Need some help with quiet case fans

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xPhaze

xPhaze

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Dec 15, 2012
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I'm building a new machine and, after having used a gaming laptop for a few years, I'm looking for something very quiet. I've looked at Noctua case fans but honestly don't know which model numbers to go for for my needs. Nor do I have any idea how much CFM I really need.

A little background:
I don't overclock. I'm oldschool so I stick with air cooling that I know; liquid cooling is still a foreign concept to me. I don't really play games much, and when I do, it's usually games a few years old. The i7 is mostly for graphics and rendering work.

Build:
Masterbox 5 (sucks that it has a full-mesh front but I'm compromising on that because of its other good features/insides)
i7 8700 (not K)
1050 Ti single-fan
GIGABYTE Z370 HD3 Motherboard

So I'm looking for just a basic 80-120mm single intake and single exhaust fan for this system. They need to be as quiet as possible and still provide enough cooling for my components. It's worth mentioning my new motherboard has "Smart Fan 5" fan control that I would like to utilize.

If mentioning brand names, please include some model numbers also!

Thank you.


 
Solution
Darkbreeze
Full mesh front doesn't suck, be glad for it, it will decrease the noise created by air rushing past the little slots many cases use up front these days. It will also allow for a lot more airflow to be brought in by the front intake fans. Most hardcore enthusiasts who buy cases with solid front panels, like myself, modify them by removing most of the front panel material and replacing it with custom mesh or screen of some kind.

Larger fans are quieter, because they don't have to spin as fast to deliver the same amount of airflow as a smaller fan does, so they are generally quieter. Your case supports two 140mm front fans and one rear 120mm exhaust fan. That is exactly what I'd put in there, but if you prefer to use only two fans...
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No problem. That's supposed to be the whole point of what we do here, although some people just get too wrapped up in either brand A vs brand B, as in, cannot let it go long after it's stopped even being relevant to the thread, or are only worried about trying to get the BA and then they're gone.

All I really care about is being right all the time and proving that everybody else is wrong. Nah, just kidding. Seriously, if I can help somebody avoid making a mistake or help them accurately and positively troubleshoot and solve whatever problem they are having, then I'm happy because that is what it's all about.

Also, it's about learning as well. Because none of us know it all, that's impossible. Well, it's impossible for me anyhow. There are a few guys running around here that I sometimes wonder if maybe there ARE any limits to what they know because they SEEM to have every fact and detail to every possible question tucked away somewhere. But for the rest of us, each day you fail to learn something here was a waste of a damn good chance to have done so.
 
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Hi again. Could use a little more help with fans on a slightly different subject.

I'm building a new system for my girlfriend. Almost everything was bought on Cyber Monday very cheaply and she needs some RGB fans compatible with a motherboard RGB header (MSI Mystic Light Sync), as opposed to the kind with controllers. It's proving rather difficult to separate the two types of RGB fans in my searches and so far the Cooler Master Masterfan series is all I found, out of the brands known to me.

It's for a Masterbox 5 Lite case which supports three front 120mm fans and two rear 140mm fans. I would at the least like two RGB fans on the front both for looks and because there is limited airflow with that case.

The quiet factor does apply here as well; she has very sensitive hearing and is also coming from a laptop. Unfortunately it does not seem that Noctua makes RGB fans. Maybe a similar look can be done with some separate RGB LED strips instead? I'm not sure.

Anyways, can I have some suggestions please?
 
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Nope, Noctua does not make RGB fans. In fact, most of the truly "good" fan manufacturers don't. I know for a fact Noctua, Be Quiet, Thermalright, Noiseblocker, Scythe and other high end fan manufacturers do not cater to the RGB crowd at all. That pretty much leaves you with companies like Corsair and Thermaltake, maybe a few others, if you want RGB fans.

What model is the motherboard you are getting her? I think all the motherboard RGB headers are aura compatible, which I think is the point is that there be a standard, so what works with one should work with all but I might be mistaken on that. This is a pretty new feature for PC hardware in the grand scheme of things, really only coming out in the last year or so, so I've not dealt with it extensively yet but tomorrow I'll be happy to look into it.

If you can find a bunch of fans that you know work with the setup you are planning, I can tell you which of them are worth using and in what configuration I'd use them, but that's about it. I wouldn't count on finding any really high quality fans that are terribly quiet though. You might find something that has a good halfway mixture of performance, sound level and RGB, but I doubt you'll find many, or any, that have them all.

Personally, I think too RGB is way overrated and that it's fine to have RGB features in your PC, but I don't think EVERYTHING has to be RGB or you just end up with a giant mess of light pollution that actually defeats the whole purpose of it. Now if you're only planning on doing RGB on the motherboard and fans, with maybe some bottom lighting for the case, that would look good. Keep in mind, that's just my opinion. I guess some people like their PC to look like the Las Vegas strip from a helicopter that's 500 feet in the air, but that's not me.

Too much of something just ruins whatever appeal it had to begin with.

I will tell you that Aerocool has a DS line of fans that are LED, but not RGB, and they are a very good choice if you are looking to primarily have red, blue or white LEDs on the fans. They are quiet, perform well, have LED's, BUT, they are 3 pin fans so you need to use a controller with them like the NZXT Grid +, use three to four pin adapter cables or have a motherboard that supports the use of 3 pin voltage controls on it's four pin headers. Or of course use a board that only has 3 pin fan headers. These fans are not PWM though, but they perform well, are built well using high quality components and are really quiet for a fan that isn't 25 bucks each.


The fact that they are also brightly colored adds some appeal as well. They also have other fans that I think ARE RGB, but none of their other fans that I've looked at previously, unless they have some new ones I haven't seen or read reviews on, are worth a damn like the DS series fans are.

http://www.aerocool.us/accessory.htm

 
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Basically I'm trying replicate this look with the Masterbox 5 Lite:
http://banleong.com/sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MBL_5_RGB_5.jpg
It's a nice case visually and I want to be able to have the 2-3 front fans light up the front like that. Beyond that...



...I'm with this. Probably going to get an LED strip or two for the inside and that's about it. The RGB goal is not to make it colorful but rather to be able to change the overall color theme on a whim. Primarily, it will be within warm colors though.



That's my understanding of the technology as well. She is getting an MSI B350 Tomahawk. It has MSI's version of RGB called Mystic Light Sync but every LED product I've come across on Amazon that's compatible with one of the technologies (Gigabyte, Asus, MSI, etc) is also compatible with the others.



Will the lack of PWM/4-pin header still make them able to be controlled by the motherboard alone (and inside of Windows as opposed to just BIOS)? Or will I need a controller? Would prefer not to have to get a separate controller for budgeting reasons primarily.




The Halos are really interesting! If only they weren't priced like buying a fan itself, it would be a great option. Not sure what 5050 means/is for but yes, I was thinking of supplementing the fans with some LED strips.



With how difficult it is to find good RGB fans, maybe I'll have to go with some good red LED fans for the front panel and get something like the Phantecs RGB LED Strip (https://www.amazon.com/Phanteks-PH-LEDKT_COMBO-Strip-Combo-Retail/dp/B01HUFMIZ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1512004034&sr=1-1&keywords=phanteks+rgb+strip) for a bit of lighting inside the case itself. That way, the front could be red and the inside could be either red or purple or something like that... I think that would look pretty nice.

By the way, can you comment at all on the aformentioned Masterfan series? eg. https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-MasterFan-Computer-Radiators/dp/B06XJ2LCPG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512004266&sr=8-1&keywords=masterfan
As in, their quality/reliability, CFM, noise levels?
 
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Page 32 of the user manual for the MSI B350 Tomahawk says that the headers on that motherboard can do either PWM OR DC mode voltage controlled. If you plug a 3 pin fan into one of the four pin headers while it is set to PWM mode, the fan will run at full speed, however, it says that the MODE can be changed to DC mode in which case they will then be voltage controlled through the UEFI bios. That means you CAN natively run those or any other 3 pin fans on that motherboard without additional controllers or adapters, or you can run PWM fans as well.

That's a nice feature. I wish my board had that. I'd have never had to purchase this NZXT Grid+ in order to run these DS-140 fans that are in my system now. I also have four NF-A14 PWM fans but I put these Aerocool fans in about 18 months ago just to test them out to see how good they actually were after reading a solid review on them, and just never took them back out. Of course, part of the reason is that I left to work up in the mountains on a reforestation job for about a year, but before that and up to now I've left them because I haven't really felt the need to swap them back out. They are that good compared to the Noctua's plus they match my color scheme better.

Now that Noctua has the Chromax black fans, which look exactly what I did manually to the NF-A14 PWM fan on my CPU cooler long BEFORE they ever had those, I'll probably get some of those to swap in there because the Noctua's ARE quieter when all four fans are running at like 75% or higher. Not by a major amount, but enough that I can tell. So yes, those fans are pretty decent. At least the 140mm ones. I've not tested the 120mm models though, so I can't really say on those, but reviews say they are similar.

I don't know about those Phanteks LED strips. I've talked with about five people who bought them and they all said the same thing. Brightness is good, but the colors are "off", and the rubbers along the stripping breaks when you unfurl them for placement. At least they've gone to magnets like the LED's from the Hue+, but it's not the same quality from what I've heard from some reliable sources. Still, they are pretty inexpensive though.


Masterfan = Low CFM (42.7), VERY low static pressure (.96mm H₂O), 20db max noise level which is good, but it's only good because the airflow/RPM is so low. If this is a system that will never see a significant demanding load condition then that's fine but if it's something that will be used for gaming or high end applications that will put the system under extended load conditions, then this is not the right fan based on it's cooling capabilities.

Not that I'm voicing a recommendation for OR against these, but they'd definitely be better than those Fooler Master fans.

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hd120-rgb-led-high-performance-120mm-pwm-fan

54.4 CFM / 2.25mm static pressure / 30db max


OR


https://www.nzxt.com/products/aer-rgb


OR


http://www.corsair.com/en-us/sp120-rgb-led-high-performance-120mm-fan


I don't know, not really my best area since I haven't delved into this too much yet, which I promise I will before long, but you might want to take a look at this thread as there are some interesting conversations and apparently a related video concerning some products working with the RGB headers.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3367343/rgb-fans-compatible-asus-aura.html

Personally, I dislike Cooler Master aside from one or two of their cases, and have had repeatedly poor experiences with their products.


 
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Thank you! That's a lot of information especially in the other thread that you linked and I'm still going through it. So far, it's netted me a great other option though that's similar to the Phanteks Halos that madmatt30 mentioned: http://silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=740&area=en
They are only about 12 bucks each and my GF likes the snowflake look. Thinking of getting the same kind of setup as mine with Noctua fans and sticking those on them.

The one problem that I'm seeing now though is that the Tomahawk only has one RGB header, so only one color at a time will be supported. Maybe I'll have to get one of those cheap controllers with the remotes just for the Silverstone front fan covers.


On another topic, I am trying to pick between the Ryzen 5 1600 and 1600X for her. The performance difference and price difference seems very close, so it has to come down to noise. Do you happen to have any experience with the Wraith Spire cooler? I finally put together my own build with the cheap Deepcool heatsink coupled with the Noctua 120mm and it sounds BEAUTIFUL! Very quiet and even at 100% speed, the noise is of a low pitch so it's not bothersome at all.

Any idea how the Wraith Spire cooler will compare to that in noise level and type of noise, ie. pitch?
 
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The spire is incredible for a stock cooler if you dont plan on any major overclocking.

On its standard fan curve with a 1600 it will generally sit around 1200-1400 max rpm & is virtually silent apart from a small whoosh of air.

There is no annoying whine or pitch at all in my experience (something which I absolutely abhore too)

 
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I don't know what's up, but I posted about a twenty line post here earlier, and it's totally gone now. It's not been deleted by any other moderator, or I'd still be able to see it, it's just gone. That's weird. Perfect, more gremlins than we already have.

Anyhow, all of the Wraith coolers do between 30-35db from idle to full speed, according to the specifications and the reports of several leading review sites.

That's too high for me, coming from a Noctua that barely does 25db at full speed. But the consensus is that it is by FAR the best stock cooler there has ever been, so there is that going for it. My understanding is that it does an admirable job on stock configurations, no so great if you overclock or increase the max turbo speed settings, or, if you increase the ALL core turbo settings much at all.

I think it's probably fine for a stock rig that sees occasional gaming sessions that keep the CPU under load conditions for long periods, but if it's going to be a daily driver for any system using higher end applications or gaming for extended periods all the time, I'd probably look to something a little more capable with a bearing bearing and quieter fan. I guarantee the Wraith cooler will be louder than your Deepcool HSF with the Noctua fan on it. No two ways about it. There is no possible way that cooler is as quiet as that Noctua fan. Uh uh.

If you will absolutely not be overclocking, then go with the 1600x, if you are ok with some overclocking (And this should be a no brainer these days. It's doesn't take a really qualified geek to dial in a basic overclock anymore like it used to.) then the 1600 is a better bargain and can do the same speeds pretty much anyhow.
 
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Awesome, thank you!




I see, thank you. I think I will just get the 1600 then and see how she likes the Wraith cooler. If it's too loud, I'll grab her the same setup I have for myself.

Thank you again for the recommendations from before. The system is I think even quieter than the laptop ever was! ..minus, what I now realize was a folly: I used my old PSU from the previous build and it's making a whine noise which is the only noise coming from the machine. Going to have to replace that sometime soon. Totally did not even think of that thing having a fan of its own!

For the Masterbox 5 Lite, since it has an acrylic front and only a small slot for airflow on the bottom of the front panel, from what you've taught me before, I think a high static pressure fan like the Industrial PPC Noctuas would be the best. Is this correct?
 
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If the restriction comes BEFORE the fan, then static pressure isn't really helpful. If the restriction is AFTER the fan, then yes. In that case since the restriction is before the fan having high static pressure really doesn't help THAT part of it, but since it's an intake fan anyway, then having high static pressure is generally always helpful. I know that's a round about answer, but unavoidable to explain why. I'd probably just use a Noctua Chromax NF-A14 PWM or NF-A12 PWM, unless it's going through a radiator, because anything higher than those in CFM will probably starve for air and create little vacuums or undesirable whooshing.

But of course that's up to you. That would only be at full speed anyhow and it will probably never get near full speed anyway.

Get a good PSU in there immediately. If your current PSU is making noise, or is low quality, it's sheer stupidity to take a chance on it damaging any part of your system causing the money you just spent to be a waste. Get a good PSU in there and come here for a recommendation when you're ready to replace it so you don't end up with a lemon.
 
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Got it. That's the NF-S12A, right? That's what's coming up in search for the NF-A12 as there doesn't appear to be a model called NF-A12.

The PSU in there is a Corsair CX500 from four years ago: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027
I figured it's just a lower-quality fan or just age.

Can you recommend anything in the ≤$50 range with ~500W? They have their 2017 version, the CX550, which is what I got for my GF's build but don't know if there is something better. For reference, this is my build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/nrhKyf

 
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In the $50 bracket there quite simply isn't anything that matches up to the cx550 on spec or quality imo


You have to up to $70 to get anything even remotely better quality.

If you can find a bequiet purepower for that kind of money they're worse quality psu's but do have very quiet fans.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bkp323/seasonic-focus-plus-gold-550w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-550fx

if you count rebates then the seasonic focus plus gold is $55 - a fully modular unit with a fdb fan & even a semi fanless mode which in all honesty would likely be in use for you the majority of the time only running a 1050ti.

If you like quiet then that is currently the best psu on the market at that price

 
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CX500 is pretty questionable. Lot's of issues in LOTS of threads with those units. Actually, almost every time they are used in a gaming machine we end up seeing problems with them. The CXM units are much better and don't have as many issues, but I still think spending a few dollars more is a good idea to get a much better unit.

@madmatt, I don't know what you are talking about. The CX units suck. Are you talking about the CXM units? At fifty bucks there are MUCH better options. The CXM being one of them.

I don't think I'd ever buy any Be Quiet PSU that wasn't part of the Dark power pro P10 or P11 series or Straight power 10 series. The rest are all "meh" or just plain bad choices. The Power zone, Pure power and Straight power 9's all had some shortcomings. I'd not personally recommend pairing them with a high end gaming card anymore than I would the CX units.

What is your current graphics card model?


THIS fan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07654PNFQ/?tag=pcpapi-20

 
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Hmm that Seasonic seems pretty good. Hopefully they honor their rebate.




What exactly is the difference between the CX and the CXM units? Seems like the only difference is the CXM ones are modular.
I don't really care about modular or not. My case has plenty of basement room to hide excess cables. I'd actually almost prefer non-modular because there's less of a chance of plugging in the wrong thing in the wrong socket and my OCD would be more at ease with that.



MSI GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB GT OC. Found it for Cyber Monday for just $10 more than what I paid for the 1050Ti so I'm returning that and grabbed the 1060.



Oh okay so just the regular NF-F12s, same ones I'm using.


 
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I'm going to say something here, AND I'm also going to change my previous statement that the CXM is a better unit than the CX.

On the one hand, the CXM DOES have a newer platform with some improvements over the previous CX models and supposedly better capacitors were used but based on my research that may not actually be the case. The biggest problem with the CX units wasn't that reviews of the quality were bad. It was the fact that reviews clearly showed lower end capacitors were used and while those units tested good initially, they did not continue to hold up under extended use in high demand (Think gaming cards) usage.

That being said, I JUST read a review done in January, which I had NOT previously seen that indicates the CXM is probably NOT better, despite the improvement. According to the testing done by Hardwareinsights, the CXM 550w units did not pass the combined and crossload testing, therefore FAILING to stay within ATX specifications. That is bad. Even the older CX units did not have that problem. I cannot in good conscience recommend using these units based on that review.

The Corsair CX550M delivered power both under combined loading and crossloading, but it did not pass the combined and crossload testing in accordance with the ATX specification, so according to my evaluation methodology, it is not deserving of an evaluation. Upon first glance, the unit manages to deliver the voltage hold-up time of more than 10 ms. But because of a too lowly-rated bulk input capacitor, the power good signal does not, and upon further testing with a precise AC supply interruption, it is clear to me that the voltage doesn’t even stay in spec unless the hold-up time is much shorter. So short in fact that it may pose a risk of instability even if you actually use a UPS in conjunction with the power supply. Of course you can just buy a much higher-rated model, like the CX750M. But why do that? Why not just get a higher-end series with lower power for at a similar price point?

Another thing which seems very strange to me are the protections. Corsair only states that there is the OPP present. I found no such thing, the unit never reacted to overload and shut down when the voltage @+12 V fell under 9.5 V. This is more like a joke than protection to me. On the other hand I found the CX550M has OTP. It has also been reported there is in fact OCP working on the +3.3 and +5 V rails (most likely through the Anpec buck controller). So the advertised protections work at “meh” rate at best while there are other protections present which seem to work but are not advertised. This is kinda strange.

What I like about the series is that thanks to the DC-DC modules used, the regulation easily reaches the high-end class. It’s pretty much fantastic. Also the efficiency is really very good. However the ripple suppression hardly falls to within the margins of my mainstream requirements, and the -12V regulator has a difficult time keeping up with the high-speed fan connected to it. The thing is, there are huge differences in pricing. With discounts, the CXM is so damn cheap (and that includes shipping) in the US (I have seen it for 40 US dollars with shipping) that even with all corner-cutting, this unit still make a lot sense from a financial standpoint. For the money, there is simply nothing else that matches it. But here in Europe where the price is easily more than twice as high you just expect better performance. And some competing series (like the Cooler Master GM) have that. Corsair units perform great in the high-end, but it seems as though their mainstream still just doesn’t get things right.

https://www.hardwareinsights.com/corsair-cx550m-farewell-group-design/7/
Click to expand...

I would stick to newer Seasonic units, ones that do not use group regulated designs, EVGA units, but only those using the Leadex Gold, Platinum and Titanium platforms, or higher end Corsair units such as the RMi, HX, HXi and AX models.


This is actually cheaper than the same 550w Seasonic model, is fully modular and has a Gold efficiency rating. Very good unit. Should last you through several builds and will support any single graphics card of the current generations you might care to upgrade to, if you did.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $69.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-03 22:31 EST-0500
 
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There was a $20 MIR and a $5 discount both of which were till the end of the day on the 550W Seasonic FOCUS Plus Gold, so I grabbed that. I read briefly through the JonnyGuru review of it and while most things did not make any sense to me, the impression they got from the unit was great. All that coupled with you guys' recommendations made it a no-brainer to get that.

I guess I had no idea what a bad PSU can really do to your components other than to not be able to power them fully, and there is not much information out there in laymans terms. But once I stumbled onto a reddit thread with pictures of burnt interfaces and components, yeah that's a good explanation for me!
 
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Ill be homest I still rate the cx550/m as decent units & disregard the hold up time because it's essentially massive nitpicking as is the crossloading results.

At $50 they're decent.

That said when you can get a focus gold at $50 ita just an absolute no-brainer because its a straight 10/10 in every respect.

Fdb fan & a silent eco mode too ?? Cant fault it , with the power draw on your components you'll be running fanless 50% of the time.
 
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Poor ripple suppression is not nitpicking. Ripple/noise, which are different, but essentially the same, is one of the biggest reasons behind premature hardware failure. Also, crossloading is a real concern for units with sufficient power requirements. While it may not be terribly problematic for units with very low voltage requirements, Aris has shown us already that on units with larger requirements, such as those running gaming cards which use more than just slot power, it can be a real and serious concern.

I cannot recommend ANY unit which fails to maintain and adhere to ANY of the ATX specifications. They are there FOR A REASON and modern power supplies that cannot, or do not, adhere to them, should not be given a pass when there are plenty of good units available that do. Corsair has had plenty of opportunities to get things fixed on their budget units and have failed to do so, so that's their own problem.

Congrats on the Seasonic unit. You will be very, very happy with it.
 
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Is there any way to connect the be quiet! fan to the CPU cooler with the Thermalright fan on it?
 
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I can't speak specifically for those exact models, but generally speaking, most coolers use these wire fan clips to hold fans to them, and they are compatible with any fan. They look something like this:

6706_19_alpenfoehn_brocken_2_cpu_cooler_review.jpg


And they use tension to keep the fan attached to the heatsink. I got the DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX 400 and replaced its fan with a similarly-sized 120mm Noctua fan with great ease.

So if you get a 120mm fan and a 120mm heatsink like that one, chances are you will be able to use them together. The cooler's Amazon listing Q&A area also mentions that you can use the heatsink without a fan, so it's definitely swappable.

 
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IMO, I'm not sure why you'd want to replace a Thermalright fan with a Be Quiet fan anyhow. Thermalright is one of THE most respected and highest performing fan and heat sink manufacturers out there. Certainly a few rungs up the ladder from Be Quiet, depending on the model of the fan you're referencing of course. Truthfully, most the Be Quiet fan decibel ratings are skewed, as those fans are mostly designed to run at lower RPM than most competing performance fans, which DOES result in a quieter fan, but it also results in a decrease in cooling performance.
 
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