XS Fan Review - Part 2

[Vapor]

No responses?

No results then

[Darkatom]

Noooooooooo, plz post .

[g1raffe]

Post some results or else!

[zepper]

Yeah, gimmee some sneaky peekies... How about your subjective impressions on the C-M fans you're testing there Vapor?

.bh.

[cabbspapp]

Post them up!

[Vapor]

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...03#post3105703

If you don't read it, please don't ask questions. I know there will be good questions asked and I'll be happy to answer them...but bad/dumb questions I have little patience for after I write 2000 words.

[Battle_Rattle]

Very impressed with the Zalman ZM-F3.... and I have had a ton of fans... S-Flex and yates included

[gillbot]

I like my Sunon fans, though they are not the 3.2W but 7.0W versions.
KDE1212PMS1-6A

[zepper]

How come no one is reading or commenting on the parts of the big fan roundup No. 3 that have been posted? Not much action in the analysis and testing on filters and grills thread either. Hows about a bit less lethargy gang - I know it's summer and all...

.bh.

[Judaeus Apella]

I'd like to know where the hell to get a San Ace 1011. I can't find one anywhere, even with google! *gasp!*

[zepper]

JA, you have mail... And a guy (not me or anyone I know of) on fleaBay has seven left of the two wire (no speed sensor) version (-1021) at $26. shipped. They've been there for the longest time (started at Q10).

.bh.

[zepper]

Hi, I just bought a bunch of these 120x120x38mm Sanyo Denki San Ace thermally controlled fans. Can I disable the thermal mechanism in any way? Would simply connecting them to a rheobus overwrite the thermal control?

I generally just short across the thermistor by tack-soldering a small piece of wire across its leads. I've done that on a couple of NMB and Vantec TC fans.

.bh.

[craigbru]

Hey guys, I needed to replace one of my San Ace 1011's, so the search was on... If price isn't a concern, I found 2 sources that have stock.

http://www.calhountech.com/search/in...=109R1212H1011

http://www.jpcparts.com/109R1212H1011.html

[cyberspyder]

Hey guys, I needed to replace one of my San Ace 1011's, so the search was on... If price isn't a concern, I found 2 sources that have stock.

http://www.calhountech.com/search/in...=109R1212H1011

http://www.jpcparts.com/109R1212H1011.html

Ouch ....ebay Netfinity 7000 fans...cheaper that way. Also, see if you can get Supermicro to sell you their hot swap fans off their cases...IIRC they also use San Aces.

[JaYp146]

OP, having tested Scythe Slipstream fans myself, I STRONGLY suggest you review them.

SPCR has reviewed them to be some of the best airflow/noise ratio'ed fans on the market (if not THE best), and I myself have been extremely impressed with the 1600 and 1200 RPM Slipstreams I'm currently using.

And no, I don't work for Scythe.

[zepper]

Craigbru et al.,

There are still 7, new units of the two-wire version (1021) and one used 1011 on the Bay for reasonable prices.

.bh.

[cyberspyder]

FYI, many of the 120mm x 38mm are the same...with a minor change in model number.

[muaddib]

This is an amazing review, thanks!
I was wondering - what is undervolting, and why is it beneficial?
And since this review deals with 120mm fans only, is there a recommendation for a 80mm one?
Is it reasonable to assume that if a company makes a superb 1200mm fan, that company's 80mm version, if exists, would be of equal quality?
If that's the case, I'll get the ZM-1F which is available here.

[zepper]

"Undervolting" in PCs is a term usually applied to running the CPU at a lower voltage than normal to cut down on power use and waste heat, often in hopes of reducing noise as well as perhaps being able to get by on passive CPU cooling for no noise from that source at all. Another goal is to still have enough power to do your normal apps and get those heat/noise benefits as well.
. I'm not sure what it would apply to re. fans as reducing fan voltage as a means to reduce noise is a time-honored tradition by now. Many cases and most mobos now contain some type of fan control tech. Using the 7-volt trick (+12V line to fan pos and +5V line to fan neg or ground lead gives you 7V across the fan, but only works well and safely on low current, aka high resistance, fans). Only linear fan controllers are true voltage controllers and could be seen as another way of "undervolting" a fan. PWM controllers are power controllers - the voltage generally remains the same and current is delivered in pulses of varying widths thus reducing the total power delivered to the fan. Some PWM controllers can interact negatively with some fans causing buzzing in some sleeve bearing fans and/or whining in some ball bearing fans. It could perhaps more accurately apply to buying a fan of much more power than a small computer typically would require like the Sanyo Denki ...-1011, etc. and then running it at a much reduced voltage (as low as 5V or lower) to reduce noise substantially while still getting at least the air flow of a lesser fan like the Yate Loon D12SL and having significant capacity in reserve if it's ever needed. If something has been codified in re. "undervolting" within the techie community, you will likely find reference to it at Wikipedia. I may check there later this AM as it is now way past my bedtime - the above was mainly winging it from what connections I could muster from my wet storage...

.bh.

[OdinEidolon]

Is it reasonable to assume that if a company makes a superb 1200mm fan, that company's 80mm version, if exists, would be of equal quality?

Yes it is. where are you from? Maybe we can suggerst you some fans. Do you want cooling or silence?

[zepper]

Just stopped by to check on the status of 120mm fan Shootout v.3. Whassup?

.bh.

[muaddib]

Yes it is. where are you from? Maybe we can suggerst you some fans. Do you want cooling or silence?

I live in Romania. Sanyo Denkis are ultra rare here, but I only need a 80mm fan anyway. The Zalman ZM-F1 80mm fan is widely available here, and I think it's virtually the same as its 120mm brother, the ZM-F3, except for the size of course. What do you think?

Another question. There are lots of bearing types. What is the best one?

Thanks.

[OdinEidolon]

I live in Romania. Sanyo Denkis are ultra rare here, but I only need a 80mm fan anyway. The Zalman ZM-F1 80mm fan is widely available here, and I think it's virtually the same as its 120mm brother, the ZM-F3, except for the size of course. What do you think?

Another question. There are lots of bearing types. What is the best one?

Thanks.

well, i'm not a super-expert, but i'd say a zalman zm-f1 is good. cheap too.
sleeve is usually the most common bearing, and can degrade very fast. ball bearings last longer but sometimes creates some buzzing noise in my expirience. bearings like the magnatic one of some fans (everest, magma, some nanoxia...) or bearings like the SSO of noctua are usually the best. they cost more, last longer. anyway, i think a zm-f1 is a good choiche. you experts out there, tell me if i'm wrong please.

[muaddib]

Thanks.

I'm think I am going to get two of the ZM-F1s.

One for outtake; other for intake, directly blowing on a HDD.

Will they fit the bill?

More input is welcome before I'm taking the plunge.

[muggy]

I recently got my hands on a few of these fans at cost from a friend who works at an internet retailer. I tried the S-Flex SFF21F 1600rpm fan, the 1200rpm Slipstream, and the Zalman ZM-F3.

I run an overclocked q6600 on a Xigmatek HDT-S1283, and had read countless fan comparisons on xtremesystems forums, silentpc forums, etc.

I run my system in an Antec 300 case, which has a 140mm fan on top, easily the loudest fan in my case. It's not particularly bothersome, as it's pretty low pitched, and it sits right above the cpu heatsink, so while it drowns out the cpu fan a bit, there's large openings on the top, back, and a hole in the side of the case for you to hear the cpu fan. For this reason I am somewhat picky about noise, as I sleep pretty close to my computer.

I have had other versions of the slipstreams, a 1600rpm one and an 800rpm one I still use. Both I have tried on the heatsink, the 1600rpm one was too loud for me, even when brought down to 1250rpm. I hoped this would change with the 1200rpm one.

It didn't, really. The 1200rpm one sounds great free air, only a light low pitched hum. When put on the heatsink, the sound is not particularly loud, but is a noise that stands out from the other fan noise, low and prominent. I couldn't stand this noise, it drove me crazy and I couldn't use it. But it wasn't all that loud.

Next I tried the Zalman, and even at 1800rpm, I thought it sounded better than the Slipstream. Louder, but it blended in better with my other fans and wasn't too distracting. Performance was the best with this fan, both idle and load, load temps could best the Slipstream by 2-4 degrees, not quite sure because of different ambients. But significantly better. Idle temps were better too, by 1-2 degrees. The only problem I had with this fan was when I throttled it down, I would hear a light ticking noise. You wouldn't have known it was there if you didn't put your ear close to the fan, but after you know it's there you don't forget about it and start noticing it more. It could have been just my sample, but I was disappointed as this was a great performing fan which seemed perfect for automated fan control, it was very quiet at lower rpm's except for the light ticking.

Lastly, I tried out the S-Flex. At 1600 rpm, it is more quiet to me than either the Slipstream or the Zalman, and definitely has the best tone to it. It just doesn't bother you. The performance is on par with the 1200rpm Slipstream, maybe just a bit better, tough to say with ambient differences. It scales down perfectly, I would recommend this fan to anyone with a Xiggy or similar. This fan has a bit of internet "hype" if that's possible for a computer fan, and it lives up to its billing. *edit* After using this fan a little longer I think it's a better performer than the slipstream and on par with the Zalman, I equaled the Zalman's best temps when it cooled down at night. Still very little difference between these three fans, we're talking couple degrees here or there, nothing life changing.

All this said, I realize it's tough to decide what's worth the money to you, the differences are just tones and the performance leaves me with a safe overclock regardless of which one I choose. I was lucky enough to get these fans at cost, $5 for the Slipstream and $9 each for the Zalman and the S-Flex. Currently I'm running the S-Flex on the Xiggy and the 1200 Slipstream on the exhaust. It's a great combo and it doesn't bother my sleep, so I'm quite satisfied.