[SOLVED] Is 26 dBA loud for a case fan?

[Jeffsta]

I'm looking at these Corsair AF120 case fans. They are 1400 RPM, 52 CFM, and 26 dBA. My current fans which are quiet are 1200 RPM, 20 dBA. I will be plugging them into the fan ports on my Motherboard. Will the AF120 case fans be loud?

 

[Darkbreeze]

26db isn't "terrible", but I can tell you that those AF120 fans do not actually have a maximum 26db at full speed. They are louder than they would like you to believe however they are still better than a lot of fans out there for the price.

Those AF120 three pack fans are three pin models however, and that board does not have the ability to run 3 pin DC controlled fans off of it's PWM system fan headers so you will either need a case integrated or aftermarket fan hub that is capable of handling those three pin DC fans while connecting to a motherboard PWM header, or an aftermarket controller like the NZXT Grid v3. Phanteks has a couple of pretty good controllers as well.

Honestly, you'd be better off simply buying PWM fans to start with, to eliminate the issue entirely.

 

[zero_l0gic]

Do what darkbreeze said. Get a fan controller and lower the speed of fans to 60-80% and it would give even lower noise.

 

[HWOC]

I would second the PWM route instead of buying a fan controller.