Searching for silent 120mm fans

[zniff]

im looking for fans that are basically inaudible atleast below 14db.
and as much airpull as possible.
i need some advice
my cabinet is a fractal design xl if it helps
also searching for a silent 180mm fan if i am lucky

 

[PanicMaster85]

:O dont tell me it is in a cabinet [anicmaster85]

 

[zniff]

is it sarcasm day or something? i just came here to listen to suggestions of people with first hand experience

 

[ckholt83]

I think panicmaster is confused and misconstrued your use of 'cabinet' instead of 'case' or 'chassis'. He is most likely imagining that you have the computer tucked inside a wooden cabinet or cupboard like they sometimes build into computer desks, which is akin to putting your computer inside an oven because it blocks all the airflow.

 

[zniff]

aww man its my native language we call case chassis and cabinet.. cabinet
as i said a fractal design xl
sry for the missunderstanding

 

[zniff]

so the best one i found was this one
SilenX fan, iXtrema Pro, IXP-74-11, 120x120x25

 

[PanicMaster85]

yeah that one looks good... how many are you going to get also sorry for making it sound like i was being a jerk [anicmaster85:1] But yeah that looks good how is the airflow? does it push enough in?

 

[twelve25]

It's a pretty easy to figure this out based on specs. You want the fan with the highest CFM rating for the lowest RPM and dba rating. Rubber feet and mounting hardware helps control any possible vibrations from making noise.

Also keep in mind that just because you can't hear the fans, doesn't mean you won't still be able to hear the airflow.

Enermax T.B. Silence might be a good one to check out. Excellent airflow/dba rating.

 

[jmsellars1]

One word, Noctua.

Their fans are awesome, really quiet while still having good airflow. They are expensive but worth it. Every fan in my case (except for the one in the PSU) is a Noctua at the moment and my PC is nearly inaudible. I can only hear it if the house is dead silent.

These for case fans:

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=25&lng=en

These for CPU/GPU heatsinks:

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=42&lng=en

 

[PanicMaster85]

how much are they?

yeah i see what you mean i got these
3x
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026ZPFBG/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02
2x
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LE8BJA/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i03

 

[jmsellars1]

You're looking at $25 per fan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608009&name=Case-Fans

Virtually any 120mm fan under 1000RPM is going to be very quiet.

 

[PanicMaster85]

yeah they look good

 

[zniff]

i keep seing fans dBA level differ if the have L.N.A and U.L.N.A what is this?

 

[zniff]

yeah that one looks good... how many are you going to get also sorry for making it sound like i was being a jerk [anicmaster85:1] But yeah that looks good how is the airflow? does it push enough in?

yes its good, i decided to get two of them one for the back chassis and one to set on my A70 heatsink(i can only fit one on it at the moment) i can post pics when have installed the fans

i also found a decent 180mmx32mm fan
Silverstone fan, FN181-BL, 180x32 (its 18dB but i dont think i can find anything more silent with usefull airpull at this size)
ive alse searched for two usefull 140mm fans also i only found this
Sharkoon Silent Eagle 800rpm 140mm(still not sure about this one, its silent but the airpull is a bit low )

 

[jmsellars1]

i keep seing fans dBA level differ if the have L.N.A and U.L.N.A what is this?

They stand for Low Noise Adapter and Ultra Low Noise Adapter. They reduce the fan speed to make it quieter, means you can adjust the fan speed to your liking. I find that the full speed is quiet-ish but not silent by any means. With the LNA it is very quiet, with the ULNA they are pretty much inaudible.

 

[PanicMaster85]

yep i got mine on full blast and there pretty loud

 

[zniff]

yep changed the fans nice and easy removed an old one because its "engine" seemed to have gotten messed um somehow.
its running much more silent now
Silverstone fan, FN181-BL, 180x32 : this one i had to cut of some of the plastic because its 10mm higher than the standard, in my case the mobo didnt fit. and i think this pulls a bit too much air (fan silent, airpull noisy). Found also out the info about 120mm fan slots on the factal design xl is true but not good idea, somehow the same 120mm slot actually also fits 140mm. in this case if you buy a 120mm like me you will experience noise because of the airflow. thats how i understand it now.
i did the mistake of buying because i didnt look into the cabinet i used fractal design info page -.-

 

[jmsellars1]

Yeah, 120mm at 600 - 1000RPM seems to be the sweet spot for me. Extremely quiet and adequate airflow. Any more airflow and the sound of the air moving creates more noise.

 

[PanicMaster85]

yeah... i got a 3000 rpm so it gets pretty dang loud XD