Good fans for Thermochill

[redcorn]

Whats a good brand of 120mm fans everyone is using for the Thermochill PA120.3 radiator? What cfm rating and db rating you guys prefer?

[Budwise]

most people here go with the Yate Loons for the PA rads...

[Subsider]

most here seem to prefer yate loons personaly i use mostly panaflow . They just seem to be much higher quality .they arent loud but they arent silent either. I never did pay atention to db ratings . just my past experience's of what worked and didnt work . from what ive seen with the Thermochill PA120.3 you dont need high cfm fan's . in fact anything over 1200 rpm is not needed acording to alot of what ive read . with this said i still use panaflow 120 x 38 mm fans at 86cfm .why? because i can and realy i dont think there loud at all ! bottom line i guess is if you want dead silence yate loons if you want 100% quality panaflows somewere between maybe coolmaster

[[cTx] Nooc]

yate loons medium speed, work fine with my swiftech rad, inaudible.

[redcorn]

Where do you buy the Yate Loons?

Thanks for the input. Also what fan controllers are popular right now?

[mjassbong]

Where do you buy the Yate Loons?

Thanks for the input. Also what fan controllers are popular right now?

jab-tech.com

[EnJoY]

Yate-Loons for quiet, Nexus for silence.

Sanyo Denki's for performance, Panaflo L1A's for performance/moderate noise.

Use six fans total (three for each side), if you have the space.

[Shpoon]

Yate-Loons for quiet, Nexus for silence.

Sanyo Denki's for performance, Panaflo L1A's for performance/moderate noise.

Use six fans total (three for each side), if you have the space.

As far as I know Nexus are re-baged Yate Loons with an added resistor...

So they have a lower maximum airflow, but undervolt the same. If you have a rheostat, I'd suggest the yates because they're actually inaudible when undervolted, and still work amazingly on the PA's..(if I crank the fans, I get a 1-2 degree drop vs silent fans).

[serialk11r]

Please do not say Yate Loons are inaudible. Unplug all your fans, and just leave the CPU fan (if you have one) and the graphics card fan (if you still have one) on. Now plug in a Yate Loon. That is NOT called "inaudible".

[Shpoon]

Please do not say Yate Loons are inaudible. Unplug all your fans, and just leave the CPU fan (if you have one) and the graphics card fan (if you still have one) on. Now plug in a Yate Loon. That is NOT called "inaudible".

Don't be nit-picky. In that sense, NOTHING is inaudible.

You can't hear it, you can tell it's on by subtle vibrations out of the human hearing frequency.

Was there a point to saying what you did, or did you jump in just to argue a meaningless point?

A la This thread (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=135345)

[serialk11r]

NO this is not nitpicking, there are people like me and SparkyJJO that think they are LOUD. Oh and not to mention NoL :D Just because you think they are quiet does not mean they will be quiet to others, nor does it mean you can say its not audible.

[[cTx] Nooc]

I have 4 medium speed yates in my case, I can hear my "silent" Akasa PSU more than I can the fans

[Shpoon]

NO this is not nitpicking, there are people like me and SparkyJJO that think they are LOUD. Oh and not to mention NoL :D Just because you think they are quiet does not mean they will be quiet to others, nor does it mean you can say its not audible.

You're flat out wrong then. Seriously.

I don't mean to offend you, but you're wrong. :rolleyes:

I have very sensitive hearing. You'll notice that every time people talk about a DDC-2, I say it's not silent, it's just on the more quiet side of pumps.

When running at 5V, you cannot truthfully say that you think they're loud, so stop lying. I don't care what response you say about having bat ears and whatnot, I know you're lying. No sane person will say that they're loud.

They're as quiet as they get for the price range and availability, so stop nitpicking and attacking the words we use that you deem "wrong".

@OP: With any PSU that has a fan, you will not be able to hear these fans @5v. You can notice the difference of on/off, but it's not a "sound" per say, more just a very low frequency that you can detect. P.S. I have a Seasonic S12, so it's decently quiet.

Hell, my harddrives make more noise than the fans.

Edit: Or, you're dumb and have the fans blowing in your general direction, or are closer to them than me. Mine is 70cm or so to my right, if it was under my desk I wouldn't be able to tell.

[serialk11r]

I have 4 medium speed yates in my case, I can hear my "silent" Akasa PSU more than I can the fans
Yes plenty of people say that. And they are quiet COMPARED TO OTHER FANS. When I plugged in a yate for the first time I was shocked because it was very loud and I was told it was "dead silent". However I was very very happy at the same time because it was so much more powerful than the thermaltake BS I had, and plugging it into a rheobus made it truly silent while providing noticable airflow. I knew there was no solution to the fan noise problem, so I was happy with them. I knew there was almost none better.
Ask SparkyJJO if he thinks Yates are loud.
I'm saying, they ARE loud but they are very quiet for a fan. However they are very good fans, and I think everyone should buy them none the less. Panaflos are better if you want more ample airflow.

[phelan1777]

San ACE/Denkis on a Thermo 120.3

They move more air then Panas, Run at a lower Voltage and are quieter while moving mad air, and if you want to go tot 12V that are insanely strong for moving air through the case/RAD

I run mine at full tilt because to me they are not loud, and like I said, you can run them as low as 5V, cant do that with PANAflos.

[Shpoon]

I don't know how you live :rolleyes:

The crickets at night must shatter your eardrums.

P.S. There's a HUGE difference between 7V and 5V on the Yates...not sure why. It takes about 7 for mine to spin up, and I consider that a bothersome noise, 5V and I can only sense them. Try it.

P.P.S. Panaflos are loud as HELL! (M1s I'm assuming).

[serialk11r]

Look, its okay to have your own noise preferences. I sat next to dells/emachine crap for years before I ran this PC. Those had like 1 80mm fan and nothing else. Of course they are dead silent. Now I have this loud monster, and I'm going OMFG. Many people think Yates are quiet. I think that is totally okay. I think they are quiet COMPARED to other fans. Why can't you respect my opinion just because it is different from other people's?

[Shpoon]

Look, its okay to have your own noise preferences. I sat next to dells/emachine crap for years before I ran this PC. Those had like 1 80mm fan and nothing else. Of course they are dead silent. Now I have this loud monster, and I'm going OMFG. Many people think Yates are quiet. I think that is totally okay. I think they are quiet COMPARED to other fans. Why can't you respect my opinion just because it is different from other people's?

Mainly because I saw the other thread where you debated about ambient temperature for a couple pages just to in my honest opinion argue about something. The way you say it, it makes it seem as if (originally before you got defensive with the "compared to other") they're horrendously loud. I can't respect it at the moment because thus far, it seems like just a push for you to oppose the norm.

Also...what voltage do you have them running at? Because you mentioned 7V, and I don't even consider them near quiet at 7V...

P.S. I'm also in a bad mood, so I'm cranky, forgive me a little for the callousness...

[serialk11r]

9V is semiacceptable. 7V is not quiet. 5V is audible. 4V is non-audible. 5V is a nice place to keep them at but then they don't push much air which can be a problem. Didn't I already state that I was impressed by their airflow/noise ratio? That should be enough to convince people to buy them. Get a fan controller if you really hate noise. Makes sense right?
OKAY, lets put it this way. Yates are quiet but they may not be quiet ENOUGH. However there really isn't a solution and they are the best there is.

[Shpoon]

9V is semiacceptable. 7V is not quiet. 5V is audible. 4V is non-audible. 5V is a nice place to keep them at but then they don't push much air which can be a problem. Didn't I already state that I was impressed by their airflow/noise ratio? That should be enough to convince people to buy them. Get a fan controller if you really hate noise. Makes sense right?

Well, I kinda assumed we'd all be using fan controllers ;)

P.S. Maybe I'm running at 4v? They're running at the lowest they can without stopping, I just always assumed it was 5...

Oh well. Not much more to say...so ya.

[[cTx] Nooc]

Fan controllers? What kinda hippy :banana::banana::banana::banana: is that?;)

12V on all 4 of my fans, all very silent to me, stop being such pussies and and accept that minimal hum the fans make. I like to be able to hear my computer. But not in a sick Delta screamer sorta way;) . Even if I would undervolt my fans, that would just make my 2 raptors more audible. You want to make a omelet, you've gotta break some eggs.

[afireinside]

I don't know what planet you guys are from but I run 4 yates and I can't hear them. I unplugged two and my rig sounded the same. The loudest parts are my 2 raptors in this damn steel antec cage and my OCZ 700w gXs.

[[cTx] Nooc]

I don't know what planet you guys are from but I run 4 yates and I can't hear them. I unplugged two and my rig sounded the same. The loudest parts are my 2 raptors in this damn steel antec cage and my OCZ 700w gXs.

haha, copy cat!

[buffbiff21]

(if I crank the fans, I get a 1-2 degree drop vs silent fans).

Same here! It is funny how that works! :D Someone told me in these forums that it is because their blades have a better pressure point than other fans' blades. (and Thermochills are the least restrictive rads in terms of airflow - so that is why they go good together) Makes sense to me.

Yate loons are extremely quiet and serialkiller I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You must have received some broken Yates otherwise you would agree with all of us.

[dnb#]

buy a TITAN fan, plug it into your MB and choose your rpm's in a software program...

They are quiet when running 1/4 of there rpm's :)

[ShaneS]

I have 4 Yates on my MCR-220QP radiator and if they are at 7v I can't hear them at all unless I am literally within a few inches of them. Even at 12v they are barely audible. In fact, one time I didn't think they were on at all so I had to actually look for the blades moving. lol

I really like them. No complaints here.

[shadow of chaos]

serial u think yates are loud? try living with a 40Db fan like i am on my current system, couldnt stick it at first.. hoping to go down to at least 25Db on a water setup.. imo that is quiet enough

i havent heard a yate loon before but im sure they are pretty silent from what people say.. nobody can be that picky or you will end up with a burnt cpu from neglect of good cooling :rolleyes:

[Battle_Rattle]

I have Yates but can't stop recommending the Scythe S-Flex... Just my 2 cents... it would get a little pricey if you were getting alot though

[epion2985]

I agree with Shpoon. I have pretty sensitive ears, maybe thats why I am an audiophile, and as far as I am concerned yates are very quiet. And while I can hear them in a dead silent room if I am close to them, the other ambient noise from the rest of my pc like hard drives and a very very soft hum from my mini fridge drown them out easily. But either way they are very quiet fans, audible yes, loud no way. If you think they are loud I think you are either just saying it for the sake of an argument or have convinced yourself subconsciously they are loud. Sorry but yate is a very quiet fan.

[omni123]

Well, I kinda assumed we'd all be using fan controllers ;)

P.S. Maybe I'm running at 4v? They're running at the lowest they can without stopping, I just always assumed it was 5...

Oh well. Not much more to say...so ya.

I believe they wouldn't even spin up at 4v. There are issues with some of the more 'quiet' fans spinning up at even 5v, and yes, serialkiller does just post for the sake of argument. Check out his posts, I'm yet to see something constructive.

If you are a genuinely sure they are loud to you, serial, I urge you to check out SPCR (silentpcreview.com). I've not seen you post there, and I assure you these guys will slaughter you if you call them loud. FYI, the SPCR guys are behind the P180 design and are the type of people that search for silent keyboards etc. They have all the math on what is loud and what's not, generally, the yates/nexus are inaudible when placed in a room with almost any other ambient noise (hum of a hdd, etc).

[croaker]

Well when I finally get stareted on my build out I'll chime in on the Scythe S-flex fans. I got a little delayed with the duplex I was living in burning down last thursday. Neighbors and a space heater with a short :mad: Fortunately no one was hurt. Somehow all my new gear was unscathed. :woot:


Cheers

Croaker

[serialk11r]

I agree with Shpoon. I have pretty sensitive ears, maybe thats why I am an audiophile, and as far as I am concerned yates are very quiet. And while I can hear them in a dead silent room if I am close to them, the other ambient noise from the rest of my pc like hard drives and a very very soft hum from my mini fridge drown them out easily. But either way they are very quiet fans, audible yes, loud no way. If you think they are loud I think you are either just saying it for the sake of an argument or have convinced yourself subconsciously they are loud. Sorry but yate is a very quiet fan.
quiet FAN that's the magic word :)

[ramenchef]

quiet FAN that's the magic word :)
I don't get it.:confused:

[Mekrel]

I don't know what planet you guys are from but I run 4 yates and I can't hear them. I unplugged two and my rig sounded the same. The loudest parts are my 2 raptors in this damn steel antec cage and my OCZ 700w gXs.

Agree with this and Sphoon!

Running 4 yates here, at 12v they are the quietest fans that I have had but they are audible but it's only the air that you can hear them push - no motor noise.

The only fan quieter on full pelt that I have run is Nexus which are re-wound yates so they are basically yates on 9v.

I have tried 1200rpm Scythe S-Flex (didn't like being upside down on a rad though and there was motor noise there especially when used on a controller.

Thats another plus for the yates are the fact they quite happily run on fan controllers and don't whine at lower voltages. They are also cheap!

Just to sum up, they are great versitile fans. They give you the silent option of the Nexus and they give you the option for some more air when benching etc.

My DDC pump has a slight whine coming from it, I've even got it on a piece of petras gel and with the plexitop slightly unscrewed as one user told me the impeller could be catching the inside of it's housing.

The loudest thing in my rig would be my raptors, followed by my GameXtreme which I'll be replacing I think and then my pump.

[serialk11r]

I don't get it.:confused:
It means that its quiet for a FAN. I still love these yate loons, so much improvement over the thermal:banana::banana::banana::banana:s.
afireinside has PCs running all day long, duh he's used to it...
Meanwhile I'm used to having no noise at all :)

[syne_24]

I don't know what planet you guys are from but I run 4 yates and I can't hear them. I unplugged two and my rig sounded the same. The loudest parts are my 2 raptors in this damn steel antec cage and my OCZ 700w gXs.

haha i feel the same..unless some people here got their case like on the desk with it open or at ear level, I cant imagine it being any loud if you have a good distance from it, such as under the desk etc..It's just not that loud unless you really look for it. ;)

[serialk11r]

haha i feel the same..unless some people here got their case like on the desk with it open or at ear level, I cant imagine it being any loud if you have a good distance from it, such as under the desk etc..It's just not that loud unless you really look for it. ;)
Sometimes, I try to persuade my mind to think like that. I mean I go "Come on, its not that loud..." but then after a while that whiny noise starts to piss me off.

[Bun-Bun]

Sometimes, I try to persuade my mind to think like that. I mean I go "Come on, its not that loud..." but then after a while that whiny noise starts to piss me off.

All I can say to you is stop reading so many of graystar's posts and don't ever come to my apartment ;)

[epion2985]

quiet FAN that's the magic word :)
I don't get it.

It means that its quiet for a FAN.

the hell are we talking about here jet aircraft...

[phelan1777]

whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhat I Can't Hear You!

[epion2985]

whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhat I Can't Hear You!

better turn those loud yate loons down, serialk11r might loose his hearing

[phelan1777]

better turn those loud yate loons down, serialk11r might loose his hearing


<<<< reaches over and turns up his SAN ACES and still can hear the whining about the YATES.

"Oh wait...............damn I can't hear the YATES, didn't even know they were still on."

[[XC] DragonOrta]

I've gotten used to Panaflo M1A fans, so I can't tell if the yates are running sometimes.

Now just to get used to these 141cfm Deltas I have on an MCR-320. :D Tri-blades FTW!

[redcorn]

So I ordered three Yate Loons the 70cfm 35db model, would you guys even bother putting these on a fan controller? Or just run them full blast. I am running a quad core OC with two 8800GTX OC and soon NB 680 chipset on the loop.

[IanY]

So I ordered three Yate Loons the 70cfm 35db model, would you guys even bother putting these on a fan controller? Or just run them full blast. I am running a quad core OC with two 8800GTX OC and soon NB 680 chipset on the loop.

Wouldn't you prefer to have the ability to turn down the fans when you can? I would want to control those fans even if they are 35 db models. You can run the fans full blast all the time if you want to, so its up to you.

[Mekrel]

As IanY said, can't go wrong with a fan controller - gives you more options :)

[Bun-Bun]

I have some Pana M1U's (I think thats what they are... 114 CFM model anyways) and other then a start up whining sound I dont find that THAT loud but I would not want them on full blast all the time... so I am wiring a 7v/12v switch with a relay so that I can pull them down... @ 7v I can barely hear then when I am not actually listening for them.

[cdelong]

I would not in any way, shape, or form, place a sleeve bushing fan on my high end watercooling rig....... the life expectancy is less than 1/3 to 1/5th of a bearing style fan.

I know most people here love the Yate Loon fans, but most of them I see are sleeve bearings.

I recommend anyone here to call Petra's and see what he recommends. I talked extensively about what I wanted and we decided on these:

http://www.petrastechshop.com/12scsfscafan1.html

A tad pricey, but considering the noise/performance/cost ratio, I'm very happy!! I have two of them pushing on my PA120.2 and they are very nice.

.....and everyone needs one of these- http://www.petrastechshop.com/sumufanpopo.html

:D :D :D

[SiGfever]

I use Yate Loon D12SM-12 with a Sunbeam Rheobus controller. I like the ability to turn them down for silence or to be able to ramp them up when extra performance is needed.

I have been more impressed with the Yate Loon fans then any others that I have owned.

[Garu]

I would not in any way, shape, or form, place a sleeve bushing fan on my high end watercooling rig....... the life expectancy is less than 1/3 to 1/5th of a bearing style fan.

I know most people here love the Yate Loon fans, but most of them I see are sleeve bearings.

I recommend anyone here to call Petra's and see what he recommends. I talked extensively about what I wanted and we decided on these:

http://www.petrastechshop.com/12scsfscafan1.html

A tad pricey, but considering the noise/performance/cost ratio, I'm very happy!! I have two of them pushing on my PA120.2 and they are very nice.

.....and everyone needs one of these- http://www.petrastechshop.com/sumufanpopo.html

:D :D :D
Are you using fan controller for those Scythe fans?
I'm using the 800RPM ones still moving 33.5CFM at 8.7dBA! Now I'm starting to worry if they are not enough for my PA120.3. I have them push and pull setup though meaning 6 fans.

[cdelong]

Are you using fan controller for those Scythe fans?
I'm using the 800RPM ones still moving 33.5CFM at 8.7dBA! Now I'm starting to worry if they are not enough for my PA120.3. I have them push and pull setup though meaning 6 fans.

No fan controller for me. I use the Sunbeam Fan Port linked in my first post. That supplies a straight 12v for up to 6 fans..... perfect for you. The port makes for a clean installation as well;)

I'd think you'd need more than 33CFM on each fan, but as long as you are happy with temps it should be fine. I'm running 29- 31C idle (depending on ambient.... 68- 70F) and ~ 46- 48C loaded depending on application (Prime, Orthos TAT, etc...). I'm only using two fans- pushing from outside the case to inside.

My sig is old: I'm running a E6600 @ 3.6g w/ 1.475v, PA120.2 and a D-Tek Fuzion

[DVL73]

... 3 pages dedicated to the radiator fannage :woot: Anyhow, if we are talking about the noise, it's rather pointless to globalise this term and ask for some "universal" advice. Some guidelines are possible, of course. Each of us is unique when we consider the noise sensitivity and again each of us have different "noise floor". That includes noise reflections in the room itself. That can vary by time of the day (late night is very quiet), your room furniture and your surroundings. For example, my room is everything but not noise friendly. I have wooden floor, wooden window blinds, not much of the furniture, nothing to absorb the noise and I can hear every single bit of noise around. I bet that recommended and silent fans will produce 2x more noise (then expected) in my environment. Also, I bet that some people who claim that they are "extremely" sensitive about the noise, they don't realise that such sensitivity is maybe related with their surroundings and their individual (environmental) noise floor.

But ... that's not the end of the story. THEN you have the type of the radiator core, backpreassure, type of the fan mount, shroud or no-shroud, radiator placement, type and quality of the fan voltage control (PWM or analogue). Those subjects are also influencing the final and perceptive noise.

All in all, complex subject it is :) and mixing a good deal of CFM (to penetrate the core) with the low noise factor is still a quite nice challenge.

YL are probably OK, but I had great success with AcoustiFan and Noctua NF-S12. For the people who are addicted to YL but have difficulties to source them, Nexus D12SL-12 is proper alternative (it's actually YL variant). BUT, as I'v said, choosing the correct fan is just part of the picture.

[serialk11r]

In the future, I'll get 2 enermax enlobal wtvwtvwtv long ass name fans so I can compare with yates. They have no friction at the bearing thanks to the magnetic bearing, but well they cost 3 times more than yates :(

[DVL73]

Enermax EnLobal series is rather intriguing if not great fan technology refresh and it would be no surprise to me that other manufactures will reveal products based on the similar extremely low friction design. Again, it would be no surprise to me that death of the ball bearing fans (and technology itself) is not so far away. I'm slightly worried that maybe those new Enermax fans will have more distinct electrical motor tick/buzz noise then competition ... but who knows. It's certain that Enermax has excellent product in their hands.

As it stands currently, Noctua does have the best airflow-to-noise ratio. Actually, I would say that Nexus maybe still have just slight edge when we focus on rougher noise character, but it's nothing substantial. I've heard only good things about the Scythe S-Flex series (no personal experience) and they are probably excellent low noise option, especially when we consider the fact that they are using high quality Sony FDB bearings and sample variance is pretty much minimal. I'm quite confident that S-Flex is perfect match for the PA radiator series.

There are plenty of new developments and we have many good quality fans to choose from, apart from YL. Obviously, I would like to see some independent testing of the latest & greatest fans (Acousti, Enermax Enlobal, Noctua, Scythe S-FLEX ... etc) paired with the most popular "low noise" radiators ... but for the time being YL does have tough competition and people should research more until final purchasing decision is made.

Speaking of price trends, I believe that fans are long term investment and usually I don't mind the price premium in that respect.

[MaxxxRacer]

According to our fan man, yates are the best low noise fans for radaitors due to their unusually high static pressure for a 25mm fan.

personally, they are the only fan I will use for low noise. For high performance/moderate to high noise I really like the sanyo denkis.

[serialk11r]

I seriously gotta get my hands on the enermax thing, I'm itching to know whether there is a way to shut my computer up, once and for all.

[higgins]

According to our fan man, yates are the best low noise fans for radaitors due to their unusually high static pressure for a 25mm fan.

personally, they are the only fan I will use for low noise. For high performance/moderate to high noise I really like the sanyo denkis.

ive got 1 sanyo 38mm 100+cfm and 2 25mm 70cfm yates on my controller. the yates are dead quiet at 6-7v but the sanyo makes a clicking noise when undervolted. :nono:

[epion2985]

This Scythe SFF21F S-FLEX (http://www.petrastechshop.com/12scsfscafan1.html) seems to be a lot better then the yate and I think petra is of this opinion too.

[DVL73]

According to our fan man, yates are the best low noise fans for radaitors due to their unusually high static pressure for a 25mm fan.Static pressure comes into the play when there is a case of direct contact between the fan and rad (no shroud or proper clearance). No doubt about that. This is the reason why we have fans optimised for rads, heatsinks or even pure case airflow. However, I believe that for the low noise fans radiator shroud is simple necessity and generaly speaking static preassure doesn't have that much of the performance impact. Other factors may come into the play and primarily, of course, airflow-to-noise ratio.

Of course, on the other hand, I could be just plain wrong ;)

[cdelong]

This Scythe SFF21F S-FLEX (http://www.petrastechshop.com/12scsfscafan1.html) seems to be a lot better then the yate and I think petra is of this opinion too.

:toast:

[IanY]

Haha.. Papst 4412 FGML 67 cfm at 32 dB lol Comes to me all wrapped, heatshrinked and pretty :)

[epion2985]

Haha.. Papst 4412 FGML 67 cfm at 32 dB lol Comes to me all wrapped, heatshrinked and pretty :)

meh, Scythe is much better imho. Better bearing, better noise/flow ratio, better max noise.

Scythe SFF21F S-FLEX™ (63.7 CFM/28 dBA)

[IanY]

meh, Scythe is much better imho. Better bearing, better noise/flow ratio, better max noise.

Scythe SFF21F S-FLEX™ (63.7 CFM/28 dBA)


meh :) The proof is in the actual product.. and I got "hooked up" as well :)