# Best 120mm cpu fan



## Easy Rhino (Mar 26, 2012)

the cpu heatsink fan is making loud noises and needs to be replaced. i need a new 120 mm fan to stick on the heatsink block. any suggestions on one that is silent and will last me a LONG time? mine all seem to wear out after 6-12 months.


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## lilhasselhoffer (Mar 26, 2012)

If you're running that many into the ground you should consider a fluid dynamic bearing fan. 

Honestly though, that short of a life points to either 24/7 use, or poor power regulation.  Have you tried an in-line resistor to decrease the voltage to the fan?


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 26, 2012)

Yes 24/7 use as it is a server. Possible poor power regulation as the board is an old 775.


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Mar 26, 2012)

Well my go-to is usually a GT but you need a cooler that clips from the front of the fan for those.


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## radrok (Mar 26, 2012)

Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoons 1850 rpm, they produce an almost unhearable sound that it is not even high pitched, they last a lot and push tons of CFM for a 120mm medium RPM fan.


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 26, 2012)

The heat sink is positioned horizontally so I can just rest it on there


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## entropy13 (Mar 26, 2012)

It needs to be silent? Well, scratch out the Sanyo Denki and Delta fans then. 

Maybe a Yate Loon?

EDIT: Hmm, maybe the Silverstone Air Penetrator AP121 would be a better choice, or the Thermalright FDB-12. No PWM though.


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 26, 2012)

So....


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## specks (Mar 26, 2012)

The cooler is mounted horizontally? Im sure you know that sleeve bearing and similar types wear out quickly in that position. Ball bearing fans would last longer but they are noisy though. How about a Noctua NF-F12 PWM? The gentle typhoon is a really popular choice too.


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## Peter1986C (Mar 26, 2012)

radrok said:


> Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoons 1850 rpm, they produce an almost unhearable sound that it is not even high pitched, they last a lot and push tons of CFM for a 120mm medium RPM fan.



These. Most shops list them as Scythe fans though (which is their distributor).


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## arnoo1 (Mar 26, 2012)

Noctua nf f12, yeah they are bit expensive but they are so damn good, silent high quality, high airflow and pressure, awesome for cpu coolers


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## AsRock (Mar 26, 2012)

I am really liking the Couger fans, I use 3 on my GPU and 2 on my CPU and their silent to the point that you only hear the air flow they push and are the 800-1500RPM version.
 cougar


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## Peter1986C (Mar 26, 2012)

Guys, he is needing ball bearing fans here because they will be mounted horizontally. Decent CFM _and_ silence are important too so the Servo Gentle Typhoon should be decent choices (and probably cheaper than Noctua and Noiseblocker). The model mentioned by radrok has been rated at ~70cfm @ 12v by Hardware.info (I did not verify that with other review sources though).


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## TheMailMan78 (Mar 26, 2012)

*Get a Noctua.*

/Thread

Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan

They don't get any better then this fan. *Plus 6 year warranty*.


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## specks (Mar 26, 2012)

Chevalr1c said:


> Guys, he is needing ball bearing fans here because they will be mounted horizontally. Decent CFM _and_ silence are important too so the Servo Gentle Typhoon should be decent choices (and probably cheaper than Noctua and Noiseblocker). The model mentioned by radrok has been rated at ~70cfm @ 12v by Hardware.info (I did not verify that with other review sources though).




Noctua's SSO bearing should take care of the orientation problem.


One thing I like about noctua, despite their color scheme which i do not really hate, is their dedication to R&D giving us supreme quality products.


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## FreedomEclipse (Mar 26, 2012)

Currently using some 140mm Silverstone AP's as case fans which move a decent amount of air not super silent at full bore but they more then acceptable if you can throttle them down just a tiny bit.

otherwise I use to use Akasa Apache's on my old TT Frio.


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## TheMailMan78 (Mar 26, 2012)

specks said:


> Noctua's SSO bearing should take care of the orientation problem.
> 
> 
> One thing I like about noctua, despite their color scheme which i do not really hate, is their dedication to R&D giving us supreme quality products.



I agree. The noctua fans look like I have spinning penises cooling my rig.


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## m1dg3t (Mar 26, 2012)

I've been using this fan for the past 3yrs on my Venomous X without any issue's, can get a lil' loud on full speed (i have my PC beside my TV) for the price i couldn't complain and i would buy again if needed 

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/079/sy1225sl12hpvs_detail.html


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## MasterInvader (Mar 26, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> *Get a Noctua.*
> 
> Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan
> 
> They don't get any better then this fan. *Plus 6 year warranty*.



+1


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## johnnyfiive (Mar 26, 2012)

I second themailman78, Noctua fans are THE best period.
The color scheme may not appeal to everyone, but who cares? They cool very well and make basically no noise, WinWin.


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 26, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> *Get a Noctua.*
> 
> /Thread
> 
> ...



this is the fan i bought. holy crap $25 does it do sexual favors as well?


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## INSTG8R (Mar 26, 2012)

Easy Rhino said:


> this is the fan i bought. holy crap $25 does it do sexual favors as well?



Yeah the price stings a little but you do get what you paid for. I have been putting off ordering 3 for my rad. It Stings!


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 26, 2012)

well it is worth if it lasts me a couple of years i guess.


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## Nordic (Mar 26, 2012)

I really like the cougar fans. Quieter than noctua in my opinion. I have both. Cheaper. I would go with the cougar again over the noctua. Especially on price for performance.


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## TheMailMan78 (Mar 26, 2012)

Easy Rhino said:


> this is the fan i bought. holy crap $25 does it do sexual favors as well?



You will see. The build quality is awesome and it makes ZERO sound.


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## Nordic (Mar 26, 2012)

Ya. Both noctua and cougar have amazing build quality and are really quiet.


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## sneekypeet (Mar 26, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> *Get a Noctua.*
> 
> /Thread
> 
> ...



Noctua makes much better fans these days. I would get the PWMs over those old pieces of tech.


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## TheMailMan78 (Mar 26, 2012)

james888 said:


> Ya. Both noctua and cougar have amazing build quality and are really quiet.



cougars only have 3 year warranty.


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## newtekie1 (Mar 26, 2012)

The board has a PWM fan connector, right?(All 775 had PWM, IIRC)

I'd get a Delta with PWM then: 1ST PC CORP. AFB1212SHE-PWM 120mm Case Fan

Yes they are loud at full speed, but under PWM control they can be silent with extremely good airflow.


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## m1dg3t (Mar 26, 2012)

Gotta be carefull hooking Delta's up to MOBO header's, you could overload the header and poof! Gotta make sure you are within spec if planning to do that


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## Nordic (Mar 26, 2012)

Prolimatech PRO-BV14 140mm Case Fan
I just found this. 80cfm for 18db. Thats a lot for not a lot

nvm. I just relized they are 140mm


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## AsRock (Mar 26, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> cougars only have 3 year warranty.



So they still own and are cheaper to buy by $8? per fan. Only shit you hear from the Coagers is air flow.



newtekie1 said:


> The board has a PWM fan connector, right?(All 775 had PWM, IIRC)
> 
> I'd get a Delta with PWM then: 1ST PC CORP. AFB1212SHE-PWM 120mm Case Fan
> 
> Yes they are loud at full speed, but under PWM control they can be silent with extremely good airflow.



Yeah i love Dalta's even more so the 38mm thick ones which would move more air just due to the fins being wider.  Then you have speed and over the top if you ever need it hehe.


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## Nordic (Mar 26, 2012)

I can't even hear my cougar unless I have my head in my case... then all I hear is airflow. Really though, whatever you prefer. Price vs length of warranty.


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## Easy Rhino (Mar 26, 2012)

thanks everyone for your input. i went with the Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan if you didnt read above.


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## purecain (Mar 27, 2012)

i just replaced the 3pin fans on my corsair hsf with 4pin 120mm akasa apache black....

these fans are impressive they use hydro dynamic bearings... 

absolutely silent... i highly recommend these...http://www.scan.co.uk/products/120m...an-hdb-bearing-pwm-with-s-flow-blades-1300rpm

all of my other fans are sharkoon and these are easily of the same quality... good luck...


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## Easy Rhino (Apr 3, 2012)

hey guys, this fan came last week and it has been great!

Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan

expensive but well worth it. it does not make a noise and pushes a lot of air.


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## Aquinus (Apr 3, 2012)

Sunon makes a good 120mm 150CFM @ 4500RPMs, speeds start at 5v up to 12v. It starts at "fairly quiet" and goes up to "jet taking off".

I got the following to replace the ThermalTake push-pull fans on the Frio on my old Phenom II 940.

SUNON PMD1212PTB1-A 120x120x25mm Double Ball Bearing Fan

It has been deactivated, but I'm sure there is a current version of it.

I do recommend something to control the speed of these fans though because full speed really is loud (considering it is rated at something like 53dB at full speed.)


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## Nordic (Apr 3, 2012)

Easy Rhino said:


> hey guys, this fan came last week and it has been great!
> 
> Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm CPU Cooler and Case Fan
> 
> expensive but well worth it. it does not make a noise and pushes a lot of air.



Good to hear. You should try a cougar fan sometime also. Not to sound like a sore loser or anything...
There are these promiltech 140mm that get 80cfm for 18db. Im going to buy one just to test out and because I need a 140mm fan.



Aquinus said:


> Sunon makes a good 120mm 150CFM @ 4500RPMs, speeds start at 5v up to 12v. It starts at "fairly quiet" and goes up to "jet taking off".
> 
> I got the following to replace the ThermalTake push-pull fans on the Frio on my old Phenom II 940.
> 
> ...



That's not a bad fan. A lot of performance for a 25mm instead of 37mm. Would love to see a modern version.


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## niko084 (Apr 4, 2012)

I can't say much about life span yet as this is my first set however I just picked up a set of Arctic F12PWM for my radiator, good flow, strong pressure, near silent even through my radiator.

Fluid dynamic bearing, 74CFM, I think I paid like $10 a pop.

By far my favorite fan I have owned to date.


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