120mm Fan Testing on an MCR120 Radiator Round 6

[Martinm210]

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?

Yeah, I'll work on that in the end. I wasn't quite sure the best way to organize, but I figured at least alphabetically. But since they are just links, I could even create an alphabetical followed by some groups. Go ahead and toss out any ideas you might have...I just figured for now I'd get the testing done, then figure out at the end how to arrange/sort it.

[Utnorris]

Well, I run 6 of them currently on PA120.3 rads and at 1500-1600 RPM they are barely noticeable, that's around 7v and that's with my case open. I have had the GT's and while they were quiet, the noise they did make bothered me, not sure why, but they did. I am just curious as to what Martin's tests show. I remember when San Ace fans were considered the "Golden" fan to have, but the selection in fans now is absurd, so I doubt that will still be the case.

[Martinm210]

San Ace 9S1212H4011 25mm High Speed

Special thanks to SeeingRed for sponsoring this fan..

I've always admired the industrial quality the 38mm fans seem to have, so I was pretty excited to see that packaged in a 25mm version. I have yet to test a 38mm fan that doesn't tick to some degree when undervolted, so could it be possible that this will be an ultra high speed fan with San Ace quality and no motor tick when undervolted? Sure is...

NOISE LEVEL
Came in about .5 to 1dbA higher than the yate medium and higher than average compared to the whole pack of fans up to 2000RPM. However in comparison with the previous two 38mm 3000RPM fans the UK3 and PanafloU, it had about the same noise level...about average for an ultra high speed fan.

NOISE QUALITY
Unlike most ultra high speed fans that are typically 38mm in thickness and have annoying motor tick noises when undervolted, this fan is exceptionally smooth for an ultra high speed fan. Overall the noise quality is fairly impressive, you really don't hear any motor noise, it seems the noise all comes from the fan blades themselves in the form of an air/blade/turbulence type noise. I'd say very good noise quality compared to 25mm fans, and exceptional noise quality compared to all other fans capable of 2500RPM. This is the one fan I could see using in ultra high speed 2500RPM and still being happy with the noise quality when undervolted.

OVERALL
While this fan may actually record higher than average noise level numbers, the noise quality is exceptionally good. It would be my first pick so far if looking for a fan with ultra high speed fan performance that needs to undervolt well at the same time. It's sort of a hybrid between your typical 25mm fan and an ultra high speed 38mm fan without the motor tick problems most 38mm fans seem to present.

I give it a thumbs up for being the strongest fan tested so far that has very good noise quality (no motor tick). I'm also going to give it a thumbs up for it's industrial qualities and smooth motor free of any irregularities or resonance issue. I guess I'm just happy to finally have a really strong(2500RPM) fan in the bunch that's smooth down at lower volts.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4IuCb5fLKc







COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR

[Utnorris]

Yeah, I'll work on that in the end. I wasn't quite sure the best way to organize, but I figured at least alphabetically. But since they are just links, I could even create an alphabetical followed by some groups. Go ahead and toss out any ideas you might have...I just figured for now I'd get the testing done, then figure out at the end how to arrange/sort it.

No worries, I just figured this thread will get stickied in the end and it would be nice when doing research to see them in a logical order either based on noise level or performance or both.

[Martinm210]

San Ace 9S1212M401 25mm Medium Speed

Special thanks to the finisher for sponsoring this fan..

The is very similar to the 9S1212H4011 except it turns at a lower speeds.

NOISE LEVEL
It's fairly close to the yate medium, very slightly higher at slower speeds and slightly lower at higher speeds. Relative to the rest of the fans tested so far it's about average.

NOISE QUALITY
I think 4,5,6V was about average and 7-12V was very good. Generally has a good smooth sound without any resonance or motor ticks. The lower volts just had a little roughness compared to the higher range is all, but generally a good smooth sound of air/wind/turbulence for the most part and nothing obvious or sharp like a motor tick or resonance.

OVERALL
It's a very well built industrial quality fan with about average noise level and average to better than average noise quality.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulruOtaHy8g







COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR

[Vampiyer]

Well then, I suppose I'm happy I never invested in the Sanyo Silent series. It's a good thing I'm cheap The performance seems acceptable, but not for that price...

[Martinm210]

Well then, I suppose I'm happy I never invested in the Sanyo Silent series. It's a good thing I'm cheap The performance seems acceptable, but not for that price...

I'm cheap too, and why I ordered the next contender...

[Martinm210]

Yate Loon D12SM12 SWC

This fan was sponsored by RatDog. I made the purchase from my fan fund that he graciously provided me.

All my previous yates had been purchases from Petra's Tech Shop from a while back as it was said that they carried the "Better" yates. This sample was ordered from Sidewinderscomputers (SWC) as a quick test sample, to see if there was any difference between my baseline fan and a new sample from a different store. I have seen some variations in the fan from other stores, such as straight vs curved blades, etc, but I personally never dug any deeper than that...I simply made all my yate purchases from PTS.

When OldChap sponsored the Delta fan (yet to be tested), I figured I'd slip in this sample to save a little on shipping.

I felt it would also be good to just revisit where this fan sits amongst the mass of lines that has developed over the previous 40 or so fans tested in this round.

NOISE LEVEL
Every bit as good as the PTS yate medium I have been using as my calibration check fan between batches of tests. This is a brand new sample and my PTS fan has seen a few tests by now, so any difference here could very well be new vs slightly used. For all practical purposes, the same which is good.

Relative to the mass of fans tested so far, it's about average to better than average.

NOISE QUALITY
Very good smooth sound absent of any obvious motor noises such as ticking or whining. Also not a hint of any resonance or other noise other than simply air movement. Noise quality is always somewhat subjective, but when I listen to the fan and think about the cost of this fan, it's downright impressive. Every other fan in a similar price range has had motor ticking noises, but not this one...it competes with fans many times it's cost.

OVERALL
Without a doubt, the best value ($5.99) fan out there along with the yate SL or slow speed. I'd even take it further than that and say it's right there with the best of the best when used in really slow speed applications of 1000RPM or lower. If it takes 3dbA for the human ear for "Barely Perceptible" change in noise level...it puts this fan right there with many much more costly fans..
I'll give this fan (Yate Loons) a thumbs up for holding the best value fan by a long shot.

This is an OEM fan, there are not any sleeved wires, no screws, no gaskets, no fancy colored packaging, not much of anything....
What you get is one very good fan at an exemplary price..

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tRKxxt45Bs







COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR

[Vapor]

Great to see Sidewinders using their PTS acquisition and maintaining their YL source.

[Martinm210]

Great to see Sidewinders using their PTS acquisition and maintaining their YL source.

I was a bit worried when I saw the different sticker on back and the lack of sticker on the front. I've got the other yates retested last night. I suspect sound levels will be close and the PPCS medium seemed smooth, although I did notice some very small amounts of motor tick coming from the FCPU slow speed. If the check in turned out well, I should be processing those later this week.

[Martinm210]

Nexus Real Silent D12SL-12

Special thanks to QuietMan for sponsoring this fan..

I've always been curious if these are any different than regular yate loons, so it was interesting to give them a try.

NOISE LEVEL
Pretty much spot on match to my medium speed yate from PTS, and a hair higher than my slow speed yate from PTS. Compared to the mass of fans tested so far, noise level was about average.

NOISE QUALITY
Very good, no apparent motor noises or resonance, good throughout. Noise consists of air movement only which is good.

RANGE
The fan is a bit limited in range, starting at 7V only gave me a range of 774-1200RPM

COST
Anywhere from $13 to $20 which is average to high.

OVERALL
I like the black on white looks, but besides the improved color scheme, reduce 12V rpm, and a box with some rubber case mounting nipples, they perform very much like yate loons with a smaller and lower RPM range. . It's a good fan as are yate loons, but higher in cost.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKZxYe7ZeyA







COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR

[MagisD]

Great going martin pretty soon you fan comparison chatted gona look like the northern lights lol

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk

[Church]

Don't know about Nexus Real Silent, but IIRC Nexus Basic were made by Yate Loon.

[Martinm210]

Antec TriCool LED Fan

Special thanks to QuietMan for sponsoring this fan

NOISE LEVEL
It was about 1-2dbA higher than the yate loon medium. Relative to the entire collection of results, produced more noise than average on the radiator.

NOISE QUALITY
Good, no motor ticks or resonance, although it's not entirely wind noise. There is some motor noise present.

RANGE
Good range from 770RPM to 1920RPM which is fairly broad.

OVERALL
Higher than average noise level with good noise quality and good RPM range.

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_PHGonBJ9M

[Martinm210]

FYI,
Batch 7 from last night's testing checked in ok. I got about 9 of the remainder done, a few 25mm thickness fans, then the rest were all 38mm+

Bring on the finger chopper ultra high speeds...

[Martinm210]

Triebwerk TK-122 Mid Speed Fan

Special thanks to AceBaran for sponsoring this fan..

NOISE LEVEL
Very good, particularly at higher speeds. It was roughly matching the yate medium at it's lowest 4V setting improves to about 2dbA lower than the yate medium at the upper end with the exception of a resonance bump at 9V. Relative to the mass of fans tested so far, the noise level is a fair amount better than average and leading at the 2000RPM level.

NOISE QUALITY
Variable. I think it has good noise quality at higher speeds, but I do hear a little motor noise at lower volts and there is one small resonance bump picked up at 9V on this particular test setup. It is probably the best 38mm or wider fan tested so far. Because this fan has a smaller than typical hub, it seems to sound more like a 25mm fan motor than that of a large hub 38mm fan and has less of an issue with motor tick than most 38mm fans do at lower volts.

FEATURES
This fan was specifically made for water coolers, so it has a fair number of features worthy of note. The rubber mounting system is exceptionally good and completely isolates the fan from hard surfaces including the screw. The noiseblocker S3 was the only other fan to incorporate a system quite this good. The fan also has a built in shroud for pull condition, a special daisy chain feature for connecting more than one fan without all the cable mess, and M3 and M4 screws. My only complaint is no 6-32 screws for radiators like the MCR120. The fan also has a metal wire frame and a cone shaped hub nose which should all help reduce the dead spot on radiators.

RANGE
Very good range, starts up at 4V or 830RPM and runs clear up to 2010RPM, so lots of RPM options.

THICKNESS
This could be good or bad, depending on your needs and preferences. I personally like the looks of the extra thickness for external setup, but this could also be a limiting factor on many internal setups where space is at a premium. At 55mm, it's over double your normal 25mm thickness fan.

VISUAL
I do like the looks of this fan. Probably my favorite looking fan, just because it's so unique and massive.

COST
At $19 each at SWC, they are definitely a high cost fan, although there are several other fans that cost even more.

OVERALL
A very good noise level fan particularly at higher speeds, with a very good 800-2000RPM range, variable noise quality, lots of unique features, and high cost.

I'll give the fan a thumbs up for it's mounting system, daisy chain feature..and it's 2000RPM low noise level/quality..

VIDEO LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SXQ7QPHwU8








COMPARED TO ALL FANS TESTED SO FAR

[Church]

Wonders didn't happen, and myth of triebwerk winning over GT is debunked. Good fan, bet runs similar to pack of others, and GTs still are the only ones that leave rest in dust.

[Boulard83]

I own both, GTs on my MCR320 and TK122 on my TFC360.

Both fans are very silent and give very good airflow trough radiator. TK122 are really thick but nothing to prevent me from using them

Nice review Martin ! Again .. your awesome !

TK122 / 25mm shroud / TFC360

[Church]

Ouch, already thick as is triebwerks with additional shrouds? I always thought of them like kind of fans with built in srouds. BTW, i suggest you to check performance with and without shrouds, as IIRC optimal height of shroud was 30mm .. in your case it's closer to 40 if you count in fan's own "shroud" part. It might be that you'll get less then expected gains from these shrouds except making rad sandwitch even thicker.

And i never claimed that triebwerks are bad fans (they are among better ones in that "middle" crowd) .. just that GTs are better . +Even with GTs on push-pull resulting fan-rad sandwich will be less thick then rad with single row of triebwerks.

[Manicdan]

+Even with GTs on push-pull resulting fan-rad sandwich will be less thick then rad with single row of triebwerks.

this is a good point, even 2x cheep yates at lower fan speeds resulting in more airflow through a rad might prove to be better than this monster. (didnt he test push/pull earlier?)

it does look nice though, too bad the perf is just the same as the rest.

[Boulard83]

Both are excellent .. trieb and GTs. The Trieb/TF360 was cooling a SLI GTX460 @ 885mhz + a GTS450 @ 965mhz and my delta room/water after several hours of gaming was ~6°c with the trieb at 1100rpm. The setup is very silent.

Im now waiting for the GTX580 blocs and im gona cool these with the Trieb/TFC.

Also, like Martin said, i really like the "monster" look of these fans. They are so thick... Even a 38mm fan look small next to it.

[Boulard83]

refreshed ... dbl post .. sry !

[Church]

Boulard83: i've seen just too often asked "which rad is thin enough but not too high finned, i cannot fit full thickness one" type of questions to count 55mm thickness of fan as more of a drawback then advantage. IF triebwerk had managed to pull off better performance or same performance but at lower price then GT, then maybe few flaws could be easier forgiven. I might be wrong, but imho for 2/3 of LC crowd performance might matter more then looks, otherwise you'd see less builds with GTs, more with miscellaneous colored fans with LEDs.

[Boulard83]

Yes, im FAR from telling that GT's are bad ... loll ... as you can see i have GT's !!! Stop playing the GT fanboy

In my particular case, testbed, the thickness of the fan are far from an issue and i was tempted to test the trieb.

+, At the time when i buyed the trieb, they were 50% off and GT's were hard to find ...

This was with the 2xGTX460/1xGTS450

[AceBaran]

Good job on the triebs Martin

Tnx for doing these tests on so many fans.. Great work