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I am putting together a system and am researching the various components I want to use (I usually spend about a month looking before I buy).

I am going to go with an Antec Sonata III case with a 500W Earthwatts PSU.

I will have an E8400 processor, which I am aiming at OCing to 4.0 GHz. I will use the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme heat sink. I will be using an 8800 GTS 512MB video card.

My question is this:

Will I get adequate cooling with 3 Noctua NF-S12-800's at 800 RPM (one intake, one exhaust, one on the thermalright)? They Push 41 CFM at ~20 dBA. The other option is to use Scythe S-Flex fans (SFF21E) at 1200 RPM pushing 51 CFM at 23 dBA. I don't really want to go much louder than this, but if the consensus is that even the 1200 RMP Scythe isn't enough, I might go with something faster on the HS and keep the lower RPM fans in the case.

What do you guys think?
 

Evilonigiri

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While the Noctua fans are quiet and nice, don't use it for cpu coolers like the Thermalright. The major problem with this fan is that it has very low static pressure, making it a bad choice for cpu coolers that require air to be forces through the slits.

While I usually recommend the Yat loon fans with a fan controller, if you want silence, try this new fan from Noctua: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=12&lng=en

For your case fans, the NF-S12 does fine.
 

goodie

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what about Zaward golf fans, do they have good static pressure?
ive got a 92mm on my HR-03GT & idle temps never go over 35 degrees
 

SPC

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Thanks for the advice Evilonigiri! NCIX sells the 1300 RPM model, which I think I will purchase, after I read a bit more of course. I hadn't thought of pressure and air resistance in the cooler. Very good call!
 

Evilonigiri

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It depends on how the fan looks like. Gimme a pic and I can estimate.
 

goodie

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heres a shot of the 120mm
bpic_2264.png

in black
bpic_2211.png
 

Evilonigiri

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Very straight...low angle...wide spacing...

Judging from experience, it's average for static pressure. However, a high rpm can cover up for it. This fan is more for a case than a cooler.

EDIT: That is, a cooler that has thin slots like the TRUE. For the HR-03GT, it's fine.
 

goodie

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92mm works a treat on my HR-03GT,
would really like LED if possible
the 120mm zaward is 1200rpm, 48.5cfm, 17dba
same wide spacing as s-flex
FG-005-SY_400.jpg
 

goodie

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all i can do is try it, if its crap, it'll be fine for my case.
will let you know if they're any good
EDIT: looks like i posted wrong pics, this is from quietPC.com
za-golffan-black-120.jpg
 

Evilonigiri

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Sure, need to expand on my ever growing knowledge to boring things like fans. :)
 

Evilonigiri

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Looks pretty decent to me. There's 9 fins, so it makes it a bit noisier than the conventional 7 fins, but it's only 1400 rpm.

The way it's curved gives it more pressure, but the angle isn't as low, so it's hard to say how the pressure is. I'd expect it to be around avg. or better for static pressure.

Problem with led fans are that they use brittle plastic. Those material usually makes the fans noisier.
 

Evilonigiri

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Really now? Usually a fan's life is determined by what type of bearing they use.

Since you said short lived, it's probably sleeved bearing, which is cheap to make and gets noisier as it ages. Life is around 20,000hrs or so.
 

Evilonigiri

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That depends on how the testing was done. Most manufacturer likes to keep their db levels real low, but in truth, they are usually much louder than specified.