EK Vardar vs Noctua PWM, noise level

[NE0XY]

Today I have Nocuta non pwm version fans and they are way too loud for my taste (even at min speed) so I want to replace them with some pwm fans so I can better control their speed and bring down the noise.

So when I look at the specs (which normally doesn't mean much) it says that the EK-vardars have a noise level of 40 dB and the Noctua fans 30 dB, however, I've heard people say that the EK fans are really quiet.

So, any ideas? Or are there any other good 140mm fans I should check out? They will be used on a 60mm thick radiator. 

 

Thank you

[WereCat]

Which Vardars? There is F1, F2, ... F5. F1 are most silent since they have really low RPM and F5 are the loudest since they have really hight RPM.

 

I would say F3 and higher will be as much or more audible than the Noctua NF-F12 one.

[NE0XY]

Which Vardars? There is F1, F2, ... F5. F1 are most silent since they have really low RPM and F5 are the loudest since they have really hight RPM.

 

I would say F3 and higher will be as much or more audible than the Noctua NF-F12 one.

 

Sorry, F3 model, 

https://shop.ekwb.com/ek-vardar-f3-140er-2000rpm

I would need black fans to match rest of build. 

[WereCat]

Sorry, F3 model, 

https://shop.ekwb.com/ek-vardar-f3-140er-2000rpm

I would need black fans to match rest of build. 

And which Noctuas? If NF-F12 (I am assuming since you want static pressure fan) then F3 Vardar will be slightly louder at 100% RPM since it has higher RPM (1850 vs 1500).

[NE0XY]

And which Noctuas? If NF-F12 (I am assuming since you want static pressure fan) then F3 Vardar will be slightly louder at 100% RPM since it has higher RPM (1850 vs 1500).

I'm using 

Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-2000 140mm

But I'll probably never run the fans att 100%, I'll probably let them go to a max of 50%

[WoodenMarker]

How low are you running the Noctuas and how are you powering them? If I remember correctly, the voltage controlled Noctuas should go as low as ~17%.

 

And which Noctuas? If NF-F12 (I am assuming since you want static pressure fan) then F3 Vardar will be slightly louder at 100% RPM since it has higher RPM (1850 vs 1500).

Anyone concerned with noise is probably not running fans at their full speed.
I tend to run mine as low as possible while maintaining decent temps. My Noctuas are at 7% or ~90rpm.

I'm using
Noctua NF-A14 iPPC-2000 140mm
But I'll probably never run the fans att 100%, I'll probably let them go to a max of 50%

iPPC's at 50% are still pretty noisy.

[winningsince1337]

How low are you running the Noctuas and how are you powering them? If I remember correctly, the voltage controlled Noctuas should go as low as ~17%.

 

Anyone concerned with noise is probably not running fans at their full speed.

I tend to run mine as low as possible while maintaining decent temps. My Noctuas are at 7% or ~90rpm.

iPPC's at 50% are still pretty noisy.

Just curious, what fan controller are you using to get them that low? Are you using Low Noise Adapters and then turning the voltage down on your mobo fan controller or do you have something separate? Just got an NH-D15 to quiet my PC down and I want to set the fans in the proper config 

[NE0XY]

How low are you running the Noctuas and how are you powering them? If I remember correctly, the voltage controlled Noctuas should go as low as ~17%.

 

Anyone concerned with noise is probably not running fans at their full speed.

I tend to run mine as low as possible while maintaining decent temps. My Noctuas are at 7% or ~90rpm.

iPPC's at 50% are still pretty noisy.

Yeah that's what I'm afraid of, I've managed to get mine at 30% and they're still a bit too loud for my taste. So maybe the answer is getting a PWM fan with a max speed of say around 1000rpm, so I could go very low? Or Get the PWM noctuas and run them at 500rpm...

[WoodenMarker]

Just curious, what fan controller are you using to get them that low? Are you using Low Noise Adapters and then turning the voltage down on your mobo fan controller or do you have something separate? Just got an NH-D15 to quiet my PC down and I want to set the fans in the proper config 

I'm running them all off of the cpu fan header with a splitter. 

I'm not using LNA's other than on the NF-A15's that came with the NH-D15 to lower them to the same speed as normal NF-A15's before they connect to the splitter. LNA's don't make them go any lower than they can already with proper fan control though.

 

Yeah that's what I'm afraid of, I've managed to get mine at 30% and they're still a bit too loud for my taste. So maybe the answer is getting a PWM fan with a max speed of say around 1000rpm, so I could go very low? Or Get the PWM noctuas and run them at 500rpm...

They should definitely be able to go lower than 30%. Pwm Noctuas should be able to go down to ~7% which is what I run them at.

1000rpm is pretty low and a max rpm that low isn't really necessary. The average noctua fan with a max rpm of 1200-1300rpm can spin as slow as 250rpm or so. Noctuas are extremely quiet for most people below ~450rpm. 

iPPC fans shouldn't really be used unless the extra robust build quality is necessary. 

[winningsince1337]

I'm running them all off of the cpu fan header with a splitter. 

I'm not using LNA's other than on the NF-A15's that came with the NH-D15 to lower them to the same speed as normal NF-A15's before they connect to the splitter. LNA's don't make them go any lower than they can already with proper fan control though.

 

SNIP

Oh, okay. I heard about motherboards not being able to get noctua's down low enough in RPM, but I guess that was for the non-pwm fans

[WoodenMarker]

Oh, okay. I heard about motherboards not being able to get noctua's down low enough in RPM, but I guess that was for the non-pwm fans

Motherboards can lack proper fan control range for both pwm and voltage control. Pwm noctuas just have greater range of control. 

[NE0XY]

I'm using an aquaero 6XT