26 120mm Fans Tested and Compared

[Vapor]

vassalle...based on the SL, I'd bet the SM and SH are pretty good fans. The blade geometry is slightly different in the SH IIRC, but that's probably because it's a higher speed fan, and one blade design isn't 'right' for all speeds.

However, if the SM and the SL are based on the same basic design, I'm skeptical about it's 70CFM. The SL at ~1320RPM pushed ~46CFM, so I don't see a bump to 1650RPM pushing 70CFM. The designs could very well be different however.

For your PSU....I believe it comes with a black FM121 (the Evercool version....exact same specs, but CFM ratings are much more sane ). If you're at its loud point, that means you're probably putting a decent load on the PSU...meaning you'll need another moderately fast fan. One thing about the FM121 is that at 8V, it's practically not spinning....unlike all other high speed fans. So any different fan you put in, will be louder at idle....but being quieter at load. A fan that's strong on a radiator is what you're looking for here

[vassalle]

I would love to try out the SM or SL (although with dodgy CFM ratings) but unfortunately there's not a single retailer here in Malaysia that brings the yates.

I still havent open my PSU yet to check for the fan, but from a review done by SPCR here, it says that the fan is actually an ADDA 12cm fan with 0.44amp, no specs on the CFM though. the fan has those clicking sound which annoys me the most, especially because my PC is located rite beside my bed.

Anyway, thanks for your recommendation. Shall study the graphs again to choose a suitable candidate for the fan swap. Very much appreciate your help.

[Cronos]

All three of my M1s perform exactly the same. My three H1s and two U1s also perform exactly the same. All but one of my Panaflos are NMB-MATs.

The fans just don't seem to undervolt particularly well.

Thank you.
I am choosing between Papst and Sharkoon then for radiators.
From your subjective experience, which one sounds "better", has more bearable tone at high and medium speed? Which one would you choose?
Also, the sharkoon is 4$ more expensive and i need 10 of either one

[Cronos]

Everyone have a look:
http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl=...language_tools

[Altered]

Everyone have a look:
http://66.249.93.104/translate_c?hl=...language_tools

Thats all I can do ... I cant read a word thats not English or a foul slang of it.

Interpreter?

[Sparky]

Thats all I can do ... I cant read a word thats not English or a foul slang of it.

Interpreter?

Google translator FTW
Not perfect but at least readable.

[Vapor]

Arctic cooling 12....added to the list.

What exactly constituted the "ergonomics" score? Why did the Sharkoon 1000 do so well but the 2000 finished last? Power draw I'm guessing?

I kinda wish they just had a graph instead of this weird scoring algorithm....quiet fans get killed in it because it's a dB/CFM ratio and their ambient was ~31dB.

I do like that testing though if it's repeatable....cool something in a chamber is a good idea.

[mdmbkr]

I ordered one each of the Golf Ball 2000 and the Pabst. They both seem nice enough, although the Pabst feels like a higher quality unit. The Golf Ball states it's a sleeve bearing fan. Any opinions regarding the longevity of these fans?

[serialk11r]

Arctic cooling 12....added to the list.

What exactly constituted the "ergonomics" score? Why did the Sharkoon 1000 do so well but the 2000 finished last? Power draw I'm guessing?

I kinda wish they just had a graph instead of this weird scoring algorithm....quiet fans get killed in it because it's a dB/CFM ratio and their ambient was ~31dB.

I do like that testing though if it's repeatable....cool something in a chamber is a good idea.

LOL CFM/dBA ratio actually works the other way around: the "worse" the ratio, the quieter the fan!!! LMAO
Its funny how people actually fall for the "CFM/db ratio" thing, decibels are LOGARITHMIC LOL. So the delta fan that has "the best cfm/db ratio in the industry" actually is the loudest, being 3000 times louder than a yate loon low speed fan but pumping only 5 times the air.

[spider_d]

Serialk11r, you've missed the point of the logarithmic scaling of the dB scale. The reason for this is that we don't perceive the Delta as being 3000 times louder then yate loons. So there is no point in saying it, because loud is perceptual, and dB is an intensity scale.

[Vapor]

Exactly, perception is what's key here. The scale is logarithmic in order to quasi-linearize it to what we hear....but everyone's perception is different (and ever changing). This is one reason why a CFM/dB ratio is not applicable. (neither is a non-logarithmic scale)

That said, since ambient in a very quiet room is ~20dB, saying 50CFM at 30dB is a better ratio than 25CFM at below-ambient noise levels is also preposterous. This is where high speed fans 'win'

The few things that matter, IMO....are:
1) maxing out fan performance for how much noise do you desire/require
2) minimizing noise for an amount of performance you desire/require
3) have flexibility in fan performance (undervolting for 24/7 and 12V for benching)

Based on these points is how I organized my data. Each datapoint is at 1V increments so it's easy to count down from 12V and compare. Also for this reason, I have not declared a 'winner.' The data, IMO, speaks largely for itself.

There are a few cases where I'd personally use a lower performance fan, however. If I needed a lot of fans for not a lot of money....Yate Loons. Some situations need easy manipulation of voltage.....say if at 7V (very easy to wire up w/o a rheobus) I want to hear nothing, a Silverstone FN121 would be necessary (and not a bad choice anyway).

[spider_d]

Excellent post, I currently have 5 Silverstone FN121, 2 Noctua S12-1200, and 2 92mm silverstone fans (Don't know model) spinning within 4 feet of my head. With the 92mm fans at 60%, the Noctua with the ULNA, and the Silverstones turned down(don't know how much) I can't hear anything above a whisper from the HD and the odd gurgle from the Water. Love it!

I can't wait for my Papsts fans to arrive tomorrow and then I can get them on the Rad and see what happens.

[whitebrow]

What are the opinions on the blue LED yates? It seems they should be as good as the normal SL's but you never know. What experiences have you guys had with them?

[Andrew LB]

I'd rather save my system from frying than buying all this fans made by relatively new comers to the market especially when I purchased my 8 Panaflo M1A fans back a whole 6 years ago and they have ran quietly, smoothly, and without a single burnt motor, chipped blade, bad bearing, or any other such nonsense.

Keep in mind the only time these 8 original fans were EVER shut off was because of the occasional blasting out of my computer case with my air compressor or the occasional upgrade. Temps are cool, decibels are completely under control, and in the end, i've never had a singe problem with overheating as these fans run 24/7 for over 360 days out of each year.


When i see these other cheap brand fans put to tests like what i've put mine through and still survive without issue..... i may consider buying something like a set of Pabst fans. Till then..... i wouldn't spend a dime on new brands of fans with outrageous claims of longevity, cfm/rpm/dbA ratio until they pass real tests.

Goodnight.

-Andew

[Cronos]

I have looked over the graphs again and it seems that Delta triple-blade SHE is very interesting option. It scales well to the acceptable noise level but also provides an option for very high airflow. Seems to be very good choice. I'd like to see everyone's opinion about this fan, especially Vapor's.
There is low-rpm LE version which can be an ultimate option.

[mdmbkr]

Pabst is not a newcomer.

[C'DaleRider]

Pabst is not a newcomer.

Yeah...I had to laugh myself when I read the "these other cheap brand fans put to tests like what i've put mine through and still survive without issue..... i may consider buying something like a set of Pabst fans. Till then..... i wouldn't spend a dime on new brands of fans with outrageous claims of longevity, cfm/rpm/dbA ratio until they pass real tests." post above.

Guess he thinks Papst, and it's NOT Pabst...that's a beer......is a cheap, new on the market fan. Think he'd be very surprised to find out Papst was making fans before Panasonic ever considered doing that. Papst makes air movement solutions for business sectors including IT & Telecomm, HVAC, Refrigeration, Gas & Heating, Household Appliances, Industrial, Drive Systems, Automotive & Rail Technology, Medical, and more.....and have been doing it for decades.

And while our computer fans are sourced out of Europe, ebmpapst is headquartered in Farmington, CT, has a dedicated and complete air testing lab in their hq site.....a hq that is over 250K sq. ft. in size.....and make thousands and thousands of different types and kinds of fans and other air moving devices.

[ZilverPhish]

What´s the exact name on that performance
high speed Delta brand fan that according to this test was best for Cpu cooling ?

Exellent test btw I love statistics and diagrams as much as the next guy (if not more)

[Rava6e]

I dont see much mention of the golfball in the replys, but aint it the best low-noise fan around? Might buy some 2000s and undervolt them to leave headroom if i wanna go for higher RPM. They dont act up when you undervolt them or anything? Kinda miss them in the first part where you, vapor, tell us a bit about some of the fans Anyway thanks for the nice test, good work ^^

[mdmbkr]

I bought one each of the golfball and the paPst (thank you C'Dale) about two weeks ago and have been running them as case fans.

My impression of the papst is that it's a very high quality fan. The golfball doesn't feel cheap either, but I do worry about its sleeve bearing.

The two fans can get noisy in different situations. The papst will get noisy if I mount it on the front of my case, and the golfball will get noisy if I mount it on the rear of the case, but if I switch them around they seem a lot happier. My best guess is that the mouting positions create different distances between the fan and the honeycomb grilles on the case. The case is an Antec SLK3700BQE with the airflow reversed (exhaust out the front).

Both fans undervolt fine, although my crap vantec controller only drops to 7V.

[Sparky]

Three more fans for possible testing in the next batch?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185028

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185029

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185030

All three are Minebea NMB (marketed by Scythe), in order from quietest to loudest according to the ratings. Each one is $13.99 though. Just a thought.

[JacobF]

Nice I recently went through many fans as well to find the perfect match Finally decided on some Yate Loon D12SH's and SL's

[RealTelstar]

Arctic cooling 12....added to the list.

When do you think to do the next test batch?
this AC is cheap and I can find it locally. My case fans are old (5 years) and I'm planning to replace em all...

[Vapor]

When do you think to do the next test batch?
this AC is cheap and I can find it locally. My case fans are old (5 years) and I'm planning to replace em all...

Hmmmm, good question.

I need to finish up post #2 and return the fans that aren't mine and then plan for round 2, probably won't have it up for at least a month though.

[whitebrow]

What are the opinions on the blue LED yates? It seems they should be as good as the normal SL's but you never know. What experiences have you guys had with them?

Still wondering what you guys think about these.

I'm probably going to order an Ultra 120 extreme when petra's gets them and I think I'm going to throw some LED SL's in as well. I'd like to know that I'm not buying inferior yates .