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Ultimate fan roundup

spwath
By spwath
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Posted

I just tested a lot of fans in terms of noise and air.

 

I dont have any equitment to mesure thoes, so, no actual numbers, but here you go:

 

Spectre pro- Not verry good. Kinda loud, blow virtualy no air. Not especialy good for the 12$ price tag  EDIT: Ah, put a filter on, makes NO AIR. i put a silverstone filter on, there is literaly no air coming out.

Ap122- Fine, average fan, good for the 9$ price tag. Blows some air relativly quietly EDIT: performs better than spectre pro, especialy with filter. ONLY put filter on intake side, hinders air on exhaust side

Sp 120 QE- semi quiet, strange electric noise, blows not that much air, bad for the price.

 

The two best fans-

Ap123- Quiet, blows decent amount of air, chanels it into a column, pretty, overall, pretty good. Worth the 20$ price.

Aerocool DS 120mm- Loud at 12v, but blows tons of air. at 7/5v it gets quieter. 5v still blows tons of air, but is quiet. Electric humming if you get up close. Overall, worth the 18$ price.

 

 

IK, i didnt test noctuas. I dont have noctuas. If you want me to test noctuas/gt/nb fans, then by all means, send them to me :) I would compare them to these, and send them back if you like. ]

 

 

Did more testing, put fans on filters, on TPC 612 (heatsink)

 

I only tested top 2 fans with this.

HIdered about ewauly be filter. found a weird thing. If you use a filter, you HAVE to use it on the intake side, otherwise no air gets through.

 

 

I found the Aerocool DS to blow more air through the TPC 612 than the AP123 did. THe aerocool was at 5v, while the Ap123 was at 12, so i could get the noise about the same. 

I beleive the Aerocool DS is THE BEST fan of what i tested.

 

If you want any more info about the fans i tested, then ask

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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in the end no one cares about the facts, linus uses noctua so everyone will do what he does. Thats the horrible truth

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ap123 is not that impressive...

 

30CFM is sub-average

31dBa is far louder than any fan I would ever buy

static pressure is decent, but inferior to NB or noctua

also the fan colour is not a neutral black, gray, or white

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ap123 is not that impressive...

 

30CFM is sub-average

31dBa is far louder than any fan I would ever buy

static pressure is decent, but inferior to NB or noctua

also the fan colour is not a neutral black, gray, or white

You cant go by specs. 

silverstone could just be not lieing.

 

 

Ive never tried NB or noctua, so i cant comment.

THe fan looks great, if it matches your color scheeme.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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Posted

This is an ultimate roundup? I was expecting a wall of text and maybe graphs.

But thanks anyway.

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You cant go by specs. 

silverstone could just be not lieing.

 

 

Ive never tried NB or noctua, so i cant comment.

THe fan looks great, if it matches your color scheeme.

why would silverstone lie about their fan specs to make them look worse?

 

and all the fans I ever buy are going to be sub-22dBa

I have had 25 and 28dBa fans before and they are way too loud.

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This is an ultimate roundup? I was expecting a wall of text and maybe graphs.

But thanks anyway.

OK, maby not ultimate...

I dont really have any tools to mesure fans air/noise

 

I just had a lot of fans, so...

all my fans:

IMG_20141012_211620485.jpg

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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why would silverstone lie about their fan specs to make them look worse?

 

and all the fans I ever buy are going to be sub-22dBa

I have had 25 and 28dBa fans before and they are way too loud.

I said they could by Not lieing, like other manufactureres (Cooler master)

 

Besides, you dont have to run them at 12v

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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Yay! Moar info please. And perhaps some 92/80 although its not commonly used nowadays

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Yay! Moar info please. And perhaps some 92/80 although its not commonly used nowadays

I do have a stock AMD fan, ill go test that now

EDIT; after i eat

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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Finally someone test de DeadSIlent ones!

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength" Arnold

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I said they could by Not lieing, like other manufactureres (Cooler master)

 

Besides, you dont have to run them at 12v

The thing is I want a fan that I can run at max speed and not be annoyed, then have a full 60% range speed control on it.

If I have to run the fan at 50% max because I don't like the noise past 50%, then that only leaves me 10% range control for the speed (because you cannot run most fans below 40%)

So essentially 50% of the control range for the fan is wasted and will never be used.

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I do have a stock AMD fan, ill go test that now

EDIT; after i eat

Dont bother with that. What I meant was brand name 92/80 fans

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in the end no one cares about the facts, linus uses noctua so everyone will do what he does. Thats the horrible truth

This. Noctuas are not the be-all end-alls. Enermax Magmas for example are amazing fans and no one ever talks about them :/

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How are fractal design fans , i believe they're called R2 ( 120mm ) ?

Any good 140mm fans ( not noctua pls , i know noctua ) ?

Any good LED fans , in terms of both how they display light , and how they cool ?

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How are fractal design fans , i believe they're called R2 ( 120mm ) ?

Any good 140mm fans ( not noctua pls , i know noctua ) ?

Any good LED fans , in terms of both how they display light , and how they cool ?

The aerocool fans are LED, and avalible in 120 and 140mm

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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Updated, Spectre pro terrible with filter. Will test the rest with filters

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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#Silverstonenoiseblockermasterrace

 

If I'm honest, noctua are beaten by other fans in every area, only their coolers stand above the crowd. I'd much rather use a noiseblocker blacksilent pro or E-Loop over an NF-F12.

The aerocool ones surprise me, as they seemed kind of average, with it mainly looking like a showcase fan with nice looks but average performance.

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#Silverstonenoiseblockermasterrace

 

If I'm honest, noctua are beaten by other fans in every area, only their coolers stand above the crowd. I'd much rather use a noiseblocker blacksilent pro or E-Loop over an NF-F12.

The aerocool ones surprise me, as they seemed kind of average, with it mainly looking like a showcase fan with nice looks but average performance.

Nope, they are great, and pretty.

 

 

Did more testing, put fans on filters, on TPC 612 (heatsink)

 

I only tested top 2 fans with this.

HIdered about ewauly be filter. found a weird thing. If you use a filter, you HAVE to use it on the intake side, otherwise no air gets through.

 

 

I found the Aerocool DS to blow more air through the TPC 612 than the AP123 did. THe aerocool was at 5v, while the Ap123 was at 12, so i could get the noise about the same. 

I beleive the Aerocool DS is THE BEST fan of what i tested.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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Found out ap123 is really better than other fans on a grill.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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Lubed up ap122 this is the best fan under 10$, and under 15$

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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I recently purchased some 120mm Aerocool Dead Silent Fans in White.  I was extremely disappointed with their performance. Maybe I just got a bad batch, but the ones I got are terrible.

 

65j6Flk.jpg

The DS fans are the bottom two on the right.

 

For starters, the fans look incredible, and I knew they would be visible in my case, so I knew I had to get a fan that I would like to have displayed. They look even better from the other side.  The looks are the only positive for this fan though.

 

On to the negatives:

The LEDs will flicker if the fan is not at 7v or higher. 

I wasn't able to run these off of my motherboard because even at higher voltage/RPMs, the LEDs would flicker, and the fans would constantly ramp up and down by a few hundred RPM.  Note, I don't run my fans in PWM mode, I use DC control in the BIOS and RPM control in Fan Xpert III.

 

     I ended up buying an NZXT Sentry 3, in order to properly use these fans, because I thought maybe it was my motherboard not supplying enough power.  Asus Z97-AR.  This is not the case.  Even the Sentry 3 Fan Controller, which provides more than enough juice for these fans has the same problem.  If the fans are at less than 70%/7v the LEDs will flicker, and the speed will fluctuate.  They have to be run at 1200rpm+ if you want the LEDs to not flicker.  Now, 1200rpm is fine, I generally run all of my case fans at 1000-1200rpm, but these fans for whatever reason are loud.  They emit a humming/buzzing noise, and while they move a considerable amount of noise, they are not quiet.  Pair the fact that they can't be properly used at less than 7v with how loud they are, and I am unsatisfied.  I expected more from an $18 fan.  They have lots of rubberized mounting spots, so vibration dampening shouldn't be the cause.  To test, I tried them out when not mounted to my case and they still make more noise than I am comfortable with.  My 120mm Cougar Vortex PWMs at full speed 1650rpm make less noise than these, and my 120mm Cooler Master Blade Master's make less noise than these at 1250rpm.

 

I am still using these fans in my case because I absolutely love the way they look, but I am very unhappy with these fans, and wouldn't recommend them to someone else.

 

@spwath  Have you noticed that the LEDs flicker or the fan blades ramp up and down in speed at less than 7v?  I am curious if I just got a bad pair or if this is a wide spread issue.  I saw that you mentioned a humming, my fans also hum, and it is not "just when you're up close."

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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I recently purchased some 120mm Aerocool Dead Silent Fans in White.  I was extremely disappointed with their performance. Maybe I just got a bad batch, but the ones I got are terrible.

Thats really disappointing to hear; I've been wanting to pick up a blue 140mm one :/ 

 

I guess I could always stack it ontop of another fan, and just not power it (lol)

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