What RPM fan is good for radiators?

[Hexxagone]

I'm looking at Noctua fans

 

NF-F12 says it has 1500 rpm with airflow of 93 m3h, noise at 22 dba

NF-S12A says it has 1200 rpm with airflow of 107 m3h, noise at 17 dba

 

If I'm reading that correctly, the lower rpm NF-S12A pushes more air and has lower noise, then there are other fans that have 2000 rpm.

What RPM is good for radiators around 27mm thick?

[WereCat]

The one with higher static pressure is better. m3h is quite irrelevant once you put a "barrier" like the radiator fins in front of the fan 

[RONOTHAN##]

honestly, performance isn't gonna be that much different between all of them, and for water cooling you want to set the RPM as low as you can while maintaining good temperatures so your system is as quiet as possible. That said, for standard radiators, you want higher static pressure with fans, and while the S12A has great airflow, it doesn't look like it would have great static pressure performance. The NF-F12 is a better static pressure fan, so on a radiator it will probably perform better and let you run lower RPMs overall for the same temps.

[Hexxagone]

53 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

honestly, performance isn't gonna be that much different between all of them, and for water cooling you want to set the RPM as low as you can while maintaining good temperatures so your system is as quiet as possible. That said, for standard radiators, you want higher static pressure with fans, and while the S12A has great airflow, it doesn't look like it would have great static pressure performance. The NF-F12 is a better static pressure fan, so on a radiator it will probably perform better and let you run lower RPMs overall for the same temps.

Ok and would the NF-F12 be good to use as a regular case fan to push air out as exhaust as well? or is it just good on rads

[Tegneren]

I recommend watching this recent video from JayzTwoCents on fans and fan types

 

[Jeppes]

4 hours ago, Hexxagone said:

Ok and would the NF-F12 be good to use as a regular case fan to push air out as exhaust as well? or is it just good on rads

Its expensive. I would look at the new phanteks t30 3-pack if you want to spend crazy amounts of money.

[WoodenMarker]

16 hours ago, Hexxagone said:

Ok and would the NF-F12 be good to use as a regular case fan to push air out as exhaust as well? or is it just good on rads

It would perform fine but there are quieter fans that can perform as well if the exhaust mesh isn't very restrictive. What cooler and case are you using and where are you planning to use the fans? 

[Hexxagone]

19 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

It would perform fine but there are quieter fans that can perform as well if the exhaust mesh isn't very restrictive. What cooler and case are you using and where are you planning to use the fans? 

I was thinking the O11 Dynamic and an Asus Ryujin AIO, which comes with Nocuta industrial 2000rpm fans but i'm looking for ones that are more quiet

[WoodenMarker]

Just now, Hexxagone said:

I was thinking the O11 Dynamic and an Asus Ryujin AIO, which comes with Nocuta industrial 2000rpm fans but i'm looking for ones that are more quiet

Have you used them? They're pretty quiet already. 

Fan curves are used by default - most people don't run fans at 100% rpm. 

[Hexxagone]

11 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Have you used them? They're pretty quiet already. 

Fan curves are used by default - most people don't run fans at 100% rpm. 

I have never used them but reviews say the fans are loud under load and I play in 4K. Even Nocuta's website has a disclaimer saying they are louder than normal fans and to look at the more consumer ones like the NF-F12

[WoodenMarker]

1 hour ago, Hexxagone said:

I have never used them but reviews say the fans are loud under load and I play in 4K. Even Nocuta's website has a disclaimer saying they are louder than normal fans and to look at the more consumer ones like the NF-F12

They can be louder than Noctua's normal lineup but a custom fan curve should be keep them quiet. The higher rpm range can be useful for the option of higher cooling performance. 

[Hexxagone]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

They can be louder than Noctua's normal lineup but a custom fan curve should be keep them quiet. The higher rpm range can be useful for the option of higher cooling performance. 

I don't know how to do a custom curve, I just pick the "standard" option in the BIOs, there is also a "silent" option. At higher temps it reaches 100% and playing in 4K, I would hit 100% every time.

The Noctua industrial fans are 2000 rpm while the NF-F12 is 1500 rpm, so if I'm going to hit 100% load, the NF-F12 would be more quiet while having almost the same performance of pressure and air movement. 

 

That's how I see it but you know more than me.

[fonzz1e]

I'm was using noctua redux nf-p12 on my 360 rad, lately I switch to arctic p12

 

average rpm is below 1200rpm, I'm using full custom loop tho

[WoodenMarker]

21 hours ago, Hexxagone said:

I don't know how to do a custom curve, I just pick the "standard" option in the BIOs, there is also a "silent" option. At higher temps it reaches 100% and playing in 4K, I would hit 100% every time.

The Noctua industrial fans are 2000 rpm while the NF-F12 is 1500 rpm, so if I'm going to hit 100% load, the NF-F12 would be more quiet while having almost the same performance of pressure and air movement. 

Fans don't have to run at 100% rpm. As long as temps are fine, fan speeds can be as low as needed.