Silence is golden :P

LeeLuck

Posts: 60   +1
Hi all, just in the middle of a new build and want to move my current rig down stairs as a media center so I was wondering what the best fans are out there for sound levels. At the mo I have a H80 cpu liquid series cooler with 2 stock fans, I have 3x120mm Coolermaster sickle flow blue case fans and 1x140mm blue case fan and I want to change all 6 for something super super SUPER quiet :)
Whats the best 120mm fans out there for almost stealth like volume ? (not fussed about the 140mm fan as its almost silent)
Thanks for any info,
Lee.
 
Noctua IMO are the kings of fans.
I am currently using a couple Noctua fans And, I can honestly say I never can really hear them. Probably some of quietest fans I've ever purchased.

+1 @St1ckm4n's suggestion.
 
Thanks peeps, been doing a spot of research while some opinions came in and my main fan of choice is exactly what you have offered up, being..

Noctua NF-P12 PWM 120mm Cooling Fan

This by all accounts is perfect for the H80 push/pull rad coolers ;) so thanks peeps.

Lee.
 
Just an off topic thought about H80s and such. Is it true you have to replace it every 2 years or so?
 
Just an off topic thought about H80s and such. Is it true you have to replace it every 2 years or so?
Possibly, but the manufacturer make no mention of this. I know, I personally won't even own a single component in my RIG that long. Everything gets upgraded around a year or so to keep up with my gaming habits.
 
Possibly, but the manufacturer make no mention of this. I know, I personally won't even own a single component in my RIG that long. Everything gets upgraded around a year or so to keep up with my gaming habits.
How often do you upgrade your CPU? Also what components do you need to upgrade every year other than SSDs and HDDs. I find 3 years to be the least I would keep my components
 
How often do you upgrade your CPU? Also what components do you need to upgrade every year other than SSDs and HDDs. I find 3 years to be the least I would keep my components
It all kinda depends, for instance, I went through 4 different CPU's last year. 3 AMD and 1 Intel. I was checking out AMD's newest Phenom II's and their bulldozer series. I finally went with a I7-2600k - which will probably be getting upgraded to a IB equivalent in the near future. And personally, I can't say I upgrade my storage. So, I have to retract my statement about upgrading every single component in my builds. I upgrade CPU,GPU,MOBO,Cooling, and in some instances RAM and PSU.
 
Hey !! no one mentioned replacing the H80 when I bought it !! lol my rig NEVER gets turned off so how long is the life of the H80 now ? my rig has been running at 4GHz for a year 24/7 except for a power cut or 2, she is super super stable and I would hate to think I need to start swapping stuff after 2 years ?!
 
It all kinda depends, for instance, I went through 4 different CPU's last year. 3 AMD and 1 Intel. I was checking out AMD's newest Phenom II's and their bulldozer series. I finally went with a I7-2600k - which will probably be getting upgraded to a IB equivalent in the near future. And personally, I can't say I upgrade my storage. So, I have to retract my statement about upgrading every single component in my builds. I upgrade CPU,GPU,MOBO,Cooling, and in some instances RAM and PSU.
Well RAM and PSUs are rare I guess since DDR3 cant really change (just higher speeds but barely effect game performance) and PSUs are just power lol. I under stand the GPU, but IB isnt that big of an upgrade, I would say wait wait till Haswell
 
Hey !! no one mentioned replacing the H80 when I bought it !! lol my rig NEVER gets turned off so how long is the life of the H80 now ? my rig has been running at 4GHz for a year 24/7 except for a power cut or 2, she is super super stable and I would hate to think I need to start swapping stuff after 2 years ?!
This is what I hear. With open loops water cooling systems (I am not that familiar with this stuff so don't quote me) you need to change the water every "x" amount of times because of calcification (I think that is why). I dont get why closed will be any different. If anything you may need to reapply thermal paste.

Edit: I was just doing some research on open loop systems and they were saying about how you should change liquid coolant every 6 months (open system) because Algea can build up.
 
Yeah, I only find myself upgrading my PSU because I needed more power. At one point I was running a Single HD 6950 then went up to 3X HD 6950's then down to 2X HD 6950's and now running OC'D 7950's in CFX. It all depends on what I am doing. Also, yeah IB may not be a big of a upgrade, but it is still a upgrade. It would be beneficial to me outside of gaming. As for RAM, yeah, I don't need to really upgrade it. I've just got in the habit of buying new modules with when ever I buy a new MOBO to be safe in terms of compatibility.
 
I will mail Corsair and hear their thoughts and post it here in this thread ;) I agree with the thermal paste, with could possibly break down I guess with heat over time.
I will mail Corsair this very second :p
 
I will mail Corsair and hear their thoughts and post it here in this thread ;) I agree with the thermal paste, with could possibly break down I guess with heat over time.
I will mail Corsair this very second :p
Alright,I cannot really find anything on google about this but the reason of having to replace it every few years made me stand clear of the H series coolers. I hear Noctuas are more effective anyways but are huge.
 
I wouldn't worry about replacing your H80 anytime soon LeeLuck. The H80 is a zero maintenance closed loop CPU cooler. Meaning, it technically should run fine for as long as you need it to.
 
On topic, Scythe GTs (1450 or 1850rpm) gets my vote. Excellent static pressure which is what you want for a push/pull H80 setup. If you don't have a fan controller then 1850rpm is a bit loud but really moves a lot of air.
 
On topic, Scythe GTs (1450 or 1850rpm) gets my vote. Excellent static pressure which is what you want for a push/pull H80 setup. If you don't have a fan controller then 1850rpm is a bit loud but really moves a lot of air.
People say these are very good. I should try them out soon.
 
Hi all, I got a reply from Corsair regarding calcification and life expectancy, and here is their reply.

Case #5640378

Quote "That is not correct. The fluid used in our coolers will not cause calcification issues and it is good for the lifetime of this unit. The unit also comes with a Corsair 5-year manufacturer warranty, this covers the unit for 5yrs respectively, whether its running for 5 hours per day or 24/7 as you stated. Thank you."
 
Hi all, I got a reply from Corsair regarding calcification and life expectancy, and here is their reply.

Case #5640378

Quote "That is not correct. The fluid used in our coolers will not cause calcification issues and it is good for the lifetime of this unit. The unit also comes with a Corsair 5-year manufacturer warranty, this covers the unit for 5yrs respectively, whether its running for 5 hours per day or 24/7 as you stated. Thank you."
I guess my sources have been shut down! Awesome news... you will probably replace it by 5 years if you game...
 
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