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Original case fans or after market?

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OGMCVilleTC

Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Location
Tn
I'm going to buy the Antec twelve hundred for my new rig I'm building and was wondering if I should keep the fans that come with it or get some after market LED fans? I have some extra money to throw around and if I would benefit more from after market fans I would rather buy after market.
 
I wouldn't run the antec case fans at anything other than low on my pc, but that's because I'm a little picky about fan noise.

That said, I do run two of the antec led case fans on low as intakes in my case. I went and bought a scythe slipstream for exhaust though.
 
The 1200 come with tricools, iirc. They're decent enough fans, but there are defenitly better ones that push either more air at the same noise level, or the same amount of air at a lower level
 
There is a few valid reasons to switch out stock case fans for aftermarket fans.

One is sound signature. Which some stock case fans not only are loud. They sound strange to the ear. Like buzzing or clicking.. Or simply sound harsh while operating.

Two would be they are weak output. Even low static pressure while having good output.

Third would be they look stupid in the case. Like the color you are hoping to see. Or the lighting if applicable is not to your liking. Be it to bright or to dim, even a color you would not rather have. lol Is that red LED fan sort of pink...

I have had a few cases all the fans in them were low quality and did not suite what I hoped to get out of the case. Then again, I have had some great fans that were just simply to small, but for the size were great fans. When it comes to fans. If they work good for you (sound good and put out good airflow) and are not dead. Why bother with the hassle or expense of replacing them right away.

Now if the fans do not suite you in some way. It is a great option to change out the fans to something to your liking. Since some fans if you want quiet and LED. It is hard to lower the voltage on them and not effect the lighting level. Myself. I used to like having LED fans. I lean towards silent now. I have found only one fan that offers LED and quiet. I had to sacrifice output though. In both airflow and LED lighting strength. This is one tough nut to crack on this type of fan... Seems silent and LED does not exist.. Though a few brands get close.

I tried a number of fans in my time. Still have a HUGE box of assorted types, sizes and brands. I got a few old stock cases fans that I would say they are ok.. One or two are pretty good. A few others are crap.

So far the non-clear body fans seem to last the longest overall and are the quietest. Plus offer the best pressure and airflow. I never had any gripes with the Antec fans I have tried out. Matter of fact.. I have one 80mm Antec Tri-Color fan that is nearing 5 years old. Sadly I cannot use it on a fan controller to lower the volume in sound it makes. The other fans I have by that brand work ok and I have no qualms using them. Yet again, no fan controller for them. They automatically adjust fan speeds. Plus they simply do not have a lot of static pressure.

As you can see. there is no one reason to change out fans. Since one user may find a fan to his or her liking and needs. For another, stock case fans may not suite them and the application they are trying to achieve.

The main question is. Do they work OK for you? Are they cooling the machine parts as you would like at a noise level that is ok to you? [I have yet to find the perfect fan in my experience. I found a few that I cannot hear and work excellent with fan controllers. Though they are lacking in stylish points.]
 
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Unless Antec changed their tricools, they're too loud for me. They are usually the first thing I replace in an Antec case.
 
They arent too bad on medium, but all of them an high is kinda up there in sound. Eventually I would like to change out all my fans, but will probably wait till I get the HAF on order and do it all in a new case from the start with some good med yates.
 
Great info. I guess I will wait and see how they work. Noise doesn't really bother me seeing as how I play games, watch movies, and do everything else with the volume pretty high. Only thing it would bother me on is surfing the net. Thanks for your input.
 
With all my fans on high, it actually isnt that bad (just switched em all over lol). The loudest thing I hear is my x2 which is to say ridiculous at 75% for gaming. but when I surf I lower it to 40% and it is really not bad at all (well compared to what it was with the gfx card noise).
 
The tri-cools aren't bad on medium on noise or performance in mine, I still use 5 of em, up to you I guess.

The big boy on top and the ones in the rear are kinda hardwired into the case, but if your into modding in the first place probably not that big a deal. The ones on the drive bay cages have controllers in the front for them, also wired to the fans I believe. I'd never tried to remove them, so not sure if there is a plug or hardwired in.

I've seen a lot of them that have been modded I guess, but I still use the stock ones.

Pretty much I'd say unless your very picky about your fan volume there isn't too big a reason to go bananas with the stock 1200 fans, less ya like rewiring the whole case but for a new build to each his own I suppose :)

I'd try the 1200 fans out first myself if I where you before you went too nuts, as it has manual speed control on all the external one's to begin with, one of the reasons I tried the case out to begin with.

Plus they are non-clear and LED (the LED thing really wasnt an issue for me to begin with, but its worked pretty well with my overall color scheme I guess :) )

The ones that come with the case aren't really your typical tri-cools, I have a few clear tri-colored ones myself in a drawer over here. I imagine the guts are similar, but still I'd give em a shot before you go too crazy replacing and rewiring at least 5 fans.
 
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Yeah I'll give them a try. I mean it couldn't hurt anything. Plus if I end up liking them it would save me some money.
 
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