Looking for best quiet case fans for intake and exhaust

[ellman12]

Hello,

So I am making my first pc build. And I am wondering a few things. First of all, what are some good quiet case fans? How many should I have? And how many intake and exhaust fans should I have?

Here is my case: http://www.honbontec.com/turbine700_product.html

Thanks for any info.

Kind regards,

Elliott

 

[Multipack]

What cooler will you be using?

And the Corsair ML fans are the quietest/best I have ever used, and have RPM's from >500-2000

 

[ellman12]

What cooler will you be using?

And the Corsair ML fans are the quietest/best I have ever used, and have RPM's from >500-2000

You mean for the CPU? If so, the Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler

http://

 

[Multipack]

Yeah, just in case it was a liquid cooler as obviously they use your fan mounts. That case is better designed for liquid coolers.

I'd use all fan mounts but if quiet is most important to you then maybe not. Also, because the Corsair ML are static pressure and high airflow they are louder than regular airflow fans at top speed. Also depends what fan headers your board has etc.

Use two fans in the front as intake and one/two in the top and one in back as exhausts.

 

[ellman12]

Yeah, just in case it was a liquid cooler as obviously they use your fan mounts. That case is better designed for liquid coolers.

I'd use all fan mounts but if quiet is most important to you then maybe not. Also, because the Corsair ML are static pressure and high airflow they are louder than regular airflow fans at top speed. Also depends what fan headers your board has etc.

Use two fans in the front as intake and one/two in the top and one in back as exhausts.

Thanks. 3 on top? Or is that unnecessary? So what are some recommended fans?

 

[Multipack]

It depends what you have in the case. If it's a high-end system that is going to get hot then I'd use all the fan mounts yes, but it may not be necessary, and the higher the RPM/CFM of a fan, the louder it gets basically. Case fans don't make a huge difference to CPU core temps, but they definitely play a part.

Like I said, my favourites are the Corsair ML because of the big range of RPM (400 - 2400, I checked) with it maxing out at 37db, but 2400 is a high RPM and is only necessary if you need heavy duty cooling. The BeQuiet Silent Wings are one of the best RPM to DB models, and anything from Noctua or Thermaltake are always good quality too.

Depends on your budget, system and preference for high airflow or low noise really. Anything over 25db is starting to get loud.

 

[ellman12]

It depends what you have in the case. If it's a high-end system that is going to get hot then I'd use all the fan mounts yes, but it may not be necessary, and the higher the RPM/CFM of a fan, the louder it gets basically. Case fans don't make a huge difference to CPU core temps, but they definitely play a part.

Like I said, my favourites are the Corsair ML because of the big range of RPM (400 - 2400, I checked) with it maxing out at 37db, but 2400 is a high RPM and is only necessary if you need heavy duty cooling. The BeQuiet Silent Wings are one of the best RPM to DB models, and anything from Noctua or Thermaltake are always good quality too.

Depends on your budget, system and preference for high airflow or low noise really. Anything over 25db is starting to get loud.

Ok. How about the Corsair af fans? Are they good? Also what is the difference between 120 mm and 140 mm?

 

[Multipack]

Yeah Corsair are very good, but Noctua have got a wider range. Difference between 120 n 140 is a) it depends which fan mounts your case has and b) the bigger one has higher CFM/airflow.

The AF series are for airflow, the SP series are for enclosed spaces/radiators and the ML series are both at the same time.

 

[ellman12]

Yeah Corsair are very good, but Noctua have got a wider range. Difference between 120 n 140 is a) it depends which fan mounts your case has and b) the bigger one has higher CFM/airflow.

The AF series are for airflow, the SP series are for enclosed spaces/radiators and the ML series are both at the same time.

Ok. So the af are good then? I think I'll use those. So is this good fan placement? Two fans in front and three on top as intake. And one in the back as exhaust. Also where should I have 120 mm and where should I have 140 mm fans?

 

[Multipack]

No I'd use the front two as intake and the top/back as exhausts. You want a balance of air in/out, in one direction. Maybe because you only have two in the front it'd be good to use 140mm fans, with three 120mm exhausts, but the 120/140mm thing isn't really important. Except for at v high temps the fans are going to be running at low RPM anyway, so pretty much silent.

Dont forget if you plug a 3 pin fan into a 4 pin header or vice versa they will run at 100% at all times. Most sys_fan headers on motherboards are 3 pin voltage controlled (but may physically have four pins to allow for both kinds).