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General discussion

Best fans with a performance:quiet ratio

Jan 5, 2015 3:32AM PST

After recently buying myself a desktop microphone, I've found that recording with it is difficult with the sound of my PC bearing down so hard in the background. Watercooling would be an option if I had more money and know how but for the time being, I was wondering what fans could people recommend?

Mid case
Most of my case fans are 120mm
My CPU is an AM3+ connection (AMD 8120 Black Edition)

Discussion is locked

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I don't think this is possible. Why?
Jan 5, 2015 4:30AM PST

Because the case and care in mounting can make a good fan bad. That being known, I can quiet some fans with a little foam to suck up some of the vibration between the fan and case. Or I can leave the case cover off and unplug the case fan.
Bob

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I don't understand what might not be possible?
Jan 5, 2015 5:14AM PST

I wasn't particularly looking for workarounds to make my current fans quieter, I was asking about purchasing new fans that would be quieter. It's known that the cheaper the fan is, the worse performance but usually they are louder too. Mine aren't bad, middle of the run Cooler Master ones at the moment but I was looking for advice on going for quieter fans still, which will likely be more expensive.
It's in the name for brands like BeQuiet but I'd rather hear from those with experience.

I wouldn't leave the case cover off. It doesn't affect the cooling too much but it can disrupt the airflow you design, with it working better getting cold air in and a clean way of getting hot air out as efficiently as possible. The main reason however is dust. I'd rather not risk a quicker buildup than need be as this would require more maintenance to prevent causing problems.

I know other fans won't make a huge difference but my PC is noticeably louder than any of my friends getting quieter ones will help. Aside from that, I will be looking into mounting my mic on a stand with a shockmount for good measure but this refers primarily to just fans.

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Sure but even a quiet fan could seem noisy.
Jan 5, 2015 5:33AM PST

There are sites devoted to say quietpc.com and more. As to your comment about air flow, I guess I'm been around too long. That is we were building PCs back in the 80s.
Bob

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quiet fans are usually advertised as such
Jan 5, 2015 4:55AM PST

larger and slower, or failing that, just slower.

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Maybe
Jan 5, 2015 5:17AM PST

Some fans labelled as quiet often have noticeably louder db in reviewers' tests I've noticed which is a little of an off put. I was hoping someone would be able to recommend fans based on their previous experience.
Larger is a possibility but slower on it's own, I would avoid. I wouldn't risk overheating to get it quieter but larger would balance out the slower rate so I could look into that. Thank you.

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Check these options ....
Jan 5, 2015 8:30AM PST

But first ...where's the noise coming from ? is it the CPU HS Fan, the case fans or PSU fan ?

Maybe adding some sound deadening materiel could help.

If it's the case fans, find a relatively quiet 120mm fan that allows you to dial down the RPMs for situations where quiet is more important the cooling.

http://www.coolerguys.com/

http://www.frozencpu.com/

Check'em out and let on know.

VAPCMD

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Cheap test
Jan 6, 2015 12:53AM PST

Take the side panel off.

My desktop sans side panel sits a few feet from my ear.
It's close to whisper quiet.....no I'm not deaf.
Why is that?
With the side panel off the innards stay cool and the fans run at idle.

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Check into...
Jan 6, 2015 1:55AM PST

You already have 120mm which are large fans and should be quieter by slow RPM but still provide adequate cooling. As stated to you if the noise is simply the RPM level then getting and buying quiet fans should cost more. Minus any Chinese crap, I suggest Japanese or similar. The cost alone is a clue to a better made fan and be non-bearing made. If you want water cooling then get it but even those have fans too to help dissipate the heat. Again, as stated to you quiet fans are offered as such. The mounting should use some foam seal/washers to help eliminate metal contact. The other mode of keeping it quiet is the location of PC and the microphone. Other methods that apply should take common sense. Check the website below or similar, google fan sources:

http://www.frozencpu.com

tada -----Willy Happy

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Noctua
Jan 28, 2015 2:38PM PST

Even with liquid cooling you'll still need fans cooling the radiator. So liquid cooling isn't necessarily a definite solution.

I recently purchased a rig from Cyberware (http://www.cyberwarecomputers.com/) and upgraded my PC fans to "Corsair High Performance Air Series Fans".

You can find these fans here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181021&cm_re=corsair_quiet_fans-_-35-181-021-_-Product

Coming from personal experience, these fans are extremely quiet. I also have an NZXT Kraken X61 Liquid Cooler, so that helps, but there is still two fans cooling the radiator on it. I can NEVER hear my computer. It's near silent, and I use the term silent literally.

Hope this helps.

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Agreed
Jan 28, 2015 9:57PM PST

I actually forgot about this thread a little.
The main noise for me was coming from a stock CPU cooler, so switching that for liquid cooling was a major improvement as it was but you're not wrong about needing quiet fans to cool the radiator. I went with a corsair H90 liquid cooler and the fan provided with it was excellent anyway.
Aside from that, I purchased a Fractal R4 case which has some great silent PC traits - foam on the sides, panels to cover any unused fan slots (although unused slots would be silly in my opinion) and a built in fan controller for up to 3 fans which is a small amount but helps with sound when needed.
Noctua are a phenomenal make for silent PCs which, although a pain to install, have great rubber mounts instead of screws.

My PC is now noticeably silent, with its max setting on the fan controller being quieter than it ever was.
Advice for those buying a 140mm water cooler - check case compatibility first. 140mm fan slots might not accommodate the slightly larger radiator without sacrificing or downsizing a neighboring fan.

Best of luck all and thank you!

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(NT) Good to hear.. and Thanks for reporting back.
Jan 29, 2015 9:47AM PST