CM fans not so "cheap" as ppl mention them?

[linoliveira]

Wanted to show a short video I made when re-assembling my case after the AF120s arrived to serve as case fans.
I was impressed when I got them working, they move a good amount of air and produce almost no noise.
But one thing still got me thinking... the CM R4 fan I had on the CPU cooler produces even lower noise than the AF120s, has more static pressure and just by feeling the air moving it looks like it moves more air too!
Then I ran a homemade crappy test to figure things out: video

The CM R4 fan performed so well compared to the AF120, and everyone seems to hate CM fans for wtv reason, calling them cheap, crappy fans which don't suck much air at all, going in an opposite direction from my experience with this particular fan (~ 1 year old).

The CM fan I am using is this one, rated at 90CFM (doubtful).

Am I seeing things wrong? What you guys think?

 

[Jstn7477]

All of the 120mm fans I have gotten from them either don't move much of anything (R4-S2S-124K-GP) or in the case of all the ones I have gotten with Hyper 212 EVOs, they all develop a wobble after a few months and eventually slow down or die. I also have a A12025-20RB-4BP-F1 from 2009 that has bad vibration but still works and moves a lot of air.

I guess it depends what model of fan you purchase from them. From my experience, many of them are junk.

 

[linoliveira]

Then I might just have been lucky with this fan, or you are out of luck friend :/
I will assume the first, since it happens with some of Arctic fans, some say they are cheap and good (~10$) while others say they make bad noises and are not properly aligned.

I hope this fan lasts for the summer at least, else my 2500k will fry with the incoming summer heat

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

bought 9 of there R4 fans for a HAF 932, 6 of 9 were dead in 3 months the other 3 died after 9 months of use total. Replaced the fans and then sold the case off.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026ZPFBG/?tag=tec06d-20

problem is the sleeve bearing.

Sleeve bearings dont do well when mounted in correctly

essentially

if mounted on a vertical surface aka back of the case they do okay, you mount them on a horizontal surface and the sleeve bearing cant cope and wears out faster, thus the fan dies

so Coolermasters fans being popular and being sleeve bearing means when used at the top of the case or bottom or on certain cooler orientations namely AMD back in the day the fans would essentially die a quick death do to the use of sleeve bearings.

Ball Bearings while louder can be orientated either way and dont suffer this issue. stuff like Fluid dynamic etc are quiet AND offer longer lifespans and also dont have the mounting issue.

 

[Jstn7477]

Just keep an eye on it and make sure it stays running at the proper speed. The CM fan on my overclocked i7-870 blew a seal, leaked its oil and limped along at 600 RPM until I discovered that the system was throttling badly with 90c CPU temperature.

I personally buy cheap Rosewill (the house brand of Newegg, an American e-tailer) fans most of the time. The most expensive ones I have are the Cougar Vortex HDB fans that move an average amount of air but are rather quiet and are only 1200 RPM without much of an issue. These Cooler Master fans I have owned were just... bad.

 

[de.das.dude]

bitfenix fans seem look better, albeit lower CFM compared to the price.

i use the stock fans that came with my case, and a panaflow 113CFM fan. i have a spare 113CFM when it gets even hotter. works like a charm noise inst bad either. they are inaudible over the ceiling fan noise.

 

[Deleted member 67555]

I've never had a bad CM fan...but then again I don't buy any fan of any brand with a sleeve bearing...
I had 2 blue LED CM fans I got at Newegg and 2 solid black fans I got from Microcenter...for a total of $18 for all 4 and they were all good...but they were also ball bearing...

 

[linoliveira]

Yay! that 113CFM should do more than average noise, but in the summer that should be golden!
The computer is in my bedroom so i tend to undervolt them at night to make the less noise possible when keeping moderate temperatures, a fan like that one should be good for the task?
I will watch this fan carefully, and buy a new replacement just in case it dies suddenly.
Maybe a Corsair SP120 to cool the CPU? When investigating about the AF120s the reviews and comments also spoke very good about these, and Linus did a video about them and was pretty impressed with the static pressure and overall CFM. Worth taking a look.

 

[de.das.dude]

Yup works wonders in the summer. why do you undervolt? just use the power options from control panel. i have set the CPU at 780mhz for power saving profile.

the 113CFM fan makes as much noise as the CM 90CFM ones.
the reason is that the CM one is 20mm thick, the panaflow is 38mm thick. Panaflow is made by Matsushita Electric. Very respected company.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6...n_w_RPM_Sensor_-1147_CFM_FBA12G12U.html#blank

 

[silkstone]

I've always used CM fans. They usually die after 24 months, but I leave them on 24/7 and live in a dusty environment. The last one I got was an Xtraflow to replace my 3yr old fan in my V8 that started wobbling.

 

[TRWOV]

I don't know if I'm lucky or what but I've used CM fans like forever (CM is the most distributed brand down here) and just last year a pair of 80mm fans died on me after almost 5 years of continous use. They were mounted vertically though.

 

[RejZoR]

I've been trusting Noiseblocker fans for years and they haven't yet disappointed me. So i don't even bother with others. I recommend the same to you guys.

I've had many others and they were rather shite. Xigmatek XLF was making a cycling broom noise (though i liked its blades design and crystal clear material), Corsair was making a cycling ratling noise and the same goes for Antec fans that came with H2O 920. Had 5 Scythe 50mm fans and they were all ratling like hell. Scythe SlipstreamSlim were sort of ok since they are slim but they tend to vibrate quite badly.

But with Noiseblocker, not a single fan was bad or poor and i had everything from the lowest end up to their highest grade Pro and Multiframe.

I don't know if Noiseblocker actually makes the fans, but whoever makes them for NB, does the job really well. Because i don't think all the other vendors actually make them either. The usually just stick their name onto them (including CM i'd say)...

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

bought 9 of there R4 fans for a HAF 932, 6 of 9 were dead in 3 months the other 3 died after 9 months of use total. Replaced the fans and then sold the case off.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026ZPFBG/?tag=tec06d-20

problem is the sleeve bearing.

Sleeve bearings dont do well when mounted in correctly

essentially

if mounted on a vertical surface aka back of the case they do okay, you mount them on a horizontal surface and the sleeve bearing cant cope and wears out faster, thus the fan dies

so Coolermasters fans being popular and being sleeve bearing means when used at the top of the case or bottom or on certain cooler orientations namely AMD back in the day the fans would essentially die a quick death do to the use of sleeve bearings.

Ball Bearings while louder can be orientated either way and dont suffer this issue. stuff like Fluid dynamic etc are quiet AND offer longer lifespans and also dont have the mounting issue.

Pretty much all this. My R4s died a lot. I moved to GTs and the bearing noise was annoying. Now I'm on low speed Enermax fans. I would be tempted to try other brands but I've seen a few reviews confirming these offer the best CFM to noise ratio (at low rpm at least).

I will say though I still have not found a consistent fan model. If I get within 12 inches of some of these fans I can discern a slight oscillation noise in maybe 35% of them. It was maybe 65% with GT fans and bearing noise, which carried for a much greater distance. I might have stayed with the GTs if I had the money to blow on binning them for noise. Manufacturers just aren't doing QC testing at that level yet.

 

[Inceptor]

I don't know if I'm lucky or what but I've used CM fans like forever (CM is the most distributed brand down here) and just last year a pair of 80mm fans died on me after almost 5 years of continous use. They were mounted vertically though.

I haven't had any problem with my CM fans, for the same reason... they're in a standard vertical orientation.
Problems always occur when someone does not do their homework and choose the correct type of fan for their specific usage-case.

 

[m1dg3t]

Never had a problem with any Coolermaster fans, stick 'em in the right spot and they'll go forever Good thing about CM is that they are quite common and usually go on sale so you can get cooled for relative $$$

The majority of fans that i have owned that crapped out were made by Adda, an OEM supplier...

Absolutely LOVE Panaflo's! They are like mcp650/655 pumps, indestructible! Problem with them, in my area anyways, is availability & price. Hence the reason i only use them on high FPI rads or HSFs

Scythe is Ok, but they also need to be located correctly otherwise they go out quickly

Noctua are EXTREMELY quit but move very little air, and are very, VERY $$$

Also love me some Sunnons! I always try to grab a couple when i see them at the local Surplus store, server pulls = AWESOME deals!

I'm also running bunch of BitFenix fans and they are really good for the $$$ IMHO

 

[linoliveira]

Yup works wonders in the summer. why do you undervolt? just use the power options from control panel. i have set the CPU at 780mhz for power saving profile.

the 113CFM fan makes as much noise as the CM 90CFM ones.
the reason is that the CM one is 20mm thick, the panaflow is 38mm thick. Panaflow is made by Matsushita Electric. Very respected company.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6...n_w_RPM_Sensor_-1147_CFM_FBA12G12U.html#blank

I undervolt all the fans minus the CPU fan. The CM realy does not make noise at full speed (~1900 RPM) but the Corsair AF120s push so much air that the intake and exhaust fans are not audible but the air moving around really makes some noise! They are beasts really! Best fans I ever bought.
Unfortunately I think that fan will not fit in my current setup, there is only a notch between the CPU fan and the memory.

I've been trusting Noiseblocker fans for years and they haven't yet disappointed me. So i don't even bother with others. I recommend the same to you guys.

I've had many others and they were rather shite. Xigmatek XLF was making a cycling broom noise (though i liked its blades design and crystal clear material), Corsair was making a cycling ratling noise and the same goes for Antec fans that came with H2O 920. Had 5 Scythe 50mm fans and they were all ratling like hell. Scythe SlipstreamSlim were sort of ok since they are slim but they tend to vibrate quite badly.

But with Noiseblocker, not a single fan was bad or poor and i had everything from the lowest end up to their highest grade Pro and Multiframe.

I don't know if Noiseblocker actually makes the fans, but whoever makes them for NB, does the job really well. Because i don't think all the other vendors actually make them either. The usually just stick their name onto them (including CM i'd say)...

I have never tried Noiseblocker, but when looking to their specs or reading reviews I never got tempted to buy them.
For now I am enjoying the AF120s for airflow, if there is a good Noiseblocker with nice pressure/aitflow that is compared to the CM I have in terms of noise, I might give it a try on the CPU cooler

 

[de.das.dude]

Never had a problem with any Coolermaster fans, stick 'em in the right spot and they'll go forever Good thing about CM is that they are quite common and usually go on sale so you can get cooled for relative $$$

The majority of fans that i have owned that crapped out were made by Adda, an OEM supplier...

Absolutely LOVE Panaflo's! They are like mcp650/655 pumps, indestructible! Problem with them, in my area anyways, is availability & price. Hence the reason i only use them on high FPI rads or HSFs

Scythe is Ok, but they also need to be located correctly otherwise they go out quickly

Noctua are EXTREMELY quit but move very little air, and are very, VERY $$$

Also love me some Sunnons! I always try to grab a couple when i see them at the local Surplus store, server pulls = AWESOME deals!

I'm also running bunch of BitFenix fans and they are really good for the $$$ IMHO

i got my panaflos for cheap. like 5$ cheap. they were new too. got it from an electronics shop instead of a pc shop. youll be surprised how cheap fans are in electronics shops.

I undervolt all the fans minus the CPU fan. The CM realy does not make noise at full speed (~1900 RPM) but the Corsair AF120s push so much air that the intake and exhaust fans are not audible but the air moving around really makes some noise! They are beasts really! Best fans I ever bought.
Unfortunately I think that fan will not fit in my current setup, there is only a notch between the CPU fan and the memory.



I have never tried Noiseblocker, but when looking to their specs or reading reviews I never got tempted to buy them.
For now I am enjoying the AF120s for airflow, if there is a good Noiseblocker with nice pressure/aitflow that is compared to the CM I have in terms of noise, I might give it a try on the CPU cooler

panaflos arent for heatsinks. they are for system cooling. too heavy and thick for heatsinks.

 

[newtekie1]

I don't call CM fans cheap because they don't move a lot of air, any fan can move a lot of air. I call them cheap because they are built like garbage and don't last.

They use sleeve bearings, which are probably the worst type you can put in a fan. While they are quiet at first, after a little while of use they get louder as the lubrication dries up, and eventually they seize. Generally a sleeve fan will start to fail after about a year. Also, the plastic they use is cheap, the fans have a lot of flex and the fins are very weak. Accidentally stick a finger in the fan while it is running, come on we've all done it, and good by fan.

Also, of course you didn't get a lot of static pressure with a AF120s, they aren't designed for static pressure. The SP120s are designed for static pressure.

 

[Brusfantomet]

I myself prefer arctic colling fans, dirt cheap and properly silent (not this 1000 rpm is silent bull, 400 rpm is silent) they also got that fancy Fluid Dynamic Bearing. But hey, go spend you money on those expensive Corsair and Scythe fans.

 

[Frick]

I myself prefer arctic colling fans, dirt cheap and properly silent (not this 1000 rpm is silent bull, 400 rpm is silent) they also got that fancy Fluid Dynamic Bearing. But hey, go spend you money on those expensive Corsair and Scythe fans.

You get what you pay for. I rather like noctua. AC is usually solid, but they are not as good as the others.

 

[ALMOSTunseen]

The specs on the CM fans are known to be a bit sketchy.

 

[RejZoR]

All the Noctua's that i tried had annoying cycling (repeating) noise. Not impressed.

 

[de.das.dude]

noctua fans are the worst. they hardly move any air, which is why they are so silent
plus they are way over priced.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

i find that Noctua bashing hilarious having multiple 92mm 120mm and 140mm versions of there fans here having played around replacing other fans with the Noctuas on a few coolers I find it interesting when the Noctua give better performance.... hmmm. I must be using them wrong

 

[ALMOSTunseen]

i find that Noctua bashing hilarious having multiple 92mm 120mm and 140mm versions of there fans here having played around replacing other fans with the Noctuas on a few coolers I find it interesting when the Noctua give better performance.... hmmm. I must be using them wrong

But what about the silverstones? "preparing for rant"