Which Noctua Fan is Right For Me?

[aces19]

I am building a computer for the first time and I plan on installing lots of fans into my case and replacing the fans in my watercooler's radiator.

I want to use Noctua fans, and I want to use the one that blows the most air but is also completely silent. I am willing to pay a premium for them, so money isn't a problem.

My Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro Full Tower

Thanks in advance 😉

 

[synphul]

If going completely silent, adding as many fans as you can isn't always the best approach. What size radiator on your watercooler? Assuming 240mm (dual 120mm) but not certain what you have.

For the radiator, you probably want the nf-f12, they produce 3.94 mm/h2o pressure at 2k rpm's but can get a bit noisy at almost 30db. On the other hand having such a high static pressure at max means they will still have respectable pressure with the fan speed reduced some. They come in both standard 3 pin and 4pin pwm versions, if you have pwm headers to use them with that's the way I'd go.

For the front of the case (assuming the radiator is going in the top), I'd recommend a couple of 140mm fans. If you don't mind the tan/brown color of the originals, they come with low noise adapters to reduce voltage and lower fan speed/noise so you can them at 7v and 5v. The nf-a14 pwm would be my choice in the originals for the front intake. If you'd rather something more in line with the black case colors and the darker industrial fans for the radiator, the redux line are nice and would recommend the nf-p14s pwm redux in either 1500 or 1200 rpm. Mine are connected to a fan controller and turned down, the amount of air they blow can create a fair bit of noise on full and I'm using the 1500rpm. Turned down though they're nice so either 1200 or 1500rpm may work well for you.

For the rear, the stock phanteks fan is really nice. It's quiet and moves a lot of air. If you'd rather go all noctua, I'd go with the same redux p14s or the nf-a14 pwm.

If you want a bit better airflow through the radiator, consider removing the mesh dust filter from the top of the enthoo pro, it's a little restrictive. Pop the top of the case off and turn it over, there are metal tabs you bend out straight and remove the top grille. The mesh filter is sandwiched between the metal grille and the plastic framework, then put the grille back in and bend the tabs back over.

 

[aces19]

If going completely silent, adding as many fans as you can isn't always the best approach. What size radiator on your watercooler? Assuming 240mm (dual 120mm) but not certain what you have.

For the radiator, you probably want the nf-f12, they produce 3.94 mm/h2o pressure at 2k rpm's but can get a bit noisy at almost 30db. On the other hand having such a high static pressure at max means they will still have respectable pressure with the fan speed reduced some. They come in both standard 3 pin and 4pin pwm versions, if you have pwm headers to use them with that's the way I'd go.

For the front of the case (assuming the radiator is going in the top), I'd recommend a couple of 140mm fans. If you don't mind the tan/brown color of the originals, they come with low noise adapters to reduce voltage and lower fan speed/noise so you can them at 7v and 5v. The nf-a14 pwm would be my choice in the originals for the front intake. If you'd rather something more in line with the black case colors and the darker industrial fans for the radiator, the redux line are nice and would recommend the nf-p14s pwm redux in either 1500 or 1200 rpm. Mine are connected to a fan controller and turned down, the amount of air they blow can create a fair bit of noise on full and I'm using the 1500rpm. Turned down though they're nice so either 1200 or 1500rpm may work well for you.

For the rear, the stock phanteks fan is really nice. It's quiet and moves a lot of air. If you'd rather go all noctua, I'd go with the same redux p14s or the nf-a14 pwm.

If you want a bit better airflow through the radiator, consider removing the mesh dust filter from the top of the enthoo pro, it's a little restrictive. Pop the top of the case off and turn it over, there are metal tabs you bend out straight and remove the top grille. The mesh filter is sandwiched between the metal grille and the plastic framework, then put the grille back in and bend the tabs back over.

Do you have any suggestions assuming I am not going for completely silent Noctua fans? Thanks though, this was helpful. And my watercooler is the H110i GTX, which I think is 2x 140mm fans

 

[synphul]

You're right, the h110i gtx is a 280mm radiator so 2x140 fans. Noctua's industrial in the 140mm is the nf-a14 pwm and pushes 4.18 mm/h2o at full speed which is pretty impressive for a 140mm fan. Typically a fan line with good static pressure at 120, their 140mm lineup loses a bit of that pressure. Moving the same volume of air over a wider surface using a 140mm vs a 120mm and turning at slower speeds reduces the pressure they can provide.

I might stick with the noctua industrials for the radiator. For the front intake and rear exhaust, the stock phanteks 140mm is a nice fan. Most stock fans are disappointing, either low airflow or noisy. The phanteks is neither, moves a surprising amount of air and is pretty quiet even at full speed. Mine's also hooked to my fan controller and I only have to turn it down a tiny bit and can no longer hear it at all. It moves around 85cfm at full speed I believe. The stock fan is the ph140sp which isn't pwm. The pwm version is here, the ph140xp.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-case-fan-phf140xpbk

Another decent 140mm fan, moves 70cfm at just under 20db, the cougar vortex.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cougar-case-fan-cfv14hb

Thermalright's ty147's are fairly good too. 73 cfm at 21db.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermalright-case-fan-ty147

Aerocool's ds140's vary from 70-93cfm at 16-23db (pwm variable speed).
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/aerocool-case-fan-ds140mmblack