Quiet fans....

[Fallen Kell]

Ok, I am trying to build a HTPC system, so QUIET is key, BUT it still needs to perform.

I have already picked up a Silverstone LC10-M case that I plan on using. So my question is this... What fans?

I have been reading and reading and reading, and still have absolutely no idea what to get. The problem is that you can not trust the manufacturer's specs in terms of db's, so I have been trying to read reviews, but no one seems to be doing any large comparisons anymore.

Ok, so the case can take a 92mm intake, and has two 60mm out. Now I know the 60mm's will be nothing but problems. One thought I had was to remove the two 60mm's and instead take a 120mm mount it horizontally and have a duct that goes to the rear 60mm vents in the back of the case. I don't know if this will work or not, but it is something that I want to at least try. I am thinking of making the duct out of fiberglass/epoxy which isn't very hard to do...

I'm also looking at putting a Thermalright XP-120 heatsink in the system, so again, another 120mm for that (or possibly the same one direct vented out the rear...).

Ok, so, to the fans...

With using a 120mm on the CPU heatsink, it obviously needs to have RPM monitoring, but this is the feature that seems to be hardest to find. I have seen plenty of Panaflo's and Paspts, but none with RPM monitoring.

So, I have currently been looking at the Vantec Stealth's, but to be honest with you, the noise/cfm ratio is really not as good as it could be. 28db's for the 120mm isn't bad, but I would be better off using 2 60mm's in the rear that have 20cfm each and 23db as their combined noise would only be ~26db with 40cfm total air movement.


Anyway, long post short, what should I look at?

 

[imported_sphinx]

You might want to check out silentpcreview.com

 

[imported_itr]

yateloon 120mm @ compgeeks.com they might be out of stock so you'll have to wait.

 

[wisdomtooth]

Agreed with itr on the Yate loons.

Yate Loons are very nice, quiet 120mm fans. That's the same fan used in the Seasonic Super Tornado and S12 PSUs, and we HTPC enthusiasts all know how quiet those puppies are.

You can also get Nexus 120mm fans, which are rebadged Yate Loons. You'll have to pay a premium for those though.

HTH.

 

[SkiMaskWay]

coolerguys.com has nexus fans in stock at a decent price.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Thanks everyone. I might simply get the Nexus since they all appear to have RPM monitoring whereas not all the Yate Loons have that (some do).

 

[bbarlow10]

SilenX have awesome noise/CFM ratios -- assuming you can trust the numbers. I ordered 2, so I'll try them this weekend.

 

[sellmen]

Originally posted by: bbarlow10
SilenX have awesome noise/CFM ratios -- assuming you can trust the numbers. I ordered 2, so I'll try them this weekend.

Make that two votes for SilenX. Very little bearing noise, which is the most important factor; you can always lower/raise the RPM using a fan controller.

Yate Loon would be another good choice. Panaflo makes very nice 80mm fans; I've been somewhat disappointed in their 120mm fans though, way to much bearing noise.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: sellmen

Originally posted by: bbarlow10
SilenX have awesome noise/CFM ratios -- assuming you can trust the numbers. I ordered 2, so I'll try them this weekend.

Make that two votes for SilenX. Very little bearing noise, which is the most important factor; you can always lower/raise the RPM using a fan controller.

Yate Loon would be another good choice. Panaflo makes very nice 80mm fans; I've been somewhat disappointed in their 120mm fans though, way to much bearing noise.

SilentX is nothing but a BS marketing company. Buy into their crap specs if you want but they are worthless.

For 80-92mm fans Panaflo is the way to go. 120mm Panaflo's do have some bearing noise but it drops off steadily with reduced voltage. At 5-6v I find them to be acceptable, otherwise Yate Loon is a great choice if you can find them.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: Fallen Kell

So, I have currently been looking at the Vantec Stealth's, but to be honest with you, the noise/cfm ratio is really not as good as it could be.

Sorry if this is off topic.
The noise/cfm ratio if it is dBa/CFM is a meaningless factor since dBa is on a logarithmic scale while CFM is on a linear one.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Navid, I understand this. Which is why when I was looking at fans I had a hard time deciding between if I should use one big 120mm or 2 60mm's...

 

[xbassman]

I was checking your thread and my first thought is....

Is there actually a microATX board that will accept an XP-120?

I am using a similar design case (although not as nice) for mine.
Case fans are pretty quiet using 1-80mm L1A up front and 2 60mm L1A's in back.

I'm not sure if you can find better 60mm fans than Panaflo's as these are the only 60's I have. I can say though that they are very quiet letting my True430 power supply regulate them. Although they don't move much are @ 5V or so.

My Barton 2500+ never runs hotter than 47-48C @ 100% load. (Panaflo H1A @12V on a SilentBoost) I wish Speedfan supported my board so I could drop the H1A's revs a bit without ever peaking above 50C though.

 

[Fallen Kell]

The Silverstone LC10-M accepts a full ATX board, so just about every board that is out there that the XP-120 fits in will fit in the case without problems (well one or two have issues with placement of theirpower connector being under the 5.25" slot and can make for a tight fit). I am just making sure I get something that moves enough air since I am planning on using a fannless PCIe video card (NVidia 6800 or ATI X800XT), so they will generate a decent amount of heat for the case.

Well, I had a rough time finding sources for RPM monitoring enabled Yate Loon or Panaflo's, so I picked up some Nexus fans on sale for "reasonable" prices. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[tallman45]

Whatever fan you choose pick up a Zalman Fanmate , it can make any fan quieter