Your favorite case fan?

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

EDIT: This is now a thread about your favorite case fan. Post it and your reason! Old post about Sunon MagLev below:

I ask because I have a line on some pretty high performance ones, basically these:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/3161/MEC0251V1-000U-G99/259-1657-ND/4291614

Only it's a box of about 20 of them still sealed on auction at the state surplus. Right now $20.00 and no bid.... and NO, I will not show you... Unless they are junk of course.

How usable would these be as a case fan? Noise is not too much of a concern, quality is, as I run an airconditioner that's noisy as hell anyhow.

EDIT:

Google says these are excellent bearings that only wear out when the magnet inside does, but all the reviews are from 2008, how long do the magnets last? I have no idea when these were made.

cadaveca · Aug 1, 2015

$1 a fan? who cares, buy 'em. LOL.

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

cadaveca said:
$1 a fan? who cares, buy 'em. LOL.

I already placed a minimum bid, but I'm wondering if they are worth spending a bit more on... lol.

I wouldn't if I was just going to resell 'em.

Though my seldom awoken greedy side. is admitedly thinking about buying a box and ebaying them...

cadaveca · Aug 1, 2015

I wouldn't spend more than $3, honestly. Not a bad fan, but nothing to write home about, IMHO.

Really though... fans... death... dirt. Keep 'em clean, if they work at first, they'll work a long time. Specs are legit for noise, RPM, power use, water displacement... sunon isn't a bad name. More OEM.

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

cadaveca said:
I wouldn't spend more than $3, honestly. Not a bad fan, but nothing to write home about, IMHO.

Really though... fans... death... dirt. Keep 'em clean, if they work at first, they'll work a long time. Specs are legit for noise, RPM, power use, water displacement... sunon isn't a bad name. More OEM.

I see. The box is dirty/dusty as hell but still has some kind of warranty tape on it. One can hope that the dirt hasn't found a way inside. I only was able to identify them buy the number on the box, which is very similar to the digikey number I listed.

I'd never herad of Sunon before now though my Sabertooth X99 came with one free, which made me wonder if they were some kind of cheap sleeve bearing maker at first, lol.

OneMoar · Aug 1, 2015

buy them
because magnets are magic

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

OneMoar said:
buy them
because magnets are magic

If I take them apart can I use them to cure cancer? Might be handy later in life.

(and yes, I'm well aware that won't work

).

INSTG8R · Aug 1, 2015

Remind me of my Addas "Turbines" I run in my case. Just pure CFM and no regard to noise. I actually pulled them out my Asetek external WCU(Ironically I replaced them with SilenX fans at the time) I have brand new Akasa Apaches in the closet because the lost the "blow test" to my Addas. Those SilenX are long dead(hubs separated from the frames but them Addas just keep on going. Heck I might even want to grab a couple of those from you and see how they stack against my Addas.

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

Revised the thread for more discussion longevity.

Now it's about your favorite case fans. Have at!

Toothless · Aug 1, 2015

The pretty ones that spin fast.

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

Toothless said:
The pretty ones that spin fast.

I mean in your desktop PC for the most part... I've seen some that spin so fast they'd never be usable there. Louder than my air conditioner and sound more like a jet engine... lol.

bonehead123 · Aug 1, 2015

Sunon is in fact an OEM mfgr....at least they were in past years. I have encountered their fans in alot of prebuilt, off the shelf systems from the early 2000's from HP, Dell, Sony and Toshiba, both desktop and lappy versions. They seemed to be ok then, but I havent seen or used any since then.

But OTOH, at 130 cfm is ALOT of airflow, and 3100 rpm is high and bound to be fairly noisy to say the least. So if you dont mind that, then go for it. Like you said, if you dont like 'em, just fleabay 'em and recoup your moolah

As for my favorite fans, I am currently using and very satisfied with the Cougars, CoolerMaster, Corsair, and ThermalTake units that are in my current rigs. They do what I need them to do, are fairly quiet, and were not terribly expensive......all pluses in my book

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

bonehead123 said:
Sunon is in fact an OEM mfgr....at least they were in past years. I have encountered their fans in alot of prebuilt, off the shelf systems from the early 2000's from HP, Dell, Sony and Toshiba, both desktop and lappy versions. They seemed to be ok then, but I havent seen or used any since then.

But OTOH, at 130 cfm is ALOT of airflow, and 3100 rpm is high and bound to be fairly noisy to say the least. So if you dont mind that, then go for it. Like you said, if you dont like 'em, just fleabay 'em and recoup your moolah

As for my favorite fans, I am currently using and very satisfied with the Cougars, CoolerMaster, Corsair, and ThermalTake units that are in my current rigs. They do what I need them to do, are fairly quiet, and were not terribly expensive......all pluses in my book

Thanks for that very useful post. I really don't know how many RPMs/CFM is "ALOT" and that is much appreciated. Sounds a lot more like blowers than fans, and I probably won't bid past $30 if the things outclass my air conditioner in noise. At that point I'd just let someone who wants them get them.

The tinkerer in me wonders how many dbs they'd put out if I lowered the DC voltage to them. They have a DC voltage tolerance spec of as low as 6V, and my Sabertooth Mobo supports this... hmm...

P4-630 · Aug 1, 2015

I like the Scythe slip stream 120mm, 1200rpm fans, quiet and they move quite a lot of air 68,54 CFM at only 24db
http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/products/fans/slip-stream-120.html

Toothless · Aug 1, 2015

R-T-B said:
I mean in your desktop PC for the most part... I've seen some that spin so fast they'd never be usable there. Louder than my air conditioner and sound more like a jet engine... lol.

OH, those.

Well, the pretty blue LED 140mm spinny ones that I throw into my case and slam the side panel shut for. I like the blue glow.

AsRock · Aug 1, 2015

Can always use a fan controller right

, i have seen them around here and there and not seen one not working yet.

EDIT: oops i forgot to add that i like Cougar fans

bonehead123 · Aug 1, 2015

Well I don't know what effect, if any, lowering the voltage would have on the noise level, but if you just slow them down the noise will decrease accordingly.

My question would be if these fans have 4 pin connectors so your mobo can control the speed, or if they have 3 pins and you would need to install a controller to regulate their speed... either way would work but that's a choice you will have to make

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

bonehead123 said:
Well I don't know what effect, if any, lowering the voltage would have on the noise level, but if you just slow them down the noise will decrease accordingly.

My question would be if these fans have 4 pin connectors so your mobo can control the speed, or if they have 3 pins and you would need to install a controller to regulate their speed... either way would work but that's a choice you will have to make

If digikey is right they have 3pin, so lowering the voltage is the only way to lower the RPMs. Isn't that what fan controllers do anyhow? As mentioned, my mobo can do this...

Toothless said:
OH, those.

Well, the pretty blue LED 140mm spinny ones that I throw into my case and slam the side panel shut for. I like the blue glow.

Fair enough... :roll:

AsRock · Aug 1, 2015

R-T-B said:
If digikey is right they have 3pin, so lowering the voltage is the only way to lower the RPMs. Isn't that what fan controllers do anyhow? As mentioned, my mobo can do this...

Fair enough...

Yes i was thinking that my mobo fan change the fan speed on a 3 pin which is pretty normal for most motherboards.

RejZoR · Aug 1, 2015

I guess I'm a die hard Noiseblocker user. 5x 120mm NB Multi-frame fans + 1x 40mm NB BSF on chipset and 1x 140mm NB Pro inside PSU.

Very quiet fans and they look great too with those clear blades and with no stupid LEDs.

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

RejZoR said:
stupid LEDs.

I tend to agree with that, but try telling the local stores here that... everything they stock is cheap junk that glows like a friggin' beacon.

The local shops may have soured me, but I can't think of a good fan I've seen with LEDs, tbh...

OneMoar · Aug 1, 2015

R-T-B said:
I tend to agree with that, but try telling the local stores here that... everything they stock is cheap junk that glows like a friggin' beacon.

The local shops may have soured me, but I can't think of a good fan I've seen with LEDs, tbh...

*hands R-T-B a exacto knife

rtwjunkie · Aug 1, 2015

My favorite case fan is not made anymore. It's a Scythe Slipstream Kaze 120mm that spins at 1,900RPM, and moves 110.31 cfm of air. Yes you can hear it, but it's not too obnoxious, running 37 dBA of noise. Luckily I have 5 spares!

I remember them being quite expensive too.

R-T-B · Aug 1, 2015

OneMoar said:
*hands R-T-B a exacto knife

As I was saying, that won't fix the fact that they are sleeve bearing shit from god knows where...

newtekie1 · Aug 1, 2015

I've become a fan of Noctua fans as of late...pun intended.

System Name	Pioneer
Processor	Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory	64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage	2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s)	55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case	Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s)	TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard	WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software	Gentoo Linux x64

System Name	Pioneer
Processor	Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory	64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage	2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s)	55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case	Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s)	TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard	WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software	Gentoo Linux x64

System Name	Pioneer
Processor	Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory	64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage	2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s)	55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case	Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s)	TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard	WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software	Gentoo Linux x64

System Name	RPC MK2.5
Processor	Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard	Gigabyte Aorus Pro V2
Cooling	Enermax ETX-T50RGB
Memory	CL16 BL2K16G36C16U4RL 3600 1:1 micron e-die
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Ti GAMING OC
Storage	ADATA SX8200PRO NVME 512GB, Intel 545s 500GBSSD, ADATA SU800 SSD, 3TB Spinner
Display(s)	LG Ultra Gear 32 1440p 165hz Dell 1440p 75hz
Case	Phanteks P300 /w 300A front panel conversion
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	SeaSonic Focus+ Platinum 750W
Mouse	Kone burst Pro
Keyboard	EVGA Z15
Software	Windows 11 +startisallback

System Name	Pioneer
Processor	Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory	64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage	2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s)	55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case	Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s)	TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard	WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software	Gentoo Linux x64

Your favorite case fan?

R-T-B

cadaveca

My name is Dave

R-T-B

cadaveca

My name is Dave

R-T-B

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

R-T-B

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

R-T-B

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

R-T-B

bonehead123

R-T-B

P4-630

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

AsRock

TPU addict

bonehead123

R-T-B

AsRock

TPU addict

RejZoR

R-T-B

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast

R-T-B

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

System Name	Hellbox 5.1(same case new guts)
Processor	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard	MSI X570S MAG Torpedo Max
Cooling	TT Kandalf L.C.S.(Water/Air)EK Velocity CPU Block/Noctua EK Quantum DDC Pump/Res
Memory	2x16GB Gskill Trident Neo Z 3600 CL16
Video Card(s)	Powercolor Hellhound 7900XTX
Storage	970 Evo Plus 500GB 2xSamsung 850 Evo 500GB RAID 0 1TB WD Blue Corsair MP600 Core 2TB
Display(s)	Alienware QD-OLED 34” 3440x1440 144hz 10Bit VESA HDR 400
Case	TT Kandalf L.C.S.
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster ZX/Logitech Z906 5.1
Power Supply	Seasonic TX~’850 Platinum
Mouse	G502 Hero
Keyboard	G19s
VR HMD	Oculus Quest 2
Software	Win 10 Pro x64

System Name	Veral
Processor	5950x
Motherboard	MSI MEG x570 Ace
Cooling	Corsair H150i RGB Elite
Memory	4x16GB G.Skill TridentZ
Video Card(s)	Powercolor 7900XTX Red Devil
Storage	Crucial P5 Plus 1TB, Samsung 980 1TB, Teamgroup MP34 4TB
Display(s)	Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx + 2x AOC 2425W
Case	Fractal Design Meshify Lite 2
Audio Device(s)	Blue Yeti + SteelSeries Arctis 5 / Samsung HW-T550
Power Supply	Corsair HX850
Mouse	Corsair Nightsword
Keyboard	Corsair K55
VR HMD	HP Reverb G2
Software	Windows 11 Professional
Benchmark Scores	PEBCAK

System Name	The Little One
Processor	i5-11320H @4.4GHZ
Motherboard	AZW SEI
Cooling	Fan w/heat pipes + side & rear vents
Memory	64GB Crucial DDR4-3200 (2x 32GB)
Video Card(s)	Iris XE
Storage	WD Black SN850X 4TB m.2, Seagate 2TB SSD + SN850 4TB x2 in an external enclosure
Display(s)	2x Samsung 43" & 2x 32"
Case	Practically identical to a mac mini, just purrtier in slate blue, & with 3x usb ports on the front !
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha ATS-1060 Bluetooth Soundbar & Subwoofer
Power Supply	65w brick
Mouse	Logitech MX Master 2
Keyboard	Logitech G613 mechanical wireless
Software	Windows 10 pro 64 bit, with all the unnecessary background shitzu turned OFF !
Benchmark Scores	PDQ

System Name	AlderLake / Laptop
Processor	Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz / Intel i3 7100U
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master / HP 83A3 (U3E1)
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans / Fan
Memory	32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MHz CL36 / 8GB DDR4 HyperX CL13
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio / Intel HD620
Storage	Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Evo 500GB + 850 Pro 512GB + 860 Evo 1TB x2 / Samsung 256GB M.2 SSD
Display(s)	23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p / 14" 1080p IPS Glossy
Case	Be quiet! Silent Base 600 - Window / HP Pavilion
Audio Device(s)	Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W / Powerbrick
Mouse	Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Laser wireless / Logitech M330 wireless
Keyboard	RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless / HP backlit
Software	Windows 11 / Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock

Processor	AMD 3900X \ AMD 7700X
Motherboard	ASRock AM4 X570 Pro 4 \ ASUS X670Xe TUF
Cooling	D15
Memory	Patriot 2x16GB PVS432G320C6K \ G.Skill Flare X5 F5-6000J3238F 2x16GB
Video Card(s)	eVga GTX1060 SSC \ XFX RX 6950XT RX-695XATBD9
Storage	Sammy 860, MX500, Sabrent Rocket 4 Sammy Evo 980 \ 1xSabrent Rocket 4+, Sammy 2x990 Pro
Display(s)	Samsung 1080P \ LG 43UN700
Case	Fractal Design Pop Air 2x140mm fans from Torrent \ Fractal Design Torrent 2 SilverStone FHP141x2
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha RX-V677 \ Yamaha CX-830+Yamaha MX-630 Infinity RS4000\Paradigm P Studio 20, Blue Yeti
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime TX-750 \ Corsair RM1000X Shift
Mouse	Steelseries Sensei wireless \ Steelseries Sensei wireless
Keyboard	Logitech K120 \ Wooting Two HE
Benchmark Scores	Meh benchmarks.

System Name	Bayou Phantom
Processor	Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard	ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling	All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory	2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s)	EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage	1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s)	HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case	Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster Z
Power Supply	Seasonic X-850
Mouse	Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard	Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)

Processor	Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard	AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling	Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory	32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super
Storage	500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s)	Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64