# Best 120mm fans for radiators?



## reppel (Dec 12, 2013)

I'm still a bit undecided between a Swiftech h2o 220 and a kraken x60, maybe you can help me with that, but I was also thinking replacing the fans and run them on pwm mode for a good compromise between sound and performance. It's for a 4930k overclocked, if it matters...

Do you guys have any experience on that?
The Noctua NF-F12 seem to be the most popular for these situations, but does anyone have experience with Corsair SP120 Performance Edition, as I've seen in a couple reviews that they are even better than the Noctuas if run at lower speeds.
Or is there another ones with better performance/noise ratio?


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## FreedomEclipse (Dec 12, 2013)

Scythe GT AP-15


That is all


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## BiggieShady (Dec 12, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Scythe GT AP-15
> 
> 
> That is all



I was gonna say something ... but then I saw your avatar ...


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## PopcornMachine (Dec 12, 2013)

I've been wondering the same thing lately, and most seem to prefer some version of the Gentle Typhoon.

May have to try them myself as I think they may do better than the Yate Loons I have.


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## FreedomEclipse (Dec 13, 2013)

the AP-15s provide the best noise|performance ratio. Corsair SP120's perform better but are a lot louder and overtime develop a click If undervolted - Youre gonna want to undervolt the SP120's trust me otherwise your pc would sound like a wind tunnel.


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## Kaynar (Dec 13, 2013)

Its true the SP120 are not totally silent.

Now if you actually have them at 1800rpm (without the voltage regulator addon cable), they make A LOT of noise. SP120 quiet edition is the only option really.


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## FreedomEclipse (Dec 13, 2013)

AP-15s are honestly not that loud.


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## radrok (Dec 13, 2013)

I've tried many 120 fans, 140 too.

My AP-15s started clicking after 6 months of usage, 9 of them out of 18 total.

Corsairs have a high pitched tone I can't stand.

I always went back to Noctuas.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 13, 2013)

Delta QFR1212GHE-PWM



FreedomEclipse said:


> Corsair SP120's perform better but are a lot louder and overtime develop a click If undervolted



The PWM versions don't seem to have that issue.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Dec 13, 2013)

The PWM SP120s I had with my last Corsair cooler were horrible. Doesn't matter what the performance is with sound quality that bad. GTs may be an expensive gamble so far they're still the overall best option because all fans on the market have a lottery element to their sound quality. Sometimes I buy a dozen of one fan to get 2 that don't make unpleasant bearing noises. It's absurd but nobody seems to care about QC these days.


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## Peter1986C (Dec 13, 2013)

As suggested, use GTs but make sure you got decent control over the fan speed because they get a bit on the noisier side above 1400ish rpm (which makes sense because they move a _lot _of air. Yes, I got the Gentle Typhoon AP-15 too. Test results by HWI: http://us.hardware.info/productinfo/57030/scythe-gentle-typhoon-120mm-1850rpm#tab:testresults

Edit: those noise level measurements are done at 10cm (about 4 inches).


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## manofthem (Dec 13, 2013)

I have Scythe GT 14's, well over a year old. now, and I love them, 6 total: 3 per rad. They are very quiet and have good pressure; they do well coooling the rad.  I has the SP120 Performance ones and while they did perform very well, they are really loud. 

I also prefer the GT14s over the SP120 quiet editions, mainly for noise reasons; GTs seem a good deal quieter, while on paper pushing practically equal static pressure.


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## MT Alex (Dec 13, 2013)

If not using a 38mm fan I prefer the AP-14s.  They are a lot more quiet than the AP-15s.  If using a 38mm it is very hard to beat the Panaflo L1s, super powerful, quiet, and the design has a frequency that is very different from a 25mm fan.


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## Wrigleyvillain (Dec 13, 2013)

Well it can depend on the rad too some are designed for certain fan speeds; my Black Ice SR-1 likes medium-low (1200 RPM or so).


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## Arjai (Dec 13, 2013)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Scythe GT AP-15
> 
> 
> That is all


Merry titmas, errr, Christmas!!


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## Jetster (Dec 13, 2013)

Corsair SP120 PE then get a good fan controller and headphones


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## Bansaku (Dec 13, 2013)

All fans are going to be loud pushing air through a radiator, especially if it is in a push/pull configuration. The amount of noise the fans make is rather subjective; people have different sensitivity to certain frequencies and noise patterns.

That said I would highly recommend the Corsair SP120. I at one point was chasing the dragon when it came to fans, but have now settled with Corsair. No more BitFenix, Noctua, Scyth, Coolmaster, and yes even my beloved Ennermax. I can say that out of the 6 SP120s (2 on my CNPS20LQ) and 4 AF140s none have developed and whines or clicks and I have owned them since the day Corsair released them. I have all of the fans controlled by 2x Scyth Kaze Masters, so PWM is meaningless. 

Are you going to be doing benchmarks or just want some nice quiet efficient fans for everyday use? My rad fans run at their minimum, 660RPM, and I never need to adjust the speed. My i7 3770K never exceeds 65'C on the cores and 45'C off the heat-sink when running Prime95 torture test.


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## Jetster (Dec 13, 2013)

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=7983426&sku=C13-6711


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## puma99dk| (Dec 13, 2013)

how much u wanna buy?

i personally use "Noctua NF-F12 PWM" they have "Focused flow" but they cost around 20euros or something a fan.

http://noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=42&lng=en

these, i got 3 of them myself in my HAF XB.


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## reppel (Dec 13, 2013)

I need 2 for the radiator, but i don't mind spending a lot for them.
According to this review, the sp120 are by far the best ones: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/120mm-fan-roundup-4.html

Do you know what they might have done wrong to think the sp120 are that good?


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Dec 13, 2013)

It could be something specific to their setup, but honestly it wouldn't matter to me if they were a bit better because they were some of the worst sounding fans I've ever tried. It was jarring.


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## puma99dk| (Dec 13, 2013)

reppel said:


> I need 2 for the radiator, but i don't mind spending a lot for them.
> According to this review, the sp120 are by far the best ones: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/120mm-fan-roundup-4.html
> 
> Do you know what they might have done wrong to think the sp120 are that good?



the Corsair makes more noise, plus Noctua designed the PWN to give a better air flow then traditional fans...


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## MT Alex (Dec 13, 2013)

Too bad they are so darn ugly.


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## puma99dk| (Dec 13, 2013)

MT Alex said:


> Too bad they are so darn ugly.



that i will agree too, but i rather have some premium fans then some good looking once tbh ^^


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## radrok (Dec 13, 2013)

puma99dk| said:


> that i will agree too, but i rather have some premium fans then some good looking once tbh ^^



Yeah I've given up caring about fan looks, I'd rather have pink fans and superb acoustics than fancy led fans with omgcolours  and ear drilling noise.


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## puma99dk| (Dec 13, 2013)

radrok said:


> Yeah I've given up caring about fan looks, I'd rather have pink fans and superb acoustics than fancy led fans with omgcolours  and ear drilling noise.



soooo true radrok ^^


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## Jetster (Dec 13, 2013)

Dont they make black ones now?


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## puma99dk| (Dec 13, 2013)

Jetster said:


> Dont they make black ones now?



not from what i know, still using the red and sand colour ^^

the black once u r thinking of is properly these prototypes:







they was at computex2013: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=news_list&news_id=90


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## HammerON (Dec 13, 2013)

I personally like the SP120 High Performance Corsair fans and have 3 on my 360 rad and 2 on my 240 rad. They are connected to a fan controller and I keep them at about 50%. They are loud when I crank them up when benching, but I am alright with that. At 50% they do a good job of keeping my components cool with a decent overclock while crunching or gaming. I also like Noctua fans so I would choose either one that you like.


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## LiveOrDie (Dec 16, 2013)

I would go with the Cosair SP120s they push more air than the Noctua NF-F12 also are more quiet on the same RPM I had both fans.


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