try running one off the mb header and see what numbers I get from the bios...

Not sure u would want to run these @ 5v tho. The fan hub is significantly larger vs. the slipstream and consequently pushes less air per rpm... @5v it'll be very quiet, but it wouldn't be pushing much air either.

I purchased the Typhoons for teh sole purpose of having a quiet fan in a restrictive airflow environment (themochill pa120.3 radiator), and in that respect it's performing brilliantly.

The majority of noise from my PC (which sits on my desk about 40cm from my head) now comes from the 90mm Nexus Fan (7v) I'm using for air intake, another 90mm Nexus blowing directly on my 680i's Northbridge (9v) and a 120mm SFlex as exhaust @ 7v. Can't hear the Typhoons on my radiators over those fans at all unless I put my ear next to one.

Seeing as these fans aren't sleeve bearing and feel quite heavy duty (they weigh more than a Papst 4412FGMLL I swear), I reckon their role overlaps with what is currently filled by the S-Flex's, but are "quieter".

I'm not using the two 1850rpm Typhoons atm and would be happy to lend them out for offcial benchmarking upon request

slimeballzz · Post by **slimeballzz** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:53 pm

zgundam wrote:
I purchased the Typhoons for teh sole purpose of having a quiet fan in a restrictive airflow environment (themochill pa120.3 radiator), and in that respect it's performing brilliantly.

The majority of noise from my PC (which sits on my desk about 40cm from my head) now comes from the 90mm Nexus Fan (7v) I'm using for air intake, another 90mm Nexus blowing directly on my 680i's Northbridge (9v) and a 120mm SFlex as exhaust @ 7v. Can't hear the Typhoons on my radiators over those fans at all unless I put my ear next to one.

Seeing as these fans aren't sleeve bearing and feel quite heavy duty (they weigh more than a Papst 4412FGMLL I swear), I reckon their role overlaps with what is currently filled by the S-Flex's, but are "quieter".

Are you saying the Typhoons would perform better (more airflow and less noise) than the S-Flex in restrictive enviroments?
I'm having a hard time in deciding wheher to buy these fans or the S-Flex's for my 2 PA120.2s.

zgundam · Post by **zgundam** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 3:47 am

slimeballzz wrote: Are you saying the Typhoons would perform better (more airflow and less noise) than the S-Flex in restrictive enviroments?
I'm having a hard time in deciding wheher to buy these fans or the S-Flex's for my 2 PA120.2s.

Possibly - without proper test equipment it's not possible to say definitively whether it's pushing more air overall, but imho with @7v the S-Flex 1200rpm SFF21E (using as case exhaust fan atm) seemed to be noisier compared to the Typhoon at 1450rpm.

I've tried Yate Loon Medium's, Papst 4412F2GLL's, Scythe NMB-MAT's and SlipStream 1200rpm's on my PA120.3's in the past and @7v I've found the Typhoon 1450rpm model the quietest (in pull config) while still pushing a decent volume of air so far.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:06 pm

Any reviews or word on when these will be available in the USA?

Blacktales · Post by **Blacktales** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:38 pm

I don't know about the USA but gentle typhoon fans are available in Canada. The usual suspects, DirectCanada and NCIX list them in stock.

bgiddins · Post by **bgiddins** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:25 pm

For those in the world who persist with imperial measurements, here are the manufacturer's claimed cubic feet per minute ratings:

500 rpm: 0.015 A - 5 dBA - 31 mÂ³/h - 18 fÂ³/m
800 rpm: 0.023 A - 9 dBA - 48 mÂ³/h - 28 fÂ³/m
1,150 rpm: 0.034 A - 16 dBA - 63 mÂ³/h - 37 fÂ³/m
1,450 rpm: 0.049 A - 21 dBA - 85 mÂ³/h - 50 fÂ³/m
1,850 rpm: 0.083 A - 28 dBA - 98 mÂ³/h - 58 fÂ³/m

They're available on eBay from US sellers.

limee · Post by **limee** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:26 pm

Question about the Scythe fans, are all the newer ones made in China? Did you guys find the quality consistent, unlike the Panaflos?

zgundam · Post by **zgundam** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:50 pm

limee wrote:Question about the Scythe fans, are all the newer ones made in China? Did you guys find the quality consistent, unlike the Panaflos?

Most of the Scythe fans seem to be made in China except for the Typhoons, which are made in Indonesia (probably because the Nidec motors are made there???)

I've only had experience with the Kama FLows / S-Flex / SlipStreams /Typhoons and quality is fine - only have had one dud fan (a Slipstream) so far.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:08 pm

Zg, since you've had experience with all 4 Scythe fan types, which one is the best in your opinion? Is it the Typhoon? Also it looks like the Typhoon has closed corners like the Nexus fans, is this true?

Thanks!

zgundam · Post by **zgundam** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:16 pm

Compddd wrote:Zg, since you've had experience with all 4 Scythe fan types, which one is the best in your opinion? Is it the Typhoon? Also it looks like the Typhoon has closed corners like the Nexus fans, is this true?

Thanks!

The Typhoons have a kind of "1/4 closed" corners; if you look carefully at the fan pic to the right in the 1st post, you'll see what I mean.

In terms of what's best, it really depends on what you're looking to do with the fan itself, no straight answer unfortunately;

In relatively low-restriction environments (in vertical mount only), the Slipstreams are hard to beat performance/noise ratio - just check out the SPCR reviews for proof.

For higher restriction (radiator), many people (in xtremesystems) swear by the S-flex's for their performance/noise ratio; I personally prefer the Typhoon (1450rpm's specifically) in such situations because they're whisper-quiet @7v on my Thermochill 120.3's in pull config while still pushing a decent (subjectively) amount of air at low rpm's.

Build-quality wise the S-Flex's look the best; the Slipstreams feel a bit fragile and the Typhoon's are, while the fan blades / motor feel solidly built, the black plastic used in the frame looks a bit cheap, as does the wire insulation for the fan header wires.

Hope this kind of helps you decide what you want

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:19 am

Would the 1150RPM Scythe Typhoon be too loud at 12V? I know MikeC says 1000RPM is the max usually a fan can be run at 12V and still be decently quiet. Would the extra 150RPMs make that big a difference?

Thanks for all the help so far!

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:38 am

Compddd wrote:Would the 1150RPM Scythe Typhoon be too loud at 12V? I know MikeC says 1000RPM is the max usually a fan can be run at 12V and still be decently quiet. Would the extra 150RPMs make that big a difference?

Thanks for all the help so far!

Personally i think any fan over 800rpm is too loud.

Also, i find it hard to believe any double ball bearing fan is quieter than a well made fan with FDB. It be nice to see one of these fans come stock in a PSU, but i dont think i'll be replacing my S-Flex's for these.

I agree though that MikeC should do a comparison between these new "gentle typhoon" and the S-Flex line.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:53 am

So you are vouching for the S Flex fans being used as vertical case fans?

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:18 am

Compddd wrote:Would the 1150RPM Scythe Typhoon be too loud at 12V? I know MikeC says 1000RPM is the max usually a fan can be run at 12V and still be decently quiet. Would the extra 150RPMs make that big a difference?

Thanks for all the help so far!

MikeC is right. In my examination of the Slipstreams I had several variants and found the same thing. 1000rpm is the max for a 120mm fan to be consider quiet. That's for a fan with a decent motor. After that the hum and whoosh become very noticeable. There is a step going from 1000rpm to 800rpm, but it's nowhere near as big as the step from 1200rpm to 1000rpm.

Don't bother with a fan faster than 1000rpm unless you plan to undervolt it.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:54 pm

Do the new Typhoons push more CFM, RPM for RPM compared to the other Scythes?

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:57 pm

Compddd wrote:So you are vouching for the S Flex fans being used as vertical case fans?

I dont use fans that blow up or down, only laterally. So this is of no concern to me.

jhhoffma wrote: Don't bother with a fan faster than 1000rpm unless you plan to undervolt it.

The only problem is that every fan that is "SPCR Quiet" is over 1000rpm at 12v. So undervolting is basically a requirement. Every fan i've seen that comes stock spinning slower than that have other noise characteristics that prohibit it from being a low noise fan candidate.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:13 pm

I've used Nexus fans at 12V 1000RPM for a couple years and they are very quiet.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:18 pm

Compddd wrote:I've used Nexus fans at 12V 1000RPM for a couple years and they are very quiet.

"quiet" is a very subjective term. I have friends that think the stock 9800 GX2 heatsink with stock antec tri-cool fans on medium is "quiet".

I've had nexus 120mm fans in the past, and i personally would not call them "quiet" at anything above 800rpm.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:48 pm

Aris wrote:The only problem is that every fan that is "SPCR Quiet" is over 1000rpm at 12v. So undervolting is basically a requirement. Every fan i've seen that comes stock spinning slower than that have other noise characteristics that prohibit it from being a low noise fan candidate.

Have you had problems with the 800rpm Slipstream or does it just not move enough air for your setups? I think MikeC was pretty impressed with the undervolted 1200rpm Slipstream and the stock 800rpm version. I know Neil and I have been the biggest SlipStream fanboys, but even with that aside, they are great fans.

Compddd · Post by **Compddd** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:51 pm

I'm getting so many conflicting answers from this thread. I don't know what fans to use now in my Lian Li PC-X500

I don't want to mess with over volting. I just want a recommendation for a fan that pushes a good amount of air and is quiet.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:42 pm

jhhoffma wrote:
Aris wrote:The only problem is that every fan that is "SPCR Quiet" is over 1000rpm at 12v. So undervolting is basically a requirement. Every fan i've seen that comes stock spinning slower than that have other noise characteristics that prohibit it from being a low noise fan candidate.
Have you had problems with the 800rpm Slipstream or does it just not move enough air for your setups? I think MikeC was pretty impressed with the undervolted 1200rpm Slipstream and the stock 800rpm version. I know Neil and I have been the biggest SlipStream fanboys, but even with that aside, they are great fans.

the 800rpm variant makes a clicking noise that isnt heard on the faster variants, even when the faster variants are undervolted down to the same speed as the 800rpm variant.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article63-page2.html

"Some people have commented that the lowest speed model has a trace of ticking that is absent in higher speed models. Our own testing confirms this."

Compddd wrote:I'm getting so many conflicting answers from this thread. I don't know what fans to use now in my Lian Li PC-X500

I don't want to mess with over volting. I just want a recommendation for a fan that pushes a good amount of air and is quiet.

You undervolt them, not over volt them. And its really easy. Just buy a zalman Fanmate from newegg, they cost like 3 bucks. Plug one side into a power molex connector, and the other side to your fan. Turn the knob till its quiet and then tuck it into your case.

Sooty · Post by **Sooty** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:51 am

Aris wrote:
jhhoffma wrote:
Aris wrote:The only problem is that every fan that is "SPCR Quiet" is over 1000rpm at 12v. So undervolting is basically a requirement. Every fan i've seen that comes stock spinning slower than that have other noise characteristics that prohibit it from being a low noise fan candidate.
Have you had problems with the 800rpm Slipstream or does it just not move enough air for your setups? I think MikeC was pretty impressed with the undervolted 1200rpm Slipstream and the stock 800rpm version. I know Neil and I have been the biggest SlipStream fanboys, but even with that aside, they are great fans.
the 800rpm variant makes a clicking noise that isnt heard on the faster variants, even when the faster variants are undervolted down to the same speed as the 800rpm variant.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article63-page2.html

"Some people have commented that the lowest speed model has a trace of ticking that is absent in higher speed models. Our own testing confirms this."

jhhoffma was refering to the Slipstream, not the S-Flex.

Ch0z3n · Post by **Ch0z3n** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:33 am

I have 3 800rpm S-Flex in my case, I've never heard any clicking. One is right at the front of my case cooling hard drives in the optical bay, so I can stick my ear right next to it.