the best 120mm case fan?

[Toadster]

I need to get more air "into" my case and want to get another 120mm fan for the front of my Antec Sonata...

P4D3.2 CPU is at 58C with a Zalman9500 (running United Devices 24x7)
zone1 is currently running @ 56C
zone2 is at 45C

what's the best 120mm 'quiet' fan for the front of my case?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

What's the rating of the stock fan ? Are you using a fan controller ? If so, what type ?

Once most 120mm fans get past 60cfm they will be noticable.

If you have room, look for a 120x38.

...Galvanized

 

[RallyMaster]

try removing the filters. you'll immediately have more airflow.

 

[Unkno]

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
try removing the filters. you'll immediately have more airflow.

and you'll immediately have much more dust.

 

[RallyMaster]

that's true as well but since my fans are quiet and don't move too much air anyway, i'm not worrying.

 

[Zim Hosein]

I've got two Antec TriCool 120 DBB in my SLK3800B set to their lowest setting, they are quiet and my MB temp is 40C Toadster

 

[Toadster]

Originally posted by: Unkno

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
try removing the filters. you'll immediately have more airflow.

and you'll immediately have much more dust.

yah, i don't want the dust!!! i even taped off the "ANTEC" on the side panels to get more front-to-rear airflow... keeps the dust down a BUNCH!

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: Toadster

Originally posted by: Unkno

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
try removing the filters. you'll immediately have more airflow.

and you'll immediately have much more dust.

yah, i don't want the dust!!! i even taped off the "ANTEC" on the side panels to get more front-to-rear airflow... keeps the dust down a BUNCH!

Hmmm... what are your temps like w/ out the tape over the "Antec vent holes?"

 

[Toadster]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: Toadster

Originally posted by: Unkno

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
try removing the filters. you'll immediately have more airflow.

and you'll immediately have much more dust.

yah, i don't want the dust!!! i even taped off the "ANTEC" on the side panels to get more front-to-rear airflow... keeps the dust down a BUNCH!

Hmmm... what are your temps like w/ out the tape over the "Antec vent holes?"

maybe 1-2 degrees better

 

[Unkno]

Originally posted by: Toadster

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

Originally posted by: Toadster

Originally posted by: Unkno

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
try removing the filters. you'll immediately have more airflow.

and you'll immediately have much more dust.

yah, i don't want the dust!!! i even taped off the "ANTEC" on the side panels to get more front-to-rear airflow... keeps the dust down a BUNCH!

Hmmm... what are your temps like w/ out the tape over the "Antec vent holes?"

maybe 1-2 degrees better

actually, i heard you get quite a bit difference (IIRC, around 5C or so) with the vent holes in some review i read back a while ago......but the only problem was the noise and dust.......luckily this flaw was fixed in Sonata II

Try getting a low/medium panaflo fan in the front of the case and set the fan to medium......there is barely any sound difference when set to medium from low

 

[SophalotJack]

If you have an air compressor... worrying about these matters is self-defeating.

But since most don't, I would recommend keeping the filters on. I had dust from an old case build up on my SI-97 HSF and basically had no air going through the radiator. My CPU temps went up 15C... it was a gradual climb. I thought it was the thermal grease breaking down.

Point is that taking the filters off will only help slightly for the course of a month or two... then it is back to the same problem of not having your components cooled down properly because of dust build-up.

 

[kmrivers]

scythe s-flex 20.1dBA @ 49CFM

 

[Painman]

Using 2x Panaflo 120x38mm L1A that I got 6 years ago as part of an inter-forum bulk purchase, way before you could just order one up @ Jab-Tech or wherever. (Teamawe was the guy who put the deal together, haven't seen him around in years.)

One on top of my XP-120, one in the rear exhaust port of my P160.

They still run, and quiet, esp. the rear one which is on about 5V via BIOS fan control

 

[agathodaimon]

Nexus Silent Fan... Either the Orange or Black & White. That thing is SILENT! I use one for the exhaust in my Sonata.
I got it at SVC.com

 

[Ping to the Pong]

Originally posted by: kmrivers
scythe s-flex 20.1dBA @ 49CFM

:thumbsup:

 

[Toadster]

which scythe model? D E or F?

 

[Toadster]

currently bidding on the Papst 4412FGL (as per silentpcreview.com recommendations)

 

[Ike0069]

I have the Sonata and also had problems with high temps. I also have the vent holes taped over to reduce dust.

I first purchased a NVsilencer for my 6800GT since it directly exhausts the air out the back of the case rather than just keeping that hot air recirculating inside the case. This immediatley reduced my case temp ~4C, but it still ran about 42C while heavy gaming. I then decided to cut a 120mm fan into the door. I purchased a TT smart fan that comes with a fan controller. This has worked great. My case temps dropped about 3C at the lowest speed. When cranked up to full speed (fairly loud but only needed when gaming) it drops temps another 2C or so.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Might want to bookmark this site. http://gizzo.8m.com/fans/fan120.html

Not that you would want the headroom but my Sanyo Denki 109R1212H102 @ 5V
would probably equal the Papst for cfm and dBA. It starts/runs very well @ 5V

If you get the Papst let us know how you like it. I had a Papst 92x32, 3.5watt thrown in with an order from allelectronics.com, just to check it out. It is a clicking little monster, the lower the voltage the more it clicks. Yes, I know you want fans that are,"set it and forget it". The above 92mm clicks at 12V.

If your Papst was made in Germany, it might be one of the very good ones...but if it was made in Hungary it will be suspect as far as noise is concerned. My 92x32 was made in Hungary It's a $4 paper weight.


...Galvanized

 

[Toadster]

yug... the pic on ebay says "Hungary".... but it's a 120mm - not the 92mm

 

[reidc]

Hello Toadster!!!

I have an Antec Sonata with a 3.4 gig CPU. I also have the original 120mm case fan in back, and I added an Antec 120MM smartfan behind the drives- pulling air in. However- I was using Stock POS Intel cooling.

My TEMPS were just like yours, and as soon as I did ANYTHING intensive- I was Throttling.

Comp-USA had a sale this week on the Zalman 9500 for $60. I bought it, and removed my old stocker, and cleaned the CPU real well, and added Arctic Silver 5 and put the Zalman on. I am now using only 1 fan(rear), and I am also running 4 7200 rpm drives in my case.

Zalman has been on since Thursday night, and my CPU temps have dropped from 57C idle to 42C idle. Running Prime95- I am only at 55C!!!

We are essentially running comparable hardware- except I have a little more to add heat, and my temps are 15C cooler than you. You MIGHT want to try removing the heatsink from bracket, and reclean getting rid of old paste and re-applying Arctic Silver. With what I just did, and the results- I am a believer!!!

Good Luck
Chris

 

[thawk408]

I use 2 of these http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...duct_Code=100987&Category_Code=CaseMod . One for intake and one for the exhaust on an Antec Solutions case. My inside temps are very cool.

 

[Toadster]

Originally posted by: thawk408
I use 2 of these http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...duct_Code=100987&Category_Code=CaseMod . One for intake and one for the exhaust on an Antec Solutions case. My inside temps are very cool.

aren't TT's usually noisy?

 

[thawk408]

I can hear them, but it is nothing that really bothers me. I guess if you are going for pure silence then I would not recommend these fans.

 

[t73]

How about Akasa amber, or if you want more CFM then Silverstone FN121