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Is BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM 120mm fans any good?

Erfurt
By Erfurt
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Hey guys

 

So I've been looking for some fans for a 60mm thick rad, and I came across these BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM 120mm fans, they seem to have good specs and low noise. And I think they look nice. What I really want to know, is how they compare to Noctua NF-F12 and Silverstone AP121. I would love to hear from someone who have tried the BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM and one of the other two. If you have tried BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM 120mm, without any of the others, I would still like to hear your opinion on these fans :). The reason why I would rather go with these fans (if they are any good), is because I like their look alot more than Noctua fans and Silverstone fans. Noise is still important to me, because my rig is on my table right next to me, so it get a bit noisy with some fans. And because I want do some OC on my rig as well, performance is also a bit important.

My setup: i5 3570K  - Corsair H100i - MSI Z77 GD65 - 256 GB Samsung 840 pro SSD - Corsair AX760i - Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce 2GB - 4x4 GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM - Corsair Carbide 500R (modded side window)

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They aren't the best rad fans, especially not for 60mm thick rads.

 

 

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Hey guys

 

So I've been looking for some fans for a 60mm thick rad, and I came across these BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM 120mm fans, they seem to have good specs and low noise. And I think they look nice. What I really want to know, is how they compare to Noctua NF-F12 and Silverstone AP121. I would love to hear from someone who have tried the BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM and one of the other two. If you have tried BitFenix Spectre Pro PWM 120mm, without any of the others, I would still like to hear your opinion on these fans :). The reason why I would rather go with these fans (if they are any good), is because I like their look alot more than Noctua fans and Silverstone fans. Noise is still important to me, because my rig is on my table right next to me, so it get a bit noisy with some fans. And because I want do some OC on my rig as well, performance is also a bit important.

Not the best.... and they don't really have great air pressure.

 

EDIT: have you looked at corsair SP fans?

    CPU: 3930k  @ stock                                  RAM: 32GB RipjawsZ @ 2133Mhz       Cooling: Custom Loop
MOBO: AsRock x79 Extreme9                      SSD: 240GB Vertex 3 (OS)                     Case: HAF XB                     LG 34um95 + Ergotron MX Arm Mount - Dual Review
  GPUs: Gigabyte GTX 670 SLI                     HDD: 1TB WD Black                                PSU: Corsair AX 860                               Beyerdynamic - Custom One Pro Review

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Not the best.... and they don't really have great air pressure.

 

EDIT: have you looked at corsair SP fans?

 

Yes I have, and they looks to be to loud for me, at least the high performance ones, and the quiet ones just seems to be worse than the BitFenix ones, at least then I compare the specs listen on the web.

 

It's an option, but they seem to be just as expensive as the Noctua fans, and what I have come to understand the Noctua is quieter and have better performance, I may be wrong on that, but that's what I have seen after a quick look on the web, for about 3 months ago.

My setup: i5 3570K  - Corsair H100i - MSI Z77 GD65 - 256 GB Samsung 840 pro SSD - Corsair AX760i - Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce 2GB - 4x4 GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM - Corsair Carbide 500R (modded side window)

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Yes I have, and they looks to be to loud for me, at least the high performance ones, and the quiet ones just seems to be worse than the BitFenix ones, at least then I compare the specs listen on the web.

 

It's an option, but they seem to be just as expensive as the Noctua fans, and what I have come to understand the Noctua is quieter and have better performance, I may be wrong on that, but that's what I have seen after a quick look on the web, for about 3 months ago.

Yes your right, Noctua are the best.

    CPU: 3930k  @ stock                                  RAM: 32GB RipjawsZ @ 2133Mhz       Cooling: Custom Loop
MOBO: AsRock x79 Extreme9                      SSD: 240GB Vertex 3 (OS)                     Case: HAF XB                     LG 34um95 + Ergotron MX Arm Mount - Dual Review
  GPUs: Gigabyte GTX 670 SLI                     HDD: 1TB WD Black                                PSU: Corsair AX 860                               Beyerdynamic - Custom One Pro Review

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Yes your right, Noctua are the best.

Just to be completely clear, I should look at the fans static pressure for the best performance comparison right, and/or is there something else I should look for? Just so I can get a better view for what would be a good fan for rads in the future, so I can help others who is in this kind of situation :).

My setup: i5 3570K  - Corsair H100i - MSI Z77 GD65 - 256 GB Samsung 840 pro SSD - Corsair AX760i - Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce 2GB - 4x4 GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM - Corsair Carbide 500R (modded side window)

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Just to be completely clear, I should look at the fans static pressure for the best performance comparison right, and/or is there something else I should look for? Just so I can get a better view for what would be a good fan for rads in the future, so I can help others who is in this kind of situation :).

Yep it's good to have a look at the best so you can compare it with others.

 

Well static pressure is good for radiators / heatsinks etc so the higher the number the better. I think you should look for a fan that delivers a static pressure of higher than 1.5 at a decently low rpm for best performance and noise.

Noise is also a factor that buyers look at. Apart from the fan making noise, vibrations can add even more noise. There many solutions that people can do to reduce noise such as a gasket, rubber mounting pins, and some fans come with rubber mounting feet for each corner.

Numbers aren't everything as well, 26db isn't the same as 26db. The pitch of the sound is usually the most annoying. An extreme example would be a 40mm fan and a 120mm fan. A 40mm fan would create a really bad whining high pitch sound and be more uncomfortable to listen to than a 120mm fan running at the same noise level.

The RPM speed is sort of another factor. You want the fan to be capable of spinning fast enough so that it can give good cooling performance. Although 99% of the time you will not have your fans spinning at 100% speed. So try and find come information on the fan performance at lower speeds.

 

So have a look and say to yourself: "To achieve that amount of static pressure this fan spins at X rpm and creates Y db of sound. (at full speed)

 

There are people who test fans at different speeds eg 900rpm, 1200rpm, 2000rpm and show graphs so you can easily compare the fans performance.

 

Now, after saying all this, fans aren't everything towards cooling results. Also factor in heatsink / radiator cooling capabilities. Having a better performing heat dissipator means your fans don't have to spin as fast to stay at the same temperature as a not so good heat dissipator.

    CPU: 3930k  @ stock                                  RAM: 32GB RipjawsZ @ 2133Mhz       Cooling: Custom Loop
MOBO: AsRock x79 Extreme9                      SSD: 240GB Vertex 3 (OS)                     Case: HAF XB                     LG 34um95 + Ergotron MX Arm Mount - Dual Review
  GPUs: Gigabyte GTX 670 SLI                     HDD: 1TB WD Black                                PSU: Corsair AX 860                               Beyerdynamic - Custom One Pro Review

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Thanks for the very informative reply, some of it I knew, and some of it I didn't. Now I have something to look for :).

My setup: i5 3570K  - Corsair H100i - MSI Z77 GD65 - 256 GB Samsung 840 pro SSD - Corsair AX760i - Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce 2GB - 4x4 GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM - Corsair Carbide 500R (modded side window)

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Thanks for the very informative reply, some of it I knew, and some of it I didn't. Now I have something to look for :).

No worries, glad to of some assistance.

    CPU: 3930k  @ stock                                  RAM: 32GB RipjawsZ @ 2133Mhz       Cooling: Custom Loop
MOBO: AsRock x79 Extreme9                      SSD: 240GB Vertex 3 (OS)                     Case: HAF XB                     LG 34um95 + Ergotron MX Arm Mount - Dual Review
  GPUs: Gigabyte GTX 670 SLI                     HDD: 1TB WD Black                                PSU: Corsair AX 860                               Beyerdynamic - Custom One Pro Review

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Yes I have, and they looks to be to loud for me, at least the high performance ones, and the quiet ones just seems to be worse than the BitFenix ones, at least then I compare the specs listen on the web.

 

It's an option, but they seem to be just as expensive as the Noctua fans, and what I have come to understand the Noctua is quieter and have better performance, I may be wrong on that, but that's what I have seen after a quick look on the web, for about 3 months ago.

it's true that noctua are the best at performance/noise but they are not pretty fans... that's why i linked those.

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it's true that noctua are the best at performance/noise but they are not pretty fans... that's why i linked those.

That's true, but after some research I found that the BitFenix Spectre PWM, the older version, is named to be one of the best performance to noise to price fans, which made me more interested in looking into those :)

My setup: i5 3570K  - Corsair H100i - MSI Z77 GD65 - 256 GB Samsung 840 pro SSD - Corsair AX760i - Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce 2GB - 4x4 GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM - Corsair Carbide 500R (modded side window)

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That's true, but after some research I found that the BitFenix Spectre PWM, the older version, is named to be one of the best performance to noise to price fans, which made me more interested in looking into those :)

I don't know if I mentioned this but I currently use Bitfenix Spectre Pros 140mm and a 200mm fan in my rigs :D

    CPU: 3930k  @ stock                                  RAM: 32GB RipjawsZ @ 2133Mhz       Cooling: Custom Loop
MOBO: AsRock x79 Extreme9                      SSD: 240GB Vertex 3 (OS)                     Case: HAF XB                     LG 34um95 + Ergotron MX Arm Mount - Dual Review
  GPUs: Gigabyte GTX 670 SLI                     HDD: 1TB WD Black                                PSU: Corsair AX 860                               Beyerdynamic - Custom One Pro Review

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I hear nothing but good about the BitFenix Spectre Pro PWMs, but I would hardly say they're the best. Gelid Solutions WING 12s, Corsair SP120s, Antec TrueQuiets, and Scythe Gentle Typhoons are fans you want to look at. A little bit of further reading can be found here. Corsair SP120s are quite customizable, thanks to their mod-rings. Scythe Gentle Typhoons could be considered a wild-card; it'd be harder to find something they don't necessarily look alright with. The rest are up to personal preference.

Want to find parts in your budget? Logical Increments is the guide you need. | In the market for a headset? Read this thread. | If you're looking for headphones, please refer to this thread. | Stop being backhanded when offering advice.

CPU: Intel i7-3770K @ 3.5 GHz | CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Frio OCK | Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK | Memory: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LP (DDR3-1600) | GPU: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition x 2 (Crossfire) | Storage: 120 GB Kingston SSDNow V300 SSD, 2 TB Toshiba HDD | PSU: Corsair TX850 V2 | Case: In-Win Mana 136 (Black)
Monitor: ASUS VS248H-P | Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 (Cherry MX Brown) | Mouse: Logitech G500 | Speakers: Logitech X-140 | Headphones: Philips Fidelio X1, Sony MDR-X05 | Webcam: Logitech C510
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I hear nothing but good about the BitFenix Spectre Pro PWMs, but I would hardly say they're the best. Gelid Solutions WING 12s, Corsair SP120s, Antec TrueQuiets, and Scythe Gentle Typhoons are fans you want to look at. A little bit of further reading can be found here. Corsair SP120s are quite customizable, thanks to their mod-rings. Scythe Gentle Typhoons could be considered a wild-card; it'd be harder to find something they don't necessarily look alright with. The rest are up to personal preference.

Weird, all I have heard is that they are 'bad' at least compared to BitFenix Spectre PWM, all the test I have seen also indicate this. That's why I'm considering going with those instead. Of course nothing is set in stone yet, so I will look at some of the fans you have linked.

My setup: i5 3570K  - Corsair H100i - MSI Z77 GD65 - 256 GB Samsung 840 pro SSD - Corsair AX760i - Gigabyte GTX 670 Windforce 2GB - 4x4 GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer RAM - Corsair Carbide 500R (modded side window)

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