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'Unofficial', community fan tier list. Please submit contributions!

EnergyEclipse
By EnergyEclipse
in Cooling
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Hello everyone!

 

May I begin with addressing some misconceptions prone to arise upon posting of this thread, In the spoiler below:

 

Spoiler

 

Upon disagreement, or opposition of provided information, please, do not hesitate in contacting me in the form of thread quotation!

Information gathered in this thread will be regularly tailored as well as edited according to input from the community.

 

Fans shown in this list are judged on the included construction technologies innovation, and there contribution to there specifications/performance, consumer popularity, & included accessories.

Reputation of the manufacturer will not be deemed a viable reason for promoting a contribution.

 

For each independent tier, the fans are not necessary positioned in any particular order.

Further information on each fan will be left below each fan listed. Enjoy, as there are a lot!

 

Manufacturer/brand written articles are not included to help prevent them be sneaky with any results/claims.

Not that they would be of course...*COUGH COUGH Corsair COUGH*

 

Please do not argue on this thread! Upon disagreement with one another, please, just don't argue, we are a community :3

 

 

If deemed required, one may ask of information sources to be supplied beneath certain replies.

 

Thank you very much in advance!

 

Have a great day!
-EnergyEclipse

 

Fan 'tier' list recommendations. 120mm.

 

Tier 1.


Noctua NF-F12 PWM Focused Flow PWM Cooling Fan

 

Sources, Information & Reviews:

Spoiler

 

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nf_f12_pwm/

 

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4635/noctua_nf_f12_pwm_focused_flow_cooling_fan_review/index.html

 

http://thepcenthusiast.com/noctua-nf-f12-pwm-fan-review/

 

http://www.eteknix.com/noctua-nf-f12-pwm-120mm-fan-review/

 

http://www.legitreviews.com/noctua-focus-flow-120mm-nf-f12-pwm-fan-review_1797

 

http://www.ocfreaks.com/noctua-nf-f12-focused-flow-120mm-pwm-fan-review/

 

A video demonstrating the affectivity of Noctua's included Focused FlowTM frame technology.

 

https://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/noctua_nf_f12_pwm_fan_review,1.html

 

 

 

 

NB-eLoop® 120mm Series Fans.

[Fan RPM rates for these fans vary, although everything included remains the same. Please note such.]

http://www.blacknoise.com/site/en/products/noiseblocker-it-fans/nb-eloop-series/120x120x25mm.php

Sources, Information & Reviews:

Spoiler

 

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1342-page7.html

 

http://proclockers.com/reviews/cooling/blacknoise-noiseblocker-eloop-b12-p-fan-review?nopaging=1

 

https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/noiseblocker-nb-eloop-b12-2-and-b12-3-review.2280166/

 

http://www.overclock.net/t/1307016/various-noiseblocker-nb-eloop-bionic-loop-propeller-fan-reviews

 

According to JayzTwoCents, these fans have incredibly smooth, almost frictionless rotation.

 

 

 

 

 

MORE WILL BE COMING VERY SOON!

One shall return to sleep for now. Sorry!

 

 

 

I once did the unthinkable, back many headphones ago...

I split an audio split, again

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Posted

i'm unsure how you'd even have fan tiers.. the only thing that isnt on the spec sheet is their durability, which hugely depends on the environment they're in.

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Just now, manikyath said:

i'm unsure how you'd even have fan tiers.. the only thing that isnt on the spec sheet is their durability, which hugely depends on the environment they're in.

I guess technology and bearing types?

 

Noise rating etc.

 

I don't know and was intrigued so I followed :P 

My Ryzen P State Overclocking Guide | Cookie Cutter Mid-Range Gaming Build (2017)

 

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Just now, tom_w141 said:

I guess technology and bearing types?

 

Noise rating etc.

 

I don't know and was intrigued so I followed :P 

those are on the spec sheet ;)

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Just now, tom_w141 said:

Yeah but a huge list of good/bad fans might be useful. Not as useful as the psu tier list but definitely a resource to use especially for newbies.

i'd rather have a brand guide, than a tier/white/blacklist. there's some details that are useful, and many many others that arent.

there's stuff like yate loon's bearings being absolute shit, gelid managing to have a cold joint on every solder point on their fan motors, etc..

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Best fan is Delta fan. 

Our Grace. The Feathered One. He shows us the way. His bob is majestic and shows us the path. Follow unto his guidance and His example. He knows the one true path. Our Saviour. Our Grace. Our Father Birb has taught us with His humble heart and gentle wing the way of the bob. Let us show Him our reverence and follow in His example. The True Path of the Feathered One. ~ Dimboble-dubabob III

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23 minutes ago, manikyath said:

i'm unsure how you'd even have fan tiers.. the only thing that isnt on the spec sheet is their durability, which hugely depends on the environment they're in.

Also how good the specs are. Some companies are much better at telling the correct values. 

 

Fans are normally a bug trade off between airflow/pressure noise and cost. There are many other factors like power and looks but there affect is very dependt on your use case. 

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Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

Also how good the specs are. Some companies are much better at telling the correct values. 

 

Fans are normally a bug trade off between airflow/pressure noise and cost. There are many other factors like power and looks but there affect is very dependt on your use case. 

and accessories, i think A LOT more people would buy into noctua if they realised how much crap is in their box :P

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Just now, manikyath said:

and accessories, i think A LOT more people would buy into noctua if they realised how much crap is in their box :P

But I like delta and ebm papst and San ace fans. There normally built very well and you can get any spec you want. 

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6 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

But I like delta and ebm papst and San ace fans. There normally built very well and you can get any spec you want. 

we have a 140mm 2900rpm delta fan sitting on a shelf at work, you have no idea how much i wanna strap that into 12 volts for science :D

 

i kinda have my list of brands to pick from:

- high budget 120/140mm fans for moving air i prefer FD venturi's

- high budget rest of the sizes noctua is the way to go

- medium budget is the white fans from FD

- low budget is whatever's able for pocket change at the moment :P

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6 minutes ago, manikyath said:

we have a 140mm 2900rpm delta fan sitting on a shelf at work, you have no idea how much i wanna strap that into 12 volts for science :D

 

i kinda have my list of brands to pick from:

- high budget 120/140mm fans for moving air i prefer FD venturi's

- high budget rest of the sizes noctua is the way to go

- medium budget is the white fans from FD

- low budget is whatever's able for pocket change at the moment :P

but have you given blood to the 10000rpm deltas

 

but those fans are very nice, they seem to run and run, but there not cheap and chug power. 

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Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

but have you given blood to the 10000rpm deltas

 

but those fans are very nice, they seem to run and run, but there not cheap and chug power. 

i plugged in something like 10 1u servers today :D

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Just now, manikyath said:

i plugged in something like 10 1u servers today :D

its not the 1u's that are loud, its the big 15u chassis. 

 

when it has a hearing protection sticker you know its loud. 

 

when you head to the isles with the chassis, its just louder, 

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First thing this "list" needs is UI overhaul. Just fan name and official product page (could be linked) should be visible. Everything else in spoilers.

 

As for tiers and fans. These can be bit hard. Since which fan is better depends so much on price, use case and personal preferences (like color/LEDs). Take example with Bitfenix Spectre/Pro, which could be imo mid-tier, but I know @WoodenMarker wouldn't give them even that high rating.

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

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Just now, LoGiCalDrm said:

As for tiers and fans. These can be bit hard. Since which fan is better depends so much on price, use case and personal preferences (like color/LEDs). Take example with Bitfenix Spectre/Pro, which could be imo mid-tier, but I know @WoodenMarker wouldn't give them even that high rating.

I see them as low-mid tier if I had to pick. They perform alright but don't excel in any particular category. Due to pricing, I find it hard to recommend for anything other than the Pro's aesthetic.

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

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  • Author
2 hours ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

First thing this "list" needs is UI overhaul. Just fan name and official product page (could be linked) should be visible. Everything else in spoilers.

 

As for tiers and fans. These can be bit hard. Since which fan is better depends so much on price, use case and personal preferences (like color/LEDs). Take example with Bitfenix Spectre/Pro, which could be imo mid-tier, but I know @WoodenMarker wouldn't give them even that high rating.

I do admit this thread was not of ease to conjure up courage go write, particularly since I was not sure myself as to of how the 'tier system would function.

 

 Although, may I ask as to what a UI overhaul is? 

 

Thank you very for you your reply! This thread will be tailored accordingly.

-EnergyEclipse 

 

 

 

I once did the unthinkable, back many headphones ago...

I split an audio split, again

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I'd also have to vote Delta fans as #1. They kind of have the lifespan and legacy to match. My own PWM Deltas go from 3600RPM down to 750RPM, which is loud to completely dead silent. They aren't cheap though, but once you pick one up, you can feel the heavy weight / motherboard header burning power (These fans use a lot of amps).

 

Though for silence and reasonable airflow, I personally have to say Be Quiet Silent Wings 3 fans are really good.

 

14 hours ago, manikyath said:

we have a 140mm 2900rpm delta fan sitting on a shelf at work, you have no idea how much i wanna strap that into 12 volts for science :D

Oh, I have to go look for these now. I didn't know Delta made 140mm fans. I also just found out there's a new revision of delta fans. Time for more shopping.

 

14 hours ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

but have you given blood to the 10000rpm deltas

Man, I grazed my fans at 3600RPM and I thought that was bad. I'd imagine those fans would cut fingers off.

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23 minutes ago, EnergyEclipse said:

I do admit this thread was not of ease to conjure up courage go write, particularly since I was not sure myself as to of how the 'tier system would function.

 

 Although, may I ask as to what a UI overhaul is?

Like I said in quoted post, Each fan should have just 1-3 lines of text, title included. Everything like reviews should be in spoilers. Atm its like 20 lines for just F12.

 

Something like this:

Quote

Tier 1.


Noctua NF-F12 PWM Focused Flow PWM Cooling Fan

Reviews & Info:

Spoiler

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nf_f12_pwm/

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4635/noctua_nf_f12_pwm_focused_flow_cooling_fan_review/index.html

http://thepcenthusiast.com/noctua-nf-f12-pwm-fan-review/

http://www.eteknix.com/noctua-nf-f12-pwm-120mm-fan-review/

http://www.legitreviews.com/noctua-focus-flow-120mm-nf-f12-pwm-fan-review_1797

http://www.ocfreaks.com/noctua-nf-f12-focused-flow-120mm-pwm-fan-review/

A video demonstrating the affectivity of Noctua's included Focused FlowTM frame technology.

https://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/noctua_nf_f12_pwm_fan_review,1.html

 

Fractal Design Venturi HP-12 PWM

Reviews & Info:

Spoiler

 

 

 

Plus also add few FAQs at the beginning. Maybe look how Audio tier and PSU tier lists are made.

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

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