Good 120mm Fans.

i'm still holding out for more reviews on the S-Flex.

In the meanwhile I couldn't wait and ordered the Ninja Scythe and two 120mm Yate Loons (i hope they're ok for use with the sycthe). I'll post my comments when they arrive.
 
MC FLMJIG said:
http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/005/dfx122512xx-series.html

Just to ley you know the Scythe' are labeled with diferent model #'s. They don't last anywhere near as long as the Flex' but they suposedly have the same CFM and DBA....much cheaper too.

If it is possible for you to put if they are TRU 3 pin or Molex. Think that helps.
Click to expand...

It seems that Scythe is putting out some of their own quiet fans, But looking at the numbers and everything i think the S-Flex they put out are worth the extra $7.
If i end up doing another build sometime i'll try and pick em up to try them out.
 
Impulse said:
Manufacturer specs for dba/cfm are pretty much worthless 'cept for comparing two fans from the same manufacturer. There's no standard for measuring either and plenty of brands have specs that are substantially fudged. The SPCR boards have an incredible amount of info on most of the fans mentioned here though.

All you've gotta do is search and you'll find which models handle undervolting best or how they compare to each other. The Nexus seem to be everyone's favorite there, they're re-branded YLs with better quality control and lower stock RPM (not that YLs aren't pretty good overall).. YLs are cheaper, CM LEDs aren't bad if you want something fancier (or simply clear).

Akasa Amber series fans have gotten some positive reviews, and so has the Global Win ceramic bearing 120mm model. The quality on Panaflos seems to be varying a ton as of late and the 120mm's were never really quiet, Papsts haven't gotten any easier to find, Vantec and SilentX are some of the more notorious spec padders.

That's what I've gathered from reading the SPCR boards lately. The 120mm clear/LED Antecs that came with my Lanboy are quiet enough for me, they spin at about 1200 RPM I believe and the only audible noise at about 2 feet is a very very soft wind woosh. I could undervolt them or get something slightly quieter like Nexus but I'm pretty happy with this.

I just bought a 92mm Akasa Amber that's a bit slower than my Panaflo 92mm L1A recently though, gonna play with both on the XP-90 and see what kinda difference I see... Bought it mostly for looks, I figure the clear fan will look better on top of it than the Panaflo, heh. The only motor noise I've managed to hear on any of these fans is actually on my PSU's rear fan and only if I stick my ear right up to it.

P.S. I think the quality of the Antec TriCools varies a lot. I was checking them out at CompUSA and some seemed really loose, the design is the same as my clear Antec case fans but most of these definitely wiggled way more than normal, maybe they're not being properly packaged. It's possible those installed on cases arrive in better condition.


Summary: I'd remove the Vantecs from the list and add the Akasa Amber (Sidewinder has the specs) and GW ceramic-bearing (Coolerguys has 'em) to the list. You might wanna include the model numbers for the Nexus/YL/CM ones too as it's usually easier to search for that elsewhere (the UV reactive CM ones have the same characteristics as the LED ones too, they're also clear but cheaper usually).

The SPCR boards really have a wealth of info on any of these though, if you need to know whether the flanges are open, types of bearing, etc.
Click to expand...


i'll look into those fans.
 
I got a bunch of Yate Loon 92s 120s and 140s today. Damn they are quiet!

This guy sells them, only place I could find in europe. Nice prices and cheap shipping too. Will definitely be buying again. http://stores.ebay.de/silencio-777 . Site is in german but send him an email, speaks perfect english. Babelfish is your friend for navigating the site anyway, my first time buying off ebay was made a lot more fun by it being in a language I don't understand, lol.

Back to the fans, I got the L version of all the fans, since I was looking for super silence. After receiving and testing them I think I could have safely got the M versions and still had silence with a fan controller. The Ls are just ridiculously quiet. They don't push much air, since they're only rated at 47cfm, but they'd be absolute perfection on a Ninja. Maybe an XP-120, not sure how that'd work.

I found that the 92mm L wasn't able to push enough air to be a candidate to replace the zalman fan on my XP-90, I figured it just wouldnt be a able to handle my overclock.

I'm gonna be using 5 of the 120s on a fan controller in my next build, 2 intakes and 3 on my rad as exhausts. The 140 is gonna be suspended over the mobo keeping all the components cool in the absence of a HSF.

Think I might have to get one of these bad boys next time i order http://cgi.ebay.de/Yate-Loon-D14SH-...itemZ6849022142QQcategoryZ38855QQcmdZViewItem
Stats are 117.7 CFM at 2400 RPM :eek:
 
Demon_of_The_Fall said:
I got a bunch of Yate Loon 92s 120s and 140s today. Damn they are quiet!

This guy sells them, only place I could find in europe. Nice prices and cheap shipping too. Will definitely be buying again. http://stores.ebay.de/silencio-777 . Site is in german but send him an email, speaks perfect english. Babelfish is your friend for navigating the site anyway, my first time buying off ebay was made a lot more fun by it being in a language I don't understand, lol.

Back to the fans, I got the L version of all the fans, since I was looking for super silence. After receiving and testing them I think I could have safely got the M versions and still had silence with a fan controller. The Ls are just ridiculously quiet. They don't push much air, since they're only rated at 47cfm, but they'd be absolute perfection on a Ninja. Maybe an XP-120, not sure how that'd work.

I found that the 92mm L wasn't able to push enough air to be a candidate to replace the zalman fan on my XP-90, I figured it just wouldnt be a able to handle my overclock.

I'm gonna be using 5 of the 120s on a fan controller in my next build, 2 intakes and 3 on my rad as exhausts. The 140 is gonna be suspended over the mobo keeping all the components cool in the absence of a HSF.

Think I might have to get one of these bad boys next time i order http://cgi.ebay.de/Yate-Loon-D14SH-...itemZ6849022142QQcategoryZ38855QQcmdZViewItem
Stats are 117.7 CFM at 2400 RPM :eek:
Click to expand...

yate loons are indeed nice fans...
 
well i purchased and received my 120mm YL. I put on on the Ninja and one as an intake fan. They are both fairly quiet, however they do not push a lot of air. For the Ninja it's not a big deal, but I'm not to pleased with its performance as an intake fan. By comparison I think my Coolermaster 120mm fan had more 'oomph' then this one. I think I'll end up replacing it down the road when more reivews on other fans come out.
 
There's plenty of info on just about any other fan model you can find, so waiting for pertinent comparisons isn't really an issue, however you're always gonna have to sacrifice noise for performance or vice versa... Generally though, unless your intake is limited by grills or other impediments you don't need all that much intake CFM.

If you still think you're not getting enough then just run SpeedFan and check your hard drive's temps, if they're all still at 40-ish or below you're fine (provided they're not 5-platter or older drives), check your video card as well etc.
 
Mine hasn't arrived yet, odd really, had two orders thru the USPS and the filters and grills I had ordered from Performance PCs already arrived... I'll prolly have it by the end of the week.
 
I bought the strongest SFlex of the bunch and it is not quiet... at least not by my standards. It does push a decent amount of air and all that air being pushed casues the noise. The LED Coolermaster is eh... doesn't push a lot of air but It's ok.

Anyone know where yate loons would fall in?

I can't go 100% by the numbers.

There are also 2 AC fans that fall within your numbers. 1 can only be used as an exhaust though.

What about the Aerocools? I don't know if they are true numbers but not bad at all.

Specifications:

* Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm
* Rated Voltage: 12VDC
* Operating Voltage: 10.2~13.8VDC
* Air Flow: 37.44CFM
* Static Pressure: 0.035 In-H2O
* Input Power: 3.0W
* Speed: 950rpm +/-10%
* Noise: 19.66dBA
* Weight: 135g
* Operating Temperature: -10°C to +70°
* Bearing: Sleeve

http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-120mm-turbine-1000-silver.html
 
MC FLMJIG said:
I bought the strongest SFlex of the bunch and it is not quiet... at least not by my standards. It does push a decent amount of air and all that air being pushed casues the noise. The LED Coolermaster is eh... doesn't push a lot of air but It's ok.

Anyone know where yate loons would fall in?

I can't go 100% by the numbers.

There are also 2 AC fans that fall within your numbers. 1 can only be used as an exhaust though.

What about the Aerocools? I don't know if they are true numbers but not bad at all.

Specifications:

* Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm
* Rated Voltage: 12VDC
* Operating Voltage: 10.2~13.8VDC
* Air Flow: 37.44CFM
* Static Pressure: 0.035 In-H2O
* Input Power: 3.0W
* Speed: 950rpm +/-10%
* Noise: 19.66dBA
* Weight: 135g
* Operating Temperature: -10°C to +70°
* Bearing: Sleeve

http://www.xoxide.com/aerocool-120mm-turbine-1000-silver.html
Click to expand...


the one aerocool fan i tried out had a horrid rattle...so i tossed it aside.
The Scythe fan you mentioned is a bit loud, but not really to bad compaired to many other fans.

i'd say most yate loons are close to or SLIGHTLY quieter than that top S Flex
 
First off...THANK YOU dtess17 for this thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brad1011a said:
I replaced the Antec Tri-Cools in my P180 with the Mechatronics, and they blow a lot more at the same noise level as the low setting on the Tri-Cools, which according to the P180 manual run 39 CFM at 25 dba, compared to 55/25.
Click to expand...

dtess17 said:
The E model (20dba/40cfm) that i bought is more quiet than the tri cool on low or even the cooler master led fan. I'd say air flow is close to a tri cool on med. Which should be around 50-55cfm.

I will say that i love this fan. It is the quietest fan i have. I would buy more. Other than the movement of air i can not hear ANY motor noise on this fan.
Click to expand...

Mechatronics 120mm x 25mm Fan dual Bearing - $7 + shipping for more air than the Antecs while maintaining the silence I've come to know and love. :p

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E - $15 + shipping for less noise and MORE AIR!!

Help Jod decide, hehe. I'm running a P180 right now with 3 of the 120x25x25 fans on low.

1. Bottom Exhaust
2. Front Intake
3. Rear Exhaust

I've got 2 HDD's on the bottom cage. The middle cage is not installed. There is a 6200 passive, an X-Fi, and a P4 630. There is a ninja on the chip. Also, the northbridge fan has been removed. The nb/sb heatsinks get VERY hot. All is stable from day to day apps and I ran prime on it for about 30 minutes.

So I'm wondering how much of an improvement in temps I can expect by replacing the 3 tri cools on low with the Scythe SFF21E's. I know my chip can do 3900 on stock vcore if I apply a 50+cfm fan to it...but I really like the silence.

Thoughts?
 
I had all but forgot about this thread, i should update it at some point

now as for you and your p180.

The antec tri cools are fine on low, and on med they are still quiet overall. What i like is if you need some extra air you can get it by switching em on high during gaming or whatever.

I LOVE the Scythe S-Flex fans. I find their noise to be min, and performace is good.

I use two of the cooler master LEDs for the rear and top exhaust, which work fine, but if i had to do it over i'd use the scythe. I kept the tri cools for the front intake and the bottom fan. I like keeping the front intake as a tri cool because of the fact i can just turn it up when i need more airflow over my passive chipset.

If you are 100% planning on replacing fans, go for the Scythe fans. the 5 cfms you gain with the other fan is not worth another 5dba
 
I couldn't hold back and had to see the yate loon for myself. It IS SILENT. The quietest fan I've ever had. The air it pushes I would say is a bit more than the coolermaster laed or very similar. Also a tad quiter than them.

As for the SFlex, i bought the 21F and it was TOO noisy fo me. I think it's more than 28dba on high. I hadto put it on 1000rpm in order for the noise to be bearable.
 
MC FLMJIG said:
I couldn't hold back and had to see the yate loon for myself. It IS SILENT. The quietest fan I've ever had. The air it pushes I would say is a bit more than the coolermaster laed or very similar. Also a tad quiter than them.

As for the SFlex, i bought the 21F and it was TOO noisy fo me. I think it's more than 28dba on high. I hadto put it on 1000rpm in order for the noise to be bearable.
Click to expand...

the E model is much better,
 
Thanks for the update, I guess I'll go with 3 of the S-Flex for starters. We'll see how it goes from there. I guess I could always put a tricool on the chip if need be.

S-Flex Fans on Pro Clockers - Did I miss the review here? All I see are specs...

Just placed the order at Axiontech. They've got the SFF21E for $11.95, so $45 for 3 shipped to PHX!
 
Jodiuh said:
Thanks for the update, I guess I'll go with 3 of the S-Flex for starters. We'll see how it goes from there. I guess I could always put a tricool on the chip if need be.

S-Flex Fans on Pro Clockers - Did I miss the review here? All I see are specs...

Just placed the order at Axiontech. They've got the SFF21E for $11.95, so $45 for 3 shipped to PHX!
Click to expand...


i've tried...very hard to review fans. There is only so much that can be done or said...it's either quiet or not, moves air or doesn't.

I've tried tons of different fans out there, but i found it hard to do any type of real review without any type of recording of the fans themself.

i will say out of every fan i've used for everyday just plain quiet, the E model from scythe wins hands down.

for a LED fan cooler master.

for a fan that can push TONS of air but be turned down it's the white silverstone. with fan controller.
 
Haha, yeah that's true. I just wanted to hear comparisions to other fans. I think that's probably the best way to determine the amount of noise they produce.

I previously used the Black FN121 Silverstones. They moved about 55cfm and had a noise floor somewhere louder than these antecs on low, but quieter than the Vantec Stealth 120's. I'll have the fans here next week and will let you guys know how I feel they compare with the Silverstone FN121 and the Antec Tri's on low.

You know, it's kind of funny when you think about how these new cases fit 120's, right? No longer are we constrained to those little noise box 80mm's. For poops and giggles, check out an old setup I used to run here:

side_shot_wire.jpg


Heheh...it was not that quiet. :p
 
Jodiuh said:
Haha, yeah that's true. I just wanted to hear comparisions to other fans. I think that's probably the best way to determine the amount of noise they produce.

I previously used the Black FN121 Silverstones. They moved about 55cfm and had a noise floor somewhere louder than these antecs on low, but quieter than the Vantec Stealth 120's. I'll have the fans here next week and will let you guys know how I feel they compare with the Silverstone FN121 and the Antec Tri's on low.

You know, it's kind of funny when you think about how these new cases fit 120's, right? No longer are we constrained to those little noise box 80mm's. For poops and giggles, check out an old setup I used to run here:

side_shot_wire.jpg


Heheh...it was not that quiet. :p
Click to expand...

your hard drives are just chillin down the bottom of the case, something you don't see everyday


those 9 blade silverstone fans are nice and overall rather quiet.
i used them in a few builds for people. They do push a fair amount of air, and can be had for maybe $6-7.
 
Yeah, that rig stayed pretty cool, hehe. But then that's what happens when you have 4 80's pushin' 80+cfm and a 92mm Tornado raining down on a heatsink. :D
 
The black silverstones were sweet... This yate loon is uper quiet, the quieteest, but I need a tad more CFM... I didnt try the SFlex's u guys have ... im tempted with the AC ones that use the same tech.
 
MC FLMJIG said:
The black silverstones were sweet... This yate loon is uper quiet, the quieteest, but I need a tad more CFM... I didnt try the SFlex's u guys have ... im tempted with the AC ones that use the same tech.
Click to expand...

One of the models of the AC fans won't work for cases.

There is the option of the tri cool...can be very very quiet or push a real nice amount of air.
 
I currently have 4 scythe fans running in my system. I bought 4 of the 800rpm 8.9dba fans and I must say I can no longer here my computer running. I actually have to check to see if it is on when I get home at night.

Sure the CFM is a bit low for this thread, but I thought I would just toss in my 2 cents and say how pleased I am with scythe fans. :)
 
khanable said:
I currently have 4 scythe fans running in my system. I bought 4 of the 800rpm 8.9dba fans and I must say I can no longer here my computer running. I actually have to check to see if it is on when I get home at night.

Sure the CFM is a bit low for this thread, but I thought I would just toss in my 2 cents and say how pleased I am with scythe fans. :)
Click to expand...

those fans are great for case duty
just a little low on the cfms for heatsinks or rads.

awesome fans though.

what case do you have that you are running 4x120mm ?
Pics?
 
i am going to order some of the Artic Cooling ACF12 to see how they compair to the s flex
the only problem i see with them is the 38mm thickness...might make use in some places more difficult.

i'll keep everyone updated.
 
No pics as of right now since my digicam is out of order :(

I am using a Lian Li pc-7b. I have one as an intake, and one as an exhaust. I also have an SI-120 heatsink on my 3700+ with one attached to it. And the final member of my cooling squad is attached to the v1-ultra using a 80mm->120mm fan adapter, cooling my video card. :)


Once I get my cam back up and running I'll be sure to shoot some pics.
 
Very similar products. only difference i c is the thickness.... hmmm
i fu get let me know. I really like the loon but doesnt push enough air in my Qpack as an intake.
 
dtess17 said:
i am going to order some of the Artic Cooling ACF12 to see how they compair to the s flex
the only problem i see with them is the 38mm thickness...might make use in some places more difficult.

i'll keep everyone updated.
Click to expand...

I have a few of these. They work great as exhaust fans if you don't have anything hindering airflow, but for a radiator or any heavy duty force they can't push the air anywhere. If you look at the design, they don't really move the air if there is anything in the way, it just goes to the sides. No pressure, or whatever they call it. I know there's some term for it, just can't remember off hand. I like the AF12025 though, great fan.
 
Ya, I'm getting one of the 38mm thick fans, they have rubber mounts to reduce vibrations and have better specs than the s-flex...and they look cooler. My only problem is that they only come in one speed, which is a little too high for me, and I don't have a fan controller...I'll have to live with the noise...and lower temps.

edit: I think the 1200RPM S-flex has a better balance of CFM to noise. It's only 5cfm lower but it's only 20dBa versus 23.5.
 
http://www.frozencpu.com/fan-212.html

I know you guys have mentioned the Arctic cooling. I would say this is in the top 3. Because the thickness of the fan is 38.5 mm, which is more efficient than those 25 mm thickness fna.

1500 rpm, 56 cfm, 23.5 dB very impressive spec.

On the other hand, what's the real noise level of the Thermaltake? The reason I mentioned it is their 130 mm ver. fan that fits in the 120 mm holes. I believe that extra 10 mm makes a reasonable difference. That orange fan is 130 mm x 25 mm, 1400 rpm, 54.4 cfm, w/ "What's the real" dB question?

In the end, the design is very good, I think everyone should create 130mm fan that fits 120 mm holes.
 
I don't reccomend Vantec Stealths for this reason: Thye develop bearing chatter after a while when used in the Vertcial position.
 
Happy Hopping said:
http://www.frozencpu.com/fan-212.html

I know you guys have mentioned the Arctic cooling. I would say this is in the top 3. Because the thickness of the fan is 38.5 mm, which is more efficient than those 25 mm thickness fna.

1500 rpm, 56 cfm, 23.5 dB very impressive spec.

On the other hand, what's the real noise level of the Thermaltake? The reason I mentioned it is their 130 mm ver. fan that fits in the 120 mm holes. I believe that extra 10 mm makes a reasonable difference. That orange fan is 130 mm x 25 mm, 1400 rpm, 54.4 cfm, w/ "What's the real" dB question?

In the end, the design is very good, I think everyone should create 130mm fan that fits 120 mm holes.
Click to expand...

i would say it should be somewhere in the 30+ dba...and i'm trying to be nice. Their fans have never impressed me. what's the point about posting false numbers...someone is bound to catch on and then your product becomes a joke.
I tried that 120x120x25 fan and it was very loud...i thought i'd be getting a quiet fan. Made a bad impression on me from there on out...and i did not base this one just one fan i had bought three.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top