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80mm to 120mm Fan Adapter Question

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tuzzi

Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
I was thinking of trying a 80mm to 120mm fan adapter on my Swiftech MCX4000, with a Panaflo, or Pabst fan. Would I see any significant reductions in temperature or noise? I presently am using a 80mm Panaflo H1.:confused:

Thanks.
 
Thanks for the fan recommendation XJ, but would I see any noise reduction, or temp decrease.
 
120's all the way, baby!!

In non-restrictive environment, a 120mm fan typically pushes 2x - 3x the air of a 80mm fan at the same noise level. At lest, that's what the manufacturers spec's from places like Sunon say.

When you introduce an obstruction to the airflow such as a heatsink, well, you're guess is as good as mine what's going to happen! Especially when there is not only an obstruction, but also funeling air from a 120mm circular cross section down to an 80mm circular cross section (44% of the area of the 120mm), meaning it will have to speed up through that orifice in order maintain airflow rate.

:) Personally, I have had excellent results with 120mm fans. If 240mm or larger fans were all over the place and inexpensive, I'd probably consider buying them.

:D For now, I can get the noise level of my 120mm fans WAY lower than I could with my past 80mm setups, with the temps staying about the same (the rest of the equipment, HS's and stuff, staying pretty much the same). It's actually nice to be able to hear my hard drive again (I've got a nice, super quiet Fujitsu that, thankfully, hasn't crapped out on me yet)

:D Also, at the same noise level, I think you can count on a 120mm producing a substantially lower frequency of sound than a 80mm, something I really appreciate.

If you do go the 120mm route, I would recommend the Vantec Stealth fans, off the top of my head. Perhaps the Panaflos, I've heard they're good. The Sunon's I bought were cheap, and that's good, but they recently started to go on me. I would recommend the extra couple bucks for a better manufacturer.

When you make your selection, I would go with the slowest one on the market from a company you think is good, and get a rheostat! At 12V, these fans typically push more air than you are likely gong to need! A quiet 120mm is usually in the range of a loud or quite loud 80mm. I think you'll appreciate the quiet more than you'll appreciate the last couple °C.

Anyway, I hope this all helps. Good luck :)

N8
 
Whow! thanks for the help n8x2. That was the kind of info I was looking for. Pabst fans are hard to find in Canada. I will probably go with the Vantec, or the Panaflo. Thanks again.:D
 
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