Super quiet 120mm case fan?

[slvr_phoenix]

Anyone know of any <i>really</i> quiet 120mm case fans that still move a lot of air? (I.E. maybe something with special synthetic ruby or ceramic ball bearings or fan blades angled <i>just</i> so...)

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>

 

[rcj187]

nope :lol:

I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message.

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Alright. I sat down and tried to do some research. The following is what I've found in order of quietest to loudest:

Manu | Model | RPM | CFM | dBA
Vantec | Stealth | 1500 | 53 | 28
Titan | TFD-12025L12B | 1800 | 71 | 29
Panaflow | FBA12G12L1A | 1700 | 69 | 30
Titan | TFD-12025M12B | 2000 | 79 | 30
Titan | TFD-12025H12B | 2200 | 85 | 32
Thermaltake | A1280 | 2000 | 78 | 34
Vantec | KD1212PMB3 | 2400 | 84 | 35
Sunon | KD1212PMB3-6A | 2400 84 | 35
Panaflow | FBA12G12M1A | 2100 | 87 | 36
Vantec | KD1212PMB2 | 2800 | 98 | 37
Dynaeon | DF1212BB | 2200 | 92 | 38
Panaflow | FBA12G12H1A | 2500 | 104 | 42
Sunon | KD1212PMB1 | 3100 | 108 | 42
YS Tech | FD1212387B-2R | 2800 | 131 | 45

Actually, I was a little surprised. The only 'low noise' fan that I've ever really heard of before was the Vantec Stealth. In my search I quickly found rave reviews on the Panaflow L1A. As you can see, it's <i>almost</i> as quiet as the Vantec Stealth, but moves a lot more air.

One thing that completely surprised me was stumbling across the offerings from Titan. For the same level of noise as the Panaflow L1A, a Titan TFD-12025M12B moves considerably more air! So far the Titan TFD-12025M12B is my 'quiet 120mm fan of choice'.

I was also amazed at how loud some of these 120mm fans are. I thought the general purpose of them was to move a lot of air for not a lot of noise. Yet there are some loud ones in the group. There were much louder fans than the ones that I listed. I tried to keep this list at the cusp of 'quiet'.

So anywho, this is my starting point. If anyone knows of any specialized fans, pricey or not, that could also fit into this group, please let me know. I'm not too impressed with what I was able to find, but it's better than nothing.

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>

 

[lwj81]

Enermax 120mm adjustable.
Air Flow-67cfm-95cfm
Fan Speed-1500-2300rpm
Noise Level-22-39dba

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Wow. If that thing really only puts out 22dBA while moving 67CFM then it kicks the pants off of the Vantec Stealth. That's pretty cool. Thanks.

I was also wondering how some other fans would do with just a simple voltage adjustment to slow them down, but I can't find any sites that give such stats.

But it amazes me that no real technology seems to be going into making quiet fans. If I had the money, I'd start up a company to make special fans, CPUs heat sinks, graphics cards, and cases for people who want quiet PCs that still have a lot of power. I'd give stealth PCs a whole new look. But unfortunately, I just don't have the money to start up something like that.

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>

 

[Big Mike 1960]

Titan | TFD-12025M12B | 2000 RPM | 79 CFM | 30 DB
where can i find theses fans at areasonable price? I need 6
Please email me directly at 973 626 4455

Alright. I sat down and tried to do some research. The following is what I've found in order of quietest to loudest:

Manu | Model | RPM | CFM | dBA
Vantec | Stealth | 1500 | 53 | 28
Titan | TFD-12025L12B | 1800 | 71 | 29
Panaflow | FBA12G12L1A | 1700 | 69 | 30
Titan | TFD-12025M12B | 2000 | 79 | 30
Titan | TFD-12025H12B | 2200 | 85 | 32
Thermaltake | A1280 | 2000 | 78 | 34
Vantec | KD1212PMB3 | 2400 | 84 | 35
Sunon | KD1212PMB3-6A | 2400 84 | 35
Panaflow | FBA12G12M1A | 2100 | 87 | 36
Vantec | KD1212PMB2 | 2800 | 98 | 37
Dynaeon | DF1212BB | 2200 | 92 | 38
Panaflow | FBA12G12H1A | 2500 | 104 | 42
Sunon | KD1212PMB1 | 3100 | 108 | 42
YS Tech | FD1212387B-2R | 2800 | 131 | 45

Actually, I was a little surprised. The only 'low noise' fan that I've ever really heard of before was the Vantec Stealth. In my search I quickly found rave reviews on the Panaflow L1A. As you can see, it's <i>almost</i> as quiet as the Vantec Stealth, but moves a lot more air.

One thing that completely surprised me was stumbling across the offerings from Titan. For the same level of noise as the Panaflow L1A, a Titan TFD-12025M12B moves considerably more air! So far the Titan TFD-12025M12B is my 'quiet 120mm fan of choice'.

I was also amazed at how loud some of these 120mm fans are. I thought the general purpose of them was to move a lot of air for not a lot of noise. Yet there are some loud ones in the group. There were much louder fans than the ones that I listed. I tried to keep this list at the cusp of 'quiet'.

So anywho, this is my starting point. If anyone knows of any specialized fans, pricey or not, that could also fit into this group, please let me know. I'm not too impressed with what I was able to find, but it's better than nothing.

<font color=blue><pre>If you don't give me accurate and complete system specs
then I can't give you an accurate and complete answer.</pre><p></font color=blue>

 

[rkagerer]

Noctua NF-S12B
100cfm @ 1200RPM @ 18.1dBA
49.2cfm @ 600RPM @ 6.2dBA
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=nf_s12_p12_comparison&lng=en

They come with "Low Noise Adapters"; RPM depends on which one you use. I don't think these are anything fancier than wiring with an in-line resistor, so the fans should work ok with variable-voltage controllers such as the ZM-MFC3. On the other hand, I don't see why PWM would cause any problems either.

I'm going to try to pick up a few of these..

 

[Guest]

scythe s-flex maybe??? just found out about these and ordered a few myself... The 800 rpm are 8dba. 2000 rpm are about 20 dba.