Quiet fans: P14s or?

[Paul17]

I think I need 3 x 140mm fans?   (I am getting a free 140mm fan - P14)

Case:  Phanteks P500A (I think the most recent iteration of the case includes only 2 x 140mm fans - PMW - I believe).   I will try them - and if they are too noisy, I'll buy 2 fans to replace them - But, for now, I 'll just get fans to fill out he rest of the case fan mounts.

 

I was thinking of this fan setup / configuration:

 

* Move (or use) the 2 x 140mm fans to the top of the case (2x140mm fan mounts there) (exhaust)

* 140mm @ rear (exhaust) [I WILL PUT THE ONE I ALREADY HAVE, HERE'

* 3 x 140mm front fans - (intake)

Therefore, I would/will need 3 x 140mm fans?

 

So far, my idea is to buy P14s (alternatives, Noctual 140mm, Phanteks T30 (really expensive)

 

P14 PWM PST?

P14 PWM PST CO?

 

Is it worth paying extra for the 'CO' version?   I tend to keep my computer on all day except for at night/sleep - I usually turn it off - shut down (not always).  The CO fan is a DUAL BALL bearing while the non-Co versions are FLUID DYNAMIC Bearing.  The dual ball bearing fans supposedly last longer?  But, the price difference is considerable?   Here:  $6 difference.

 

Also, 'can buy a 5 pack - but, I'm a bit reluctant to do that - JUST IN CASE (pardon the pun) - I don't like the sound/noise of these fans.   Many people say they are quiet and only have an audible motor noise at exactly 1000rpms - so, I'll run them at 600 - 900 rpms or something?   But, some people claim they have a high pitched noise - that's irritating - so, I can only try and see.   But, maybe I should just buy 2 or 3 individual fans to see?   I also have one I can try for free - so I could just use the fans I have at the moment and see how they sound?

 

Thoughts?

 

[Paul17]

51 minutes ago, James Evens said:

Get the normal version.

The CO are in my experience louder.

 

Really?   Oh, thanks for that info.

I also 'discovered' (?) that the stock Phanteks fans are 3-pin.   Should I care if I want to minimize noise?   It's the non-RGB version so there's only 2 fans included.  I don't want to open the box to check - until I'm prepared/ready to build.   I believe they are 3-pin so it's not a big deal to 'not use 2' fans for me - if it was 3, it would be more disappointing.   I could just try them, I guess. 

If I don't use them - then there might be more reason to buy the 5-pack, though?

[Dogzilla07]

If money is not a problem, the RGB/ARGB versions of the Arctic P series are a better option. And Thermalright TL-C14 or TL-C14S ARGB or TL-C14W-S X3 are as good, and also very competitive on price.

[Paul17]

3 hours ago, Dogzilla07 said:

If money is not a problem, the RGB/ARGB versions of the Arctic P series are a better option. And Thermalright TL-C14 or TL-C14S ARGB or TL-C14W-S X3 are as good, and also very competitive on price.

What makes them a better option?

[Dogzilla07]

13 hours ago, Paul17 said:

What makes them a better option?

Significantly reduced specific low frequency noise in the 850-1150RPM range due to harmonic resonance. the basic P12/P14 have it really bad, but the RGB/ARGB have the noise greatly reduced and shifted into high frequency spectrum. (They do this by having a ring around the tips of the blades).

 

This noise, doesn't show on dB/dBA testing. Only noise spectrum frequency analysis, and with human ears.

 

For most people, after setting up the fan curves to avoid that rpm range, the noise is tolerable, but a very small chunk of people with sensitive hearing can't deal with in general, even on the RGB/ARGB fans.

[Paul17]

On 4/19/2022 at 7:44 AM, Dogzilla07 said:

Significantly reduced specific low frequency noise in the 850-1150RPM range due to harmonic resonance. the basic P12/P14 have it really bad, but the RGB/ARGB have the noise greatly reduced and shifted into high frequency spectrum. (They do this by having a ring around the tips of the blades).

 

This noise, doesn't show on dB/dBA testing. Only noise spectrum frequency analysis, and with human ears.

 

For most people, after setting up the fan curves to avoid that rpm range, the noise is tolerable, but a very small chunk of people with sensitive hearing can't deal with in general, even on the RGB/ARGB fans.

Do you need to install software or is everything operated via the motherboard headers?

[Dogzilla07]

On 4/22/2022 at 7:22 PM, Paul17 said:

Do you need to install software or is everything operated via the motherboard headers?

You need to set it in BIOS, or install software. FanControl is the best option (Jayz2Cents did a awesome video about it). You can use teh integrated librehardwaremonitor, but it also supports using hwinfo instead.

 

FanControl has wide mobo support and very good UI (looks like Argus, but free).

 

There's also FanCTRL (but less mobo support, and it looks like speedfan, and has more stuff, but probably don't need it).

 

FanControl is good option to go for cause you can just watch the Jayz2cents video for a quick understanding of all teh options, but yeah u can do all of it in the bios as well.