Quiet 120mm case fans?

Gone_Away · March 07, 2016, 09:07:36 PM

Hi folks,

Pulling together a few parts to build a PC for Little_Ninj.. (git ruins my gaming time!). There's soooo many case fans on the market that all claim they're quiet.

Looking for decent throughput but quiet n reliable. Any / all suggestions appreciated.

NF

BrotherTobious · March 07, 2016, 09:08:22 PM

Nocta are pretty amazing but expensive

Gorion · March 07, 2016, 09:29:40 PM

Noctua are the silent ones. Have around 8 of them in my case, and they're barely audible.

There's a lot of models to choose from though, each model has a specific role, so be sure to read on descriptions and intended usage.

They also come with rubber nipple screws which can be used instead of the usual metal screws, and these reduce vibration.

Chaosphere · March 07, 2016, 10:18:19 PM

Noctua are one of the only ones where quiet doesn't equal rubbish performance, but you pay for having both.

BeQuiet make some other good 120mm quiet fans, but they aren't as good as the Noctuas.

Then there are Scythe Gentle Typhoons, which are top performers (especially for radiators) and come in varieties with various max RPMs... the lowest of which I believe is 800 RPM - this will be pretty quite even on max spin - but the scythe fans do seem to have a specific sound to them, which if you don't like will bother you no matter the frequency (I imagine all fans have this, but I have used mainly scythes for a long time, so I am most aware of theirs).

There is also the option that I am currently going with... I am using a load of corsair fans in my current case, all controlled via the motherboard, none of which ever reach their max RPM. At rest they run at 40%, and when I game they spin up to 70 as a max... this keeps noise controlled, and gives me decent temps throughout. Just saying, you can always do this with any fan, but it is a way to make cheaper, noisier fans pleasant to live with too (and save money).

Gone_Away · March 07, 2016, 11:31:01 PM

nice but too expensive for this build.. perhaps for my rig when my case fans get noisy. As it's a new case I doubt that will be for a wee while.

TeaLeaf · March 08, 2016, 07:26:32 AM

I used the Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition fans for non-radiator use in my last build alongside some of the SP120 fans for the radiators and both models are silent. They also come with nice colour rings to suit your preferred colour scheme.

And contrary to Chaos, I'd add Corsair to the list where quiet still gets you good performance. There's plenty of reviews of them out there confirming their performance and comparing to others like Noctua.

Biggest noise impact, add a fan controller and reduce the speed of the fans. Whichever fan you use, it will have a big impact in reducing the noise.

suicidal_monkey · March 08, 2016, 08:04:28 AM

Sounds like you have a case already, but if not I am trying to get rid of my old Antec solo (black P150) which was marketed as silent. It's got one or two 120mm fans, as does the scythe heatsink I have lying around. If 2nd hand parts are an option for your build let me know

Gunda · March 08, 2016, 09:33:54 AM

Second vote from me for the corsair af120 fans

Tutonic · March 08, 2016, 11:56:58 AM

I have an AF120 in the top of my case, it's very quiet - but not as quiet as the 120mm Noctua at the back, now that really is silent.

Gone_Away · March 08, 2016, 12:47:14 PM

Quote from: suicidal_monkey;411288Sounds like you have a case already, but if not I am trying to get rid of my old Antec solo (black P150) which was marketed as silent. It's got one or two 120mm fans, as does the scythe heatsink I have lying around. If 2nd hand parts are an option for your build let me know

Hi Monkey,

I am using my old Gigbyte Aurora 3D and fitting it with new fans. I laughed out loud when I looked at the pic as it reminds me of the Lian Li case I acquired from TL a few years ago.

Thanks though!

Gone_Away · March 08, 2016, 01:32:21 PM

Thanks guys. I've gone with two AF120's for the rear of the case and one SP120 for in front of the drive cage.

Gunda · March 08, 2016, 02:29:54 PM

Better to have two intake at the front and one exhaust at the rear to maintain positive preasure inside the case as this aids with dust control if you can that is.

Gone_Away · March 08, 2016, 09:11:19 PM

Quote from: Gunda;411302Better to have two intake at the front and one exhaust at the rear to maintain positive preasure inside the case as this aids with dust control if you can that is.

No space in da case..