Fan shopping

[StaticCPU]

I've been looking at several brands Corsair, Thermaltake etc., I know what I want (I'll list specs below), but it seems there are too many brands and fans to look through. Not really interested in Noctua.

 

Looking to pickup 3 fans

 

dBa: 0 - 35 dBa is fine
CFM: 70+
RPM: 1500 - 3000
140mm & 120mm options (the 120mm fans will be used on a rad later on so high static pressure is a plus)

 

Is there anything specific I should be looking for as well as opposed to what was mentioned here?

[Slottr]

Be Quiet Silent Wings?

[Firewrath9]

corsair ML series,

[iBabySlapper]

I'd ignore CFM and dBa numbers provided by manufacturers: none of the testing is standardized, so you can't really compare these numbers between brands.

For case fans, on the budget end, I'd go for Arctic F12/F14 PWM fans, on the mid to high end I'd go with Corsair ML maglevs (I know they're not really maglevs, but they're okay fans).

For radiators I'd go with either Nidec GentleTyphoons or Scythe Grand Flex.

 

As a general rule for fan bearings:

Sleeve Bearing: Cheap and quiet, doesn't last as long

Double Ball: Loud(er) and very durable

Fluid dynamic: Basically a higher quality sleeve

Rifle: Somewhere inbetween DB and SB

[WoodenMarker]

What are your specs and where are the fans being used?

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

Why no Noctua?

[StaticCPU]

2 hours ago, ibabyslapper said:

I'd ignore CFM and dBa numbers provided by manufacturers: none of the testing is standardized, so you can't really compare these numbers between brands.

For case fans, on the budget end, I'd go for Arctic F12/F14 PWM fans, on the mid to high end I'd go with Corsair ML maglevs (I know they're not really maglevs, but they're okay fans).

For radiators I'd go with either Nidec GentleTyphoons or Scythe Grand Flex.

 

As a general rule for fan bearings:

Sleeve Bearing: Cheap and quiet, doesn't last as long

Double Ball: Loud(er) and very durable

Fluid dynamic: Basically a higher quality sleeve

Rifle: Somewhere inbetween DB and SB

I can spend anywhere between $20 - $30 USD.

 

I was leaning towards the Corsair ML, they seem to be popular, but at the same time aren't really recommended, not sure if it's like a Noctua over-hyped/same as every other fan thing. Also don't care much for RGB.

 

 

The Scythe look good for airflow as well. But are they more geared towards rads? Also aren't the Nidec Gentle Typhoons discontinued?

 

 

 

37 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

What are your specs and where are the fans being used?

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

Why no Noctua?

 

Newegg/amazon/anywhere 20 - 30 USD

Noctua is overpriced and hyped.

[WoodenMarker]

14 minutes ago, StaticCPU said:

I was leaning towards the Corsair ML, they seem to be popular, but at the same time aren't really recommended, not sure if it's like a Noctua over-hyped/same as every other fan thing. Also don't care much for RGB.

The Scythe look good for airflow as well. But are they more geared towards rads? Also aren't the Nidec Gentle Typhoons discontinued?

Noctua is overpriced and hyped.

ML's perform very well but there are quieter and cheaper fans.

Nidec GT's are discontinued but still available online and excellent for just about everything and not just rads. Grand Flex on the other hand aren't as good as Scythe's other offerings and it's not surprising when you look at the strange blade design. http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1361-page5.html

Hype doesn't change the product. Noctuas aren't necessarily much more expensive than other options. Their Redux line are excellent and often competitively priced by cutting down on accessories and packaging. As far as the NF-A12x25 is concerned, it might be the only fan that can straight up be called 'the best'.

 

What are your specs and where are the fans being used?

[StaticCPU]

22 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

ML's perform very well but there are quieter and cheaper fans.

Nidec GT's are discontinued but still available online and excellent for just about everything and not just rads. Grand Flex on the other hand aren't as good as Scythe's other offerings and it's not surprising when you look at the strange blade design. http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1361-page5.html

Hype doesn't change the product. Noctuas aren't necessarily much more expensive than other options. Their Redux line are excellent and often competitively priced by cutting down on accessories and packaging. As far as the NF-A12x25 is concerned, it might be the only fan that can straight up be called 'the best'.

 

What are your specs and where are the fans being used?

2 intake front, 1 exhaust rear. Replacing fans that came with the case. ASRock B350 Pro4 AM4 / 1700x

 

I agree their redux is cheaper, but not many options compared to better priced comparable NF mainline Noctua fans.

[WoodenMarker]

17 minutes ago, StaticCPU said:

2 intake front, 1 exhaust rear. Replacing fans that came with the case. ASRock B350 Pro4 AM4 / 1700x

I agree their redux is cheaper, but not many options compared to better priced comparable NF mainline Noctua fans.

What case? No graphics card?

[StaticCPU]

28 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

What case? No graphics card?

Fractal design mesh C, 1070 TI.

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, StaticCPU said:

Fractal design mesh C, 1070 TI.

The stock GP-12 X2's are already pretty good. Why do you want to replace them?

[StaticCPU]

1 minute ago, WoodenMarker said:

The stock GP-12 X2's are already pretty good. Why do you want to replace them?

Broken, warranty over.

[WoodenMarker]

Do you know what rad you're using later?

[StaticCPU]

2 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Do you know what rad you're using later?

I won't be using more than 60mm thickness radiators most likely.

[WoodenMarker]

52 minutes ago, StaticCPU said:

I won't be using more than 60mm thickness radiators most likely.

If you're going with 60mm, fpi is generally pretty low and you don't actually need that much static pressure for good performance. For example, the UT60 with 10 fpi performs pretty well between the extremes of the NF-S12A, NF-P12, and NF-F12: https://www.computerbase.de/2016-04/luefter-radiator-statischer-druck-test/4/

NF-S12A's do have a surprisingly respectable amount of static pressure for its design though.

NF-P12's are great and hard to go wrong with: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VNBTwP/noctua-nf-p12-redux-1700-pwm-708-cfm-120mm-fan-nf-p12-redux-1700-pwm

If you still want to avoid Noctua, Vortexes are similar: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TG9KHx/cougar-case-fan-cfv12hpb

For front intake, PW2's are good: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wj8H99/be-quiet-pure-wings-2-140-612-cfm-140mm-fan-bl040

TY-141's are better if you don't mind the color: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tFzv6h/thermalright-case-fan-ty141