I was looking at those Enermax enlobal fans. Does anyone have any opinion on those, or actually own them? Are there better choices for some hush hush silence?
I don't know anything about them, yagga. Why don't you pick 1 up and try it out and let us know.
Maybe I'll have to do that. But be warned, I don't have much fan purchasing experience, so my comparisons kind of just go to a few Thermaltake & CoolerMaster branded fans.
That's OK. Your ears and hand will tell you if the fan is quiet and puts out a decent amount of air. I had bought a couple of Enermax variable speed fans 3-4 years ago and they have been good fans since I've had them. They put out a decent amount of airflow and weren't too noisy for the amount of air they pushed. And they had a speed controller on a long lead that you could run out of the way and still be able to adjust the fan speed easily. They are still going strong today too, so they have good longevity.
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LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited January 2008
If you like LED fans (yes, I enjoy LED bling!), consider the Antec 3-speed fans. I have quite a collection of them and employ them with heatsinks, intake, and exhaust.
I personally use Akasa PaxFan Amber Series. They're pretty much readily available in the UK and aren't too expensive. I assume the same for the US markets. I have 5 of them in my case and I'm happy with them (especially considering how close they are to my place of sleep) :smiles:
I have had one of these in my case for a while and love it! I just bought 4 more for my new case that I am building. They have a nice small pot that comes with it and are extremely quiet at low speed. I believe that they are only 18 or 19 decibels. Nice clean look too. I have had LOTS of fans, over the years, these are nice.
All of the fans in my case are Evercool fans from a company called Evergreen. They're the quietest fans I've ever used, while still being powerful. The packaging tells me that they are also better for the environment, but I don't know why. (their gimmick is that they are are better for environments pollution as well as 'noise pollution'.) I originally bought them because my case sounded like a jet engine, and when I finally got tired of it, I went to microcenter and bought the cheapest 'quiet' fans that I could find. These are not only the quietest fans I've ever had, but I don't seem to have increased my temps in the switch. I'll proly stick to this brand in the future.
The only draw-back is that all of them are an ugly lime-green color.
I have had one of these in my case for a while and love it! I just bought 4 more for my new case that I am building. They have a nice small pot that comes with it and are extremely quiet at low speed. I believe that they are only 18 or 19 decibels. Nice clean look too. I have had LOTS of fans, over the years, these are nice.
your link shows a different model fan, a sleeve bearing version.
A different model then what?
The link IS to the fans that I have and like. I have several fluid dynamic bearing fans in my wifes rig, and they are nice too, but they are boring black. and not really any quieter.
Here is where I bought the first one, and was so happy with it.... you know the deal.
If you like LED fans (yes, I enjoy LED bling!), consider the Antec 3-speed fans. I have quite a collection of them and employ them with heatsinks, intake, and exhaust.
My case is completely outfitted with Thermaltake A2029 fans (120mm. A2028 for 80mm). Yes, they're a bit ugly in color, but they are as silent as death or frighteningly loud as you wish. Best fans I've ever owned, and will never buy another type of fan.
they are as silent as death or frighteningly loud as you wish
So when they're on a low setting they're silent and when they're on a high setting they're noisy? Or are these exceptionally quiet AND good at moving air?
Nobody will ever make a fan that's quiet AND good at moving air. Moving air, by definition, is sound. But these fans atleast let you strike a balance you're comfortable with, rather than getting stuck with what you've been given.
lol, definition thing was clever :P I forgot that >.< Yeah, you're right as usual :P I've got me some of the Antec 3 settings fans, and they do me fine :P
Nobody will ever make a fan that's quiet AND good at moving air. Moving air, by definition, is sound. But these fans atleast let you strike a balance you're comfortable with, rather than getting stuck with what you've been given.
I agree with the statement to the point. But I can show you two fans that move the same amount of air and one is louder. This has to do with efficiency. The more efficient a fan is the better it translates electrical energy into rotational energy. You are correct in saying that sound is energy (or takes energy to produce if you want to think of it that way) So I don't think it would take a wide leap of faith to deduce that a louder fan is wasting quite a bit of energy
The link IS to the fans that I have and like. I have several fluid dynamic bearing fans in my wifes rig, and they are nice too, but they are boring black. and not really any quieter.
Here is where I bought the first one, and was so happy with it.... you know the deal.
Yeah, that's what I meant, those fluid dynamic bearing fans, or enlobal fans Enermax calls them. That's what I initially queried about.
So you have these, too? A little quieter with same airflow, or what? (besides yes, the blingless black)
yagga, that's basically the same type bearing that Panasonic uses in their fans and Scythe uses in their S-Flex series. I find that they are a bit quieter than a ball bearing type fan for the amount of air they push. And the bearing design holds up well in the Panasonic fans (in my experience).
ABF, the noise isn't only due to efficiency; there are a myriad of factors that determine the amount of noise the fans output versus cfm vs max static pressure. Blade design and pitch, rpms it turns, bearing design and manufacturing tolerances, as well as what kind of performance the fan is tuned for all play a part in the noise to cfm ratio of a particular series of fan.
As for myself, I prefer performance over bling (although performance with bling is cool too). My favorite brands of fans are the Scythe S-Flex, Panaflo and Delta (yes they do make some quiet models) fans. If you are on a budget, the Yate loon fans are also a good choice, but they use a regular standard sleeve bearing instead of the more expensive hydrowave bearing. The Delta fans are all ball bearing fans that I have used, but they must keep their manufacturing tolerances very tight to keep bearing noise to a minimum.
I agree with you, and I don't think a perfect fan will ever/can be made. But sound does take energy to create so I would lend reason to say energy creating sound isn't creating rotational motion, aka airflow. Yes, pitch, rpm, and blade design all affect one another. and if I remember correctly fans inherently have a sweet spot as far as rpms are concerned. Or else they linearly create more air flow until you reach a point then it fall off exponentially. It's late and I don't feel like opening my text book right now, but that's the gist of it.
I agree with you, and I don't think a perfect fan will ever/can be made. But sound does take energy to create so I would lend reason to say energy creating sound isn't creating rotational motion, aka airflow. Yes, pitch, rpm, and blade design all affect one another. and if I remember correctly fans inherently have a sweet spot as far as rpms are concerned. Or else they linearly create more air flow until you reach a point then it fall off exponentially. It's late and I don't feel like opening my text book right now, but that's the gist of it.
the moving air that is created is what creates the sound - to take your inefficiency statement to the extreme would mean that a perfectly efficient fan would be noiseless, which is inherently impossible. there is inefficiency in the motor, but that is not what is creating the noise.
Comments
Maybe I'll have to do that. But be warned, I don't have much fan purchasing experience, so my comparisons kind of just go to a few Thermaltake & CoolerMaster branded fans.
http://www.xpcgear.com/enmx12casb.html
The only draw-back is that all of them are an ugly lime-green color.
Actually, they're Evergreen fans made by Evercool.
your link shows a different model fan, a sleeve bearing version.
The link IS to the fans that I have and like. I have several fluid dynamic bearing fans in my wifes rig, and they are nice too, but they are boring black. and not really any quieter.
Here is where I bought the first one, and was so happy with it.... you know the deal.
I'm with you on that one, Leo
Scythe Slip Stream Kaze Jyuni 120MM Fan 1200RPM 68.5CFM 24DBA
I've had bad luck with the antec fans lately, they don't seem to last despite being cleaned on a regular basis.
So when they're on a low setting they're silent and when they're on a high setting they're noisy? Or are these exceptionally quiet AND good at moving air?
I agree with the statement to the point. But I can show you two fans that move the same amount of air and one is louder. This has to do with efficiency. The more efficient a fan is the better it translates electrical energy into rotational energy. You are correct in saying that sound is energy (or takes energy to produce if you want to think of it that way) So I don't think it would take a wide leap of faith to deduce that a louder fan is wasting quite a bit of energy
Yeah, that's what I meant, those fluid dynamic bearing fans, or enlobal fans Enermax calls them. That's what I initially queried about.
So you have these, too? A little quieter with same airflow, or what? (besides yes, the blingless black)
ABF, the noise isn't only due to efficiency; there are a myriad of factors that determine the amount of noise the fans output versus cfm vs max static pressure. Blade design and pitch, rpms it turns, bearing design and manufacturing tolerances, as well as what kind of performance the fan is tuned for all play a part in the noise to cfm ratio of a particular series of fan.
As for myself, I prefer performance over bling (although performance with bling is cool too). My favorite brands of fans are the Scythe S-Flex, Panaflo and Delta (yes they do make some quiet models) fans. If you are on a budget, the Yate loon fans are also a good choice, but they use a regular standard sleeve bearing instead of the more expensive hydrowave bearing. The Delta fans are all ball bearing fans that I have used, but they must keep their manufacturing tolerances very tight to keep bearing noise to a minimum.
I agree with you, and I don't think a perfect fan will ever/can be made. But sound does take energy to create so I would lend reason to say energy creating sound isn't creating rotational motion, aka airflow. Yes, pitch, rpm, and blade design all affect one another. and if I remember correctly fans inherently have a sweet spot as far as rpms are concerned. Or else they linearly create more air flow until you reach a point then it fall off exponentially. It's late and I don't feel like opening my text book right now, but that's the gist of it.
the moving air that is created is what creates the sound - to take your inefficiency statement to the extreme would mean that a perfectly efficient fan would be noiseless, which is inherently impossible. there is inefficiency in the motor, but that is not what is creating the noise.