Cooling Fan bearings click at low speeds (now w/Panaflo 120 review)

I tried to save some money on my 120mm fans by buying some no-names at All Electronics, but the bearings click or rattle on every rotation when running at 5V to 7V, so my $26 is wasted.

Before I spend the money on 120mm aluminum Evercools, could someone verify for me that they don't click at low speeds?

Thanks for your time.

 

Never mind, I decided to go with the fluid-bearing Panaflos.

Don't buy the JMC Datech fans that All Electronics and Xoxide sell, unless you want your case to sound like a geiger counter after a meltdown. I tested them on a 6-volt battery to be sure the clicking/growling wasn't being introduced by my voltage regulator, and they still clicked like a hyper tap dancer. I'll be returning them, but I'm still out $12 shipping.

There's no click at full speed, but that's probably because the roar drowns it out.

 

Cheap fans are only suitable for other peoples computers

 

I have found when it comes to fans always buy a good make like panaflo they may be a bit more expensive but they are amazing. I bought some £10 YSTech fans and they are well known but are pants at lower voltages but now I have my panaflo ones I would never use another make they are that quiet at all voltages!!

 

I got some 80mm low speed Panaflos, and you don't hear them! Still push a decent ammount of air though. Top quality.

 

yep my 3 x 120mm ones on my rad are just amazing!!

 

Well i've just got a cheap 120mm evercool on my rad and it seems fine, to ticking at low speeds, there is a fair amount of fan noise at higher speeds, ie not airflow noise. I'll just put that down to the amount of free play in the spindle where the blades mount, dual bearing my ass.

Seeing as its a bit of a panaflo landslide atm, what models do you guys reccomend? I'll stick up for the ys-tech's tho, there low noise 80mm fans are excellent!

 

I've stuck with all Papst's for a couple of years now but I'm splaying with a themal controlled Sanyo Denki atm as I picked it up cheap.

 

The Panaflo models that end in L1A are the quietest. They come in 4 grades, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra-high. The lower the rating, the quieter the fan.

I just ordered 5 M-speed 120mm fans off Ebay for $16.50 shipped. They're not as quiet as the L1As, but at 5 for the price of 1, it's worth a try.

I'll post the results when they come in.

If you really want to talk about quieting your PC, go to Silent PC Review's forums. They have 55,000 posts dedicated to quiet PCs, with a section just for fans.

 

I have the H version and cut it to 7v or even 5v and they are great but I then have the option to 12v them in the summer even then they are not that bad at all!!

 

There's a guy (billwoos) on Ebay who sells Panaflo FBA12G12M-1BX in lots of 5 (new). Each lot tends to go for $8-$10, and shipping is $8.50. These fans are 120mm in diameter, 38mm deep, have hydrowave bearings, and come with 3 bare leads.

I purchased one lot ($16.50 shipped) to see if they were suitable for undervolting, since I could get five for the price of one L1A.

Result: if properly isolated from the case, they're nice and quiet. At 5V they were inaudible from 24 inches over the humming of the flourescent lights overhead. At 7V a whisper could be heard. If mounted in the rear of a PC facing away from you, they'd likely be inaudible (depending on your environment). A faint, low-pitched rumble can be heard from a distance of about 14 inches at 5V, 12 inches at 7V, and wind noise covers it at higher voltages. You must use noise-isolation mounts with these fans, or the rumble becomes an amplified, high-pitched tick. These fans are quieter at 8V than the JMC Datech 1225-12HBA at 5V, which tick very loudly with lots of wind noise, and which isolation doesn't help at all.

Synopsis: Good enough for me. I won't have to spend $55 for a set of fans after all.