Quiet case fans

[H2hohoho]

I got 3 stock antec fans in my p280. I believe their antec twoCool 120mm, but i still think their pretty loud. Any recommendations for anything that wouldn't be 20$ per fan?

thanx

[glewin7]

It's funny that you mention this because I did a TON of research on this today. I have a few fans I can suggest that could work depending on your preferences. All of these fans I chose because they have very low noise levels but do not sacrifice performance.

The Scythe Gentle Typhoon. http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=35020&vpn=D1225C12B5AP-15&manufacture=Scythe&promoid=1268 probably has the biggest following of any fans I have seen, people absolutely love these things, not only are they quiet (under 30dba, which trust me, is a whisper) and are great as just plan chassis fans, but they have a blade design that actually works extremely well as a radiator fan, so if you ever need something for a radiator or CPU heatsink, keep these in mind, they go well with a black case aswell.

The NZXT FN-120 and FN-140 - http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60716 I have personal experience with them and these fans are great. I think my favorite part about them was simply the fact that they just operated so efficiently, I'm sure that if they were running at 100% all the time they would be a little noisier, but they kept my system so cool that they didn't need to. Even when my system really heated up the loudest part of my computer was the CPU heatsink The nzxt fans, like the scyth gentle typhoon, have a very good sound frequency, meaning that any noise they do create once they really ramp up really isnt irritating, mostly what you hear is just the movement of air. I definitley give these a thumbs up. OH and Linus did a little review on them, he shows that they are, as I say, dead silent -

Last but most definitley not least the Noctua NF-F12 - http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=66920&vpn=NF-F12%20PWM&manufacture=Noctua These are Linus's favorite fans from what he's said in a review of them. Given the 22.4 dba maximum sound level I can't blame him, they are DEAD silent. I would post a video that Linus has done but he has like 8 of them on their whole lineup, so go and check them out on youtube and im sure he'll convince you as he always manages to do with me. I just could never sacrifice the way my all black system looks with these fans, especially when there are alternatives. I really do hope that Noctua comes out with some black versions of their fans because I would snatch them up SO QUICK. But aesthetics aside you can't really hate them, they have pretty much got the best numbers in terms of performance when compared to any other fan line. If you don't care so much about the way your case looks but more the way it performs and sounds, go with these, I'm pretty sure Linus would guarantee you that you won't regret it.

[Toby]

^ Only the NZXT isn't $20.

Options..

Scythe Slipstream (SY1225SL12M) - if you can find it.

Gelid FN-SX12-10

Nexus Real Silent

Enermax T.B. Silence

Enermax Magma

As always, don't rely on the stats from the manufacturer/vendor. Typically the dB/airflow are inaccurate - sometimes wildly so.

It might be worth looking into some 9v/7v adapters too. Some of the best dB-to-airflow fans can make some noise at 12v.

[Helltech]

If you're going for cheap but good, Yate Loon D12SL, or Bitfenix Spectre (not pro).

[t0wer]

^ Only the NZXT isn't $20.

Options..

Scythe Slipstream (SY1225SL12M) - if you can find it.

Gelid FN-SX12-10

Nexus Real Silent

Enermax T.B. Silence

Enermax Magma

As always, don't rely on the stats from the manufacturer/vendor. Typically the dB/airflow are inaccurate - sometimes wildly so.

It might be worth looking into some 9v/7v adapters too. Some of the best dB-to-airflow fans can make some noise at 12v.

out of those, the gelid and the nexus would be the best option for silence since they are both 1000rpm.

I used the gelid in my old case, and the HDD was the noisiest thing in the computer.

[Smite]

Just a reminder you always get what you pay for. Or get less than what you pay for. It is for a case and 120mm so you have tons of options.

[Toby]

^ Only the NZXT isn't $20.

Options..

Scythe Slipstream (SY1225SL12M) - if you can find it.

Gelid FN-SX12-10

Nexus Real Silent

Enermax T.B. Silence

Enermax Magma

As always, don't rely on the stats from the manufacturer/vendor. Typically the dB/airflow are inaccurate - sometimes wildly so.

It might be worth looking into some 9v/7v adapters too. Some of the best dB-to-airflow fans can make some noise at 12v.

I think the Slipstream is the best fan there in terms of airflow for the amount of noise, but it might be louder at full-speed.

Might be the same with the Enermax, I know they have good efficiency but their full-speed volume might be louder, hence my comment on the voltage adapters.