Best 120mm fans for air cooling

[danielhowk]

Yes, that can include dust filters. 

I'd personally go with Noctuas but either are great. 

 

 

So having the NH-D15 is a bit interesting with top outtakes. Its really depends on where they are located in relation to teh heatsink if you want them as an outtake or not. Basically you dont want a fan pulling air away from the intake on the NH-D15. Also depending on the platform your on if its X79 or X99 I may add a 3rd fan to teh NH-D15 just to balance out its looks. Just makesure yo uget it direct from noctua because teh aftermarket one of that size has a lower RPM which makes fan control messy.

so many people need to understand this!

I would say go with Noctua as well knowing how good they are. Also the NF-A15 fans on the NH-D15 are basically the same as the NF-A14 so you can wire them all into one header to be controlled making things nice and easy.

for noctua which should i pick

NF-A14 PWM

4-pin PWM, 1500/1200rpm max. button

NF-A14 FLX

3-pin, 1200/1050/900rpm button

NF-A14 ULN

3-pin, 800/650rpm

for my phanteks enthoo primo case using a z170 asus hero

i should ignore the NF-A14 PPC line up right ? since is high rpm and definitely high DBA (loud noise) ?

[WoodenMarker]

for noctua which should i pick

NF-A14 PWM

4-pin PWM, 1500/1200rpm max. button

NF-A14 FLX

3-pin, 1200/1050/900rpm button

NF-A14 ULN

3-pin, 800/650rpm

for my phanteks enthoo primo case using a z170 asus hero

i should ignore the NF-A14 PPC line up right ? since is high rpm and definitely high DBA (loud noise) ?

Go with whichever is the most convenient method of control.

iPPC's are only worth getting if you need the additional robustness. 

[danielhowk]

Go with whichever is the most convenient method of control.

iPPC's are only worth getting if you need the additional robustness. 

Sorry , but what do u mean the most convenient method of control ?

i have no fan controler ( like the volume knot adjuster )

u mean http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data#post_22319246

like that ?

And Vardar F1-140mm fan do against Noctua A14 ?

for A14 FLX which option should i take ? 1200/1050/900rpm

[WoodenMarker]

Sorry , but what do u mean the most convenient method of control ?

i have no fan controler ( like the volume knot adjuster )

u mean http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data#post_22319246

like that ?

And Vardar F1-140mm fan do against Noctua A14 ?

for A14 FLX which option should i take ? 1200/1050/900rpm

Pwm vs varying voltage: 

You can control fan speeds with most modern motherboards.

NF-A14's are better than Vardars. 

The FLX runs at the 3 speeds depending on whether you go without, or with the low noise adapters. It's up to you how much you prefer quiet or performance.

[TheProfosist]

for noctua which should i pick

NF-A14 PWM

4-pin PWM, 1500/1200rpm max. button

NF-A14 FLX

3-pin, 1200/1050/900rpm button

NF-A14 ULN

3-pin, 800/650rpm

for my phanteks enthoo primo case using a z170 asus hero

i should ignore the NF-A14 PPC line up right ? since is high rpm and definitely high DBA (loud noise) ?

Since you have Z170 get the NF-A14 PWM since it has full PWM control. Also since all of your fans are going to be teh same you can control them all via one header.

-snip-

iPPC's are only worth getting if you need the additional robustness.

that or if you need the increased RPM which in teh case of my ITX build is nice. Since two of them on a NZXT X61 cool everything in the case.

Basically few fans so speed has to increase. The nice thing is that at idle they are next to silent.

Sorry , but what do u mean the most convenient method of control ?

i have no fan controler ( like the volume knot adjuster )

u mean http://www.overclock.net/t/1491876/ways-to-better-cooling-airflow-cooler-fan-data#post_22319246

like that ?

And Vardar F1-140mm fan do against Noctua A14 ?

for A14 FLX which option should i take ? 1200/1050/900rpm

You have very nice fan control built into your motherboard. Buy one of these http://goo.gl/8ENwo5 Mount it somewhere convient and plug all your fans in, including the ones are the NH-D15.

[danielhowk]

Pwm vs varying voltage: 

You can control fan speeds with most modern motherboards.

NF-A14's are better than Vardars. 

The FLX runs at the 3 speeds depending on whether you go without, or with the low noise adapters. It's up to you how much you prefer quiet or performance.

 

 

NF-A14 PWM

4-pin PWM, 1500/1200rpm max. button

NF-A14 FLX

3-pin, 1200/1050/900rpm button

NF-A14 ULN

3-pin, 800/650rpm

for my phanteks enthoo primo case using a z170 asus hero

i should ignore the NF-A14 PPC line up right ? since is high rpm and definitely high DBA (loud noise) ?

Since you have Z170 get the NF-A14 PWM since it has full PWM control. Also since all of your fans are going to be teh same you can control them all via one header.

that or if you need the increased RPM which in teh case of my ITX build is nice. Since two of them on a NZXT X61 cool everything in the case.

Basically few fans so speed has to increase. The nice thing is that at idle they are next to silent.

for A14 FLX which option should i take ? 1200/1050/900rpm

You have very nice fan control built into your motherboard. Buy one of these http://goo.gl/8ENwo5 Mount it somewhere convient and plug all your fans in, including the ones are the NH-D15.

suggested by @TheProfosist http://www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-8-way-pwm-splitter-box-sata.html

should i get that or would i be better off with an actual Fan controller ? 

the A-14 PWM fans

1500 RPM

1200 RPM ( with L.N.A adapter).

300 RPM (Mini Rotational Speed)

meaning the A-14 PWM runs at lowest from 300 RPM - 1500 RPM (assuming using the normal adapter) correct me if im wrong from watching the video @WoodenMarker sent. 

if so should i get http://www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-8-way-pwm-splitter-box-sata.html or an actual Fan controller ?

[TheProfosist]

suggested by @TheProfosist http://www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-8-way-pwm-splitter-box-sata.html

should i get that or would i be better off with an actual Fan controller ? 

the A-14 PWM fans

1500 RPM

1200 RPM ( with L.N.A adapter).

300 RPM (Mini Rotational Speed)

meaning the A-14 PWM runs at lowest from 300 RPM - 1500 RPM (assuming using the normal adapter) correct me if im wrong from watching the video @WoodenMarker sent. 

if so should i get http://www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-8-way-pwm-splitter-box-sata.html or an actual Fan controller ?

You have a better fan controller built into your motherboard than you can currently buy. The only reason you might not want that splitter is if you want some of the fans going different speeds than others and would use multiple headers. With you setup I dont really see the need for that though.

[danielhowk]

You have a better fan controller built into your motherboard than you can currently buy. The only reason you might not want that splitter is if you want some of the fans going different speeds than others and would use multiple headers. With you setup I dont really see the need for that though.

i have 2 fans(A-14 pwm) from D-15 noctua , and total 7 fans (a-14 pwm) in the case ( 2 front intake , 2 bottom intake , 2 top exhaust , 1 rear exhaust) 

thats a total 9 pwm fans  in the pc ( 7 from case , 2 from cpu cooler) im using asus hero z170. my motherboard can support 9 pwm fans ? or do i need additional stuff ?

http://www.asus.com/us/site/motherboards/Z170/compare/ seems like i only got 6 pwm ? not sure if its enough

[WoodenMarker]

suggested by @TheProfosist http://www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-8-way-pwm-splitter-box-sata.html

should i get that or would i be better off with an actual Fan controller ? 

the A-14 PWM fans

1500 RPM

1200 RPM ( with L.N.A adapter).

300 RPM (Mini Rotational Speed)

meaning the A-14 PWM runs at lowest from 300 RPM - 1500 RPM (assuming using the normal adapter) correct me if im wrong from watching the video @WoodenMarker sent. 

if so should i get http://www.performance-pcs.com/swiftech-8-way-pwm-splitter-box-sata.html or an actual Fan controller ?

I personally use a fan splitter off of the cpu fan header for all of my fans and it works pretty well. The only issue is the amount of cables it comes with. 

I run my Noctuas at 7% or ~90rpm. 300rpm is just a conservative estimate and they can go lower. 

i have 2 fans(A-14 pwm) from D-15 noctua , and total 7 fans (a-14 pwm) in the case ( 2 front intake , 2 bottom intake , 2 top exhaust , 1 rear exhaust) 

thats a total 9 pwm fans  in the pc ( 7 from case , 2 from cpu cooler) im using asus hero z170. my motherboard can support 9 pwm fans ? or do i need additional stuff ?

http://www.asus.com/us/site/motherboards/Z170/compare/ seems like i only got 6 pwm ? not sure if its enough

That's what the fan splitter is for.

[danielhowk]

I personally use a fan splitter off of the cpu fan header for all of my fans and it works pretty well. The only issue is the amount of cables it comes with. 

I run my Noctuas at 7% or ~90rpm. 300rpm is just a conservative estimate and they can go lower. 

That's what the fan splitter is for.

1. do you have a link to buy a good fan splitter ? or the same as yours , you would recommend ?

2.so basically A-14PWM can go lower than 300rpm. wow the specs written from 90rpm to 300rpm is quite a big leap.

3.why do people use fan control, when they can easily solve it with fan splitter and fan hub ? 

4.and my phanteks enthoo primo comes with a pwm fan hub http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Primo.html

here the image http://www.phanteks.com/assets/enthoo-primo/FAQ5-3.png 

can all A-14 pwm fans connect to all 6 fan hub there ? is only 3 pin there though, will it spoil ? since a-14 pwm have 4 pins ?

[WoodenMarker]

1. do you have a link to buy a good fan splitter ? or the same as yours , you would recommend ?

2.so basically A-14PWM can go lower than 300rpm. wow the specs written from 90rpm to 300rpm is quite a big leap.

3.why do people use fan control, when they can easily solve it with fan splitter and fan hub ? 

4.and my phanteks enthoo primo comes with a pwm fan hub http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Primo.html

here the image http://www.phanteks.com/assets/enthoo-primo/FAQ5-3.png 

can all A-14 pwm fans connect to all 6 fan hub there ? is only 3 pin there though, will it spoil ? since a-14 pwm have 4 pins ?

Where are you shopping/located? Fan splitters are fan splitters--just get one that has enough headers.

Fan splitters still rely on the motherboard being capable of controlling the fans. 

The fan hub that comes with the case should work fine. It's pwm even with 3pins. 

[danielhowk]

Where are you shopping/located? Fan splitters are fan splitters--just get one that has enough headers.

Fan splitters still rely on the motherboard being capable of controlling the fans. 

The fan hub that comes with the case should work fine. It's pwm even with 3pins. 

Got told that if i was going to use the fan hub in my case, with pwm fans The minimum rotation on the PWM goes up to 900rpm when run using 3-pin.

but with a proper 4 pin connector i could .

I personally use a fan splitter off of the cpu fan header for all of my fans and it works pretty well. The only issue is the amount of cables it comes with. 

I run my Noctuas at 7% or ~90rpm. 300rpm is just a conservative estimate and they can go lower. 

so with a proper 4 pin pwm fans it goes minimum of 90-300 rpm. but with my 3 pin fan hub with my case is 900 rpm ?

what i was trying to ask is can you use a 4 pin plug and plug in a 3 pin header ? http://www.phanteks.com/assets/enthoo-primo/FAQ5-3.png 

in the image Fan 1 - Fan 6. is 3 pin. can i use a 4pin and plug it in ?

[WoodenMarker]

Got told that if i was going to use the fan hub in my case, with pwm fans The minimum rotation on the PWM goes up to 900rpm when run using 3-pin.

but with a proper 4 pin connector i could .

so with a proper 4 pin pwm fans it goes minimum of 90-300 rpm. but with my 3 pin fan hub with my case is 900 rpm ?

what i was trying to ask is can you use a 4 pin plug and plug in a 3 pin header ? http://www.phanteks.com/assets/enthoo-primo/FAQ5-3.png 

in the image Fan 1 - Fan 6. is 3 pin. can i use a 4pin and plug it in ?

Wow, that quote really got messed up. Make sure to reply just underneath the quote in the future. 

All pwm fans are 'proper pwm fans'. What matters is whether the header provides proper pwm control--which in this case, is the motherboard. 

I already answered that question with my previous reply. 

[danielhowk]

Wow, that quote really got messed up. Make sure to reply just underneath the quote in the future. 

All pwm fans are 'proper pwm fans'. What matters is whether the header provides proper pwm control--which in this case, is the motherboard. 

I already answered that question with my previous reply. 

sorry about the previous post my bad.

what i was trying to ask is can you use a 4 pin plug and plug in a 3 pin header ? http://www.phanteks.com/assets/enthoo-primo/FAQ5-3.png

in the image Fan 1 - Fan 6. is 3 pin. can i use a 4pin and plug it in ?

i was wondering if i should i get NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP67 PWM or NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP52 PWM, ? if the speed would drop to 900 rpm too ?

i mean the colour looks way nicer than the original brownish ones.

and whats the difference with IP67 and IP52 ?

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=83&lng=en&set=1

IP67

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=82&lng=en&set=1

IP52

[WoodenMarker]

sorry about the previous post my bad.

what i was trying to ask is can you use a 4 pin plug and plug in a 3 pin header ? http://www.phanteks.com/assets/enthoo-primo/FAQ5-3.png

in the image Fan 1 - Fan 6. is 3 pin. can i use a 4pin and plug it in ?

i was wondering if i should i get NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP67 PWM or NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP52 PWM, ? if the speed would drop to 900 rpm too ?

i mean the colour looks way nicer than the original brownish ones.

and whats the difference with IP67 and IP52 ?

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=83&lng=en&set=1

IP67

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=82&lng=en&set=1

IP52

As I've already answered:

The fan hub that comes with the case should work fine. It's pwm even with 3pins. 

I've also already answered that question on the last page.

iPPC's are only worth getting if you need the additional robustness. 

The difference between IP67 and IP52 is described on the product page. 

[danielhowk]

As I've already answered:

 

I've also already answered that question on the last page.

 

The difference between IP67 and IP52 is described on the product page. 

ip 52 is better .

so theres no way for NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP52 PWM, to works exactly like the normal typical A-14 or A-14 FLX ? even with controller ?

limiting NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP52 PWM, to

NF-A14 PWM

4-pin PWM, 1500/1200rpm max. button

or 

NF-A14 FLX

3-pin, 1200/1050/900rpm button

the colours on iPPC looks alot better T.T

PWM = lets say the A-14 min Rotation is 300 rpm Max is 1500 rpm, Example at 10% load or Temp = 300 Rpm at, 40% load = 700 rpm, at 70% load = 1100 rpm, at 100% load = 1500 rpm ? am i basically correct ? does it work with Temp or Load, but basically my pwm theory is correct or wrong ?

[WoodenMarker]

ip 52 is better .

so theres no way for NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP52 PWM, to works exactly like the normal typical A-14 or A-14 FLX ? even with controller ?

limiting NF-A14 industrialPPC 2000-IP52 PWM, to

NF-A14 PWM

4-pin PWM, 1500/1200rpm max. button

or 

NF-A14 FLX

3-pin, 1200/1050/900rpm button

the colours on iPPC looks alot better T.T

PWM = lets say the A-14 min Rotation is 300 rpm Max is 1500 rpm, Example at 10% load or Temp = 300 Rpm at, 40% load = 700 rpm, at 70% load = 1100 rpm, at 100% load = 1500 rpm ? am i basically correct ? does it work with Temp or Load, but basically my pwm theory is correct or wrong ?

It's the other way around. IP67 has better water/dust resistance. 

What do you mean by work the same?

How the fan reacts to your temps depends on your fan curve.

[danielhowk]

It's the other way around. IP67 has better water/dust resistance. 

What do you mean by work the same?

How the fan reacts to your temps depends on your fan curve.

What do you mean by work the same? What i meant is can i take iPPC fans and use a 3 pin to make it like FLX rpm, because iPPC looks alot better, colour wise.

How the fan reacts to your temps depends on your fan curve. Fan curve is all dependent on the fan maker making the fan curve right, i cant adjust fan curve ? for example 

Fan maker noctua at 60%  = 1000 rpm , i can never make 60% = 800 rpm or anything other than whats build by noctua right ?

[WoodenMarker]

What i meant is can i take iPPC fans and use a 3 pin to make it like FLX rpm, because iPPC looks alot better, colour wise.

Fan curve is all dependent on the fan maker making the fan curve right, i cant adjust fan curve ? for example

Fan maker noctua at 60% = 1000 rpm , i can never make 60% = 800 rpm or anything other than whats build by noctua right ?

iPPC's operate at a higher rpm and don't go as low as normal pwm Noctua's but it should cover the lower limits of their FLX. You can generally adjust the fan curve or settings depending on what you power the fans from--for example, the motherboard.

The fan speed % is relative to the fan's max rpm. You can't break math and say 50% of 1000rpm is something other than 500rpm.

Please reply underneath and not inside of quotes. If you need to refer to specific parts of a quote, you can always quote more than once.

[TheProfosist]

I personally use a fan splitter off of the cpu fan header for all of my fans and it works pretty well. The only issue is the amount of cables it comes with. 

I run my Noctuas at 7% or ~90rpm. 300rpm is just a conservative estimate and they can go lower. 

That's what the fan splitter is for.

I do the same thing for the most part on all of my builds which is why this is so nice http://goo.gl/8ENwo5 and you avoid any additional cable mess that you had to deal with.

1. do you have a link to buy a good fan splitter ? or the same as yours , you would recommend ?

2.so basically A-14PWM can go lower than 300rpm. wow the specs written from 90rpm to 300rpm is quite a big leap.

3.why do people use fan control, when they can easily solve it with fan splitter and fan hub ? 

4.and my phanteks enthoo primo comes with a pwm fan hub http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Primo.html

here the image http://www.phanteks.com/assets/enthoo-primo/FAQ5-3.png 

can all A-14 pwm fans connect to all 6 fan hub there ? is only 3 pin there though, will it spoil ? since a-14 pwm have 4 pins ?

The one I recommended before http://goo.gl/8ENwo5

Yes it can go lower i have had sub 200rpm but them it cant be tracked anymore on that older motherboard.

Because they dont know about how good the built in fan control is? The only other thing might be water cooling and they can just run the fans at a consistent speed. You could just do this right off the PSU. There really is no reason to have a 5.25in bay controller with a modern controller.

[WoodenMarker]

I do the same thing for the most part on all of my builds which is why this is so nice http://goo.gl/8ENwo5 and you avoid any additional cable mess that you had to deal with.

Yeah, something like the Swiftech hub would be preferred. I just happened to have some Evercool 5-way splitters lying around. 

[TheProfosist]

Where are you shopping/located? Fan splitters are fan splitters--just get one that has enough headers.

Fan splitters still rely on the motherboard being capable of controlling the fans. 

The fan hub that comes with the case should work fine. It's pwm even with 3pins.

No idea on the hub that comes with but make sure whatever splitter you get for PWM take power from the PSU directly since they just need 12v.

Wow, that quote really got messed up. Make sure to reply just underneath the quote in the future. 

All pwm fans are 'proper pwm fans'. What matters is whether the header provides proper pwm control--which in this case, is the motherboard. 

I already answered that question with my previous reply.

correct any PWM fan will work with the onboard controller and that onboard controller is one of the best available (ASUS Z170)

iPPC's operate at a higher rpm and don't go as low as normal pwm Noctua's but it should cover the lower limits of their FLX. You can generally adjust the fan curve or settings depending on what you power the fans from--for example, the motherboard.

The fan speed % is relative to the fan's max rpm. You can't break math and say 50% of 1000rpm is something other than 500rpm.

Please reply underneath and not inside of quotes. If you need to refer to specific parts of a quote, you can always quote more than once.

using dark theme the odd all the text is white highlighting too

also correct about fan speed % is different from fan speed rpm.

[TheProfosist]

Yeah, something like the Swiftech hub would be preferred. I just happened to have some Evercool 5-way splitters lying around.

I actually used one of those recently because the person wanted to get everything off newegg. It was not the easiest to keep clean with all the cabling.

[danielhowk]

I do the same thing for the most part on all of my builds which is why this is so nice http://goo.gl/8ENwo5 and you avoid any additional cable mess that you had to deal with.

The one I recommended before http://goo.gl/8ENwo5

Yes it can go lower i have had sub 200rpm but them it cant be tracked anymore on that older motherboard.

Because they dont know about how good the built in fan control is? The only other thing might be water cooling and they can just run the fans at a consistent speed. You could just do this right off the PSU. There really is no reason to have a 5.25in bay controller with a modern controller.

when i mention 5.25 in is the Swiftech Fan hub right ?

 

correct any PWM fan will work with the onboard controller and that onboard controller is one of the best available (ASUS Z170)

 

when u mention onboard controller is not the Swiftech Fan hub ? 

 

and

Currently my current Setup is 2 x P12 Noctua fan infront as intake, 1 x P12 Noctua fan Rear as exhaust, 3 x Gentle Typhoon AP-15 (1850rpm) on bottom as intake, 3 x Gentle Typhoon AP-15 (1850rpm) on top as exhaust. is my setup ok ? i was planning to change cause it could be a Tad be noisy 1850 rpm gentle typhoon is abit overkill for air cooling ? i dont know im newbie to this, is what my previous installer, installed for me. not sure if its quiet vs performance, i know it might have alot of performance, but noise could be way more than performance

[danielhowk]

Yeah, something like the Swiftech hub would be preferred. I just happened to have some Evercool 5-way splitters lying around. 

Currently my current Setup is 2 x P12 Noctua fan infront as intake, 1 x P12 Noctua fan Rear as exhaust, 3 x Gentle Typhoon AP-15 (1850rpm) on bottom as intake, 3 x Gentle Typhoon AP-15 (1850rpm) on top as exhaust. is my setup ok ? i was planning to change cause it could be a Tad be noisy 1850 rpm gentle typhoon is abit overkill for air cooling ? i dont know im newbie to this, is what my previous installer, installed for me. not sure if its quiet vs performance, i know it might have alot of performance, but noise could be way more than performance. is the current setup of my fans ok ? anything to change ? should i go with Noctua A-14 ?