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Corsair Fan Comparison Help

EmeraldKiwi
By EmeraldKiwi
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No this isn't a comparison between SP and AF, I already know what they are optimized for. I donot know, however, what the difference is between the quiet edition and the high performance edition fans. I mean, the RPM is different, but what about noise? Does anyone have any experience with SP/AF120s from Corsair?

 

EDIT:

Not sure if it makes any difference, but all the fans are going into the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe. It has a built in fan controller, but I don't know how that works, so advice on that too would be appreciated.

I'm not SAV1OUR. I promise. | Number of successfully bricked phones: 1 Samsung Galaxy S5 | 01001001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100101 01101100 01100001 01100010 01101111 01110010 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01110010 01110101 01110011 01100101 00101110

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No this isn't a comparison between SP and AF, I already know what they are optimized for. I donot know, however, what the difference is between the quiet edition and the high performance edition fans. I mean, the RPM is different, but what about noise? Does anyone have any experience with SP/AF120s from Corsair?

 

EDIT:

Not sure if it makes any difference, but all the fans are going into the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe. It has a built in fan controller, but I don't know how that works, so advice on that too would be appreciated.

 

The Quiet Edition are just that, the exact same fan with a lower max RPM passed off as a quieter fan. 

 

They have no physical changes in the design or any other features that make them quieter than the High Performance models.

Bert & Ernie before squirting spermie. 

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The Quiet Edition are just that, the exact same fan with a lower max RPM passed off as quieter.

But does that RPM difference actually make a difference in noise level? I'm asking because the quiet edition fans are actually more expensive than the high performance ones...

I'm not SAV1OUR. I promise. | Number of successfully bricked phones: 1 Samsung Galaxy S5 | 01001001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100101 01101100 01100001 01100010 01101111 01110010 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01110010 01110101 01110011 01100101 00101110

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But does that RPM difference actually make a difference in noise level? I'm asking because the quiet edition fans are actually more expensive than the high performance ones...

 

Yes, a fan that spins at a lower RPM will obviously be quieter. Just get the HP's and run them at the RPM where you're comfortable with mate. ;)

 

Also the QE's are not supposed to be more expensive than the HP's. Both models come in 3-pin and 4-pin PWM versions so you might be comparing the cheaper 3-pin HP with the more expensive 4-pin PWM QE.

Bert & Ernie before squirting spermie. 

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Yes, a fan that spins at a lower RPM will obviously be quieter. Just get the HP's mate. ;)

Hmmm... Do fans have a minimum RPM? Because I might be able to just set them to a lower RPM on the fan controller if they are noisy. I could just set them to the same RPM as the quiet ones. With the fan controller though, could I set up a custom fan curve or will they run at a constant speed no matter what?

I'm not SAV1OUR. I promise. | Number of successfully bricked phones: 1 Samsung Galaxy S5 | 01001001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100101 01101100 01100001 01100010 01101111 01110010 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01110010 01110101 01110011 01100101 00101110

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Hmmm... Do fans have a minimum RPM? Because I might be able to just set them to a lower RPM on the fan controller if they are noisy. I could just set them to the same RPM as the quiet ones. With the fan controller though, could I set up a custom fan curve or will they run at a constant speed no matter what?

Yes, if you under volt them too much they won't start up at all

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Hmmm... Do fans have a minimum RPM? Because I might be able to just set them to a lower RPM on the fan controller if they are noisy. I could just set them to the same RPM as the quiet ones. With the fan controller though, could I set up a custom fan curve or will they run at a constant speed no matter what?

 

All fans have a 'minimum rpm' or the point at which they don't get enough voltage to start spinning. 

 

If you're using a fan controller, buy the 3-pin model and set the rpm with the fan controller. They will run at whatever rpm you physically set them to through the fan controller.

 

Most modern motherboards can control 3-pin and 4-pin PWM fans through software allowing you to set a fan curve. You'll have to connect them directly to your motherboard headers than.

Bert & Ernie before squirting spermie. 

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-snip-

 

Also the QE's are not supposed to be more expensive than the HP's. Both models come in 3-pin and 4-pin PWM versions so you might be comparing the cheaper 3-pin HP with the more expensive 4-pin PWM QE.

What's the difference between a 4 pin PWM and a 3 pin? I'm sorry, but I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to fans...

I'm not SAV1OUR. I promise. | Number of successfully bricked phones: 1 Samsung Galaxy S5 | 01001001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100101 01101100 01100001 01100010 01101111 01110010 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01110010 01110101 01110011 01100101 00101110

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What's the difference between a 4 pin PWM and a 3 pin? I'm sorry, but I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to fans...

 

No worries, we've all been there.

 

3-pin fans are controlled through DC voltage control. They're ideal if you're using a fan controller because fan controllers change the RPM using DC voltage control. 

 

4-pin PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) fans have a 4th pin that reports its rpm to the motherboard. The voltage is supplied through quick pulses that keep the fan at the RPM you selected through the motherboards fan control suite (for example Asus motherboards have Fan Xpert). 4-pin PWM fans allow smoother, more precise fan rpm control with less annoying ramp ups and downs when you change the fan rpm.

 

Look here, both are Corsair SP120 High Performance editions:

 

PWM: http://www.corsair.com/se-fi/air-series-sp120-pwm-high-performance-edition-high-static-pressure-fan

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-SP120-High-Performance-CO-9050014-WW/dp/B00C249QNE/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1421447842&sr=1-3&keywords=sp120+high+performance

 

3-pin: http://www.corsair.com/se-fi/air-series-sp120-high-performance-edition-high-static-pressure-120mm-fan

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-SP120-High-Performance-CO-9050008-WW/dp/B007RESFYK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1421447842&sr=1-1&keywords=sp120+high+performance&pebp=1421447810253&peasin=B007RESFYK

 

^ 3-pin is a few bucks cheaper

 

To summarize:

 

3-pin fans if you're using a fan controller.

4-pin PWM fans if you're planning on setting fan curves through motherboard fan control software and controlling everything through the motherboard.

Bert & Ernie before squirting spermie. 

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