Jump to content

3x 120mm OR 2x 140mm

SomeGreekGuy
By SomeGreekGuy
in Cooling
 Share
Posted

Some say more is better. Is it though?

More fans = more air BUT less noise cause they can spin at a lower RPM 

Less fans = less air BUT more noise cause they have to spin at a higher RPM 

Is this ^ true? 

Code-name Nyx: R7-3800X w/ Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B | Sapphire RX 5600XT | Gigabyte B550i Aorus Pro AX | Patriot Viper 4 Blackout | 3TB NVMe Storage| Cooler Master NR200 | Kubuntu/Windows 11 | Xiaomi Mi Curved 34" | Keebwerk Mega | Logitech G602 | Audio Technica ATH-M40X| Edifier e25 Luna
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

140mm fans can also spin slower and still push the same amount of air as a 120mm fan spinning faster. So neither is necessarily better than the other, and either way if you tune things right with decent fans they will be silent. 

PSU Tier List | CoC

Gaming Build | FreeNAS Server

Spoiler

i5-4690k || Seidon 240m || GTX780 ACX || MSI Z97s SLI Plus || 8GB 2400mhz || 250GB 840 Evo || 1TB WD Blue || H440 (Black/Blue) || Windows 10 Pro || Dell P2414H & BenQ XL2411Z || Ducky Shine Mini || Logitech G502 Proteus Core

Spoiler

FreeNAS 9.3 - Stable || Xeon E3 1230v2 || Supermicro X9SCM-F || 32GB Crucial ECC DDR3 || 3x4TB WD Red (JBOD) || SYBA SI-PEX40064 sata controller || Corsair CX500m || NZXT Source 210.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

140mm fans can also spin slower and still push the same amount of air as a 120mm fan spinning faster. So neither is necessarily better than the other, and either way if you tune things right with decent fans they will be silent. 

Well most mobos these days have good onboard fan settings

Code-name Nyx: R7-3800X w/ Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B | Sapphire RX 5600XT | Gigabyte B550i Aorus Pro AX | Patriot Viper 4 Blackout | 3TB NVMe Storage| Cooler Master NR200 | Kubuntu/Windows 11 | Xiaomi Mi Curved 34" | Keebwerk Mega | Logitech G602 | Audio Technica ATH-M40X| Edifier e25 Luna
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

3x 120mm would be better for airflow but louder I believe, so it's up to personal preference which one do you value more, I personally value airflow over noise since I'm always with a headset on

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB GDDR6 Motherboard: MSI PRESTIGE X570 CREATION
AIO: Corsair H150i Pro RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32GB 3600MHz DDR4 Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic PSU: Corsair RM850x White

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

3x 120mm would be better for airflow but louder I believe, so it's up to personal preference which one do you value more, I personally value airflow over noise since I'm always with a headset on

I have speakers and some good studio monitors, so I also don't value noise NOW. Cause I know alot of people that didn't mind noise but now the 9 fans in the case next to there head is annoying to them...

Code-name Nyx: R7-3800X w/ Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B | Sapphire RX 5600XT | Gigabyte B550i Aorus Pro AX | Patriot Viper 4 Blackout | 3TB NVMe Storage| Cooler Master NR200 | Kubuntu/Windows 11 | Xiaomi Mi Curved 34" | Keebwerk Mega | Logitech G602 | Audio Technica ATH-M40X| Edifier e25 Luna
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I have speakers and some good studio monitors, so I also don't value noise NOW. Cause I know alot of people that didn't mind noise but now the 9 fans in the case next to there head is annoying to them...

That's where some precision tuning comes into play. I've got 14 fans in my case (LCS) and control them independently in groups with SpeedFan... when idling only 3 case fans are on (2 intake , 1 exhaust) when I start GPU intensive tasks the rest (mounted to radiators) start, and are controlled inline with GPU temps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I'd go x2 140mm fans.

 

Past the standard 1 intake 1 exhaust set up each additional fan has greater and greater diminishing returns.

If you have an average single GPU setup then 2 fans should be plenty to keep everything nice and cool.

 

Luke did a video about this not too long ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I'd go x2 140mm fans.

Past the standard 1 intake 1 exhaust set up each additional fan has greater and greater diminishing returns.

If you have an average single GPU setup then 2 fans should be plenty to keep everything nice and cool.

2x 140mm's provides about as much air flow as 3x 120mm's while usually being quieter but this doesn't have anything to do with the number of fans and diminishing returns.

If you ever need help with a build, read the following before posting: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/3061-build-plan-thread-recommendations-please-read-before-posting/
Also, make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

-snip-

I've seen the video, but it's not exactly what I mean...

However taken into consideration, I will go with only 140mm fans, since the case supports it.

Code-name Nyx: R7-3800X w/ Scythe Fuma 2 Rev. B | Sapphire RX 5600XT | Gigabyte B550i Aorus Pro AX | Patriot Viper 4 Blackout | 3TB NVMe Storage| Cooler Master NR200 | Kubuntu/Windows 11 | Xiaomi Mi Curved 34" | Keebwerk Mega | Logitech G602 | Audio Technica ATH-M40X| Edifier e25 Luna
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Cooling

×