# Better non-rattling fans for H100i V2?



## Jstn7477 (Jun 3, 2016)

I purchased an H100i V2 last week for my main rig to replace a rather old H100 (currently moved to an overclocked Phenom II X6 system) that I picked up used and without any fans, and I used cheap $4 Rosewill 2000 RPM case fans in push-pull for a year and a half on it until one of the sleeve bearings finally failed. I really like the H100i V2 and the SP120 fans it came with seemingly move even more air than the push-pull Rosewill setup on the H100, but I quickly found out the hard way that they absolutely do not work upside down without driving me insane with rattling noises. What 120mm PWM fans are good these days for horizontally mounted radiators exhausting air upwards out of the top of the case? I did buy some Cougar HDB 1200RPM fans a few years back and they are still quiet and reliable, but I am doubtful about using them as radiator fans. Any suggestions would be great so long as the fans are PWM, have a good noise to airflow ratio and can safely operate on the H100i's fan controller as the entire unit is powered by one fan header.


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## cdawall (Jun 3, 2016)

Nidec PWM 38mm stuff.


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## newtekie1 (Jun 3, 2016)

I've got the Noctua NF-F12 Industrial fans mounted on my H100i exhausting out the top.  Quiet as can be...


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## Random Murderer (Jun 3, 2016)

newtekie1 said:


> I've got the Noctua NF-F12 Industrial fans mounted on my H100i exhausting out the top.  Quiet as can be...


I've got the regular Noctua NF-F12s, can confirm that they're quiet at full speed and damn near silent at ~70% PWM. The loudest things in my system are my hard drives and pump.
If you're willing to spend ~$20USD per fan, NF-F12s get my vote. For an H100i, it won't make much of a difference whether you go with the NF-F12 or NF-F12 industrial (iPPC), but the industrial variant is black and may be more visually pleasing to some.



cdawall said:


> Nidec PWM 38mm stuff.


Also great fans, but a fair bit thicker than a standard 25mm fan, and require PWM regulation if you're looking for quiet. They're also pretty damned expensive depending on where you get them, and are 35-45 watts each (at full speed), depending on model, and therefore absolutely will not run off of the H100i's headers.


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## newtekie1 (Jun 3, 2016)

Random Murderer said:


> but the industrial variant is black and may be more visually pleasing to some



That is why I went with them.


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## Random Murderer (Jun 3, 2016)

newtekie1 said:


> That is why I went with them.


I figured as much, which is why I mentioned it.


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## jboydgolfer (Jun 3, 2016)

_*scythe Grand Flex*_

Very high quality, and great performance, _but extremely expensive._
but you could likely find them somewhere at a lower price.

The bearing on these are Really tough,and have never prematurely failed me, ive only had 3 start to make some wearing noise, but that was after 3 years, and Scythe has ALWAYS, with no questions asked, shipped me 2 replacements, Every time i have had  a fan fail, 100% free of charge each time. (3 in total) *hands down,Scythe has the best Support Ever*. and thats a lot coming from me


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## Jstn7477 (Jun 3, 2016)

Thank you for the replies so far and I'm happy I wasn't shoved off to Google. I've always been a cheap fan person and aside from the Cougar fans have never really bothered delving into the enthusiast fan segment. I'll take a look at the suggestions, and I don't mind $20 fans if they last and work well.


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## cdawall (Jun 3, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> _*scythe Grand Flex*_
> 
> Very high quality, and great performance, _but extremely expensive._
> but you could likely find them somewhere at a lower price.
> ...



So that would be a nidec PWM fan


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## Random Murderer (Jun 3, 2016)

cdawall said:


> So that would be a nidec PWM fan


If that's what you were referring to earlier, I apologize. I thought you were talking about PWM Beta Vs.
Even still, moving to 38mm fans would require him to get longer screws.


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## jboydgolfer (Jun 3, 2016)

cdawall said:


> So that would be a nidec PWM fan


Im unfamiliar witth the term "nidec".sorry, if your saying i posted what you did... my bad, i was just offering the brand recommendation is all


@Jstn7477
Regarding your fan/rad setup, try just running push or pull, both is just a placebo..the temp reduction is fairly minor, or non-exsistant. I mention this because sound seems to be important to you, and you could reduce noise by losing either the push or the pull. Just my experience, worth trying atleast , or disregard if you must run it that way. 
good luck


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## RejZoR (Jun 4, 2016)

Anything from Noiseblocker (yeah, even their cheapest lowest end models but I prefer their Pro line, haven't tested their new Bionic ones yet, but have all the others), Cooler Master Silencio series (haven't tried others) or anything from BeQuiet. The only fans so far that proved their worth. Every frigging other always rattled, made cycling noises, electronic static noise or other bullshit. Even highly praised Noctua. They are expensive and rubbish (and ugly). I really don't understand what people see in them. They've ALWAYS disappointed me badly despite all the buzzwords they use for al the "tech" in their fans.

I don't know, was I so unlucky to get defective fans every single time or other people recommending those don't really have high enough standards for "good fan".

Also, if you want quiet fans, stay away from anything that has ball bearings. That shit is noisy and impossible to repair once they go bad (except by replacing bearings entirely). Stick with most basic sleeve bearing ones or FDB. I don't even buy into Enermax riffle bearing anymore. Twister Pressure fan, good pressure, fair enough, but it's constantly rattling a bit and after a while it sometimes even starts to grind horrendously meaning the construction is shit. Then I have to hit it and it stops grinding. Absurd. No Noiseblocker cheapest model ever did that. I just refill oil in the sleeve bearing chamber here and there when they become slightly more noisy, clean them and they work like new again. I run my fan speeds low, meaning fans are under higher temperature stress, that's why oil goes fast in sleeve bearing models. I just use the same oil as for my car engine. Has the right consistency and I always have it around. Repair takes like 5 minutes of work and I have those fans running for years already.


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## 5DVX0130 (Jun 4, 2016)

ENERMAX Twister Pressure
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W03R93442

Scythe Grand Flex
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W01DB9354

Similar specs and prices so it’s a tossup really. Never had any issue with any of them, all are excellent fans for the price. 
Overall I’d say that the Enermax is the easiest to clean and best overall fan; while Scythe has the best airflow, but is rather loud at max.

If you don’t mind paying more the Noctua NF-F12 industrial are awesome.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608050
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608052


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