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geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: tp4tissue on Thu, 02 December 2021, 23:31:09

Title: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 02 December 2021, 23:31:09
What's the latest / greatest 120mm ??

Was looking at noctua, but then thought, this stuff is kinda grandpa,  any new fans ?.


(https://i.imgur.com/cH14rUh.gif)
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: Leslieann on Fri, 03 December 2021, 07:47:25
There have been a few that match or beat Noctua, but it's always in that one review, the next time it comes up in another test Noctua regains the crown, I've never seen one fan do as well with multiple people and configs. Worse, there's almost always a caveat, it's a bit noisier, they cost almost as much, can't get them in your country or not without long shipping time, only one or two sizes, 30mm thick, or they're out of stock....

Noctua's still the benchmark everyone gets measured against.
3 brands to look at are Arctic, they have a new one that does well, there's also Nidec Gentle Typhoon and the newest Phanteks (very similar performance), but again as mentioned there's always a caveat.

The reason Noctua does so well is they did actual design and testing rather than just grabbing an off-the-shelf design like many do. It's actually pretty simple though, Noctua uses a glass filled plastic that allows a tighter blade to housing gap giving them better performance. This is why they look how they do and why they cost more, you can't replicate that with cheap plastic without fears of the fan hitting the housing which is why all of the others come with a caveat except maybe the Phanteks, which appears to use similar plastic.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 03 December 2021, 07:50:18
Jesus christ, people still rolling Gentle Typhoons ?

If they weren't ball bearing, I'd consider it, but I can't stand ball bearing noises..zzzzzzzzz..z.zzzzzzz.zz.z.z.z.z.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 03 December 2021, 08:19:03
Ok Llann, based on ur recommendation and divided by Tp4's p00rtitude multiplier, has ordered dat arctic P12.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: phinix on Fri, 03 December 2021, 08:29:36
..kinda grandpa??!!  >:D
Don't look anywhere else, just grab a Noctua, best you can get  :thumb:
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 03 December 2021, 08:38:17
Based on "this" review, seems pretty legit.    But who knows, arctic could be paying off people, it's a small unknown channel though.

It says, normalized to 40db,   air speed @ high resistance.


[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 03 December 2021, 08:39:01
..kinda grandpa??!!  >:D
Don't look anywhere else, just grab a Noctua, best you can get  :thumb:

Buh, they is sell arctic p12, 5 pack for $30.99,    a SINGLE nf-a12 costs that much.

It's at a position where, no matter how good it is, they're kind of a ripoff. no ?
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: phinix on Fri, 03 December 2021, 09:38:04
..kinda grandpa??!!  >:D
Don't look anywhere else, just grab a Noctua, best you can get  :thumb:

Buh, they is sell arctic p12, 5 pack for $30.99,    a SINGLE nf-a12 costs that much.

It's at a position where, no matter how good it is, they're kind of a ripoff. no ?


well, don't know, I'm a sucker for their kinky colors :D
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: suicidal_orange on Fri, 03 December 2021, 09:41:25
40db is pretty loud, I thought the whole point of Noctua's fans was they are quiet (though I've only owned their loudest and it wasn't, unsurprisingly)

The Gentle Typhoons I remember were made (or at least branded) Scythe, never heard of Nidec.  And Delta?  Haven't heard them mentioned since the days of the pre-xp Althlon.  The small unknown channel is certainly putting in the work to find options.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 03 December 2021, 09:54:18
40db is pretty loud, I thought the whole point of Noctua's fans was they are quiet (though I've only owned their loudest and it wasn't, unsurprisingly)

The Gentle Typhoons I remember were made (or at least branded) Scythe, never heard of Nidec.  And Delta?  Haven't heard them mentioned since the days of the pre-xp Althlon.  The small unknown channel is certainly putting in the work to find options.

Well, 40db is a good test place for everyday setup, because when you go to 30db, you're at noise floor,  where outside of anechoic chambers, measurements are unreliable.

Delta is a big maker, they're mostly industrial, 5000+ rpm server stuff.

GentleTy went form scyth to nidec,  it's the same fan.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: clik_clak on Fri, 03 December 2021, 10:11:54
40db is pretty loud, I thought the whole point of Noctua's fans was they are quiet (though I've only owned their loudest and it wasn't, unsurprisingly)

The Gentle Typhoons I remember were made (or at least branded) Scythe, never heard of Nidec.  And Delta?  Haven't heard them mentioned since the days of the pre-xp Althlon.  The small unknown channel is certainly putting in the work to find options.

40db is loud? That has to be the silliest thing I've read so far today.

40db is what a quiet room sounds like.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: suicidal_orange on Fri, 03 December 2021, 10:21:10
Well, 40db is a good test place for everyday setup, because when you go to 30db, you're at noise floor, where outside of anechoic chambers, measurements are unreliable.

Delta is a big maker, they're mostly industrial, 5000+ rpm server stuff
It's logarithmic - 35 is significantly less than 40 and still above the noise floor.  Personally I'd set them at a level where I couldn't hear them and compare, but everyone's ears will have different frequency response curves so what doesn't bother me might annoy you.

I don't remember the RPM but given the noise my friend's 60x38mm Delta would surely have been more at home in a server room than a bedroom even back in the day (https://cdn.geekhack.org/Smileys/solosmileys/laugh.gif)
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: fohat.digs on Fri, 03 December 2021, 10:28:36

40db is loud?


I don't exactly remember, but I think that my case has at least 2 fans plus power supply and CPU fans. It starts adding up.

My old setup had the case down on the floor and behind stuff, now it sits up nearby unobstructed at near-ear level.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: clik_clak on Fri, 03 December 2021, 10:29:27
Well, 40db is a good test place for everyday setup, because when you go to 30db, you're at noise floor, where outside of anechoic chambers, measurements are unreliable.

Delta is a big maker, they're mostly industrial, 5000+ rpm server stuff
It's logarithmic - 35 is significantly less than 40 and still above the noise floor.  Personally I'd set them at a level where I couldn't hear them and compare, but everyone's ears will have different frequency response curves so what doesn't bother me might annoy you.

I don't remember the RPM but given the noise my friend's 60x38mm Delta would surely have been more at home in a server room than a bedroom even back in the day
Show Image
(https://cdn.geekhack.org/Smileys/solosmileys/laugh.gif)


Delta makes an enormous number of fans. Saying "Delta fans are loud" doesn't really mean anything. They very well may have been server level, industrial fans.

Also, you're never going to have a dead silent fan unless it's running at something like 200rpm (aka. not doing anything at all. The fans are measured in a perfect environment, too. So adding a fan to a radiator, adding a grill, putting it behind a dust filter even adding it to a case is going to introduce additional noise. This is unavoidable.

I really feel sorry for you if any noise above the noise floor bothers you...Must be an absolutely terrible way to live.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: Findecanor on Fri, 03 December 2021, 10:34:05
Jesus christ, people still rolling Gentle Typhoons ?

If they weren't ball bearing, I'd consider it, but I can't stand ball bearing noises..zzzzzzzzz..z.zzzzzzz.zz.z.z.z.z.

My PC has only a single fan running most of the time : a 120 mm GentleTyphoon. It is voltage-controlled to run at low RPM unless under load.
It is mounted horizontally, blowing air through the CPU cooler up into the semi-passive PSU from which it exits out of the case. (I have no discrete GPU)

My computer is very silent. There are two issues though:
1. The GT does ring at certain RPM, which you'd want to avoid.
2. Because the GentleTyphoon does not have rubber corners like modern PC fans do, it must be mounted in a rubber frame to avoid fan vibrations being a cause of noise (There was a noticeable difference when I installed it)

I've been told that ball bearings are better in a fan when mounted horizontally because liquid bearings wear down faster if they are.

The Gentle Typhoons I remember were made (or at least branded) Scythe, never heard of Nidec.
Nidec Servo has always been the manufacturer. Scythe sold them under their brand for a while, and did not even always change the sticker on the fan hub. After Scythe stopped, some small shops here and there have resold them.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: noisyturtle on Fri, 03 December 2021, 17:21:05
Noctua is so freaking overpriced, idk how they get away with that pricing and people still pay it.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 03 December 2021, 17:36:04

Also, you're never going to have a dead silent fan unless it's running at something like 200rpm (aka. not doing anything at all.

Many people run nearly silent pcs using Sub 500rpms.   It's actually doing <alot> more than Passive,  which is what we want but not practical to cover high power use.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: Leslieann on Fri, 03 December 2021, 17:51:53
40db is fine for most pc's,
By the time you have it in a case especially with a GPU on the floor those fans are going to be nearly silent and most are having some audio going that masks the noise. Good enough is just that, it's when you want to get below that that things get tricky and where you start needing more expensive parts.

Arctic is kind of a good middle ground for many people, I have bunches all over the place. Are they the quietest, no, but they're good enough and priced decent.
I've also had decent success with Newegg hydro fluid bearing(?) fans, I think I paid $12 for a pair of them. Sure, Noctua 120's can push just about as much air with similar noise (up to about 80% speed) but at 1/8th the price it's really hard to say they stink, but once again there's that caveat.


Edit, it was fluid bearing, not hydro bearing and it was $12
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 03 December 2021, 19:42:56
Llann, you have both the noct a12 and arc p12 ?   How do they compare acoustically.    I don't need high-performance since I will run them 200rpm 90% of the time on the 4790k barely uses any power.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: Leslieann on Fri, 03 December 2021, 23:42:34
I have quiet a few of each brand, but no two match really, either different size or one is flow vs pressure but in general...
At low RPM while the Noctuas are quieter, the difference is that in a very quiet room you can just barely hear Noctuas from a foot away and the Arctics from 2 feet away. (the horror!)
As for flow, there too the Noctuas are better, especially given the noise but in most situations the flow is plenty, it's not like they're garbage. I wouldn't expect the Arctics to last as long or stay quiet as long, but bang for the buck they do well.


In my experience, at low speeds, the bearing and (computer) case edges around the fan matter more than the fan blades or brand for noise. From a post I made a while back, this was in an Ncase on my desk about 2 feet away. This applied to pretty much any fans I tried, old/new, high end/low end, some flowed more some flowed less, this was about RPM vs noise not noise vs airflow. Note that while ball bearings will last longer especially if mounted in the front or rear of a case (vertical), they are also the nosiest, dynamic fluid bearings are (or at least were) the most quiet at the time I did this..
Quote
At 700 rpm I could hear the fan ball bearings and air flow over the fan blades
At 600 rpm I could mostly only hear the air flow over the fan blades
At 500 rpm I could hear sleeve bearing noise
At 450 rpm I could hear the air flow turbulence over the case edges/fan grill and only just hear the sleeve bearings if you listened.
In all cases I could hear if there was an imbalanced blade and some fans simply wouldn't spin down below 500 or even 600rpm. At this point some would start pulsing the motor which has a really annoying drum/drone effect. If they ran at all.

More info here:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=101319.msg2780083#msg2780083
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sat, 04 December 2021, 16:26:43
Just got'm

Man, these are Quiet....  goes all the way down to 200rpm just matching spec.  Stalls at 200 though, Soo it seems I gotta run them a little higher. No probs @ 500rpm

:D

Can't hear them till ~1000 though. so..... Successs.    The Psu fan is louder than they are.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sat, 04 December 2021, 21:10:45
Damn now everything else is 2 loud.

I can hear the Gpu's distinct ball bearings now,  and the psu's also ball.

And the darn led bulb ballast


(https://i.imgur.com/IyEQCsU.jpg)
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: Leslieann on Sun, 05 December 2021, 02:08:02
Yep, it's a never ending battle, once you get things quiet enough to identify things like fan bearings it's hard to not hear it.
Sometimes the white noise of the fans is preferable.

Newer, better PSUs kill the fans when not under half load, that solves that problem, mine pretty much never comes on, GPU fans however are not so easy to fix. I have two big 140mm fans less than 1/4in away blowing fresh air directly at my GPU, the GPU fans rarely spin up beyond 60%. Check out the SFF forums for other ideas, just beware you may do all of this only to hear more coil whine.  LEDs are an easy fix... turn them off.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: suicidal_orange on Sun, 05 December 2021, 03:03:20
Damn now everything else is 2 loud.
Now you see why I balked at the idea of testing fans at 40dB - it's just not quiet.

I'm currently running a fanless PSU and GPU with a 180mm case fan blowing in, the only noises I hear are the fan with CPU load (mobo wont let me run it slow at 70* despite the fact it should be roasting in a laptop) and I could hear my old hdd when it spins up but that's because I'm playing music so have headphones on.  The only noise while browsing etc. is monitor coil whine if there's too much white on the screen despite using low brightness. 
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: jamster on Sun, 05 December 2021, 04:42:50
The Gentle Typhoons I remember were made (or at least branded) Scythe, never heard of Nidec.  And Delta?  Haven't heard them mentioned since the days of the pre-xp Althlon.  The small unknown channel is certainly putting in the work to find options.

I keep coming across Nidecs and Deltas (and Sunon) whenever I take apart rack-mounted IT kit. Admittedly, not done often these days, and only for curiosity.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sun, 05 December 2021, 09:02:40
Thinking about ziptying 120mm-s to the GPU, but the thing is, There arn't any "quiet" fans on the market that can spin down like the "slow" tuned fans.     The gpu needs a larger range unlike the CPU.
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: suicidal_orange on Sun, 05 December 2021, 09:44:18
Thinking about ziptying 120mm-s to the GPU, but the thing is, There arn't any "quiet" fans on the market that can spin down like the "slow" tuned fans.     The gpu needs a larger range unlike the CPU.
What GPU is it?  There are aftermarket heatsinks for them too...
Title: Re: Latest fans ?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sun, 05 December 2021, 12:02:28
Thinking about ziptying 120mm-s to the GPU, but the thing is, There arn't any "quiet" fans on the market that can spin down like the "slow" tuned fans.     The gpu needs a larger range unlike the CPU.
What GPU is it?  There are aftermarket heatsinks for them too...


1060 ftw+ edition so it's got a pretty big heatsink already, but the fans are balllll.