120mm Fan Suggestions
 

Hey all, looking to Rebuild my lil HTPC system (as the Apevia case no longer seems to want to hold itself together properly anymore). I'm still looking into getting the Sugo-03 case so I need a few suggestions for a ultra-quiet yet still useful 120mm fans to use as intake (Note:the CFM has to be decent since I will be passively cooling my processor with a CM GeminII (Thanks to all that helped me out getting info about it)).

Options thus far:
Arctic Cooling 12025L: FDB bearing, 37Cfm/22db = $9 @ NCIX
Nexus Real Silent B/W Fan: 37Cfm, 22db = $18 @ NCIX
Sythe SFF21D: 32Cfm, 8db?? = $15 @ NCIX
Coolermaster Blue Led fan: 42Cfm, 22db = $7 @ NCIX
Noctua NF-S12-1200: ?Cfm, 17db = $19 @ NCIX
Yate loon D12BL-12: 45Cfm, 24db = $10 @ NCIX

I've used CM fans and Sythes in my main system (see signature) and find the CMs to be quieter. The Sythes do push more air BUT I find the "groan" alot at anything above 7v (half speed or so). Ideas?

Scythe or Yates.

I'd look at the noctua if you had a cpu cooler

I bought a bunch of scythe slip stream kaze jyunis, 1200rpm 68.5CFM 24DBA and I must say they are pretty fricken loud. So I would say that 24DB is definately audible and annoying.

The scythes and yates he has listed are VERY quiet fans.

The Kraze's are in a league of their own little world.

Whoa... 24Db is 10x louder than 23Db? It was my understanding that every +3Db is subjectively twice as loud. So 24Db is only 33% louder than 23db by that understanding.

Like I've already mentioned about the scythes though: I have two in my current system and they both make an audible (and annoying from a totally-silent standpoint) noise that can stick out horribly at anything above half speed... The Noctua is a nice fan on paper but it is Really damn ugly so I'd prefer to only take it if everyone thinks it's the best option. I'm more interested in people's opinions about the Nexus, Arctic cooling and Yate-loon options. The Yates and ACs are very nice to be since theyre half the price of the "high-end" ones like the Nexus and Noctuas.

Don't know what ticking noise you have but I don't have it.

I have the Sythe SFF21F which is their highest speed fan, not the same as the one I listed thats true. But if the slower one's don't have that problem then they could still be an option.

I have a couple of Fs and don't have that.

Sorry, I got it confused. Every 10DB increase is about twice as loud to the human ear. My bad. :whistle:

You're right that every 3DB equals twice as much power, but apprarently this doesn't correlate to loudness.

The Yates are fantastic, and if you look around, you can PM them to less than $8 Yate Loon D12SL-12 120MM Quiet Cooling Fan 1350RPM 47CFM 28DB 3PIN & 4PIN Sleeve Bearing OEM - DirectCanada
I would go with the Sleeve bearing fans, they are better in the long run.