Which are better, Ball Bearing or Brushless Fans?

[GokuFurinji]

Hi, it's me again asking daft questions !!

As some of you may have read in some of my earlier posts I'm running 4 x 80mm Ball Bearing Case Fans in my system, 2 mounted in the sides of the case blowing onto the mobo/PCI slots and the usual 2 at the front/back of the case. I also got my Enermax PSU and fitted that!

The question I want to ask is:

Are Ball Bearing fans better/quieter than Brushless Fans?

I'm still trying to quieten down the fan noise, and with the help of you guys, succeeded to an extent, although I was more concerned with airflow/heat at that juncture! The most noticeable noise I have now is a 'droning' noise which I'm sure is coming from the direction of the fans! Would replacing the 4 Ball Bearing Fans with Brushless ones run quieter due to no Ball Bearings racing around inside the fan and thus stop/reduce the 'droning' noise?

What is the best method of mounting a fan to a case? Is screwing it flush upto the metal a good idea or should I put some 'packing' between the fan and case, I tried some foam packing that came with the mobo, putting a piece at each corner of the fans that I have in the side of the case, but can't tell if it made any difference!!

Or is the simple answer "look bub, kick the case and buy a REAL ONE!!"??

 

[OldBear]

Ball bearing fans are better and last longer than sleeve bearing fans. The latter is more quiet. If you have a high rpm fan, it sometimes helps to place small rubber washers between fan and mounting surface.

<font color=blue>Remember.... You get what you pay for. All advice here is free.</font color=blue>

 

[Toejam31]

Brushless fans are quieter, but ball-bearing generally last longer. Ball-bearing fans are the noisiest. But there is a third option; Panaflo fans.

<A HREF="http://www.pccasegear.com/fans.html" target="_new">http://www.pccasegear.com/fans.html</A>

Toejam31

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new">http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847</A>
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<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>

 

[bum_jcrules]

In addition to these other suggestions, you can insolate the case <A HREF="http://www.2cooltek.com/7896_3.html" target="_new"> walls.</A> It will help dampen the sound and the rattling of any dull noises.(Use this in conjuction with rubber washers on the screws that hold the fans in place.)

<b>"The events of my life are quite inconsequential.." - Dr. Evil</b> :lol: