Silent Fan Recommendations

Ian

Ian

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I've been using quite a few Noctua fans recently, both in PC builds and other hardware projects. They're great, but quite expensive.

Has anyone got any suggestions of PC fans that you've used and can confirm are silent running? I've had a search for silent fans, but many of the results are for fans that aren't good quality or have poor reviews. I'd really like some first hand opinions, if anyone has tried any non-Noctua silent fans.
 
Cheers @muckshifter - I've not used that fan before, but I like the look of the specs. Bit of a shame they don't do 40mm fans too, as that's what I need a few of next. I'll give the 120mm version a go next time I need a bigger one and compare it :).
 
Ian said:
Cheers @muckshifter - I've not used that fan before, but I like the look of the specs. Bit of a shame they don't do 40mm fans too, as that's what I need a few of next. I'll give the 120mm version a go next time I need a bigger one and compare it :).
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I'd go with any 'Bi-Sonic' PC case fan. These are delightfully cheap ball-bearing fans, not silent, but very quiet unless you ramp them up to their max RPM. They come in sizes of 40mm all the way up to 120mm.
I bought 10 of these 80mm fans from the link below and fitted 3 into my case a while ago. To this day, I still don't notice the noise (overshadowed by the R9 290's super loud fan), and they all deliver good airflow.

Example (external link, eBay)

Also, all Bi-Sonic fans come with this super-cool feature (get it? 'Cool' cause it cools effectively! :lol:) fitted as standard - absolutely no hideous, trashy, ugly looking LEDs!!

- Capt. Jack Sparrow.
 
Ian said:
40mm
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40mm or 140?

I've got a couple of the Corsair AF140's in the front my my case (White LED ones) - They're not bad, Very nearly inaudible. But they are only running at 800rpm.

These are supposed to be good.
 
Thanks folks, this has given me quite a few good options :D.

V_R said:
40mm or 140?
Click to expand...

Yep, tiny little 40mm ones :).

Captain Jack Sparrow said:
I'd go with any 'Bi-Sonic' PC case fan. These are delightfully cheap ball-bearing fans, not silent, but very quiet unless you ramp them up to their max RPM. They come in sizes of 40mm all the way up to 120mm.
Click to expand...

Those are super cheap. I might try getting a 40mm version and run it a little slower to see how it works - I'm a little apprehensive at that price, but no harm in giving it a whirl :).
 
Ian said:
Those are super cheap. I might try getting a 40mm version and run it a little slower to see how it works - I'm a little apprehensive at that price, but no harm in giving it a whirl :).
Click to expand...
That's because they're meant to be bought in bulk, so they can be sold very cheaply. Usually, OEM's buy large amounts of these fans and stick their own brand labels on them. These use a proper ball bearing (not a crappy sleeve bearing), and they really are the best PC case fans I've ever used to date.
I was previously using £0.99 Chinese sleeve bearing fans which were a nightmare, they had sharp blades, terrible bearings which failed in a matter months and their impellers frequently seized up due to leaking lubricant, so I gotta admit, I was very impressed by the quality of the Bi-Sonic fans in relation to their price.

They're like a breath of fresh air (sorry, couldn't resist doing another awesome pun :D)!

Although I have only personally used the 80mm, 92mm and 120mm versions, so I'm not sure about the noise levels of the smaller fans. I would've thought that the sound of the air moving would be louder than the fan's motor.

It really depends on how much air you want to move in relation to how much noise you can tolerate. The so-called 'silent' fans never really have been silent in my experience, unless they're turned off, therefore, not moving any air! :lol: I tend to avoid the so-called 'silent' fan because I think it's a marketing term. And marketing always = lies!

- Capt. Jack Sparrow.
 
Captain Jack Sparrow said:
I was previously using £0.99 Chinese sleeve bearing fans which were a nightmare, they had sharp blades, terrible bearings which failed in a matter months and their impellers frequently seized up due to leaking lubricant, so I gotta admit, I was very impressed by the quality of the Bi-Sonic fans in relation to their price.
Click to expand...

As soon as they're back in stock, I'm going to give on of these a go :). They're out of stock on eBay at the moment (and more expensive at other places.
 
Thanks to this thread and me searching Amazon for 40mm fans they keep emailing me about them! :mad:

:lol:
 
They are a bit of a nightmare for that tbh, you only have to look at a product and the next day its in your inbox.
 
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