Best 120mm case fan

[muddocktor]

No, they aren't worth $10 more than the Gentle Typhoon fans. They are good fans, but I wouldn't classify them as any better than the GT fans. And for case fan usage you might want to go with the AP-14 fans instead of the AP-15 versions. A little less cfm and a little quieter also, and still move a decent amount of air. But really, either should be great for case fan use. And don't turn your nose up at the Thermalright fans or any Scythe S-Flex fans if you can find them for significantly cheaper than the GT fans. The bearing package in them is at least as durable as in the GT And Noctua fans and are very well made. Scythe no longer sells the S-Flex fans but you can still find them in the supply chain at times. I'm about 98% sure that Scythe and Thermalright used the same OEM for the S-Flex and TR-FDB fans. For the S-Flex series, I would say to look for the SFF21E or SFF21D fans, which would correspond with the TR-FDB-1300 and TR-FDB-1000 respectively.

 

[Yevans]

Definitely +1 for the AP-15s, I have a case with 6 of them in and I can barely hear a thing and the case is right next to my head. For volume of air pushed and the incredibly little noise made they work in almost any situation.

As for the best fans full stop, Deltas also have my vote, those things are just plain dangerous.

 

[Lowkey Loki]

Try this one on for size...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120mm-38mm-...447?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c483a187

 

[benen]

Great, thanks guys. 3x AP15's it is

 

[Cigarsmoker]

Great, thanks guys. 3x AP15's it is

Good choice, these really are fantastic fans. If you can find them that is.

 

[Scuba Steve VA]

"Best" is always subjective...and even "really good choice" is tough to define without criteria. Need static pressure or volume? How important is low noise? Mounting vertically or horizontally? Running at 100%, voltage stepped down, on a fan controller, or do you want PWM?

I like PWM fans. I create RPM curves for both my CPU cooler and chassis fans using software...and keep them at a constant quiet RPM until things heat up...and then have them ramp up gracefully. That works for me. My fans are nearly silent between idle and moderate use...and the system is very cool under load as the fans spin up. Plus, I don't like spinning knobs...and may not be around when they need to be spun. Thus, I looked for PWM fans...and choose Noiseblockers. I liked the performance/noise tradeoff, rubber mounting system, the fact that they each came with two sleeved cables, and the styling - black without bling.

Are they the "best" for my criteria? Who knows, but "best" is a tough goal to reach. I now walk into my office and usually think that my PC is off until I move the mouse and the screen pops back on. It's amazing the difference they have made.

Are they worth the price? That's each person's call...but given how much I had invested in the rest of the system, I didn't want to skimp on fans.

 

[mjw21a]

I'm running Scythe Slipstream 1900RPM fans in my TJ04-E. They're quiet, cheap and keep temps down.

I've the 2x side intakes, 1x bottom intake populated and have 1x rear exhaust and 1x top exhaust populated. Works beautifully.

BTW: I was running some nice 253CFM Delta's on my Corsair H100 in my last case until it failed. Problem is that the computers in my bedroom and they kept me awake at night. On the upside, stock or overclocked, my temps remained the same and te fans never went above their minimal 81CFM.

 

[4thKor]

VERY interesting thread. And videos. Don't need a jetliner, so I'm going with the Gentle Typhoons.

 

[Knufire]

IMO GTs are great heatsink/rad fans, but a tad expensive for case fans, I'd just go with some Yate Loons.