120mm Fan Testing on an MCR120 Radiator Round 6

Quote:

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Originally Posted by churchy

Hmm, maybe PSU is culprit?

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I'm not sure, but I had it do it's random shut down while in the bios menu (so it's not software), and it doesn't seem to be related to CPU load, just flat shuts down with or without any load. I also tried pulling each ram stick and the sound card, but it's still doing it.

It's weird, it'll shut down then try and restart multiple times for just a second all failing until I switch off the power for a minute...then it will start back up.

I'm almost thinking it might be the motherboard (DFI X48). If it was the PSU or CPU, I would think it would struggle more when under load, but load doesn't seem to have anything to do with it. The only thing that seems to make it worse is heat, but everything looks good there, open test bench and all the chips are under water and look good. I also have extra fans blowing over the board, etc.

UPDATE: My OCZ PSU went bad, borrowing one from the kids computer while I order another...:)

Yate Loon D12SL-12 UV Blue Straight Blade

Another OEM fan, but with blue UV plastic and Blue UV LEDs. You would think they would perform the same as the black plastic types, but it seems like these clear types never do...perhaps harder (less flexible) plastic is the cause. Hard to say because these types also have the less desirable straight blade from yate loon.

NOISE LEVEL
Is a bit higher than the yate medium, it's not really obvious listening, but the meter is giving it higher numbers

NOISE QUALITY
Good to average and similar to the other yates, no obvious motor ticks. Sounds like mainly air flow. Not quite as smooth as some of the higher blade type fans though.

POWER CONSUMPTION
I suppose it is to be expected with the LEDs, but power consumption is poor in comparison to the yate medium. It used just over 2 watts for a fair amount less air than the yate medium.

RANGE
Not very good, didn't want to start until just under 7V giving you a range of about 950RPM to 1400RPM. The normal black model SL gives much more range 675-1563.

OVERALL
While sound quality is decent, this fan performs fairly poorly:( compared to the black model curved blade (Non LED) version. I would not recommend the LED version, if you like yates...go for the black curved blade model:yepp:, it's much better.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMV03yZtvuM

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/3...tesluvblue.jpg

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9...vbluefront.jpg

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/8...tesluvblue.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by churchy

No need to ask with weapons pointed at them. Just buy enough of them :)
"Note: just for 1000 pc we cannot produce
When your demand is over 100.000 ps a year minimum, than we can investigate
better because we need to invest in many ways... technical / tooling" - response from Nidec Servo about possibility of 140mm GTs :(

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so they're selling 100k/yr GTs then... Wow, didn't realize there were that many of us liking those fans :P

You'd think they'd use their reputation with the 120s to be an industry leader for 140mm... Oh well!

FYI, retested the GT14 in batch 4, this is how it compared. About 1CFM off, but pretty much the same:
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/2...4gt14check.png

so the other thread is just gone now, does that mean your PC is working again?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Manicdan

so the other thread is just gone now, does that mean your PC is working again?

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Yeah, I "Borrowed" my son's PSU(Second family PC for the kids to play games on) and ordered a new Corsair 650TX this afternoon. My son's not too happy, but he'll get over it and I'm temporarily PSU patched until I get the new Corsair.

The OCZ 700 was dying after 2+ years of service, that was my problem.:up: I guess that's not a horrendous lifespan, but I was hoping it would last longer. I'm going to give Corsair a try, never had one before.

Rosewill Black Medium Speed

This fan came out of a rosewill challenger case I bought on egg for my son's computer I built from leftover parts. The fan itself has nice curved blades and doesn't look all that different from a normal yate loon.

But that's where the similarities end...

NOISE LEVEL
About as bad as it gets, it was right up there with the worst of the worst.

NOISE QUALITY
Also very poor, while 4 and 5 volts was relatively smooth 6 & 7 volts had pretty strong harmonics, and medium to high volts also included a pretty strong motor tick. Not good.

EFFICIENCY
Fairly poor compared to the yate loons high quality

CFM per RPM
Suprisingly also fairly poor compared to the yate.

OVERALL
Poor. I really hoped this budget fan would be another option to the yate, but it's not. It might get you by in a pinch, but I wouldn't recommend this fan..it just did not do well on a radiator..:(

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i5sFco_d9I

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/29/rosewillblk.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8...lblkfrontz.jpg

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/4...osewillblk.png

Rosewill Clear LED Case Fan
This is the other Rosewill fan I pulled from my son's Rosewill Challenger case. It did better than the black version in noise level to my surprise, but still not very good... It looks nice..

NOISE LEVEL/CFM
Above average. Not quite as high as the black variety, but higher than most fans and a fair amount higher than the yate medium.

NOISE QUALITY
Has a strong motor tick present at all levels.

RPM
Has no RPM wire..

RANGE
Similar to the clear LED yate, the range is very small. While I don't have RPM data (it came without a wire), it was a fair amount smaller in range than the yate medium.

EFFICIENCY
Like the yate LED, consumes a substantially higher amount of power per CFM.

OVERALL
Very small range, higher than average noise level, and fairly poor noise quality.:( Looks nice though..

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr7cKldijpg

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5651/rosewillclr.jpg

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/3...llclrfront.jpg

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7...osewillclr.png

These are really some awesome review Martin !

Are you going to test teh Triebwerk ? I own 3 on my TFC360 and i want to see how it compare. I also have 1850 GT's and UK3 but the UK3 are tiking even on a rehostat controller. PWN seems worse.

I've heard already before that yates with leds are noiser then normal ones .. but what can be the reason of it? Shape of blades same, engine same. I wonder how that transparent plastic used as material for frame and blades can impact noise :/. Less rigid/more vibration prone? Material resonates to something? Is it generic trend for other major fan makers aswell?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martinm210

Yeah, I "Borrowed" my son's PSU(Second family PC for the kids to play games on) and ordered a new Corsair 650TX this afternoon. My son's not too happy, but he'll get over it and I'm temporarily PSU patched until I get the new Corsair.

The OCZ 700 was dying after 2+ years of service, that was my problem.:up: I guess that's not a horrendous lifespan, but I was hoping it would last longer. I'm going to give Corsair a try, never had one before.

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Kudos to a dedicated reviewer! :up:

Phil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martinm210

Yeah, I "Borrowed" my son's PSU(Second family PC for the kids to play games on) and ordered a new Corsair 650TX this afternoon. My son's not too happy, but he'll get over it and I'm temporarily PSU patched until I get the new Corsair.

The OCZ 700 was dying after 2+ years of service, that was my problem.:up: I guess that's not a horrendous lifespan, but I was hoping it would last longer. I'm going to give Corsair a try, never had one before.

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i support corsair PSUs, have a 620HX that i needed because my 2900xt on water overvolted and overclocked, was killing the PSU, literally, it sounded like a fax modem. this one is going strong, even though i dont use it for such a load anymore.

PS i think im about to smash my roswell fans, any objections? didnt think so

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Manicdan

i support corsair PSUs, have a 620HX that i needed because my 2900xt on water overvolted and overclocked, was killing the PSU, literally, it sounded like a fax modem. this one is going strong, even though i dont use it for such a load anymore.

PS i think im about to smash my roswell fans, any objections? didnt think so

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Good to know.:yepp: I thought the OCZ was a pretty good supply, but over the course of the last few months I noticed I had to back off my OC and was getting random lockups, etc. I think it was very gradually dieing and I didn't know better. I was blaming the processor for wearing out.:eek::D

Now that I'm sitting on the temporary, life is great. It's amazing how important a good stable PSU is and how much headache one failing will give you.

I will never buy another OCZ PSU again:shakes:, this one has caused me way too much trouble. Corsair here I come..:)

FYI,
I retested my Wonky GT15 as part of this batch 4, and this is what I got. I first ran through with my 1V normal increments, then I went back and specifically tried to pinpoint the resonance RPMs. They are there, and hopefully it's just this wonky sample I have. I found roughly 6 strong 3-4dbA resonance points that are very isolated. Rolling off the voltage by .1V is usually enough to make it go away.

Hopefully this is just this sample and it's from sitting on the shelf too long. I won't include this in the round until I've had a chance to try Vapor's samples. The 14 didn't seem to do this, although I didn't go back and check like I did this one:

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1559/gt15wonky.png

And this is how the last two GT15 and the two GT14 tests compare. Fairly comparable down below 25CFM, but the two GT15 test were still off by a good 3CFM at 12V...something is off with it's bearing I think..just can't get two test to match up.

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/4...stillwonky.png

Makes me wonder if the frame change in the new batch was to eliminate these spikes or if it was for something else..:confused:

Panaflo NMB-MAT FBA12G12U Ultra High Speed

I've had this one in my collection for a while, thanks to Hondacity..:applaud:

Gotta throw in some of the super high speed fans in there. Now that I've got the hotwire anemometer, there's really no limitation. It can read up to 4000 FPM, so no problem with the high speed stuff.

NOISE LEVEL
On the low end was slightly higher than the Yate, but up higher was about average, seems to follow the pack trend pretty well, although it does extend that CFM line a ways out there, it is built for one thing...HIGH FLOW.

NOISE QUALITY
This is an excellent example of why noise level alone doesn't cut it. These high speed fans are not meant to be undervolted and have an extremely strong motor tick. Looking at the NOISE LEVEL graph alone you could conclude that running this fan 7V would give you roughly the same thing as a yate medium at 12V. Noise level yes, noise quality..NOT EVEN CLOSE. The fans are all generally made to perform optimally in one area, very few actually do well everywhere, and this one is no different. I would not recommend undervolting this fan below 9V, the motor is extremely ticky at low volts.

RAW POWER
This fan is built for power. Were the yate medium is cranking out 32CFM through the radiator, the Panaflo is pushing 51 CFM at 12V. Almost twice the air flow.

OVERALL
This fan is a power house, but it's not one you want undervolt because of stong motor tick. If you want raw power and really don't care much about noise, this fan fits the bill nicely. But in light of the whole noise quality thing, it's a pretty gritty/ticky fan undervolted, but smooths out pretty well by the time you get to 12V.

Bottom line, huge raw power with average noise level per CFM but not a good fan to undervolt (noise quality suffers below 12V). She likes 12V...so give her what she wants or she'll chop your finger off..:D

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpGB0QRY4Fw

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2799/panaflou.jpg

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2...afloufront.jpg

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/1706/r6a4panau.png

Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000

I've had and used these fans for my past radiator testing, they are a good value fan for 3000RPM speeds, but...like most ultra high speed fans...have a strong tick when undervolted.

NOISE LEVEL
About average, slightly higher than the yate medium and about 1dBA higher than the Panaflo U.

NOISE QUALITY
Poor when undervolted, it has that typical 38mm fan tick when undervolted although I'd subjectivly say it's not as strong as the panaflo. Still not going to be anywhere nearly as smooth as a good 25mm fan at lower speeds.

**Bing has noted that a good PWM controller may go a long way in eliminating the motor tick. I will check into this. If I can build a remote (no computer necessary) PWM controller, I will retest..:)

EFFICIENCY/POWER CONSUMPTION
Seems to match pretty well with the Yate down low, but it extends that trend a LONG ways up there, drawing about 7 watts at 12V, so make sure you're watching and looking at your fan controller specs. Many fan controllers can only handle 20 watts or so, so you could easily exceed that amount with just 3 fans in series causing failure in the controller.

RANGE
Exceptionally good RPM range from 950RPM to 3000RPM.

OVERALL
A good value 3000RPM fan, but it's very ticky at lower volts. The Ultra Kaze 2000 is much better on the motor tick, but not nearly as smooth as some 25mm fans. I would recommend using the fan at 12V and leave it there if you can handle the noise level.

Bottom line, good value 3000RPM fan, but noise quality suffers when undervolted.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVCChUNwsa8

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/758/scytheuk3.jpg

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/4...heuk3front.jpg

http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/2...4scytheuk3.png

UPDATED NOISE LEVEL CHART
http://a.imageshack.us/img574/8962/batch123part4.th.png

Can you update your fans list with rating? So we can know which one is the best.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by damtachoa

Can you update your fans list with rating? So we can know which one is the best.

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I'm not sure I can. I can do noise level, and had thought about some sort of bar chart system for specific CFM levels, but noise quality (which I personally thick is almost more important) can't be quantified and very subjective. I suppose I could make up some sort of subjective noise quality rating, but that's pretty complex. How do you ranking noise quality for a fan that has motor tick vs one that has resonance issues vs. one that may only have one problem voltage but fine at 12V, etc.

For now, I'm going to make you work for it. You have all the same data I have now..Look at the master Noise chart, then listen to the videos..and make your own conclusion.

I do have some favorites in my back pocket from the fans tested so far, but I'm witholding judgement until I get them all done and have time to sort through all the data.

Working thread...to be continued...:D

your data points are saved just like we see in the tables? per voltage?

so if we try and show "whats the fastest speed at [38, 40, 42] decibels" it wont be easy?

Why do i see into my head manfacuter reps refreshing over and over waiting to see who wins.

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Manicdan

your data points are saved just like we see in the tables? per voltage?

so if we try and show "whats the fastest speed at [38, 40, 42] decibels" it wont be easy?

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Yes, but that's only noise level. I don't think you can quantify noise quality which is the motor ticks and annoying stuff and very different from what the meter reads.

For example, pull up the Panaflo U at 7V and the yate medium at 11V. Both read roughly the same CFM and the same noise LEVEL, but quality is VERY VERY DIFFERENT.

You have to listen to the audio to do that part, there is no way to measure that that I know of other than subjectively rating it somehow.

The Vapor box has arrived...:eek::eek:

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/409/vaporsfans.jpg

I've got my work cut out for me..:D:clap::clap:

ohhh I know who's going to be up late tonight ;)

keep it up! it's much appreciated :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martinm210

The Vapor box has arrived...:eek::eek:

I've got my work cut out for me..:D:clap::clap:

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I can't wait! :D

Glad it got there safe :up:

I wrote the source of the Yates on the connectors and on the frame (though it's hard to see on the frame)...there should be PPCs and FCPU Yates there. AP-13 should be old batch and the AP-15s are new batch. I think the unbraided San Ace is one of the ones I used back in my testing...the braided one is one I planned to use in a build but never ended up needing. The Corsair fan is a fan from an H50, I saw someone ask for that here. The Aerocool and Noctua fan should have very poor but interesting radiator results--if you do freeflow tests, they should do a lot better there I'd think. NZXT fan is from a case of theirs--may be the same fan to buy separately, just threw that one in there last second :p: Zalman SF3 was the first fan I planned to ship to you, very curious about it but when I played with it I wasn't particularly impressed. Slip Stream H and S-Flex F from my testing years ago round out the batch :)

that white zalman looks really interesting

Just a quick thought Martin....Do you have a pair of any of the high speed fans that you expect to "tick" when undervolted? I ask because of my experience of running two Deltas in series and how much quieter (and of a more pleasing quality) that was than when running on a fan controller.

I wonder if there is any difference on the Deltas or the Panaflo NMB-MAT FBA12G12U for example, between using a fan controller and a simple rheostat?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vapor

Glad it got there safe :up:

I wrote the source of the Yates on the connectors and on the frame (though it's hard to see on the frame)...there should be PPCs and FCPU Yates there. AP-13 should be old batch and the AP-15s are new batch. I think the unbraided San Ace is one of the ones I used back in my testing...the braided one is one I planned to use in a build but never ended up needing. The Corsair fan is a fan from an H50, I saw someone ask for that here. The Aerocool and Noctua fan should have very poor but interesting radiator results--if you do freeflow tests, they should do a lot better there I'd think. NZXT fan is from a case of theirs--may be the same fan to buy separately, just threw that one in there last second :p: Zalman SF3 was the first fan I planned to ship to you, very curious about it but when I played with it I wasn't particularly impressed. Slip Stream H and S-Flex F from my testing years ago round out the batch :)

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Awesome, thanks! Yeah, I can see the markings. Really appreciate all the new fans to try out..:up: I opened up the box and the fans just kept pouring out of there...:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Manicdan

that white zalman looks really interesting

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Yeah, the ZM-F3 is a good all around fan, curious to see how this one does. I also thought the Excalibur looked interesting though. So far visual features doesn't correlate very well, but we'll see.:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OldChap

Just a quick thought Martin....Do you have a pair of any of the high speed fans that you expect to "tick" when undervolted? I ask because of my experience of running two Deltas in series and how much quieter (and of a more pleasing quality) that was than when running on a fan controller.

I wonder if there is any difference on the Deltas or the Panaflo NMB-MAT FBA12G12U for example, between using a fan controller and a simple rheostat?

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I have the two san aces Vapor just sent and I also have several Ultra Kaze 3000s I could experiment with. I'm sure you're right, the tick should smooth out the more fans you have as they wouldn't be in sync.

FYI, Bing on OCN has given me some great guidance on how I can build a PWM controller. I went down to radio shack this afternoon and picked up the IC and 100K pot, so I'm going to try that. It's only for PWM designed fans, but it'll give me that ability to test in actual PWM format without a computer. He noted that it really improves the motor tick issue and the fan can read RPM correctly.
http://i34.tinypic.com/15yw6tg.png

I also ordered this generic DC PWM controller on Ebay that I think should be able to run any fan in PWM (Unfortunately I'm sure RPM readout will be lost). I'd like to run some experiments on PWM to see what if any benefits there are to noise. Maybe we can get rid of the ticking problems with PWM??:shrug:

That problem is due to low PWM frequency.
The ticking using PWM control (which is basically fast turning on/off of the fan motor) is the sound of current going through inductance coil in fan motor. The lower the frequency the clearer you hear the sound. Human can hear in 20-20000Hz range, approximately. So if the PWM frequency is greater than 20kHz than you wont here it. That's theory.

Thermaltake Thunderblade TT-1225

These are fans from my air cooling days. I bought a thermaltake armor case that came with some black and orange versions of this. I thought the case was cool and not knowing any better, I adopted the fans as coolness...:)

Well, that was then, but I still like going back to revisit my decisions now and then good or bad. This fan has been sitting on the shelf a while, but I tested it regardless as it didn't seem to have any obvious problems.

NOISE VOLUME
About 1 dbA higher than the yate medium, so not too bad, but not better than the yate.

NOISE QUALITY
The motor exhibits a motor tick/buzz fairly consistently throughout it's range. It's not as pronounced as some ticks, but there is some motor and fan blade noise mixed here that's more harsh than that of the yate medium from PTS. It also seemed to resonate a little at 11V.

RANGE
Really good RPM range, from about 950RPM to 2220RPM...thats good

CFM per Watt
While all the other LED version previously tested seemed to suffer in this area, this fan actually follows the yate medium almost spot on. Not a bad efficiency.

CFM per RPM
A bit lower than the yate medium.

OVERALL
A good RPM range fan with about average noise level and bit of a motor buzz/tick. Not bad for an LED fan, but not as good as the yate medium from PTS.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffCOHNJVhyI

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6642/thermaltakett.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/621...akettfront.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/812...rmaltakett.png

FYI,
Ran several more tests last night as batch 5. This time I made sure the temperature was a bit more consistent and it seems to have paid off, the yate check in came in almost spot on for dBA/CFM ratios:
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/4...tchcheckin.png

I'll start processing these throughout the week, and should get a few in later today.

Aero Cool Case Fan

Special thanks to Vapor for sending this fan over for testing..:clap::clap:

I was interested in trying this fan because of the high blade count, and I've never tried an AeroCool fan..so that's cool.

NOISE LEVEL
Was pretty close, but about 1dBA higher than the yate medium. On average compared to the previous in this round, a bit higher level than average, but close to average.

NOISE QUALITY
During the test I encountered what sounded like something slightly rubbing inside the fan motor. I inspected the fan after the test and was not able to find anything. If it wasn't for that rubbing sound, I would call the noise quality good, the high number of blades does seem to smooth out the air type noises and the motor seemed relatively quiet and smooth sounding.

EFFICIENCY
Very poor for the air flow produced, not sure why.

RANGE
Very poor range, it didn't want to start up until about 9 volts and only produced a range of 849-1047RPM, a very small 200RPM difference.

OVERALL
Average noise level, possibly good noise quality(possible defect or debris during test), poor efficiency, and poor RPM range.

VIDEO LINK

NOTE: I forgot to set the video camera in HD, so this batch gets SD video quality. The audio/test is the same, and I rendered in 720P so you can at least have the fan pictures in HD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaEu2REgl2A

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/4...olcasefan1.jpg

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/4...oolcasefan.jpg

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8...a5aerocool.png

ALL FANS COMPARED

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8...olvsall.th.png

is there any fan in the bunch that we can hope comes close to the GTs?
also i just noticed theres a corsair fan with vapors shipment, whats it from?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vapor

The Corsair fan is a fan from an H50, I saw someone ask for that here.

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h50 : )

Zalman ZM-SF3

Another fan sponsored by Vapor..:clap::toast2:

After seeing how the ZM-F3 was a good solid all around performer, I was curious to see this next generation. This one is sporting some rather unique shark like fins, not only on the tips, but scatter throughout.

NOISE LEVEL
Slightly higher than average, I was hoping for better, but it's in the main pack of fans.

NOISE QUALITY
Very good, I think it actually sounds quieter because of this, very smooth sound. No resonance points detected, and no motor noises apparent.

FRAME
The frame has a special rubber insert to help eliminate vibrations, this is a nice feature

LOOKS
I really like the looks of this fan, it is very unique

EFFICIENCY
Not as efficient as the yate medium, probably extra drag by the shark fins??

RANGE
A pretty good range from 870-1677RPM, which is very good considering it has no apparent noise quality flaws...good the whole range.

OVERALL
Slightly higher than average noise level/cfm, very good noise quality, good range, and nice features/looks. I'm a bit torn on this one, I really like everything but the noise level being just average or worse than average.:shrug:

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFaWt07gDDk

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4826/zalmansf3.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/7...ansf3front.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1...almanzmsf3.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/2...f3vsall.th.png

Scythe S-Flex F

Another fan sponsored by Vapor...thanks!!:clap::clap:

NOISE LEVEL
About average, a little worse than the yate medium down low and a little better up top.

NOISE QUALITY
Good except for 7V had a little bit of resonance. No obvious motor ticks, etc...a fairly clean sound with a bit of blade chop at higher speeds. Generally good though.

EFFICIENCY
Very good efficiency, substantially better than the yate medium only using 1 watt at 12V...that's very very good.

RANGE
Very good range from 400-1600RPM with overall good performance with the exception of the minor resonance at 7V.

OVERALL
A good all around fan, about average noise level with pretty good sound quality and a good RPM range.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_IXEdlvWLU

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8656/sflexf.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6658/sflexffront.jpg

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/8578/r6a5sflexf.png

ALL FANS COMPARED
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9...xfvsall.th.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Manicdan

is there any fan in the bunch that we can hope comes close to the GTs?
also i just noticed theres a corsair fan with vapors shipment, whats it from?

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My San Ace shipment should be there today, tomorrow @ the latest.

I think the 9S1212M401 Silent Series can compete w/the GT. Same specs as the AP-15. But @ lower db.

Looking forward to the test:up:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the finisher

My San Ace shipment should be there today, tomorrow @ the latest.

I think the 9S1212M401 Silent Series can compete w/the GT. Same specs as the AP-15. But @ lower db.

Looking forward to the test:up:

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Thanks!
I got a slip in the mail that they tried to deliver while I was at work. I'll run by the post office tomorrow and pick it up:up:

Looking forward to it..:D

New Gt's new gt's new gt's!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL I really need that power draw breakdown you do for em , I need to figure out a fan control system for 29 of em ;-)

* OK so I'm an idiot I keep moving the decimal on the power draw of the Gt from 0.083 to 0.83 Changing them from 1 watt fans to 10 watt fans LOL.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MagisD

New Gt's new gt's new gt's!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL I really need that power draw breakdown you do for em , I need to figure out a fan control system for 29 of em ;-)

* OK so I'm an idiot I keep moving the decimal on the power draw of the Gt from 0.083 to 0.83 Changing them from 1 watt fans to 10 watt fans LOL.

---

I got them both tested the other night, but I'm not there yet. This darn night work fan test thing is messing up my sleep... I feel like I'm working graveyard again..:eek:

Anyhow, figured I'll do the tests on the weekend and slowly process as time permits during the week. FYI GT15 max amps info at 12V:

Hondacity Old Batch Sample 1 amps @12V = .0778 = .9336Watts
Vapor New Batch Sample 1 amps at 12V =.0781 = .937Watts
Vapor New Batch Sample 2 amps at 12V = .0855 = 1.026Watts

1 watt should be close, but there is some sample variation. I think the motor noise was slightly different between Vapor Sample 1 and 2. #2 was a bit more gritty at lower volts.

Anyhow, working through the list in the order tested and they are coming in a bit.:up:

Thanks ;-)

I noticed on mine there a couple of spots of whining resonance around 1050 rpm.

But it looks like I should be fine parallel Linking sets of 8 fans to each of the 4 channels on an aquaeros.

More toys came to the door, thanks to Seeing Red and RatDog...:clap::clap:

I'll be setup for good 140mm rad based testing now, HWlabs SR1 is ready for service...:yepp:

Also have some additional 120mm contestants. Xbit had the NB S3 on top for their open air test, and the San Ace 9S1212H4011 seems like another high end high speed fan that needs a closer look.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/426/ppcsorderin.jpg

I'd better process the last round, I've got more work to do..:D

Are you gonna test the GT + 140mm adapter on the SR1-140? I'd wager that a GT + 140mm adapter is the best 140mm fan out there based on how far it's ahead of the pack on 120mm :p:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vapor

Are you gonna test the GT + 140mm adapter on the SR1-140? I'd wager that a GT + 140mm adapter is the best 140mm fan out there based on how far it's ahead of the pack on 120mm :p:

---

I wasn't thinking about it, but I might as well..:up:

The adapter won't fit on the MCR (with barbs that is), I'd have to remove the barbs and put in flat plugs to make it fit. So..I may as well use it for the 140mm testing. My 140 selection is pretty limited, so maybe I'll pick a few of the top 120's and throw them in with the 140s..:cool:

Vapor: Who knows, maybe really GT+adapter can beat all the 140mm fans .. and i still keep wondering how good native 140mm size GT might have been :(. Especially because going upscale it's large motor hub blind spot would matter less.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by churchy

Vapor: Who knows, maybe really GT+adapter can beat all the 140mm fans .. and i still keep wondering how good native 140mm size GT might have been :(. Especially because going upscale it's large motor hub blind spot would matter less.

---

Won't beat this 140, and you can get em. Takes some doing though, much time and jing.

Anyone want to buy the other 10 @ $730:rolleyes:

http://www.newark.com/sanyo-denki/10...t=109P1412M101

http://db.sanyodenki.co.jp/product_d...1247020337.pdf

the finisher: those san aces look fine as powerful fans .. but will they be as good noise/airflow/pressure wise as GTs at 800-1200 range as well? Imho their blades are more optimized to be most efficient for higher (&noisier) range.

FYI,
Took a break from the processing and built my own PWM fan controller...thanks to Bing on OcF for giving me the circuit design.

My first home made circuit....yeah I know my soldering sucks..lol! But it works and cost me all of $10 in parts at the shack..:D
http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/7...controller.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Martinm210

I wasn't thinking about it, but I might as well..:up:

The adapter won't fit on the MCR (with barbs that is), I'd have to remove the barbs and put in flat plugs to make it fit. So..I may as well use it for the 140mm testing. My 140 selection is pretty limited, so maybe I'll pick a few of the top 120's and throw them in with the 140s..:cool:

---

i would also love to see a gt with a 140mm adapter. thats been the one thing holding me back from using 140mm rads is the lack of good performing fans to go with it. despite me constantly annoying nidec servo and scythe they dont seem to have any plans to produce a 140mm gt anytime soon (at least thats what theyve told me) :(

WoW... Martin has been productive lately.

I'm wondering how the new Thermalright TY-140 fan would compare, but the Sanyo Silent series vs Scythe GT has my interest for now.

That, as well as the 120-140mm adapter tests. I'm wondering if perhaps I should just go with a 140.3 radiator as opposed to a 120.4 (would save me money on fans).

Vampiyer: how do you intend to mount TY-140 on 140mm rads, if it has 120mm mounting holes, and one of dimensions was 160mm IIRC? +If you manage to mount it good thing to do would be also to close corners because of round shape of it, to not loose air pressure of fan.

I don't actually own the TY-140, but I was thinking about picking up a couple at SVC because they're having a 15% off coupon (green15) through this thursday, and they already have the lowest price.

As for mounting - I'd probably use a double-sided gasket tape of some sort. I haven't really thought that through... just wondering how it compares because I'll try to make anything work.

Edit: I just ordered 3 of the TY-140 fans. I intend to use them as case-fans, but I have AP-15's and H1011R's to compare against, subjectively.

Edit 2: I'm wondering if it'd be worthwhile to send one of my TY-140 fans to Martin (I also have H1011R Sanyo's). I'll see how difficult it is to mount - it may not fit the parameters of Martin's tests due to the awkward 140x160 size with 120mm mounting holes. Anyone (Martin?) interested in these 2 fans?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by churchy

the finisher: those san aces look fine as powerful fans .. but will they be as good noise/airflow/pressure wise as GTs at 800-1200 range as well? Imho their blades are more optimized to be most efficient for higher (&noisier) range.

---

Perhaps your right, that's why i like the testing that Martin is doing. These tests prove that more money spent, doesn't necessarily yield better results. Although the higher quality fans should last longer. And some of us buy fans for aesthetics, as well as performance. I have a ton of Enermax fans for this reason.(Glad to see the Magma did OK, I made the same observations that Martin did. Not as quiet as others but an agreeable sound.] That said, I like the industrial looks of San Ace, and other similar fans. GT included. Just that San Ace usually perform better, not always.

Looking forward to the Silent Series against the GT's, I see there is a H speed model up as well:) These are probably more comparable than any 38mm fan.

It's so nice to have some objective numbers to see on so many fans:clap: I've never believed the marketing crap on the box of retail fans.

Martin is awesome:up:

Because I don't actually have any 109P1412M101 $73 min of 20. The even more desirable 109L1214M101 $96 min. of 24! Plus you have to wait for over 3mo:rolleyes:
I guess the best way to partially get a handle on this is to barrow out 1 of my 140L's for testing. It's not going to be a fair test, as these are H speed 24v fans. But I've never run them @ 24v. For me they are great @12v and down. Also These have no tach sender, so I'm guessing 1300 rpm @12v w/80cfm free air:shrug: They start and undervolt to the bottom of a Sycthe fan controller. And subjectively they are very quiet subtracting the 80 cfm of air:) Also the dam things are near unobtainable, I've found you can get most San Ace 140's they come at a huge cost:down: These were $25 and I only could get 3. As much as I like them I'd love to have more, probably 12v M speed.

Anyway I only have 1-PA120.3 All The rest of my rads are Pa160's and 140's. I have a huge interest in 140's. I have a several other 140's I'll also send samples of the ones I'm not using, if they are not on the list.

Just found out I'm going back to San Francisco, like soon:eek:

I'm rounding 140's up now:up:

Hey Martin,
Not sure if the San Ace I sent is the same as the ones you already have, hopefully not as it will give a wider view of the San Ace line up. I do not think you have the Pabst already that I included, so hopefully another canidate to toss in the mix. You should get the box today or tomorrow.

No way I can do this today. I'll do it when I get back, next week.

I'll follow along as much as possible:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Martinm210

More toys came to the door, thanks to Seeing Red and RatDog...:clap::clap:

I'll be setup for good 140mm rad based testing now, HWlabs SR1 is ready for service...:yepp:

Also have some additional 120mm contestants. Xbit had the NB S3 on top for their open air test, and the San Ace 9S1212H4011 seems like another high end high speed fan that needs a closer look.

I'd better process the last round, I've got more work to do..:D

---

That's actually fantastic!

I own a SR-1 140mm too and I was wondering before finishing my loop which 140mm fan will be the best choice. I thought about a NB-BlackSilentPro PK-2 but I will wait to see your results and then decide before purchasing.

Are you thinking about testing the Be Quiet Silent Wings 120mm-140mm?

Anyway did you receive The Triebwerk TK-22? I have one new in box that have not been opened. Maybe I can send you this for testing but I'm from Europe and don't really now the how expensive the shipping taxes will be to send it to you LOL. I will ask to receive information about that if necessary.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by guilleguillaume

That's actually fantastic!

I own a SR-1 140mm too and I was wondering before finishing my loop which 140mm fan will be the best choice. I thought about a NB-BlackSilentPro PK-2 but I will wait to see your results and then decide before purchasing.

Are you thinking about testing the Be Quiet Silent Wings 120mm-140mm?

Anyway did you receive The Triebwerk TK-22? I have one new in box that have not been opened. Maybe I can send you this for testing but I'm from Europe and don't really now the how expensive the shipping taxes will be to send it to you LOL. I will ask to receive information about that if necessary.

---

I also have a TK-122, if you don't get one before next week I can send, much cheaper I'm sure:up:

I have a Evercool Red Scorpion 140 I can send.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...LTD-_-35119096

I have some 140 Scythe 1900rpm, I really like, but no fit on a 140 rad, 120 holes:down: I use for case/air cooling.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vampiyer

I don't actually own the TY-140, but I was thinking about picking up a couple at SVC because they're having a 15% off coupon (green15) through this thursday, and they already have the lowest price.

As for mounting - I'd probably use a double-sided gasket tape of some sort. I haven't really thought that through... just wondering how it compares because I'll try to make anything work.

Edit: I just ordered 3 of the TY-140 fans. I intend to use them as case-fans, but I have AP-15's and H1011R's to compare against, subjectively.

Edit 2: I'm wondering if it'd be worthwhile to send one of my TY-140 fans to Martin (I also have H1011R Sanyo's). I'll see how difficult it is to mount - it may not fit the parameters of Martin's tests due to the awkward 140x160 size with 120mm mounting holes. Anyone (Martin?) interested in these 2 fans?

---

Let me get caught up with the recent packages that came in, I had 4 boxes sitting on my doorstep just a bit ago.:up:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

Hey Martin,
Not sure if the San Ace I sent is the same as the ones you already have, hopefully not as it will give a wider view of the San Ace line up. I do not think you have the Pabst already that I included, so hopefully another canidate to toss in the mix. You should get the box today or tomorrow.

---

I got your today. I think it is the same model that Vapor sent, but I think it's always good to have a few samples. I plan to test everything, and any duplicate samples will just give some additional detail on that particular fan which is always good.:up:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by guilleguillaume

That's actually fantastic!

I own a SR-1 140mm too and I was wondering before finishing my loop which 140mm fan will be the best choice. I thought about a NB-BlackSilentPro PK-2 but I will wait to see your results and then decide before purchasing.

Are you thinking about testing the Be Quiet Silent Wings 120mm-140mm?

Anyway did you receive The Triebwerk TK-22? I have one new in box that have not been opened. Maybe I can send you this for testing but I'm from Europe and don't really now the how expensive the shipping taxes will be to send it to you LOL. I will ask to receive information about that if necessary.

---

I have one package at the post office. I need to run down there and pick it up.:up:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by the finisher

I also have a TK-122, if you don't get one before next week I can send, much cheaper I'm sure:up:

I have a Evercool Red Scorpion 140 I can send.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...LTD-_-35119096

I have some 140 Scythe 1900rpm, I really like, but no fit on a 140 rad, 120 holes:down: I use for case/air cooling.

---

I think some more 140s would be good, but let me get all caught up with the list. I'll work to update that by tomorrow.:up:

Wow...no less than 5 packages today, special thanks to everyone for the fans and candy!:clap::clap::D:D

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7...byutnorris.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2...hefinisher.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/4...byquietman.jpg

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7...dchapratdo.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9...byacebaran.jpg

Wow.!!:up::up:

That's not free candy, it's bribery!:rofl:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by churchy

That's not free candy, it's bribery!:rofl:

---

Haha! How did he know I like gummys..:)

Can't say I've ever had candy direct from Holland before. It's cool looking at the packaging...:D

Corsair H50 Fan

Special thanks to Vapor for another fan to test..:clap::clap:

The Corsair H50 and H70 are fairly popular, so it's nice to have this fan run so folks that are looking to change out the fan for this kit have an idea how it compares.

PWM
The fan is a 4 pin PWM fan which is a nice feature.

NOISE LEVEL
Relative to the yate loon SM, it was similar at lower RPMs, but a bit higher at the higher speed. Relative to the current fans tested I would call it about avereage for lower RPMs and louder than average for high RPM.

NOISE QUALITY
I'm not sure if it's just this sample, but the fan "Squeeked". It's not something you hear in the context of a normal room ambient noise level as I didn't notice this when playing with my PWM controller near my computer, but under ultra silent room testing conditions with an extremely sensetive microphone, it has a bit of a squeek to the motor. This seems to smooth out a little at higher speeds. The fan blade chop seems about average. In general, not quite good noise quality, I'd say less than average to average.

RANGE
500RPM to 1800RPM, not bad and seems usable in all areas, may be better with PWM control. I'll plan to do some PWM controlled testing later. The range is good.

EFFICIENCY
Very good, only used about 1 watt and better than the yate loon per CFM at higher RPMs by a fair amount.

OVERALL
Louder than average noise level, less than average to average noise quality, good range, and PWM features.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA:banana::banana::banana:sbzofM

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4449/corsairh50.jpg

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9...irh50front.jpg

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4...corsairh50.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1...50vsall.th.png

Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoon AP-15 New Batch Sample A

Special thanks to Vapor for sponsoring this fan..:clap::clap:

This is one of the newer batch fans with a slightly different rear frame with openings near the PCB for what appears to be improved air cooling to the electrical parts.

PACKAGE
About average to less than average. No wire sleeving, comes in a clear plastic box with a molex adapter and some case screws, fairly minimalist style.

NOISE LEVEL
Nothing short of exemplary, this is the one area where this fan rules so far. It's particularly unique in that the typical fan air noise you normally hear is nearly gone completely. I suspect this is due to the very forward sweeping fan blades and high number of blades. Also the leading edge of the fan blades is more rounded and perhaps more shaped like a wing profile rather than a knife edge. Whatever it is...it works and works amazingly well in this test condition mounted on a radiator. Compared to the yate loon SM12 at 12V (32CFM), the GT is able to produce the same CFM level at nearly 9dbA lower levels. At the lower end near 16CFM, the difference reduces to about a 1-2dbA difference which is within the (3dBA barely perceptible range). This fan is really strong in noise level particularly at it's maximum RPM range

NOISE QUALITY
Variable, some good some not so good. There are certain volts and RPM where the noise quality is very good, there is very little motor noise and the ultra low level is overall a very good match. However, there are other voltage levels that resonate very slightly and create a bit of a whine. This particular sample resonated very slightly at 7V and a bit more at 8V, then pretty much gone from 9-12V. I'll see how Sample B does in this area.

RANGE
575-1800RPM is very good although you'll need to listen and pick your voltage somewhat carefully for optimal sound quality.

EFFICIENCY
This fan is exceptionally efficient, only 1 watt at maximum RPM is really amazing.

COST
Average to high. I've seen it sell anywhere from $14 to $20 a fan, so it's not a budget fan and it's not coming with a pile of features...not even sleeved wiring.

OVERALL
This is the fan to beat at the 35 CFM level for minimal noise level, but also it's noise quality is fairly good in some voltage ranges. It is not perfect though, it seems to have a very minor amount of resonance at 7 and 8V. Range is good, efficiency is excellent, and cost is ok to expensive. Overall, I suspect most people would be fairly impressed with this fan's noise level and tone, although the tone and sound is different and may not be for everyone. I suggest listening closely to the videos and make your own judgement. Better yet, buy one of your own and give it a good test before committing to a bunch more.

This fan gets another thumbs up :up:for it's amazing CFM/NOISE ratio at 12V, it really separates itself from the rest in this particular area.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6vHPwmfBlc

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6116/gt15a.jpg

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/2402/gt15afront.jpg

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/2736/r6a5gt15a.png

SAMPLE A COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5...avsallq.th.png

UPDATE 11-17-2010

Vapor sent me not one, but two new samples to try, and this is what I got...pretty much the same thing. If anything I'd say maybe a bit more noise/grit at the 4-5V range, but actually a little smoother (less resonance) at the 7-8V range. Pretty much the same thing when you consider 3dBA the amount needed for "Barely Perceptible".

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7303/r6a5gt15b.png

SAMPLE B COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7...5bvsall.th.png

old one was thailand right?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hondacity

old one was thailand right?

---

GT15old is the original GT15 from batch one without the frame openings. Do I spy one of the mystery fans you are sending?..:)

One again ..... Great work Martin !

yeah :D

maybe someone will recognize it :D

GTs continue to impress....

Great stuff, Martin :)

@martin:
They must of started manufacturing the batches earlier this year, I purchased my fans 2 from hondacity, and another 3 from a forum member on the H in april.

I have samples of both batches. For me the acoustic problems don't start until 1000 rpm or so, but I chucked that up to air turbulence hitting the fan motor. I wonder when the "new" batch was actually made.

I'm debating switching them for ap-14s, since I never run them about 1250.
I'm always amazed when people say they are quiet at full rpm. Makes me think that I either have bad examples, or they have full ears, or possibly they haven't mounted them on anything that has restriction.

Oh, heh, almost forgot. No sleeving on non of the fans.

Vapor: they continue impress, yeah .. but i somehow anticipated a bit more drama at top. GTs been lone undethroned leader for so long, why competitors keep idle with improvements that long? :)

avddreamr: i'm guessing it's their ears. For each acceptable noise levels/definition of quiet are different. But even if AP15 at full rpm being quiet is arguable, i've heard often stated that they are relatively quieter then competitors - as in GTs @1850 are like noiseblockers @1400 and alike ..

I'm most interested in seeing if the battle-hardened GT-15 with 140 adapter can hang with the noiseblocker pk series and x-silent 140's on the SR1.

Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if it wins the 140mm CFM/dB crown as well...

You need to get akasa apache also!

would someone like to risk blowing up one of their own GT AP-15s by overvolting it up to 24v and see what happens at over 3000rpms?

Great :rofl: Glad you like the dutch candy :up:

Hey Martin,
What did you think of the weight of that Pabst fan? Built like a tank isn't it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AceBaran

Great :rofl: Glad you like the dutch candy :up:

---

Yes, you win...:D Your fan gets cuts in the testing line...:rofl:

UPDATE11-20-10
Sorry, I meant to test this one this morning, but my 6-32 screws were too short. I'll have to run down to the hardware store and get some threaded rod or longer screws. I hasn't seen the new bench just yet...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by avddreamr

@martin:
They must of started manufacturing the batches earlier this year, I purchased my fans 2 from hondacity, and another 3 from a forum member on the H in april.

I have samples of both batches. For me the acoustic problems don't start until 1000 rpm or so, but I chucked that up to air turbulence hitting the fan motor. I wonder when the "new" batch was actually made.

I'm debating switching them for ap-14s, since I never run them about 1250.
I'm always amazed when people say they are quiet at full rpm. Makes me think that I either have bad examples, or they have full ears, or possibly they haven't mounted them on anything that has restriction.

Oh, heh, almost forgot. No sleeving on non of the fans.

---

I really do think the lower speed models are better if you plan to undervolt the 15. I havn't processed it yet, but I really liked what I subjectively heard when testing the AP-13.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vapor

GTs continue to impress....

Great stuff, Martin :)

---

Thanks for sponsoring, I feel much better about the 15 now that I've had a chance to try some of the new batch. That old batch 15 I had really had some harsh spikes in resonance. While I found some very minor amounts in the new batch, it was really small in comparison.:up:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hondacity

yeah :D

maybe someone will recognize it :D

---

I don't have a clue...:confused::D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

Hey Martin,
What did you think of the weight of that Pabst fan? Built like a tank isn't it?

---

No kidding, it is a BEAST...must weight a pound. I'll have to put it on a scale and see:D

FYI,
I got Vapor's Sample B GT15 processed. It was really close to the sample A results and now that I've listened to the audio, I can't really tell the difference. If anything the sample B was perhaps a bit grittier on the bottom end, but was more consistent throughout the voltage sweep. I'll update the GT15 post with this info to keep the data together:

Also notice the bottom end of Sample B. The Arctic Cooling F12 is actually much the same, perhaps better at the 4-5V range. It's just hard to conclude anything when they are that close. My sound meter floor appears to be 31dbA, so it gets to be a bit suspect down that low.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7303/r6a5gt15b.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7...5bvsall.th.png

Gentle Typhoon AP-13 (Old Batch?)

Another thanks to Vapor for sponsoring this fan..:clap::clap:

With the 15 and 14 doing well, I figured the 13 would follow suit and it does.

NOISE LEVEL
It falls pretty much in line with the AP-14 in being one the the very lowest noise/CFM levels for it's range, although there was a little bump at 9V.

NOISE QUALITY
It's fairly good like the other GTs, but I think at these really low RPM levels the ball bearings start to become one of the more pronounced noises. Some of the other sleeve or FDB (Sleeve variants) don't have that. It's really quiet and minor, but I think as you approach the 1000RPM and below range some of the other options begin to look more promising. I'll call it average to above average since there isn't any motor tick, but some ball bearing noise. I did find one little resonance bump at 9V, but it's pretty hard to detect other than the sound meter picking it up.

RELATIVE TO THE GT14 & GT15
I think it's roughly the same as the GT14, and a hair better than the GT15 at like performance levels. The GT15 seems to have more problems with resonance bumps than the lower speed family. This could all be sample variation, but what I've seen so far.

OVERALL
Very very good at 12V with a dbA level about 4-5 dbA lower than most fans, but that slowly diminishes as you lower the RPM levels. I think once you get down to about 800RPM, it's no longer doing any better than many other fans if you consider both noise level and noise quality. Some of the other fans have quieter bearings using sleeve, or FDB. With that said, it's still doing a fair amount better than the others at 12V or 1200RPM. It gets fairly competitive below about 800-1000RPM.

I'll give it a thumbs up for really low noise/cfm ratios from 1000-1200RPM.:up:

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ioJCAFARTY

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1295/gt13.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/8030/gt13front.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/5779/r6a5gt13.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/964...13vsall.th.png

NZXT Case Fan

Special thanks to Vapor for sponsoring this fan..:clap::clap:

I always like the higher blade count fans like this.

NOISE LEVEL
Very good, it's a good 1dbA better than the yate medium at slower speeds and about the same at 12V at like performance levels.

NOISE QUALITY
Very good, it has a slightly smoother wind type noise than 7 blade fans and generally performs consistently at all volts with no odd harmonics or motor ticks. Generally a good smooth consistent sound.

I'll give this fan a thumbs up for overall consistently good performance.:up:

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDqcOCCtiXI

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/7358/nzxt.jpg

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/626/nzxtfront.jpg

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/3...errorfound.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8...xtvsall.th.png

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Martinm210

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utnorris

Hey Martin,
What did you think of the weight of that Pabst fan? Built like a tank isn't it?

---

No kidding, it is a BEAST...must weight a pound. I'll have to put it on a scale and see:D

---

If you haven't powered it yet, just fyi you will have to install it backward, it has a reverse air flow than normal fan does, just watch the vertical arrow sign at the frame.

http://i.imgur.com/L2l8Q.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bing

If you haven't powered it yet, just fyi you will have to install it backward, it has a reverse air flow than normal fan does, just watch the vertical arrow sign at the frame.

http://i.imgur.com/L2l8Q.jpg

---

Thanks for pointing that out, I wouldn't have thought it did that and I'm generally really bad at reading directions..:D

Noctua NF-S12B

Thanks to Vapor for sponsoring:clap:

This fan surprised me. I had been going on the assumption that for a good radiator fan, that you must have high blade count and large dense blades. It "Seemed" to make sense and under those assumptions I completely expected this fan to be only good in an open case type condition....I was WRONG!

NOISE LEVEL
It's good, actually a bit better than the yate medium at slower speeds and continues to do at least as good as the yate medium baseline fan all the way. At 8V it was better than most fans.

NOISE QUALITY
Very good, no odd resonance issues, just good smooth consistent sound at all levels.

OVERALL
It's a good fan, performs better in Noise/CFM than the yate loon medium and has a good smooth consistent sound at all RPM levels.

Still not quite sure how this one does better than the noctua P12 on my test rig...but it did..perhaps the P12s were bad samples..:shrug: Lesson learned, do NOT judge a fan by it's looks, there is no correlation between numbers of blades, density, thickness, bearing type, etc....looks mean nothing at all....

FYI, I noticed my Amperage meter is going whacky here. I had to retest for amperage separately to get the correct wattage. Not sure why, but under a retest the milliamps was reading just fine. I'll have to watch that. Anyhow, don't use the amperage in the video, it's wrong.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyO5vXs13Pc

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/921/noctuas12b.jpg

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8...as12bfront.jpg

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/6...noctuas12b.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/7...2bvsall.th.png

Whoa, didn't expect that.

That the Noctua doesn't make an offensive sounds is important.

I just got (3) Thermalright TY-140 fans from SVC. They all make a bit of a quiet "liquid" sputtering noise. This is much better than ticking, grinding, or whining, but it's still annoying. Fortunately, this was at the full 12V-RPM, and it's only audible up-close. There is some motor growl, but it's relatively constant, and quiet.

I hope to get them on the voltage controller later and see how they behave, but I'll be on non-stop trips through to mid-december :(

X-bit labs seemed to think these TY-140's were the best of the 140mm fans, but I think the AP-15 (120mm) is of a better design. It's not a huge issue to me because I wanted them as 140mm case fans for my 700D, and for that, they may outperform the 120mm AP-15 anyway.

Looking at them now... they're quite big... and they will not easily mount to either of Martin's radiators (need to use gasket tape). The airflow also isn't as strong as I expected, but it's diffused over a larger area, and the hub is quite small. It's also not as ugly as I expected... I may just paint the frame matte-black and be done. I wouldn't dare paint the blades of any fan and risk affecting performance.

Nice work again, Martin.

Performance of NF-S12B is really surprising seeing it's blade configuration. I wonder though if it will be able to keep up on high FPI rads as well as good, where high pressure should mater more then on low-middle finned MCR.

53db for 35cfm??? Why so low?

My generic el-cheapo 120mm fans running on 19v make those sound very loud. The cfm of those are horrificly low.....are you sure you've wired them up properly?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by THOMO

53db for 35cfm??? Why so low?

My generic el-cheapo 120mm fans running on 19v make those sound very loud. The cfm of those are horrificly low.....are you sure you've wired them up properly?

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Restriction, radiator plus some restriction in the flow chamber. You really can't compare between two different test setups. I'm using a zoom H1 handy recorder for audio which has really sensitive 90 degree xy stereo mics turned up to 100 percent manual gain in a quiet room in the middle of the night. Very sensitive.

Yes I' sure it's wired ok, fans are just very sensitive to restriction and why I'm intentionally testing through a radiator as opposed to an artificial open air test that has little or no restriction.:up:

While neither one of my meters are calibrated, I am using a fan to ensure all the batches are tested the same, so relative performances should be ok within a resonable amount.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vapor

Whoa, didn't expect that.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vampiyer

That the Noctua doesn't make an offensive sounds is important.

I just got (3) Thermalright TY-140 fans from SVC. They all make a bit of a quiet "liquid" sputtering noise. This is much better than ticking, grinding, or whining, but it's still annoying. Fortunately, this was at the full 12V-RPM, and it's only audible up-close. There is some motor growl, but it's relatively constant, and quiet.

I hope to get them on the voltage controller later and see how they behave, but I'll be on non-stop trips through to mid-december :(

X-bit labs seemed to think these TY-140's were the best of the 140mm fans, but I think the AP-15 (120mm) is of a better design. It's not a huge issue to me because I wanted them as 140mm case fans for my 700D, and for that, they may outperform the 120mm AP-15 anyway.

Looking at them now... they're quite big... and they will not easily mount to either of Martin's radiators (need to use gasket tape). The airflow also isn't as strong as I expected, but it's diffused over a larger area, and the hub is quite small. It's also not as ugly as I expected... I may just paint the frame matte-black and be done. I wouldn't dare paint the blades of any fan and risk affecting performance.

Nice work again, Martin.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by churchy

Performance of NF-S12B is really surprising seeing it's blade configuration. I wonder though if it will be able to keep up on high FPI rads as well as good, where high pressure should mater more then on low-middle finned MCR.

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Yeah, it still surprises me, perhaps because of the steep blade pitch. I think my test rig is adding some restriction by itself, so if anything it would favor more pressure oriented.

I give up on trying to guess what works or doesn't in a fan type...just when I think I understand something a fan test pretty well dismisses it.

I might pull out my spare P12 and test it in batch 6. I just don't get how the S12 could do better..?

Martin: at the end probably simplest is to treat fans as some kind of black box with specific airflow/pressure/noise characteristics. Too many variables are at play there that can enhance or destroy performance/noise ratio. Good silent bearing & engine can allow fan to run faster with acceptable noise allowing in return to compensate sub par design of blades, good blade design can push more air with more pressure at lower rpm-s allowing to mask inefficiencies on engine part or thin fan thickness. And inconsistent manufacturing quality can destroy whatever potential both design of blades and engine might have. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by churchy

Martin: at the end probably simplest is to treat fans as some kind of black box with specific airflow/pressure/noise characteristics. Too many variables are at play there that can enhance or destroy performance/noise ratio. Good silent bearing & engine can allow fan to run faster with acceptable noise allowing in return to compensate sub par design of blades, good blade design can push more air with more pressure at lower rpm-s allowing to mask inefficiencies on engine part or thin fan thickness. And inconsistent manufacturing quality can destroy whatever potential both design of blades and engine might have. :)

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Yeah, I'm just going to plug them in and see. No use in trying to guess...:D

Scythe K-Flex H

This one was sponsored by Hondacity in my earlier rounds:clap:

I hung onto this one because I thought it did better than I had recorded previously. It was a good thing I trusted my ear more than my old sound level meter, it did really well.

NOISE LEVEL
A bit better than average by a couple of dbA, really pretty good overall.

NOISE QUALITY
Very good, no resonance, motor ticks, or other unwanted motor noises. Generally good.

OVERALL
A very good fan all around. Not quite as low in noise level as the GTs, but it's a good strong fan with good noise quality and very capable at all RPMs with no problems. It also has a bit more top speed performance over the GT15, so a good scalable fan.

I'll give this one a thumbs up for it's large range and very good performance in both noise level and noise quality.:up:

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPW3N6Ti7Aw

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6474/kflexh.jpg

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/2707/kflexhfront.jpg

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/2616/r6a5kflexh.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/3...xhvsall.th.png

FYI,
Figured out what was going on with the RadioShack Amperage meter giving weird readings from batch 5 from the NZXT onward.

A case of user error..:yawn:

I accidentally hit the select button somewhere between the AP-13 and the NZXT switching it over from DC amperage to AC amperage. It still gives me numbers, but they are wrong. If you look close enough at the video, you can see a little ~before the milliamp reading, this means AC milliamps mode.

While the amperage is of minimal importance, I need to fix that. I did a quick amperage only retest of the Noctua and KFlex,but I still need to fix the NZXT. Anyhow, disregard the amperage reading in those videos, they are wrong.

Unfortunately it means the 5 video I had completed after that are also no good for amperage....whoops! Everything else is ok from what I can see though.

I will watch that AC mode select button more closely...me and simple DC only meters get along better..:yepp::D

Got a few more done in batch 6, I may just go ahead and retest the last few from batch 5 since I've found that I not only left the video camera in SD, but also messed up the amperage meter settings.

Here is my check in test on batch 6, it looks ok, so I'll start processing these as time permits. Busy weekend though, gotta go out with the cub scouts to collect canned foods today...:up:

Anyhow, this batch should be good...made sure the camera was in high def this time and the amperage meter is DC mode...:D

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1755/ra6checkin.png

need more coffee? i was wondering when i saw that graph, wow that fan is really efficient.. keep up the good work :D

Noise Blocker M12-S3HS

Special thanks to SeeingRed for sponsoring this fan.:clap:

This fan has been on top on some of the open air type fan testing, so I was curious to see how it does on a radiator. It does very well, not quite to GTs in noise level, but really good noise quality.

NOISE LEVEL
Very good, about 1dbA lower than the yate medium across the board, and better than average amongst all fans tested.

NOISE QUALITY
Extremely good. Good smooth sound, no motor ticks, no resonance issues, fairly smooth air sound.

OVERALL
While not at the top for noise level it is very good, and the noise quality is really good regardless of the voltage applied. I'll give it a thumbs up for overall goodness.:up:

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5YfozTMKuc

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1...lockers3hs.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9...rs3hsfront.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9...lockers3hs.png

COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/6...hsvsall.th.png

@Martin
Nice test results so far. Great job.
When will we see the result of San Ace fans' performance?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SpuTnicK

@Martin
Nice test results so far. Great job.
When will we see the result of San Ace fans' performance?

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Thanks!
I've got the 25mm versions coming up next rendering the 9S1212H4011 now. I tested Vapors 38s in batch 5 but the amperage readings were bad, so I'm going to rest those, probably tomorrow morning. I can comforyably get about 6 fans done per batch. I was trying to test late at night 3-4am, but that was too much. I get up everyday at 5:00 any on the weekdays, so I'm going to keep doing the testing early on weekends. That should give me roughly 12 fans done per week to work on rendering. The actual test is pretty fast, its the video rendering, photos, and extracting of data to the charts that takes the most time.

Anyhow, the two 25mm versions should be up later today, and if testing goes per plan, the 38s later this week.

I really like the industrial qualities you get with these fans, but I'm not seeing anything jaw dropping in terms of sound level. The high speed H model would be the first 2500rpm capable fan that doesn't tick when undervolted though, that's good..:up:

I hope you plan on testing the San Ace 38mm fans at 5v. I think that is where they really shine. I am also curious as to how the Pabst does. I tried it out and 7v was the lowest I could go on it, but man did move some air, not very quiet, but I guess that's the trade off.

Edit: Also, anyway to reorganize the list based on best performance either in noise or CFM?

Having owned several San Ace fans, it's my belief that if any one of them challenges the GT, it'll be the 9S-M model only.

I don't own that one - this is just my prediction based on the other Sanyo Fans I've owned. The Silent series is the only one left to compete, and the M-speed model is the perfect match.

I don't think the undervolted 38mm San Ace fans have great sound quality. They're better than any other fan I've used simply because I cannot hear the tick with the case closed, but they're still not quite up to par with the GT.

When I want more power, however, the 38mm San Ace is king - and that's why I keep them.