If using them on a H50 or H70, I think 2 1450rpm GT's are enough. If using as intakes, 1450 GT's at 12v will push more air than 1850's at 7v but will still be quiet enough (in my opinion). However, with summer on the way, having some extra "capacity" in your fans might be advisable. You can also get 9v resistors (Scan do Sharkoon ones). It depends on what you will use them for. At 12v, the 1850 GT's have a certain "noise" to them that I find annoying when my case is on the desk beside my head. If under a desk you may not notice it. I am glad I have them as backup though, my loft ambient went over 34C last summer. In my opinion, the Air Penetrators push less air than the GT's (1450 or 1850rpm versions) and the noise they make at 12v is more annoying to me personally than 1850 GT's at 12v - I didn't notice the 1850's @ 12v with my headphones on whilst gaming, I could hear the AP's @ 12v even with the headphones on whilst gaming. I think the benefit of the AP's is that if you have a large case, they will push directed air all the way into the case (assuming no obstructions such as hard drive trays). However, because the air pressure generated by them is less than the GT's, if the airflow path into your case is obstructed, less air will reach the back of a large case. Just my tuppence worth and of course your mileage may vary...
Spot on. Corsair supply the 700d/800d with fans which move less air than my cat does when meowing. Sam
At £2 a pop, I'd be awfully tempted to just buy the Yate Loons. Not the best fans out there, but by no means bad and the bang for buck is just crazy. YL is a quality manufacturer after all... And as these fans are always used with a fan controller, the differences are going to be very hard to notice. They are there if you really go through all the work of swapping the fans and comparing temperatures and noise, but really, if you're just buying a set of fans for a case, I'd go with this £6 option rather than £60. And if there's a single mechanical hard drive in the rig, the fan noise isn't going to be a factor anyway.
Hmm I've got GT Typhoons, four 1850rpm ones. Funny thing is, the one that's on the side panel is the noisy one. I've tried adding fan washers, but as soon as the fan comes close to the grill, it starts making noise. It's weird. None of the other fans do it. Not even the rear one that's also against a grill.
I'll add my vote for Noctua fans too. Can't hear them at all. Shifts plenty enough air to keep my cool enough whilst being seriously quiet. (And quiet is my focus, not cool - just "cool enough").
Try either a silicone fan gasket between the fan and the grill or another grill (e.g. a filter/grill combo). It could be the proximity to the metal grill holes that is causing a turbulent vortex that is backdrafting against the fan blades causing the noise. I have heard of instances where the shape of the holes in a grill can cause some fans to be noisier than others.
that makes sense to me, if much of the noise is air movement (as it is with high end fans) then the grille would affect noise output
It could also be the side panel vibrating - does the noise change if you place your hand flat against the side panel?
It's not vibration of the side panel as the noise occurs regardless of whether the panel is on the case of not. I think it's also partly to do with the thickness of the metal there. I've added two washers between the panel and the fan on each of the four mounting holes to give more clearance. It's slightly better, but still not as good as the rear, or top fans (the top fans have no grill at all as the top cover is at least 3 or 4 cm above the fan itself).
I reckon the only way to determine if it the noise is because of the air rushing through the grill is to try it with a resistor to reduce the airflow. If the noise disappears then that is your problem. I'm fairly sure you don't want to cut your grill out just yet .
i've got the eagle 1000's aswell. they're good but slow spinners so not massive amounts of air shifted
Looks like a consensus is building. I have the Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000's - they are very, very good but they don't always spin up at the low end of a fan controller - I find they need about 7v minimum to operate well. But they are super quiet at 7v, and still shift a reasonable amount of air; they are pretty quiet at 12v anyway. The only fans I have considered replacing them with are the Gentle Typhoons. I like the idea of the Air Penetrators too, but I'm not convinced they will be anywhere near as quiet.
£11.75 with free delivery is the best I can find for the 1450rpm's, £12.84 from them for the 1850's. There are a couple of places that have them a few pence cheaper but they don't do free delivery as far as I can tell.
Just to add something else to this thread. The Sycthe GT 1850's are good. But I really wouldn’t call them quiet. Just as fingers said, at 12V they produce a certain noise, I would call it a whine. In my experience, some are noiser than others, and depending on what you have them mounted too, some can also make them noiser than others. They certainly do perform well though, its just a trade of with the whine at full pelt. Previously, I had one as a roof exhaust on my fractal design R3, it was creating a bit of a whine, but if I hovered my hand around 1.5cm above the case over the fan, the noise level would reduce! I have now taken them out of my fractal, because that PC is my super quiet PC, and the only one I use is on my H50 in my Raven RV02 case, and even that for me is a little loud My personal opinion would either be to go for the 1850's but run them at 7v, or go for the 1450's.
@bdigital: That whine is this wine, no ? http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?p=2676305&postcount=18
