Which 140mm Fans

[TSL]

I am buying 2 140mm fans to fit onto a 280mm corsair radiator. I would like high performance and low noise. I've been considering the Noctua NF-A14's but then I came across some Corsair ML's that were about NZD $19 (USD $14) cheaper. Although budget is not a main concern, if I can get fans that perform comparably to the Noctua's at a lower cost then I would like to go that route. I cannot for the life of me seem to find some raw performance numbers comparing the two fans, so any links or personal experience anyone can share would be much appreciated. Please don't hesitate to suggest any other 140mm fans as well. 

[Airdragonz]

I'd go with the corsair ML pros. They are good, look nice, and perform well. The be Quiet! high performance fans are also good

[TSL]

4 minutes ago, Airdragonz said:

I'd go with the corsair ML pros. They are good, look nice, and perform well. The be Quiet! high performance fans are also good

The pro version is a bit more expensive, but I'll look into them.

[TSL]

Just now, Pangea2017 said:

ML and ML pro are the same. Just light and rubber corners were added

Thanks, I did not know this. I was under the impression that there was a RPM difference.

[WoodenMarker]

NF-A14's are quieter but ML's are good. They both perform well. You can see how they perform on a 30 fpi rad here: https://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/corsair_ml_pro_series_review,6.html

19 NZD is also a pretty decent price. Where are you shopping? 

What rad are you using?

[TSL]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

NF-A14's are quieter but ML's are good. They both perform well. You can see how they perform on a 30 fpi rad here: https://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/corsair_ml_pro_series_review,6.html

19 NZD is also a pretty decent price. Where are you shopping? 

What rad are you using?

That was 19 dollars *cheaper*. Sorry if I didn't make that too clear. I'm just using a price comparison site and I can get 2 of the ML fans for about $55-60NZD or I can get the NF-A14's for $80NZD. Are the NF-A14's that much quieter to justify the price increase? This graph shows them only a few dB apart and other sites list them as almost equal. I feel like as long as the ML's aren't obnoxiously loud like the stock fans, then they should be okay?

[WoodenMarker]

19 minutes ago, TSL said:

That was 19 dollars *cheaper*. Sorry if I didn't make that too clear. I'm just using a price comparison site and I can get 2 of the ML fans for about $55-60NZD or I can get the NF-A14's for $80NZD. Are the NF-A14's that much quieter to justify the price increase? This graph shows them only a few dB apart and other sites list them as almost equal. I feel like as long as the ML's aren't obnoxiously loud like the stock fans, then they should be okay?

In that case, there are cheaper alternatives if you want to save money.

Are you using PriceSpy?

Vipers are higher rpm Apaches which perform pretty well as shown in the Vortez article: https://techworld.co.nz/akasa-viper-140mm-case-p-47067.html

If you're prioritizing quiet a bit more for performance, NF-P14S are good: https://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=2659199

[TSL]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

In that case, there are cheaper alternatives if you want to save money.

Are you using PriceSpy?

Vipers are higher rpm Apaches which perform pretty well as shown in the Vortez article: https://techworld.co.nz/akasa-viper-140mm-case-p-47067.html

If you're prioritizing quiet a bit more for performance, NF-P14S are good: https://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=2659199

Yes I'm using PriceSpy. I'm not too focused on price but at the same time I want to keep costs low where possible, and I feel like the Noctua's are a bit pricey here given the negligible difference to corsairs high end offerings. Looks are also a bit of a concern - I'm looking for plain/monotone coloured fans. Those Vipers unfortunately don't meet the criteria XD.

 

I've also heard that the Corsair's have a higher tone sound to the Noctua's whilst still outputting the same dB. Can you confirm this perhaps? At this stage I reckon I'll get the ML's but higher toned sounds are more annoying for me personally. Thanks!

[JabroniBaloney]

41 minutes ago, TSL said:

Yes I'm using PriceSpy. I'm not too focused on price but at the same time I want to keep costs low where possible, and I feel like the Noctua's are a bit pricey here given the negligible difference to corsairs high end offerings. Looks are also a bit of a concern - I'm looking for plain/monotone coloured fans. Those Vipers unfortunately don't meet the criteria XD.

 

I've also heard that the Corsair's have a higher tone sound to the Noctua's whilst still outputting the same dB. Can you confirm this perhaps? At this stage I reckon I'll get the ML's but higher toned sounds are more annoying for me personally. Thanks!

I have 3 ML 140s in my case and set to silent mode. I can't hear a thing from my case with headphones on.

[TSL]

7 minutes ago, JabroniBaloney said:

I have 3 ML 140s in my case and set to silent mode. I can't hear a thing from my case with headphones on.

Thanks for the input. When you take your headphones off (:D), what is the type of sound? I probably won't have mine set to silent mode as they're cooling a overclocked 6700K. What do they sound like on the normal sound setting or whatever the one above silent mode is?

[JabroniBaloney]

1 hour ago, TSL said:

Thanks for the input. When you take your headphones off (:D), what is the type of sound? I probably won't have mine set to silent mode as they're cooling a overclocked 6700K. What do they sound like on the normal sound setting or whatever the one above silent mode is?

They sound like fans? They're not overly loud or annoying. Just what you'd expect from fans you don't want to smash with a hammer, I suppose. 

 

[WoodenMarker]

16 hours ago, TSL said:

Yes I'm using PriceSpy. I'm not too focused on price but at the same time I want to keep costs low where possible, and I feel like the Noctua's are a bit pricey here given the negligible difference to corsairs high end offerings. Looks are also a bit of a concern - I'm looking for plain/monotone coloured fans. Those Vipers unfortunately don't meet the criteria XD.

I've also heard that the Corsair's have a higher tone sound to the Noctua's whilst still outputting the same dB. Can you confirm this perhaps? At this stage I reckon I'll get the ML's but higher toned sounds are more annoying for me personally. Thanks!

The NF-P14S Redux are grey. If that's not neutral enough, you can go with ML's. 

The sound pressure level is one way to measuring noise but it isn't everything. The Noctuas have a more pleasant tone that blends more easily into the background. This difference is more pronounced at low rpm.

CoolingTechnique has some noise clips on their channel:

 

[TSL]

3 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

The NF-P14S Redux are grey. If that's not neutral enough, you can go with ML's. 

The sound pressure level is one way to measuring noise but it isn't everything. The Noctuas have a more pleasant tone that blends more easily into the background. This difference is more pronounced at low rpm.

I know they are grey, but they look kinda meh IMHO. The NH-A14's look the best in all black and the corsairs are close behind. I think I will go with the ML's, thanks for your input.

[Mick Naughty]

I know noctua made theirs in black for signature series. Idk if they did it for the 140 line up.

I prefer my 2k 140 noctuas. Don't plan on getting anything else. Corsair has always be bad for me, especially when rads are involved, not taking another chance with them any more. 

[WoodenMarker]

59 minutes ago, Mick Naughty said:

I know noctua made theirs in black for signature series. Idk if they did it for the 140 line up.

The Chromax line currently includes the NF-A14, NF-A15, NF-F12, and NF-S12A. https://noctua.at/en/products/product-line-chromax

[asand1]

I got the Rosewill Hyperborean and have been happy.

https://m.newegg.com/products/N82E16835200067?_ga=2.159495038.211148997.1523981312-242228903.1523981312