mmH2O or CFM? Which is to look for a fan on AIO cpu cooler?

ondert

Prominent
Jun 9, 2017
5
0
510
Hello,

I've just built a mini itx based sff pc with AIO cpu cooler and Silverstone SG13B case. The AIO cooler model is Silverstone TD03-Lite. It works well, there is no problem with it other than I want to make it more silent. Luckily, Silverstone writes the specs of the fan on their website. It is listed as below;

Dimension 120mm (L) x 120mm (W) x 25mm (D)
Speed 1500~2500RPM
Noise level 18~35 dBA
Rated Voltage 12V
Rated Current 0.3A
Max airflow 92.5CFM
Pressure 3.5mm/H2O
Connector 4 Pin PWM

So, it can go up to 35dBA and that's audible. I might want to replace it with a Noctua fan or any other fan you suggest. For the replacement, I found Noctua NF-F12 PWM with the specs below;

Size 120x120x25 mm
Connector 4-Pin PWM
Rotational Speed (+/- 10%) 1500 RPM
Rotational Speed with L.N.A. (+/- 10%) 1200 RPM
Min. Rotational Speed (PWM, +/-20%) 300 RPM
Airflow 93,4 m³/h
Airflow with L.N.A. 74,3 m³/h
Acoustical Noise 22,4 dB(A)
Acoustical Noise with L.N.A. 18,6 dB(A)
Static Pressure 2,61 mm H₂O
Static Pressure with L.N.A. 1,83 mm H₂O

Noctua fan is much more silent but its pressure is quite low than the Silverstone fan. So, how the cpu temps and also system temps change if I go for the Noctua fan?

ps: I place the radiator in the front and the fan behind it as an intake. Here is my system;

5QraG5.jpg

 
Solution
Adding second fan to an air cooler usually drops temps about 2 degrees or so. Assuming similar effect on aio radiator, you'll be able to lower your temps slightly and decrease the rpm and therefore the noise.
Just make sure the two fans are in sync or there will be turbulence and therefore overall decrease in cooling effectiveness.
Not sure if that's enough of a difference but fans are pretty cheap so it's also one of those "can't hurt much to try" things.
There isn't a whole lot of different between fans at a given amount of airflow. Most of what can be achieved by switching to a lower noise fan can also be achieved by adjusting your fan speed profile. The only major difference you'll see is if your fan has a lot of bearing noise (e.g. clicking or whirring that doesn't go away as fan speed drops). Moving air itself makes noise.
 

ondert

Prominent
Jun 9, 2017
5
0
510


No, I don't hear any clicking sound. I just want to replace the fan with a more silent one while not sacrificing cooling performance.
 

Sedivy

Estimable
If you're pushing air through a radiator, be it a cpu radiator or an aio cooling one, or through a filter at the front of the case, ideally you want an air pressure fan because they maintain high air pressure, for quite a bit of distance behind the fan, rather than dissipating in all directions.

The trouble is this all doesn't really apply to you. The fans you link, the silverstone one has both higher pressure and higher CFM because it can reach higher RPMs. If you want to quiet it down, you need a utility like SpeedFan or something that comes with your cpu cooler to lower the speed of its fans.

However, this will naturally reduce the cooling. In the end it's always a trade-off between performance and noise. Trouble with your case is that it's very cramped, and as far as I can tell you've mounted the liquid cooler to the front fan, which itself is behind a solid cover with only side holes for incoming air, limiting its cooling potential a lot. All the sucking power of the fan in the world won't help if you've got pin hole sized side air intakes and so even though front panels are meant to reduce noise, they end up being just as loud cause fans ramp up to compensate not getting enough cool air.

Not sure what to tell you solution wise except that getting that noctua fan won't help. You'd achieve the same result just managing the RPMs yourself, with similar increase in temperature.

There is a version of your case where front panel is a mesh instead of solid. That might help sucking fresh air in and cooling it a bit but as I said previously, though that may help you ramp down the fans a little, now their sound will be unimpeded so I'm not sure how much improvement noise wise it'll be. Personally? If you want quiet but still not sacrificing cooling, you need a bigger case. There are many advantages to smaller cases, but noise/cooling generally aren't among them.

If you're dead set on changing fans, try some of the beQuiet! line and go for magnetic or sso bearing as they are supposedly a bit better sounding whatever that means, in addition to lasting longer. You can check on youtube videos when people test fans, what they're supposed to sound like under load so listen to it and judge for yourself.
 
As Sedivy says, cooling performance and noise are inversely related. You can make your current fan quieter by turning its speed down. You generally can't push more air without making more noise because it's the movement of air itself that makes the noise.
 

ondert

Prominent
Jun 9, 2017
5
0
510
Thanks, I forgot the mention that I have the mesh version of the case, not that solid one. Also, the fan sucks air through the radiator into the system and psu fan acts as an exhaust.
By the way, my cpu temps are fine, it didn't go over 55C untill now.
What if add a second fan in front of the radiator?
 

Sedivy

Estimable
Hmm. Well do you have space for a second fan? I'd think that would be the biggest limitation. Otherwise, I don't think it can hurt, provided you match their rpms and air flow pretty closely.
Also, was this increase in temperatures sudden? Or was it gradual over time? If gradual, you might just need a thorough cleaning of all components, starting with your radiator. If it was sudden, you gotta wonder if there is an issue somewhere. Is your pump failing? Is the fan still running ok? Have you introduced anything new hardware or software wise?
 

ondert

Prominent
Jun 9, 2017
5
0
510


No, there is no issue about cpu temps. On idle cpu temps are about 40C and about 55C under load.
 

Sedivy

Estimable
Adding second fan to an air cooler usually drops temps about 2 degrees or so. Assuming similar effect on aio radiator, you'll be able to lower your temps slightly and decrease the rpm and therefore the noise.
Just make sure the two fans are in sync or there will be turbulence and therefore overall decrease in cooling effectiveness.
Not sure if that's enough of a difference but fans are pretty cheap so it's also one of those "can't hurt much to try" things.
 
Solution
Nov 28, 2017
1
0
510
I know this is old but with that setup you should watch more than your cpu temp and see if you can reduce ambient temperature. also watch your vrm temps. as for another fan and noise, I would put another fan in front of your radiator you want low flow high pressure cfm push pull on the rad as intake on low rpm and a high flow low pressure low rpm as exhaust on the side. you can get tiny fan controllers that take up a pcie slot on your case, just plug it into a molex and your done.