26 120mm Fans Tested and Compared

[kuhla]

Sooo......

....none of the silverstones are reccomended anymore.
....there is better than the Yates at the same dBA.
....the Papsts are literally impossible to find.
....and I think the Sharkoons are kinda ugly.

What fan (which can also be undervolted) should be reccomended now?

[Spanki]

Sooo......

....none of the silverstones are reccomended anymore.
....there is better than the Yates at the same dBA.
....the Papsts are literally impossible to find.
....and I think the Sharkoons are kinda ugly.

What fan (which can also be undervolted) should be reccomended now?

Those ugly Sharkoons

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

Anyone have any experience with running sunon fans and undervolting them?

http://www.petrastechshop.com/12x38sukddob.html

[amandpm]

Just browsing the Internet and found this old post from 01/04/2002 called "big List of 120mm X 120mm 12V fans" I thought it was interesting as a mini reference.

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/6/ub...5&m=6160914243

[CyberDruid]

I am having great results with the San Ace 1011 undervolted...very nice pressure for a rad.

[kuhla]

Those ugly Sharkoons

But seriously now.....

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.

.....you really wouldn't recommend the FN121 anymore as the best low-speed fan? I was going to get the FN121s and then 7v mod them but I've changed my mind now.

I could get something medium speed and then I would probably 5v mod it. I had hoped that the FN122s would turn out well since they seemed exactly like what I wanted but then Vapor reported his results and I lost hope. Now I don't know what to get

[Vapor]

I would trust any of Petra's Yate Loons or Scythe S-Flexes or the Zalman FM3 (or w/e it's called) or any Sanyo Denki....basically, my round 2 has a bunch of 'winners' that beat or tie my best round 1 fans.

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

I am having great results with the San Ace 1011 undervolted...very nice pressure for a rad.

Thanks. I'm considering the 108cfm sunon fan from petra's. It looks like a winner. These experiments with fans have made me so anal about what constitutes a good fan and what doesn't.


To Vapor:

When do you think you'll get around to posting the stats on the winners?

Just knowing that there's a lot of winners has me giggling like a little school girl.

[Volkswagen]

Vapor so you reccomend the Zalman ZM F3 Fans ? Whats your tought on them?

[Vapor]

Thanks. I'm considering the 108cfm sunon fan from petra's. It looks like a winner. These experiments with fans have made me so anal about what constitutes a good fan and what doesn't.


To Vapor:

When do you think you'll get around to posting the stats on the winners?

Just knowing that there's a lot of winners has me giggling like a little school girl.

I'd avoid Sunon....I've never had a fan of theirs that was quiet at any setting. Both the 38mm and 25mm versions sold at places like PTS and PPCs have this 'issue.' Cathar has noted the same thing. Frankly, I don't believe silence/quiet is any sort of priority of theirs. They're quality fans, but they're just never quiet at any voltage.

I'll get around to posting data sometime, still not done collecting tbh (bit off more than I could chew, ran into a technical difficulty about a month ago that made me restart, and am just apathetic to it now [the fans I mentioned above are all winners in my book, and I don't think I'll find any more tbh]).

Vapor so you reccomend the Zalman ZM F3 Fans ? Whats your tought on them?

Yes, it's a very good fan. Mine has a really nice sweetspot at 1800RPM (12V) where it makes almost no extra noise over 1600RPM (which is also very quiet for the airflow, definitely among the best) but pushes a good 10-15% more air. Above ~6V it's a 'very good' to 'excellent' fan but down to 5V and below I'd only rate it as 'good.' Definitely a good fan to recommend. Comes with good rubber screws too.

[cantankerous]

Yes, it's a very good fan. Mine has a really nice sweetspot at 1800RPM (12V) where it makes almost no extra noise over 1600RPM (which is also very quiet for the airflow, definitely among the best) but pushes a good 10-15% more air. Above ~6V it's a 'very good' to 'excellent' fan but down to 5V and below I'd only rate it as 'good.' Definitely a good fan to recommend. Comes with good rubber screws too.

I have never heard much about this Zalman fan. Who is the manufacturer exactly? I am wondering what your thoughts and opinions are on this fan when compared to a Scythe S-Flex F fan? I am wanting something higher than 1600rpm to act as a center fan for my TJ09 to replace the crappy stock fan. How do you think the Zalman would hold up in such an application? Should I get it over the Scythe for performance and noise? It will be hooked up to my Sunbeam Rheobus to be turned down when my video card doesn't need to be cooled as much. I understand this is a sleeve fan and lying them on their back is a big no no for performance so I will not be using these for the top two blow hole spots but would it be ok if placed vertically in the center fan location?

Thanks as usual to Vapor and Ars3 for all their help on this thread and various pm's I have sent over the past few weeks.

[Ar3s]

Like i told you before I used the yate loon d12sm in that intake slot. So the over priced scythe s-flex f fan should bloody well do better if not its burning your money.

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

I'd avoid Sunon....I've never had a fan of theirs that was quiet at any setting. Both the 38mm and 25mm versions sold at places like PTS and PPCs have this 'issue.' Cathar has noted the same thing. Frankly, I don't believe silence/quiet is any sort of priority of theirs. They're quality fans, but they're just never quiet at any voltage.

I'll get around to posting data sometime, still not done collecting tbh (bit off more than I could chew, ran into a technical difficulty about a month ago that made me restart, and am just apathetic to it now [the fans I mentioned above are all winners in my book, and I don't think I'll find any more tbh]).

Yes, it's a very good fan. Mine has a really nice sweetspot at 1800RPM (12V) where it makes almost no extra noise over 1600RPM (which is also very quiet for the airflow, definitely among the best) but pushes a good 10-15% more air. Above ~6V it's a 'very good' to 'excellent' fan but down to 5V and below I'd only rate it as 'good.' Definitely a good fan to recommend. Comes with good rubber screws too.

Thanks. If its that simple (never is), I'll just look at all the available fans you mentioned and pick the best one of the bunch. I like the prospect of the cheap yates, but 102.5cfm @ 39 db for a sanyo is insane good imo and warrants the price. I'm a cheap bastard and would rather spend 15 on 3 yates, but if these sanyo are that good, i'll spend 60. Its worth it for a good night's sleep.

[CyberDruid]

I currently have a pair of the Sanyo 1011 in a Lian Li 7A Plus II pushing/pulling through a ThermoChill PA 160. I am using a (gasp) Silverstone fan controller which keeps them running at very low speed..at lowest the fans have distinctive click. Slightly above low the fans are very quiet...much less obnoxious than many I have tried.

I like having the option of turning them all the way up...but 99% of the time they run as slowly as possible.

Vapor: I have a question about Panaflo 86.5 used push pull for a rad set up (the Monolith standalone I am building) I will go through your latest works again and see if I can find your comments on these. At $6 each they are certainly attractive price wise.

[cantankerous]

Like i told you before I used the yate loon d12sm in that intake slot. So the over priced scythe s-flex f fan should bloody well do better if not its burning your money.

I understand the S-Flex will do just fine especially when compared to the stock fan. What I wanted to know is how the cheaper Zalman fan compares since it has now been mentioned by Vapor and I know he has tested both. Without data being released on both from him I can only go by his opinion after testing the two. I was going to get the S-Flex hands down however, at $5 cheaper and 200rpm more the Zalman may now be a wise choice if I hear it as so from Vapor after his testing is complete.

[Vapor]

I have never heard much about this Zalman fan. Who is the manufacturer exactly? I am wondering what your thoughts and opinions are on this fan when compared to a Scythe S-Flex F fan? I am wanting something higher than 1600rpm to act as a center fan for my TJ09 to replace the crappy stock fan. How do you think the Zalman would hold up in such an application? Should I get it over the Scythe for performance and noise? It will be hooked up to my Sunbeam Rheobus to be turned down when my video card doesn't need to be cooled as much. I understand this is a sleeve fan and lying them on their back is a big no no for performance so I will not be using these for the top two blow hole spots but would it be ok if placed vertically in the center fan location?

Thanks as usual to Vapor and Ars3 for all their help on this thread and various pm's I have sent over the past few weeks.

Xinruilian manufacturers it....seems like a high quality fan and definitely performs. I recommend it above the S-Flex, but only if you plan to run it above 6ish volts. They are sleeve bearings, but that's a long-term 'defect' and it does not show in all fans. I'm not sure the extra 200RPM is that crucial over guaranteed long-term reliability of an S-Flex in that position though....stick with the Zalman for the front and S-Flexes for the blowholes.

Thanks. If its that simple (never is), I'll just look at all the available fans you mentioned and pick the best one of the bunch. I like the prospect of the cheap yates, but 102.5cfm @ 39 db for a sanyo is insane good imo and warrants the price. I'm a cheap bastard and would rather spend 15 on 3 yates, but if these sanyo are that good, i'll spend 60. Its worth it for a good night's sleep.

The San Aces in my testing were in a league of their own....had to test multiple fans and retest a few times to finally settle on the fact that the data is real. They're in a league of their own much like the Delta GHB is, they just provide great CFM/RPM and very low dBA/RPM. Undervolting to anything at or above 5V is very 'clean' on all of mine.

I currently have a pair of the Sanyo 1011 in a Lian Li 7A Plus II pushing/pulling through a ThermoChill PA 160. I am using a (gasp) Silverstone fan controller which keeps them running at very low speed..at lowest the fans have distinctive click. Slightly above low the fans are very quiet...much less obnoxious than many I have tried.

I like having the option of turning them all the way up...but 99% of the time they run as slowly as possible.

Vapor: I have a question about Panaflo 86.5 used push pull for a rad set up (the Monolith standalone I am building) I will go through your latest works again and see if I can find your comments on these. At $6 each they are certainly attractive price wise.

That's the Panaflo M1 I have in my tests. It's a good fan for sure, but the NMB-MAT motors, in my experience, are great for only higher RPMs. When they drop into the 'quiet' category (<1200RPM), they make more noise than their competitors, and it's bumpy/clicky/etc annoying noises. I've found this to be true over (at least these figures, I may have had more awhile ago) 2 L1s, 6 M1s, 4 H1s, 3 U1s, and the various Scythe offerings (even the 1100RPM and 1600RPM offerings exude excess noises). The only reason why Scythe sells them is for their super-high MTBF rating (IMO).

I understand the S-Flex will do just fine especially when compared to the stock fan. What I wanted to know is how the cheaper Zalman fan compares since it has now been mentioned by Vapor and I know he has tested both. Without data being released on both from him I can only go by his opinion after testing the two. I was going to get the S-Flex hands down however, at $5 cheaper and 200rpm more the Zalman may now be a wise choice if I hear it as so from Vapor after his testing is complete.

The Zalman is the better fan for the airflow levels you want. It's a sleeve bearing, and if running those horizontal long-term is not something you want to potentially risk or deal with, run some S-Flexes there.

[cantankerous]

Thanks a ton for the response as usual Eric, very much appreciated. I plan on getting the Zalman now over the S-Flex for the vertically standing center fan location. The extra airflow over the S-Flex should be great for cooling the video card and to get some extra air blowing over the mobo/chipsets. As long as undervolts well and isn't noisy it sounds like a great fan especially being 5$ cheaper than the S-Flex. I will get one for now and wait till Scythe comes with their 1900rpm variant of the S-Flex in September for my top two blow holes. Since the San Ace seems to be doing so well I plan on replacing the 3 panaflo's in my system with these due to their good behaviour when undervolted.

Wondering however, can you fit two 38mm fit nicely on an Ultra-120 extreme, one suck and one blow and not have it be too big or heavy on the heatsink? I plan on getting this heatsink with my upcoming build and was going to put my two H1A in this position but may get the San Ace instead if I can use them on the heatsink without issues while still maintaining one for my rear exhaust.

[Soulburner]

Not much mention of the Panaflo L1A...68cfm at 30db is pretty impressive if their ratings are accurate. I've had one on my CPU for a couple of years now and when I unplug my case fans, its near silence. The thing is though it doesn't seem to move much air despite its 68cfm rating.

I'm looking for something that can move more air. Seems the Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000 may be the way to go. That with some Zalman ZM-F3 case fans would make a good setup. Anyone disagree?

These are all "case fans" but I don't see why that makes a difference. What determines its labeling as a case fan or heatsink fan anyway? Directional vs spread out airflow?

[cantankerous]

from reading the specs on the San Ace fan here:

http://www.thermalfx.com/merchant2/m...=109R1212H1011

it mentions the operating range being from 10.2v to 13.8v. Can this not be turned down to still run at 7v? Will it even properly start up if set to 7v on my Sunbeam Rheobus during system power up?

[Soulburner]

Well I have 1 Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000 120mm and 2 Zalman ZM-F3 120mm fans on the way from Performance PCs. These will be going in a build for my family.

1x Zalman ZM-F3 Intake
1x Zalman ZM-F3 Exhaust
1x Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000 for the Thermalright SI-128

I am hoping the Zalmans beat out the stock case fans that came with the NZXT Apollo (which do seem decent) and the Panaflo L1A that I have on the CPU now. If so the stock fans will be delegated to RAM cooling.

If I like what I find I will be getting more of the Zalmans for my own build with the NZXT Zero.

On my system I have the Enzotech Ultra-X going in to handle an E6850. The specs of this fan seem close to the Sharkoon:

Delta Fan AFB1212H-F00
Dimension (L x W x H) 120x120x25.4mm
Speed 1200~2500 RPM
Noise 24.5~38.5 dB-A
Air Flow 35.8~82.67 CFM
Voltage 12VDC . 0.35A
Connector Molex 2695- 3 Wire
Bearing Type 2-Ball

Is this fan any good and how close of a performer would it be to the Sharkoon?

[~aoe~]

On my system I have the Enzotech Ultra-X going in to handle an E6850. The specs of this fan seem close to the Sharkoon:

Delta Fan AFB1212H-F00
Dimension (L x W x H) 120x120x25.4mm
Speed 1200~2500 RPM
Noise 24.5~38.5 dB-A
Air Flow 35.8~82.67 CFM
Voltage 12VDC . 0.35A
Connector Molex 2695- 3 Wire
Bearing Type 2-Ball

Is this fan any good and how close of a performer would it be to the Sharkoon?

I've just installed the Enzotech Ultra-X on my backup system (Opteron 170 @ 2.65GHz) and am very happy with the performance. Temps are equal to or better than the Scythe Infinity dual fan (push-pull) setup I had previously.

I did replace the supplied Delta fan with a Scythe S-Flex SFF21F (1600 rpm) due to comments made on this review. Never tried the supplied Delta fan due to the reported high noise levels. If I can find the time, I'll drop the Delta in and see how it performs in comparison.

[apexracing]

I've got a Delta 120x38mm 2000rpm model as the exhaust fan on my P182, it's rated for 34db though that seems overrated. Closer to 31-32db, I think. No sort of nasty buzz or hum from it, just the smooth sound of airflow.

As a 38mm fan, it has higher static pressure, which is exactly what you need in a heatsink with tightly-packed fins.

For those interested, it's a Delta EFB1212LE. I picked mine up from PPCs, although sidewindercomputers has it cheaper.

[Soulburner]

Yeah if the Delta ends up being too loud I'll replace it with a Silent Eagle.

[PhilDoc]

Anyone have any experience with running sunon fans and undervolting them?

http://www.petrastechshop.com/12x38sukddob.html

I'm using a Sunon as the pull for the Ultra-120 X I'm using at the moment. Running the 12V rail at 13V. Dont know what you want to know, but it's not having any problems. It out performs the 1600 rpm scythe I was using. Lol, my mistake, read it as overvolting. The noise is hardly noticable. If you want loud try a 4000 rpm delta. Some people are just very sensitive to any noise. But to answer your real question, it shouldn't be any problem undervolting any fan and as the rpm's drop so would the noise

[CyberDruid]

from reading the specs on the San Ace fan here:

http://www.thermalfx.com/merchant2/m...=109R1212H1011

it mentions the operating range being from 10.2v to 13.8v. Can this not be turned down to still run at 7v? Will it even properly start up if set to 7v on my Sunbeam Rheobus during system power up?

Yes they will.

The San Ace 1011 fans I have will start at lowest setting on the Silverstone and Sunbeam controller(7V) (I have both/tested both)

On my new project I will be using a Mean Well PSU so getting sweet volts will be no longer be an issue--and over-volting is a great option for Xtreme cooling

Just hoping the Sonex lined enclosure eliminates/dampens the clicking of the fans I chose. I'll be using isolation mounts too so excitation should not be an issue...

Thanks for the response Vapor! This is an invaluable resource!

CyberDruid