26 120mm Fans Tested and Compared

[Vapor]

What will be in this post is voltage v. CFM 'curve,' size, flanging, subjective noise opinions, minimum running voltage, and anything else that you may need to know about the fan Working on it slowly after frustratingly losing it....

Yate Loon SL
Size: 120x120x25
Flanging: closed
Subjective Noise: overall very quiet, undervolts nicely. No weird noises when undervolted or on PWM.
Minimum running voltage: 2.5V
Notes: very inexpensive fan....hard to argue with.


Thermaltake Silent Wheel 130mm
Size: 120x120x25, though the frame is extra large, taking up 130x130x25
Flanging: one-sided
Subjective Noise: overall very quiet but makes a low click at all voltages, mostly audible only when undervolted....happens with both a resistor-only setup and PWM. Somewhat high pitched all things considered.
Minimum running voltage: 2.6V
Notes: has the same motor and rotor as the TTBT stock fan. Open sides and large housing restrict its use.


Scythe heatsink stock fan
Size: 120x120x25
Flanging: open
Subjective Noise: has a constant low hum....not noticable in a case. Otherwise very quiet
Minimum running voltage: 2.5V
Notes: Has a blue RPM sense wire....kinda cool


Thermaltake Big Typhoon stock fan
Size: 120x120x25
Flanging: closed
Subjective Noise: quiet, but kinda high pitched compared to other fans.
Minimum running voltage: 2.5V
Notes: nothing really...


Lian Li non-ADDA fan
Size: 120x120x25
Flanging: open
Subjective Noise: progressive voltage scaling, no extraneous noise on a resistor. With PWM, it makes a LOUD click when throttled....avoid using on PWM as much as possible.
Minimum running voltage: 2.5V
Notes: Never actually gets silent...:-/ I'll be honest and say I don't like this fan much.


Noctua 1200
Size: 120x120x25
Flanging: open
Subjective Noise: Quite quiet. What noise there is is actually a lower pitched noise than a typical fan, which helps make it 'seem' quieter than it is as well....
Minimum running voltage: 2.75V
Notes: Quiet only buys so much when the blade design is grossly inefficient.


Silverstone FN121
Size: 120x120x25
Flanging: closed
Subjective Noise: Extremely quiet. No extraneous noises....very impressive acousitically. Also dead silent at 7V (only fan to claim that in the first batch).
Minimum running voltage: 2.7V
Notes: Loses a step against the Yate with radiator CFM....but CPU temps are also much better than the Yate. This is my pick for the best low speed fan if your budget can afford it.


Akasa Amber
Size: 120x120x25
Flanging: open
Subjective Noise: makes a low groan at all voltages....doesn't exactly undervolt as well as the competition.
Minimum running voltage: 3.69V
Notes: Color scheme may be attactive to some.