Be quiet fans vs Noctua fans

I'm going to recommend Noctua Fans. I'm sure the "be quite" fans aren't bad. By the time the "be quite" 3 year warranty ends the Noctua 6 year warranty will be only half over =).

Most importantly Noctua fans are quality products. You definitely get what you pay for. Build quality is superb. With different models to choose from that are geared towards what you need the fan specifically for. Case fan, Heatsink Fans, and fans for in the middle.
 
keep in mind the nf-f12 pwm noctua fan is not quiet at max speed. No fan is, anyway, just keep in mind. I own this fan, and it wasn't as quiet as expexted. I'm disappointed. You can use the low-noise-adapter and make it quiet, but doing so, will sacrifice noise and add more heat to the cpu.
 


only tried noctua.. but

here's your one
http://www.quietpc.com/products/noctuafans/nf-f12-pwm
22db, 18.6db
(2 settings, one less noisy)..

this one i tried once, may be a lot quieter
http://www.quietpc.com/products/noctuafans/nf-s12b-flx
less db
18db,10db,6.2db




 


That fan is really geared to be used with a heatsink. If you want less noise the Noctua NF-P12 is a solid choice. Works great with heatsinks also. I have one hooked up to a Venomous X and the RPM are typically around 800-1000. (PWM version)

IMG_1655.jpg




 
I would go with Noctua's heatsink-specific fans if for heatsinks, but if it's just for case fans, BQ's Silent Wings 2 seem to be quieter(and looks nicer).

Though if Noiseblocker multiframes are an option, those are usually marginally better, and you still get 6 years warranty.