Gentle Typhoon AP-15 or AP-29 or other for H100

[codeman]

Of course the noise overall @5v is better than at full 1,850rpm's -- that's just a given lowfat. Doesn't mean by comparison to others that it's great or doesn't exhibit strange resonant sounds. Some people are more or less tolerant than others; or more or less apt to be able to hear or notice the sounds. A few people now -past the hype- have found this to be true who know the difference. Martin's liquid lab tests also point out that they rate a 7 or 8 depending on the GT model for perceived sound quality and resonant sound :) So it's not just myself and the above posters - guys with testing equipment who've tested a wide range of fans have also found this. The GT is generally perceived as the best mix of performance and noise -- I tend to disagree because they really don't push very much air at lower RPM's and need a few hundred RPM's more to catch up to other better fans CFM. The GT's really perform best at a full 12v, but unfortunately for anyone who likes their sanity while working, GT's shouldn't be an option unless you can find sub 1,000 rpm fans they produce; but again at that point you're not getting much for your money in terms of CFM outside of it being a quality built fan. Very very solid fans, and I'd be surprised to see many dead GT's.

[ipaine]

The thing is I have and have used the 1850 and 1150 rpm versions of the GT's on the H50 rad before. Now I will say that I have not used the NoiseBlockers and yes I have heard that they are quite and have very little motor noise, so really all you hear is the air. But please don't forget that when pushing through a rad, you need static pressure and from what I have read that is why people like the GTs. They do a very good job of pushing air through rads at low noise levels.

Now that said I just priced out the AP-29, with some sleeving an everything else I would need to sleeve them and my existing GT, and I found that the cost was just too high at the moment. While I still might consider the Noiseblockers (they certainly look better than the GTs) I am going to hold off for the time being. The stock fans do a decent job and when set on low you can't really hear them anyways.

[matari]

There is no perfect radiator fan. There is no point of arguing fans <= 1000 rpms, since none will have decent pressure. Fans with a larger motor hub generally have higher pressure than those with smaller ones. The trade off with a large motor hub is the dead spot it creates. You really need a shroud to maximize performance. My issue with the GTs are their availability and ridiculous price. It is hard to find them under 25 USD. Sure the GTs might push a bit more air and sound a little better than a standard 1800 rpm fan, but on a single or dual rad, they will perform close to the same thermally.

[Eluder]

$25 USD? I bought mine for $15 a piece from a computer chain here a couple of months ago.

[lowfat]

Originally Posted by matari

There is no perfect radiator fan. There is no point of arguing fans <= 1000 rpms, since none will have decent pressure. Fans with a larger motor hub generally have higher pressure than those with smaller ones. The trade off with a large motor hub is the dead spot it creates. You really need a shroud to maximize performance.

Which is why I am using mine on a 2x140mm radiator w/ adapters, which work perfectly like a shroud.

[matari]

Martin showed that the best 140mm rad fan was a GT with an adapter.

[ipaine]

So I just ordered 2 AP-15's and a bunch of sleeving and such, all told $60.

I was really trying to decide between the AP-15, which I have to sleeve to get the way I want or one of the Noiseblockers which are already sleeved.

In the end the GT AP-15 won out, mainly because I already have one and know what they sound like. So they will get here and I will get them sleeved up and put onto my H100. Will I see a drop in temps? I hope so maybe a little but really it is more about same temp lower noise, although I'm thinking in the end I will get lower temps and lower noise.

[gecko]

Originally Posted by ipaine

So I just ordered 2 AP-15's and a bunch of sleeving and such, all told $60.

I was really trying to decide between the AP-15, which I have to sleeve to get the way I want or one of the Noiseblockers which are already sleeved.

In the end the GT AP-15 won out, mainly because I already have one and know what they sound like. So they will get here and I will get them sleeved up and put onto my H100. Will I see a drop in temps? I hope so maybe a little but really it is more about same temp lower noise, although I'm thinking in the end I will get lower temps and lower noise.

Hi,
I'm in a similar boat. I have an H100 cooler and I am trying to decide on fans. Everyone keeps telling me to go for the GT AP-15 and based on your choice, the urge to buy them is stronger!

Could you please tell me if you have plugged the fans into the H100's own controller on the block and if the button on the block does actually change the speed of the fans. Also could you tell me something about the noise that they produce (and the approx speed if you know it) of the AP-15s on each of the three different settings?
Thanks
:)

[ipaine]

Originally Posted by gecko

Hi,
I'm in a similar boat. I have an H100 cooler and I am trying to decide on fans. Everyone keeps telling me to go for the GT AP-15 and based on your choice, the urge to buy them is stronger!

Could you please tell me if you have plugged the fans into the H100's own controller on the block and if the button on the block does actually change the speed of the fans. Also could you tell me something about the noise that they produce (and the approx speed if you know it) of the AP-15s on each of the three different settings?
Thanks
:)

Ok lets see what I can answer for you. I currently have all three of my Gentle Typhoon AP-15's connected to the H100 controller. Two of course are on the rad and the other is the exhaust on the back of my case. Yes the button on the block does indeed change the speed settings for the fans.

You can see the following diagram that is based on the stock fans here: H100 voltages - The Corsair Support Forums



That thread also lets us know that the voltage range on the H100 controller is from about 6 volts up to about 12 volts.

Now from what I can figure the AP-15 does about 900RPM at 6V, about 1080RPM at 7V, 1230RPM at 8V, 1400RPM at 9V, 1540RPM at 10V, 1690RPM at 11V, and 1850 at 12V. So what does all this mean? Well when the H100 is set on the lowest setting we can look at RPMs from about 900RPM up to about 1100RPM. Then on the medium setting we would be about 1100RPM up on to say 1480RPM. The highest setting would be around 1250RPM up to the full 1850RPM.

So now how well do they work? At the low setting the stock fans are not noticeable and neither are the AP-15s, so both equal in noise, but from what I have seen the stock fans have the edge in actual reduction of temperature. Medium setting I would say they are both again quite similar in volume with me giving the slight edge to the AP-15s. Now performance I would say about the same, at least from what I have noticed. Now moving on to the highest setting, this is where you really see the difference or should I say hear the difference. While I will concede and say the Corsair fans are great, they really can push the air through that rad, but they get loud at the high end. These Gentle Typhoon AP-15s on the other hand are still what I would consider relatively quiet. Sure they are noticeable but only slightly, all the while keeping the same or better temps than the stock fans.

So in the end, when I turn up the H100 to the highest setting it sure does make a large difference in being able to cool the computer while still maintaining and a low volume.

Hope that helps out with your decision.

[gecko]

Thanks for the comprehensive response which I very much appreciate :)
You have now made my decision easier as to the fan choice. I did find it difficult to get a clear answer from Corsair as to whether fans plugged into the H100 block needed to be PWM type in order to be controlled and also people that have owned it have told me that the fans must be PWM but fan controllers generally work by controlling voltage hence my continued disbelief!!

As yet I don't have the extra fans so I will be running the cooler with the stock fans and it's good to know that they aren't excessively loud at medium settings. Also I don't believe that for the first few days of testing my new build which will be at stock that I will really need to run the fans at full steam.

Thanks again
gecko