Fans / noise

Guys can you recommend some very QUITE but effective fans ?

I just built a HTPC and i need to quite this thing down. The main problem is the Thermalright XP90 fan. The fan powers from the PSU and not the motherboard so i can't control the fan speed. So i need a replacement fan to go on my heatsink and would also like it to use the motherboard pins if possible so i can control it.

I know all the fan descriptions say "super quite" but that doesn't mean crap anymore

Can you steer me in the right dorection ?

You could try to find a molex->3 pin connector.

Anyway, you'll be looking at 92mm fans, which people now have less experience with.
silentpcreview's recommended fan list has shrunk dramatically in thier last update, but is a good start (also see their 92mm roundup from a year ago).

Anyway, any reasonable low/medium speed fan probably can be quieted down to acceptable levels by fan control, so since you're looking at that, choices widen a bit

I like to undervolt my fans. They run a little slower and alot quieter with about the same cooling. The fact that the one that you want to quiet runs on the PSU is a blessing.
On the molex connector for the fan there is usually only 2 wires that connect, the yellow 12 volt and one of the grounds (black wire). What you do is swap the ground wire so it matches up with the red 5 volt wire. It then will run on 7 volts, 12-5=7.
I have a pin extractor that makes this a 30 second job, but you should be able to remove the pins in the connector without damaging them with a tiny screwdriver and a little patience.

Just buy lower RPM fans, 1200RPM is quiet, 600RPM is basicaly silent but also very little air movement.

Scythe S-Flex 1200rpm and 800rpm are great, but expensive. Yate loons and Nexus are great fans and tend to be cheaper.

GameSinewPCs said:

Scythe S-Flex 1200rpm and 800rpm are great, but expensive. Yate loons and Nexus are great fans and tend to be cheaper.

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Except he needs a 92mm one . Only one you listed that comes as a 92mm is the Nexus (the YL 92mms don't have as good a reputation, iirc).

I've seen 92-120mm fan adapters, but unfortunately I don't think they'd work on this heatsink without some sort of modification, since the fan clips wouldn't be able to grab onto it.

I have a couple 92mm fans.

Scythe Kama 92mm PWN and an Arctic Cooling AF9225. They spin at 200-2500rpm and 2000rpm at respectively.

Now, to be completely honest, they both sound similar at full speed. I don't actually use the AC fan though I just bought it for a brief comparison to the scythe. I run the scythe sometimes but I always keep it around 7volts, it is relatively quiet then but it isn't completely silent.

I just think the fact of the matter is 92mm fans are going to make more noise than 120mm fans, finding absolute silence while getting any sort of cooling power is unlikely. Then again, your idea of silent might be different than mine.

Omsion said:

Except he needs a 92mm one . Only one you listed that comes as a 92mm is the Nexus (the YL 92mms don't have as good a reputation, iirc).

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It was late and I missed that thank you for pointing it out. I hate to say it, but silenx is an option. Arctic cooling makes ok 92mm fans. And you can always get a high cfm fan with a contoller or a volt mod.

I agree with MCBtunes, if your looking for near silence and still being able to get some decent airflow out of a fan 120mm is the only way to go. Personaly I find 1200RPM to be very quiet, and 6/800RPM to be silent on most quality fans. I have a scythe kaze jyuni at 1200RPM its very quiet, and a AC 1200RPM anti-vibration fan that is inline with that.