6 Fans for Thermochill PA120.3 Radiators

[lior307]

Hi guys ,
I have Two PA120.3 Radiators for my Water cooling system
I'm Building a Two Loops system (CPU and GPU) .
I intend to put 3 Fans on every Radiator (Total of 6) and need your help ,

For my needs I have 4 Options:
Option 1: 120mm Scythe SY1225SL12M "Slip Stream" (68.54 CFM, 24 dBA)

Option 2: 120mm Yate Loon D12SM-12 - Black (70.5 CFM, 33 dBA)

Option 3: 120mm Scythe SFF21F S-FLEX 1600rpm (63.7 CFM/28 dBA)

Option 4: Zalman ZM-F3 120MM (20-34dba , 900-1800rpm CFM ??)

I intend to use a FANBUS so for Benchs Fans will be in Full RPM
and for Internet and Work I want Silent System which means that the Fans will be on Minimum RPM .

Please Advice me the Best Fans for my needs as i know that this numbers (CFM and DBA) are not always accurate !!!
Thanks ahead,

[skid9uk]

i have these i find them ok Option 2: 120mm Yate Loon D12SM-12 - Black (70.5 CFM, 33 dBA)

[bf2142lol]

If price isn't a issue then option 1 4 sure, but if you want bang for buck then option 2, obviously.

[Griff]

I have option 2 myself very happy with the temps, running at 5v for day to day use and my 8800GTX idel temp is about 32c, tad noisy on 12v i must say..

[Vapor]

Option 3 is my first choice. Followed by Option 4, then Option 2, then Option 1.

The Slipstreams are not meant for radiators and those are 1200RPM fans (the others you listed are 1650RPM, 1600RPM, and 1800RPM respectively and are not open-air-only fans). Cooling performance will be noticeably worse with the Slipstreams than any of the others. And at 5V, they should all make the same amount of noise (almost nothing).

S-Flex Fs push more air than D12SM-12s, and Zalmans even more than that, but S-Flex use non-sleeve bearings which I think counts for something :shrug:

[smee]

I say go with the zalmans. A friend of mine has them on his radiator and gets load temps (with E6420 @3.2Ghz) of 30c.
But then, if you've got the money to spend, I'd got with the S Flex.

[Lloyd]

Got to be Option 3 mate, i'm using those fans on my below rig, and i'm using them on my current project. - really good :)

[MrToad]

I'd went for the Zalmans, basically because they're half the price of the Scythes with similar performance.

However, this could be a false economy. We'll see after a few months how the sleeve bearing performs...

[RADCOM]

vapor did the fan test so he should have good insight.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=171661&highlight=fans

[lior307]

Well guys , thanks for your advice .
I also read the amazing thread of Vapor but wasn't sure .
Is there another Fan that i should also consider for my needs (full RPM for bench , slow RPM for Quiet system with Fanbus) ???

[higgins]

Well guys , thanks for your advice .
I also read the amazing thread of Vapor but wasn't sure .
Is there another Fan that i should also consider for my needs (full RPM for bench , slow RPM for Quiet system with Fanbus) ???


dude....

vapor did the fan test so he should have good insight.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=171661&highlight=fans

[lior307]

O.K ,
Thanks everyone .
I guess i'll buy the S-Flex 1600 RPM's SFF21F

[septim]

option 2 or 3 depending on orientation for me...

[SiGfever]

Well guys , thanks for your advice .
I also read the amazing thread of Vapor but wasn't sure .
Is there another Fan that i should also consider for my needs (full RPM for bench , slow RPM for Quiet system with Fanbus) ???
Have you considered Sharkoon "Golfball" fans or ebm_Pabst 4412FGML?

[Nate P.]

I say go with the zalmans. A friend of mine has them on his radiator and gets load temps (with E6420 @3.2Ghz) of 30c.
that would be me! I recommend the Zalmans.

[RADCOM]

Pabst are real good fans and will probably outlive you lol. They don't seem to be highly available stateside but they are easily obtainable in Europe. I don't know what Vapor thinks of Xilence Red wing but they seem okay to me. I went with the Zalman for my radiators cheap, cheerful and effective. I have some aluminium fans look nice noisy as french connection UK.

[Cptn Vortex]

You are not going to find a better fan than the Noctua NF-P12. An amazing fan, truly. Just find some reviews, it is by far the best fan for the speed and noise level. http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=12&lng=en

[starlon]

You are not going to find a better fan than the Noctua NF-P12. An amazing fan, truly. Just find some reviews, it is by far the best fan for the speed and noise level. http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=12&lng=en

I have 4 of these fans on my pa120.2. They're working great, and they are indeed quieter than other fans I've seen. They don't blow a lot of air, but the water's cool. They're designed for radiators and other high impedance applications. The only thing I don't like is the color scheme, but they're rarely seen, so I can live with that. (Although I've been considering giving them a paint job.) :)

[Cptn Vortex]

Yeah they sure are ugly. Which is why I still use my Yate Loons and Scythe Slipstreams. The Slipstreams actually seem to work very well. They are also quite silent. I have the 1200RPM flavors..

[desertstalker]

If you intend to vary the speed to suit the load on the PC then I would get the S-Flex Fs, they will provide good performance and will be very quiet at low speed.

I have been using these for ~8 months with no problems and they should last a lot longer than the sleeve bearing fans.

[Jedda]

Depends a bit on the budget.
Performance variation isn't proportionate to price variation.
Depending on rad mounting orientation the S-Flex bearings may be quieter over time than the others with sleeve bearings but at nearly three times the Yate Loons price can't really be justified on bearing life.
All the fans mentioned will do the job. Price v noise is a personal choice. The nature of sound generation under these circumstances makes it impossible to predict which will be quieter in your installation, despite what anyone says. That much, at least, came out of Cathar's extensive testing.
Vapor's work gives you a great basis to compare each on its own, but bolted to a rad in a particular case its anybody's guess which will be noisier.