SP120 vs Yate Loon. Not impressed.

[JeremyCT]

So I semi-tore down the system tonight and replaced all my Yate Loons with SP120s.

The SP120s seem to spin faster for the same voltage compared to the Yates but seem to make a touch more noise to move a similar amount of air based on dT numbers I'm seeing.

In fairness, I went from push-pull to pull only, so maybe that was a mistake. If I have time tomorrow I'll try strapping more fans on there and see what happens.

 

[JeremyCT]

I had some time for some rudimentary testing. Here are some findings.

Load was applied by running P95 small FFTs torture test (restarted at each stage of testing to prevent P95 from switching to a different problem set) and Kombuster (1680x1050 Windowed, 4x MSAA, DX11, Post Fx, Torus). Temps were allowed to "settle", then the average of temps over the next 1-2 minutes were taken.

It should be noted that the SP120s were set as pull only but the Yates were setup as push-pull. I'm not sure how much that affected things, but I do have enough fans to try push-pull with the Corsairs and see what happens at some point in the future.

At full speed, the SP120s spin faster than the Yate Loon Mediums. (2175 vs 1450) This applies to most of the middle settings as well. At minimum for testing, they spun about the same speed.

The voltage control range for the SP120s is narrower (3.7-12V, 600-2175rpm) than the Yates (2.2-12, 200-1452rpm). Startup voltage is similar at around 3.8 Volts.

That's fine though, because the air that the SP120s move at low speeds seems to be less compared to the Yates. dT at 3.7V (couldn't spin them slower) was 12.7 for the SP120s (600rpm), dT at 3.6V for the Yates was 9.6 (600rpm).

At 9.6 volts, the fans were near equals. dT 7.1 for the Yates (1261rpm). dT 7.0 for the SP120s (1774rpm).

At full speed, the Yates hit dT 6.5 at 1450rpm, the SP120s hit 5.6 at 2175rpm.

Noisewise, the SP120s are a bit louder at full speed, but they also spin a good bit faster. The SP120s are quieter at equal fan speeds, but when set to similar cooling abilities/airflow, both seemed to make about the same amount of noise.

I tried to get some dB readings using a Nexus7 tablet but the results weren't reliable/repeatable/sensible. Thus, most of the noise impressions are subjective and not quantifiable at all.

 

[JeremyCT]

Reserved in case I decided to do more with this.

 

[dtrunk]

what system is this in? you only have mcr320 for radiators?

At first glance I'd say you're right where you should be. I went from push only YL 120mm by 20mm (the thin ones) to pull only swftch 120s but full size 25mm thick. I only got a small 1-2c drop; but i test via gaming and not via stress test. I feel like you stepped up to a better fan (but only half the total fans) and got a little bump; just as I did. If you went full push/pull you'd probably see the biggest bump. you can only expect so much from one radiator. I'd dial the fans down a little for noise and then be happy with still good water cooling tmps?

Why not go push pull with the new fans?

 

[JeremyCT]

what system is this in? you only have mcr320 for radiators?

Only? LOL. Rated TDP of the CPU+GPU is around 300 watts. That's PLENTY of rad, especially when you consider that the fans running as slow as they can results in a dT of 12.7 deg C.

Why not go push pull with the new fans?

The goal here was to get way better fans that would result in less system noise. Certain people like to keep saying how old fashioned the Yates are and how current fans are so much better, so I bought in. Problem is, the Corsairs seem to cool just as well as the Yates at the same sound level. That's the disappointment.

Total system performance is still fine. I have to run the Corsairs a little harder to get the same idle temps as the Yates, but again the Corsairs are quieter at the same fan speed, so the noise level works out to be about the same. Everything is controlled via the AQ5 based on a dT fan ramp, so it works out ok in the end, it just didn't turn out to be any sort of real upgrade.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Thank you for this. I never was a huge fan or compared the Corsair fans to the AP-15s or NB eLoops B12. I personally would have went with the B12s though they do cost an arm and a leg or one for the cost of 2 corsair fans. I've heard they are really quiet but ramp up a bit at max speed but I am sure its quieter than a Corsair fan.

 

[anthonyg45157]

My sp120s performance edition are ridiculously loud. I have 3 on the front of my corsair 540 and they are by far louder than any fan I've had. If I had to do it over I'd get noctua or gentle typhoons.

Edit: also my sp120s were 10$ each (I have a guy that is a manager at microcenter) I would pay the premium for quieter fans.

 

[JeremyCT]

I bought my SP120s via the classies here, so they didn't cost a ton. I installed them in push-pull last night and low speed performance is definitely greatly improved, but I'm still experiencing similar sound levels to get similar performance as the Yate Loons, so it wasn't much of any upgrade for me.

And yes, at full bore they are quite loud. Thankfully, I don't have to run them that hard.

 

[realmadrid12]

Only? LOL. Rated TDP of the CPU+GPU is around 300 watts. That's PLENTY of rad, especially when you consider that the fans running as slow as they can results in a dT of 12.7 deg C.



The goal here was to get way better fans that would result in less system noise. Certain people like to keep saying how old fashioned the Yates are and how current fans are so much better, so I bought in. Problem is, the Corsairs seem to cool just as well as the Yates at the same sound level. That's the disappointment.

Total system performance is still fine. I have to run the Corsairs a little harder to get the same idle temps as the Yates, but again the Corsairs are quieter at the same fan speed, so the noise level works out to be about the same. Everything is controlled via the AQ5 based on a dT fan ramp, so it works out ok in the end, it just didn't turn out to be any sort of real upgrade.

Swiftech Helix fans are a ton better IMO.

If your looking for a quiet system with low fan speed 3.120 isnt enough for that. Yeah it can cool the system completely fine, but you need more air flowing to remove the heat(noise). A massive dT drop by changing fans shouldnt be expected unless you have fans that are not pressure optimized to being with.

Edit: I have 3.120, 4.120, and 2.140 all with Swiftech Helix fans, with the fans just above stall speed. My dT is ~2-3*C at idle.

 

[MattMan657]

My sp120s performance edition are ridiculously loud. I have 3 on the front of my corsair 540 and they are by far louder than any fan I've had. If I had to do it over I'd get noctua or gentle typhoons.

Edit: also my sp120s were 10$ each (I have a guy that is a manager at microcenter) I would pay the premium for quieter fans.

Comparing a GT AP-15 to a Noctura 140mm FLX fan both at full blast, I think the AP-15 is quieter. I actually thought the noise of the Noctura was coming from my 4 Helix fans but it turns out the 140mm is much louder than I originally thought. I have a 120mm Noctura PWM that is pretty quiet but doesn't have the static pressure for a radiator. Good case fan for exhaust though.

Swiftech Helix fans are a ton better IMO.

If your looking for a quiet system with low fan speed 3.120 isnt enough for that. Yeah it can cool the system completely fine, but you need more air flowing to remove the heat(noise). A massive dT drop by changing fans shouldnt be expected unless you have fans that are not pressure optimized to being with.

Edit: I have 3.120, 4.120, and 2.140 all with Swiftech Helix fans, with the fans just above stall speed. My dT is ~2-3*C at idle.

The Helix fans are an awesome value. You can get them for less than $15 bucks (I think around $11) and they perform very well. WAY better than the similarly priced and purposed Cougars in all possible areas.

Another really good value in fans is the Akasa Viper 120mm PWM. They get a little loud at full speed, but they move a TON of air and are very good rad fans. I have 6 of these in a push/pull on my MCR-320QP which works to great success. Those fans go for around $13 bucks.