SP120 Performance vs SP120 Quiet Editions with a motherboard flan controller

[Richie]

I'm doing my first build, and was wondering if you guys thought I'd be better off buying the SP120 Performance or the Quiet edition for both silence and performance. I'll be able to control the fan speed with the on board fan headers(I presume?!), so is there any point buying a fan which has a lower RPM?

​I'll be using an Airflow version for exhaust and two SP ones for a H100i with a 3570k.

Opinions and changes are welcome and appreciated, and apologies if this is the wrong place to post this, I'm very new!

Thanks in advance.

[orange657]

I think you should go for the SP120 performance because then you can just turn them down to make them the same and the quiet editions but you will still have the option to turn them back up if needed...

[Richie]

I think you should go for the SP120 performance because then you can just turn them down to make them the same and the quiet editions but you will still have the option to turn them back up if needed...

Exactly, that's what I was thinking, just curious if there were any negatives to doing that, is there any differences between the fans? And will I be able to make the performance as quiet as the quiet edition would be using the motherboards fan controller?

Thanks for your help! :)

[notenoughtv]

The benefit of getting a few less degrees on the heatsink is not worth the noise in my opinion. with the quiet edition SPs yo will have adequate performance.

For the exhaust fan there isn't much difference either on running a full speed performance fan.

This is just me though. If you don't mind the fan noises get the performance SPs, but I don't see the need to get a performance AF

PS: You won't be able to achieve the noise levels of the quiet edition through motherboard control because of the voltages. Voltage control is not that sophisticated and going too slow with a performance edition might lead to annoying noises from the fan

[Whaler_99]

The SP120 Performance edition, when down volted to 7V are a bit quieter then the SP120 Quiet edition but actually have better static pressure. The SP120 Quiet though are just for that - quiet - still good static pressure, but a bit of sacrifice for a quieter solution.

Also - I have issues with my Corsair fans on a BitFenix fan controller. They made a awful motor coil whine except when running at full 12v. I contacted support on this and they told me it was because that controller, as do many, use pulse modulation frequency (i think that is what it was called) to power the fans when running less then full out, 12v. So think kind of an off/on/off/on or 7v/6v/8v/7v/ - always fluctuating. Drove me nuts. I pull them off, used the included 7v adapters, and very quiet. You may or may not experience similar when trying on mobo header.

[notenoughtv]

For case fans I recommend just plugging them straight to the power supply

[Richie]

The SP120 Performance edition, when down volted to 7V are a bit quieter then the SP120 Quiet edition but actually have better static pressure. The SP120 Quiet though are just for that - quiet - still good static pressure, but a bit of sacrifice for a quieter solution.

Also - I have issues with my Corsair fans on a BitFenix fan controller. They made a awful motor coil whine except when running at full 12v. I contacted support on this and they told me it was because that controller, as do many, use pulse modulation frequency (i think that is what it was called) to power the fans when running less then full out, 12v. So think kind of an off/on/off/on or 7v/6v/8v/7v/ - always fluctuating. Drove me nuts. I pull them off, used the included 7v adapters, and very quiet. You may or may not experience similar when trying on mobo header.

Kind of getting mixed reviews here, i wanted to use my fan controller built into by board(asus p8z77) but I could not handle a whining! hmm I might just pick up the quiet edition and put up with a little less performance? Whats the point of all these fan headers on the board, and them talking about fan control software if it doesn't even work with 3 pin fans which are way more common?

[Richie]

The benefit of getting a few less degrees on the heatsink is not worth the noise in my opinion. with the quiet edition SPs yo will have adequate performance.

For the exhaust fan there isn't much difference either on running a full speed performance fan.

This is just me though. If you don't mind the fan noises get the performance SPs, but I don't see the need to get a performance AF

PS: You won't be able to achieve the noise levels of the quiet edition through motherboard control because of the voltages. Voltage control is not that sophisticated and going too slow with a performance edition might lead to annoying noises from the fan

That's what I was worried about, I'll be using a asus p8z77, which is meant to be able to control fan speed, but if it delivers the "pule modulation frequency" that Whaler was talking about it seems like it'll be a problem!

[Whaler_99]

The SP120 Performance edition, when down volted to 7V are a bit quieter then the SP120 Quiet edition but actually have better static pressure. The SP120 Quiet though are just for that - quiet - still good static pressure, but a bit of sacrifice for a quieter solution.

Also - I have issues with my Corsair fans on a BitFenix fan controller. They made a awful motor coil whine except when running at full 12v. I contacted support on this and they told me it was because that controller, as do many, use pulse modulation frequency (i think that is what it was called) to power the fans when running less then full out, 12v. So think kind of an off/on/off/on or 7v/6v/8v/7v/ - always fluctuating. Drove me nuts. I pull them off, used the included 7v adapters, and very quiet. You may or may not experience similar when trying on mobo header.

That's the whole problem - you won't know till you buy 'em and try it. Depending on where you buy them - get one performance to start. Test. If it works, great, pick up another and run off the mobo. If you get the whine though, take back to store and exchange for the Quiet, run them direct off molex power. Just confirm from where you get them you can exchange/return.

[Richie]

The SP120 Performance edition, when down volted to 7V are a bit quieter then the SP120 Quiet edition but actually have better static pressure. The SP120 Quiet though are just for that - quiet - still good static pressure, but a bit of sacrifice for a quieter solution.

Also - I have issues with my Corsair fans on a BitFenix fan controller. They made a awful motor coil whine except when running at full 12v. I contacted support on this and they told me it was because that controller, as do many, use pulse modulation frequency (i think that is what it was called) to power the fans when running less then full out, 12v. So think kind of an off/on/off/on or 7v/6v/8v/7v/ - always fluctuating. Drove me nuts. I pull them off, used the included 7v adapters, and very quiet. You may or may not experience similar when trying on mobo header.

now you see, that is by far my biggest problem... I'm from Ireland where to the best of my knowledge doesn't have ANYWHERE that supplies decent aftermarket parts, or at least not without a crazy mark up!!

[Whaler_99]

The SP120 Performance edition, when down volted to 7V are a bit quieter then the SP120 Quiet edition but actually have better static pressure. The SP120 Quiet though are just for that - quiet - still good static pressure, but a bit of sacrifice for a quieter solution.

Also - I have issues with my Corsair fans on a BitFenix fan controller. They made a awful motor coil whine except when running at full 12v. I contacted support on this and they told me it was because that controller, as do many, use pulse modulation frequency (i think that is what it was called) to power the fans when running less then full out, 12v. So think kind of an off/on/off/on or 7v/6v/8v/7v/ - always fluctuating. Drove me nuts. I pull them off, used the included 7v adapters, and very quiet. You may or may not experience similar when trying on mobo header.

Ahhh, gotcha. That really sucks - best bet then might be to stick with the SP120 Quiet Edition ones...

[Richie]

The SP120 Performance edition, when down volted to 7V are a bit quieter then the SP120 Quiet edition but actually have better static pressure. The SP120 Quiet though are just for that - quiet - still good static pressure, but a bit of sacrifice for a quieter solution.

Also - I have issues with my Corsair fans on a BitFenix fan controller. They made a awful motor coil whine except when running at full 12v. I contacted support on this and they told me it was because that controller, as do many, use pulse modulation frequency (i think that is what it was called) to power the fans when running less then full out, 12v. So think kind of an off/on/off/on or 7v/6v/8v/7v/ - always fluctuating. Drove me nuts. I pull them off, used the included 7v adapters, and very quiet. You may or may not experience similar when trying on mobo header.

yeh it rains a lot too..... :P yeh I think thats what I'll do! Thanks for your help guys!

[Mdgtman91]

For case fans I recommend just plugging them straight to the power supply

That is also great for cable management

less cables to the mobo makes for a pretty build

[Richie]

For case fans I recommend just plugging them straight to the power supply

That is also great for cable management

less cables to the mobo makes for a pretty build

I know, I know, it was just so I could have control to keep the fans as quiet as possible!

[watts]

I think you should go for the SP120 performance because then you can just turn them down to make them the same and the quiet editions but you will still have the option to turn them back up if needed...

Although you can turn them down, im like 80% sure they dont run as good as the quiet edition version at those speeds

[watts]

I have two SP 120s quiet editions on pull for a h220 ( my swiftech fans make a whine sound) and i really cant hear them. i just connected them to the psu so there on full speed and i hear nothing im even gonna grab 2 more for push pull. It might be in my head but i swear they were a little louder in push but nothing noticeable. If you wanna get a decent OC but nothing crazy then i really do recommend them obviously there are better fans but i like the design of them.

[Richie]

I have two SP 120s quiet editions on pull for a h220 ( my swiftech fans make a whine sound) and i really cant hear them. i just connected them to the psu so there on full speed and i hear nothing im even gonna grab 2 more for push pull. It might be in my head but i swear they were a little louder in push but nothing noticeable. If you wanna get a decent OC but nothing crazy then i really do recommend them obviously there are better fans but i like the design of them.

Yeah I'm pretty sure I'll just go with the quiet editions, I think that they'll be more than good enough! was just curious about using the performance and turning them down with the on board fan headers! thanks for the help guys!

[Mdgtman91]

For case fans I recommend just plugging them straight to the power supply

That is also great for cable management

less cables to the mobo makes for a pretty build

they also come with a voltage reducer to take the speed down to like 900 rpm

[Richie]

For case fans I recommend just plugging them straight to the power supply

That is also great for cable management

less cables to the mobo makes for a pretty build

Yeh, that seems a little on the low side, but we'll see i guess! I was hoping to use curves so they spin up when they're needed! The case I'm using has a fan speed controller so i may end up using that! I'm gonna pick up a quiet set, and if they're not good enough I'll move them to a less important part of the case or sell them or something! thanks for your help bud!