Corsair SP120 Performance or Quiet Edition?

[BigChimp97]

Hi guys

 

I've decided to invest into buying two new intake fans for my Fractal Design Define R4, which apparently benefits alot from having pressurized fans at the front, also the SP120's look great! (If you have any recommendations then please list them).

 

As you can tell from me buying the Define R4, I would love to have a quieter system hence why I listed the Quiet Edition, although if the drop off of performance between the two is too much then I may have to reconsider.

Is the performance between the two much different? Is the sound levels between them noticeably different? Which would you recommend me getting?

 

Thanks again!

[nsyedhasan]

Gentle Typhoons.

[Izaya Orihara]

1. No don't. SP for intake no. 2. Corsair Fans are loud in general. (Atleast the newest ones AF/SP series.) 3. Get something like bequiet silent wings 2. 

[BigChimp97]

1. No don't. SP for intake no. 2. Corsair Fans are loud in general. (Atleast the newest ones AF/SP series.) 3. Get something like bequiet silent wings 2.

Gentle Typhoons.

I've been recommended both before.... looks like Corsair was a bad idea!

1. No don't. SP for intake no. 2. Corsair Fans are loud in general. (Atleast the newest ones AF/SP series.) 3. Get something like bequiet silent wings 2.

It's weird though because i've been told that SP helps with intake in the R4 because of the little vents on the side of the case, which is the only place the air can get through when the door is shut.... is this true?

[WoodenMarker]

It's weird though because i've been told that SP helps with intake in the R4 because of the little vents on the side of the case, which is the only place the air can get through when the door is shut.... is this true?

Pretty much. There are still better options for fans though. 

[Izaya Orihara]

It's weird though because i've been told that SP helps with intake in the R4 because of the little vents on the side of the case, which is the only place the air can get through when the door is shut.... is this true?

Yes it indeed true but why should SP Fans help with that? They are made to push/pull air through something. (heatsink and rads...)  

[BigChimp97]

Pretty much. There are still better options for fans though.

Which ones would you recommend? That perform great, whilst keeping low noise levels? (Please do not recommend Noctua's, they're too much money for a set of 2)

I'm also guessing that there are better fans than the stock coolers

Yes it indeed true but why should SP Fans help with that? They are made to push/pull air through something. (heatsink and rads...)

I'm not sure, i just remember reading it somewhere.....

[Constantine]

There's no point in getting the Quiet edition ones other than for aesthetics since there are better performing fans for the amount of noise that you get

 

Yes it indeed true but why should SP Fans help with that? They are made to push/pull air through something. (heatsink and rads...)  

 

The general idea is the SP fans are designed for areas where there is a lot of air resistance. Heatsinks and rads are just the most common application

[BigChimp97]

There's no point in getting the Quiet edition ones other than for aesthetics since there are better performing fans for the amount of noise that you get

 

 

The general idea is the SP fans are designed for areas where there is a lot of air resistance. Heatsinks and rads are just the most common application

What fans would you recommend?

[WoodenMarker]

Yes it indeed true but why should SP Fans help with that? They are made to push/pull air through something. (heatsink and rads...)  

What @Constantine said. 

Which ones would you recommend? That perform great, whilst keeping low noise levels? (Please do not recommend Noctua's, they're too much money for a set of 2)

Prices vary depending where you're shopping. We could use where you're shopping/located and your budget. 

[Constantine]

What fans would you recommend?

 

Haven't had experience with them since they're not available in Australia, but I would really like to try the Gentle Typhoons since the spec curve looks good

[BigChimp97]

What @Constantine said. 

Prices vary depending where you're shopping. We could use where you're shopping/located and your budget.

I live in the UK, so I'd use Scan.co.uk, Ebuyer.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk. And my budget is about £25 I'd like to get two fans.

[WoodenMarker]

I live in the UK, so I'd use Scan.co.uk, Ebuyer.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk. And my budget is about £25 I'd like to get two fans.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/akasa-case-fan-akfn062

[BigChimp97]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/akasa-case-fan-akfn062

Would these fans perform well inside the front of the R4 seeing it as has ventilation limitations?

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/akasa-case-fan-akfn062

I've also read that at 12v they can be very noisy fans

[WoodenMarker]

Would these fans perform well inside the front of the R4 seeing it as has ventilation limitations?

140mm fan reviews are uncommon so here's a 120mm one: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6391/120mm-radiator-fan-roundup-part-2-fan-harder/7

The Rosewill Hyperborea is just a rebranded Akasa Apache.

 

I've also read that at 12v they can be very noisy fans

It's a Pwm fan... It only runs at 12v. 

Also, they're not loud at all. They're still quite a bit quieter than SP120 Quiet Editions. 

 

If you don't know what pwm is: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSzur9JOosI

[BigChimp97]

140mm fan reviews are uncommon so here's a 120mm one: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6391/120mm-radiator-fan-roundup-part-2-fan-harder/7

The Rosewill Hyperborea is just a rebranded Akasa Apache.

 

It's a Pwm fan... It only runs at 12v. 

Also, they're not loud at all. They're still quite a bit quieter than SP120 Quiet Editions. 

 

If you don't know what pwm is: 

Just been reading the comments..... so many fan recommendations so you'd recommend me getting a PWM fan instead of a DC?

[WoodenMarker]

Just been reading the comments..... so many fan recommendations so you'd recommend me getting a PWM fan instead of a DC?

Pwm is generally better because you can have the speed changed on the fly. I'm mainly recommending the fan due to pricing.

[Lays]

@BigChimp97 avoid the high performance version like the plague. They're insanely loud at full speed, we're literally talking like jet engine hairdryer loud.  I had them previously, and they were absolutely horrendous. 

 

 

I'm not quite sure how fans are priced where you live, if you have no other option buy the quiet editions.  If not try and get gentle typhoons, or those akasa apache's that @WoodenMarker suggested.  

[BigChimp97]

Pwm is generally better because you can have the speed changed on the fly. I'm mainly recommending the fan due to pricing.

I could go higher.... What would you recommend, for say..... £35?

[WoodenMarker]

I could go higher.... What would you recommend, for say..... £35?

Lol, Noctua.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-case-fan-nfa14uln

or PWM if you prefer it: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-case-fan-nfa14pwm

[BigChimp97]

@BigChimp97 avoid the high performance version like the plague. They're insanely loud at full speed, we're literally talking like jet engine hairdryer loud.  I had them previously, and they were absolutely horrendous. 

 

 

I'm not quite sure how fans are priced where you live, if you have no other option buy the quiet editions.  If not try and get gentle typhoons, or those akasa apache's that @WoodenMarker suggested.

I didn't realise that the performance ones were so bad for sound! I don't understand why people would ever recommend performance then!

[Lays]

I didn't realise that the performance ones were so bad for sound! I don't understand why people would ever recommend performance then!

 

Yeah, I got them for my h100i when I still had one, and I started gaming and was like "HOLY COW WTF" lol

 

 

Also, with what @WoodenMarker said:  If you get the Noctuas, they're quite loud above 1000~ RPM.  As long as you never need to turn them up, they'll be nice and quiet. (you shouldn't have to turn them up ever)

 

This is just my opinion, but I wasn't impressed by Noctua at all, the only thing they had going for them was the build quality + accessories. They didn't "woosh" me away with performance or noise levels.

 

I'm an absolute silence nut when it comes to my PC, some people will tell you differently about certain fans. It's all about YOUR perception on how loud/quiet you want your system.  You're air cooled I presume, so just about any fan you get will "blend-in" with your system. As long as it's not a 500000 RPM jet engine

 

 

Also: I'm not trying to crap on Noctua, or any other fan manufacturer, I'm just posting how my experiences were. Like I said above, it's all about the individual's perception.

[BigChimp97]

Yeah, I got them for my h100i when I still had one, and I started gaming and was like "HOLY COW WTF" lol

 

 

Also, with what @WoodenMarker said:  If you get the Noctuas, they're quite loud above 1000~ RPM.  As long as you never need to turn them up, they'll be nice and quiet. (you shouldn't have to turn them up ever)

 

This is just my opinion, but I wasn't impressed by Noctua at all, the only thing they had going for them was the build quality + accessories. They didn't "woosh" me away with performance or noise levels.

 

I'm an absolute silence nut when it comes to my PC, some people will tell you differently about certain fans. It's all about YOUR perception on how loud/quiet you want your system.  You're air cooled I presume, so just about any fan you get will "blend-in" with your system. As long as it's not a 500000 RPM jet engine

 

 

Also: I'm not trying to crap on Noctua, or any other fan manufacturer, I'm just posting how my experiences were. Like I said above, it's all about the individual's perception.

Is there a fan that performs just as well as the noctua, for less money? Thanks for the info!

[Lays]

Is there a fan that performs just as well as the noctua, for less money? Thanks for the info!

 

@WoodenMarker 's suggestion about the akasa's is good, @airdeano got a few of them and loved 'em.  Those SP120 quiet editions/ AF120's would be good, especially for the price.  As long as you double check that you get the quiet editions you'll be alright

 

If you need 140mm's I'd say get those akasa ones, http://www.scan.co.uk/products/140mm-akasa-black-apache-s-flow-blade-design-fan  

 

or: http://www.amazon.com/Be-Quiet-BL063-Silent-Wings/dp/B007IE3W1K

 

(I'm not sure where you can find those be quiets in europe)

[BigChimp97]

@WoodenMarker 's suggestion about the akasa's is good, @airdeano got a few of them and loved 'em.  Those SP120 quiet editions/ AF120's would be good, especially for the price.  As long as you double check that you get the quiet editions you'll be alright

 

If you need 140mm's I'd say get those akasa ones, http://www.scan.co.uk/products/140mm-akasa-black-apache-s-flow-blade-design-fan  

 

or: http://www.amazon.com/Be-Quiet-BL063-Silent-Wings/dp/B007IE3W1K

 

(I'm not sure where you can find those be quiets in europe)

So if I could buy any of them, which would you recommend?