Keep or change fans for new build

[Akli]

Hi, im buying a Phanteks P400S case for a new build which i want to be as silent as possible while providing reasonable airflow. (if it helps, ryzen7 1700x, ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F
and a 980ti, 8gbx4 ram with a Corsair 800 psu)

My current fans are A12025 120mm which ive been using for years.

Im planning on completing the other 2 front fans (besides the one that comes with the case) and the 2 top fans (im guessing that ones that will come with the new case are ok)

 

So, the big question, is this model good (for noise and flow) or should i really invest in new ones ?

 

The case will be closed so fancy leds are not needed.

 

 

[DVA]

Do you think your temps are good?

Yes - Keep the same fans

No - new fans

 

Are the fans too loud?

Yes - New fans

No - Keep the same fans

 

Do you just want something new to match your rig?

Yes - new fans

No - Keep same fans

[Akli]

2 minutes ago, DVA said:

Do you think your temps are good?

Yes - Keep the same fans

No - new fans

 

Are the fans too loud?

Yes - New fans

No - Keep the same fans

 

Do you just want something new to match your rig?

Yes - new fans

No - Keep same fans

 

Ive had this fans for so long i have nothing to compare them to in my experience, so maybe they are terrible and im missing on the world. Like im trying to game in a Comodore 64 without knowing how new pcs are.

 

The other point is that i would like to avoid building everything, setting the cable arrangements, and then have to operate again to change the fans.

 

My model won't have a window so colors wont be a factor.

[WoodenMarker]

The stock fan is a generic one that isn't very good. It's enough for airflow but isn't very quiet except at low rpm where performance suffers. If you're running it at ~40% rpm, it should be fairly quiet. 

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

[Akli]

7 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

The stock fan is a generic one that isn't very good. It's enough for airflow but isn't very quiet except at low rpm where performance suffers. If you're running it at ~40% rpm, it should be fairly quiet. 

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

In my country everything PC related costs between 50% and 500% more. But im currently shopping un the US so time is kinda at the essence.

 

Im thinking Noctua NF-S12A ULN for the back (because i think the back only supports 120mm) and Noctua NF-A14 ULN, 2 for the frontera and 2 for the top. (Though i kinda feels weird that fully stockings a case costs almost as much así the case itself, Is that normal?). iirc they operate at around 9db while providing ~40 flow.

Im looking for a quiet thing that provides reasonable airflow in that kind of case which has a solid front.

 

Im thinking on using 140mm where possible as i hear they are quieter un comparison as they need to turn less (though other places say smaller is quieter)

 

Oh, also, my case fan (bought not arrived) Is      
Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4 if that helps.

 

And considering this case, should the fans go directly in the psu or motherboard (as this model seems to have only 3 case fan ports.

[WoodenMarker]

10 hours ago, Akli said:

In my country everything PC related costs between 50% and 500% more. But im currently shopping un the US so time is kinda at the essence.

Im thinking Noctua NF-S12A ULN for the back (because i think the back only supports 120mm) and Noctua NF-A14 ULN, 2 for the frontera and 2 for the top.

Im looking for a quiet thing that provides reasonable airflow in that kind of case which has a solid front.

And considering this case, should the fans go directly in the psu or motherboard (as this model seems to have only 3 case fan ports.

If you want any fan control, plug the fans into the motherboard. 

The NF-S12A is excellent and hard to beat. That being said, the ULN is pointless to go with unless you don't have any form of fan control since the NF-S12A PWM and FLX can be just as quiet with the RPM lowered. I'd recommend going with the PWM models if they don't cost much more and plugging them into the motherboard. 

1x NF-S12A for rear exhaust and 2x NF-A14's for front intake should be plenty for cooling. 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/BgvRsY/noctua-case-fan-nfs12apwm

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dwR48d/noctua-case-fan-nfa14pwm

If you want to spend a bit less, NF-P14S and TY-141's are also excellent: 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8r9KHx/noctua-case-fan-nfp14sredux1500pwm

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tFzv6h/thermalright-case-fan-ty141

Top exhaust fans could help a bit but not much due to airflow being limited by the front panel and isn't worth spending more on unless you have money to blow.  

[Akli]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

If you want any fan control, plug the fans into the motherboard. 

The NF-S12A is excellent and hard to beat. That being said, the ULN is pointless to go with unless you don't have any form of fan control since the NF-S12A PWM and FLX can be just as quiet with the RPM lowered. I'd recommend going with the PWM models if they don't cost much more and plugging them into the motherboard. 

1x NF-S12A for rear exhaust and 2x NF-A14's for front intake should be plenty for cooling. 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/BgvRsY/noctua-case-fan-nfs12apwm

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dwR48d/noctua-case-fan-nfa14pwm

If you want to spend a bit less, NF-P14S and TY-141's are also excellent: 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8r9KHx/noctua-case-fan-nfp14sredux1500pwm

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tFzv6h/thermalright-case-fan-ty141

Top exhaust fans could help a bit but not much due to airflow being limited by the front panel and isn't worth spending more on unless you have money to blow.  

 

One thing i dont get is the NF-A14 UNL, which Is bigger than the NF-S12A ULN, cheaper?

 

I looked up the PWM in the link viven and it says the lowest dB level is still muchas higher then the UNL. Does that mean thats the lowest dB un its lowest speed or the lowest dB in a certain different scenario?

 

I mean, as back in my country they will be so much more expensive (and many models might not even be available), id rather buy what i might need now and not regresar it later. 

 

And would it help the intake to stack fan behind fan at the front ?

[WoodenMarker]

46 minutes ago, Akli said:

One thing i dont get is the NF-A14 UNL, which Is bigger than the NF-S12A ULN, cheaper?

I looked up the PWM in the link viven and it says the lowest dB level is still muchas higher then the UNL. Does that mean thats the lowest dB un its lowest speed or the lowest dB in a certain different scenario?

I mean, as back in my country they will be so much more expensive (and many models might not even be available), id rather buy what i might need now and not regresar it later. 

And would it help the intake to stack fan behind fan at the front ?

Pricing changes depend on the seller and stock. 

The ULN's are quieter but the difference is very small to begin with and wouldn't be noticeable since the PSU fan, 980 Ti, and NF-F12 on the NH-U12S are already louder than the PWM variants of the NF-S12A and NF-A14. 

Stacking fans don't help much if at all. 

If you're worried about not having enough cooling, that's more reason to get the PWM variants with a higher rpm range which can function similarly to the ULN models at low RPM.

[Akli]

15 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Pricing changes depend on the seller and stock. 

The ULN's are quieter but the difference is very small to begin with and wouldn't be noticeable since the PSU fan, 980 Ti, and NF-F12 on the NH-U12S are already louder than the PWM variants of the NF-S12A and NF-A14. 

Stacking fans don't help much if at all. 

If you're worried about not having enough cooling, that's more reason to get the PWM variants with a higher rpm range which can function similarly to the ULN models at low RPM.

 

So Is the UNL just a PWM stuck at a certain speed or does it have further noise reducing un its structure?

I see the PWM has the minimum of double the decibels than the UNL, and dB increase exponentially in loudness at that.

 

Maybe different models for intake and exhaust? Idk.

 

Its really a conundrum, either i regret not getting as quiet as i could or i regret not getting enough flow.

 

For the cpu i got the NH-U12S, but un starting to think it was a bad purchase since i saw the NH-d15s.

[WoodenMarker]

10 hours ago, Akli said:

So Is the UNL just a PWM stuck at a certain speed or does it have further noise reducing un its structure?

I see the PWM has the minimum of double the decibels than the UNL, and dB increase exponentially in loudness at that.

 

Maybe different models for intake and exhaust? Idk.

Its really a conundrum, either i regret not getting as quiet as i could or i regret not getting enough flow.

For the cpu i got the NH-U12S, but un starting to think it was a bad purchase since i saw the NH-d15s.

The ULN doesn't support PWM. The ULN is like the FLX but with a lower RPM range and can be controlled using DC. The ULN SKU probably doesn't need to exist as pointed out by SPCR: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1345-page2.html

Spoiler

We decided not to test the ULN as the FLX works as a suitable analog. At equivalent fan speeds, the FLX and ULN samples sound more or less identical. The ULN's 800 RPM speed severely restricts its usefulness and with motherboard fan control being so common now, and the higher speed FLX shipping with two different low noise adapters, the ULN seems like a pointless SKU. We don't recommend it unless the FLX is unavailable.

The dBA ranges on PCPartpicker aren't accurate. The spec they're using for the lower end is with the LNA instead of minimum RPM via PWM. You can see that on Noctua's website. 

At the same RPM, ULN, FLX, and PWM are functionally the same. At the same price, the PWM is the most flexible since it can be controlled with either PWM or DC. 

[Akli]

2 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

The ULN doesn't support PWM. The ULN is like the FLX but with a lower RPM range and can be controlled using DC. The ULN SKU probably doesn't need to exist as pointed out by SPCR: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1345-page2.html

  Hide contents

We decided not to test the ULN as the FLX works as a suitable analog. At equivalent fan speeds, the FLX and ULN samples sound more or less identical. The ULN's 800 RPM speed severely restricts its usefulness and with motherboard fan control being so common now, and the higher speed FLX shipping with two different low noise adapters, the ULN seems like a pointless SKU. We don't recommend it unless the FLX is unavailable.

The dBA ranges on PCPartpicker aren't accurate. The spec they're using for the lower end is with the LNA instead of minimum RPM via PWM. You can see that on Noctua's website. 

At the same RPM, ULN, FLX, and PWM are functionally the same. At the same price, the PWM is the most flexible since it can be controlled with either PWM or DC. 

 

Ty, im reading here Noctua's site:

https://noctua.at/en/nf-a14-uln/specification

https://noctua.at/en/nf-a14-flx/specification

 

And (if im understanding correctly) it would seem that even at the lowest speed, FLX produces 13.8 dB(A) while ULN 9.1 dB(A) (which i believe it more than twice as loud).

Is there something not explicitly said in the site or is the ULN really quieter than either FLX or PWN can be ?

 

Now my main doubt is if i should forget about the 140mm models and go for the 120, as they seem to be much quieter and seem move roughly the same air volume.

[WoodenMarker]

3 hours ago, Akli said:

And (if im understanding correctly) it would seem that even at the lowest speed

The RPM and dBA listed for LNA and ULNA is not the minimum RPM.

[Akli]

11 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

The RPM and dBA listed for LNA and ULNA is not the minimum RPM.

Oh. Do you know where can i find the noise irt makes at the lowest rpm? Im looking around but have a hard time finding it, only posts about people complaining about mobo 4pin fake PWM.

 

Edit: found these:

 

 

Its a shame un the ULN video theres more background noise, but the PWM seems (at least in the video) practically unhearable below 7v in my phone at 50% volume. But thats a tricky thing with this comparison, if i pump up my device's volume, the fan becomes audible way earlier and sounds like a plane taking off.

[WoodenMarker]

The minimum is ~650rpm for FLX, ~450rpm for ULN, and ~250rpm for PWM. The PWM should be quieter due to the lower minimum RPM but it's so low that it's impractical to run for a system with a 980 Ti and the P400S which isn't great for airflow if you want good temps. They're all quieter than the rest of your components already so you're worrying over nothing. 

 

Cooling Technique has a sound calibration video in the video description. 

[Akli]

9 hours ago, Akli said:

Oh. Do you know where can i find the noise irt makes at the lowest rpm? Im looking around but have a hard time finding it, only posts about people complaining about mobo 4pin fake PWM.

 

Edit: found these:

 

 

Its a shame un the ULN video theres more background noise, but the PWM seems (at least in the video) practically unhearable below 7v in my phone at 50% volume. But thats a tricky thing with this comparison, if i pump up my device's volume, the fan becomes audible way earlier and sounds like a plane taking off.

 

Wow, thanks, i missed the calibration at the description. Fun thing, now i listened to the video (calibrated) in my pc, and i couldnt even hear the background noise compared to the sound my current pc makes. But then again, im still using the stock cooler my fx8150 came with.

 

Do you think its worth changing the gpu fans, psu fans or the ones from the Nactua NH-U12S SE-am4 i ordered (already delivered, but i could try to change it if its a subpar options) or at least replace its fan (a NF-F12 PWM).

 

Or maybe should i rethink this and use higher static pressure fans for intake?

[WoodenMarker]

2 hours ago, Akli said:

Wow, thanks, i missed the calibration at the description. Fun thing, now i listened to the video (calibrated) in my pc, and i couldnt even hear the background noise compared to the sound my current pc makes. But then again, im still using the stock cooler my fx8150 came with.

Do you think its worth changing the gpu fans, psu fans or the ones from the Nactua NH-U12S SE-am4 i ordered (already delivered, but i could try to change it if its a subpar options) or at least replace its fan (a NF-F12 PWM).

Or maybe should i rethink this and use higher static pressure fans for intake?

I already recommended going with 2x NF-A14's for front intake and 1x NF-S12A for rear exhaust. There are cheaper options but spending more isn't going to be of much benefit. 

[Akli]

3 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

I already recommended going with 2x NF-A14's for front intake and 1x NF-S12A for rear exhaust. There are cheaper options but spending more isn't going to be of much benefit. 

 

Oh, ok. One last question and ill stop bugging you. In this case, would using exhaust top fans help a little or would they create negative pressure due to the obstructed front intake ?

[WoodenMarker]

3 minutes ago, Akli said:

Oh, ok. One last question and ill stop bugging you. In this case, would using exhaust top fans help a little or would they create negative pressure due to the obstructed front intake ?

Top fans probably wouldn't help much since a front intake to rear exhaust is usually optimal but negative pressure doesn't mean bad cooling. 

[Akli]

Just now, WoodenMarker said:

Top fans probably wouldn't help much since a front intake to rear exhaust is usually optimal but negative pressure does't mean bad cooling. 

 

Thanks for the input