The Official PC building thread -3rd Edition

80mm fans typically have good enough assemblies not to create any noise other than the blades moving, but due to the manufacturing process, 120mm fans will always have bearing noise. In the case of sleeve bearing fans like the Nexus, Scythe and Yate loons, it's a very faint clicking, in the case of FDB fans like the Noctuas, it's a high pitched whine, and in the case of ball bearing fans like the Silverstone, it's a hissing noise.

Agreed on some websites, when the recordings they're getting are 50dB plus for all the readings, you tend to wonder what it is they're doing...

 

I have no doubt that some motor bearings aren't very good. What can one expect for $15, but a decent design should be inaudible to humans. If you were to take a heat sink and fan with a decent bearing setup that is say rated at 10.8 dba one will indeed receive a different measure if they place a microphone in front of it and measure it in dbs. Dba means that it is "A" weighted which takes human hearing limitations into consideration, and it is in effect a relative measure of db to how we actually hear sound. So those measures that you see in dba are the levels that we will actually hear, but a microphone will pick up 27/28 db. If one were to take a heat sink and fan that ran at 28db and placed it on a vibration dampened stand then even with it right in front of them it would be virtually inaudible or little more than a whisper. The reason it is almost inaudible to humans is because we have difficulties hearing low frequencies (we also have deficiencies in hearing high frequencies), but the microphones used to measure db's have no such deficiencies. Larger fan blades should produce less noise than an 80mm fan.

 

Is there anyway I can fit the Silverstone fan controller in a rear slot, for example right above the Video card DVI connectors?

 

Are you referring to a physical location for the fan or a controlled electrical connection?

For a physical location it should fit anywhere that a 120mm fan is designed to go and as far as an electrical connection powered from the mother board to control speed is concerned, it should be able to use any 3 and 4 pin connections even if it only has 3 pins.

 

For the Ultra-120 Extreme...does it really make that much of a difference to have it lapped??
I can't do it myself, and it's the same price as an IFX-14 to buy it pre-lapped...

And I have a Xigmatek mounting backplate thing stuck to the bottom of my mobo, which I hear is near impossible to get off...will it work with the Ultra-120? Or do I have to try and take it off?

 

Soph, no I mean the fan controller. This thing can only be controlled by it's fan controller. It doesn't plug into the motherboard.

Mrk, the Xigamatek thing will work for Thermalright as well. Yes, the TRUEs bases aren't that flat. You want it lapped.

 

Abuzar

According to its specs it has a 3/4 pin connector. Are you certain that it needs the manual control? If there is a 3 or 4 pin connector going right to the fan motor you might be able to use it without the controller.

 

sammorris,

If given the choice I would rather have the slight hiss that the Silverstones make because the frequency is much lower than either a clicking noise or a whine, so it's the least annoying sound of the three! They also get quieter after being used for a while as the bearings and races virtually break in, where the surfaces of the balls and races run together smoother and quieter! The Silverstones, while capable of making a high amount of noise at full chat, are very quiet at lower rpms while delivering extremely good airflow. I run both my 80 and 120 at 1300 rpm and it keeps everything very cool without a lot of noise or vibration, while maintaining good airflow through the case. The 40mm Antec I use on the Enzotech NB cooler at 2200 rpm @6.5 cfm is so quiet that it adds nothing to the overall noise level of the computer. It's also considerably quieter than it's rated 26dBA at 22.7dBA as measured in the Anechoic chamber at work.

Overall, my computer while not silent is very very quiet. Given that it sits so close to me, the noise it does make is not harsh or unpleasant and virtually silent at a distance of 5-7'. You can't hear it in the next room with the door open. You can't hear it standing in the doorway 10' away! The single 92mm case fan in the Oxy-Moron makes more noise than all 7 fans that are running in my case do!

Sophocles,

I have actually removed the fan blade, and run the motor without it. It makes a horrible racket due to the loss of flywheel effect without the blade. The motor just runs away at higher rpms without the load of the blade on it and buzzes like a bee on steroids! Set it on the desk and it will vibrate it's way across the desk! LOL!!

It has a molex plug with separate yellow wire that plugs into a fan header on the MB to show the rpms. because all the electronics are in the motor, the Silverstones don't work very well with external fan controllers or under MB control!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

I have one of these fans and I am certain that the manual controller is still sitting in box somewhere. I purchased it from Newegg it back in February 2006. The first thing I did was test it without the conroller.

 

Well the one I have ONLY works with it's controller unless you want to do some modding. It has a 4 pin molex for power, a three pin for the motherboard(but it's only for showing RPM, not to control) and a two pin that connects to it's controller.

 

I'd go look to see what I've done but I have no desire to go through a half dozen cases to find it. LOL It is possible that I did to a little modding since that is the kind of thing I do at the drop of hat.

 

abuzar1,

That's the problem! It can't be modded because you can't get at the electronics for the speed control, as you would have to tear the motor apart to get at them! I only have the CPU fan and the NB cooler fans hooked up to the MB. The NB is connected to the Pwr. Fan, which is a constant 12v! The only fan under MB control is the CPU Fan and it's under PWM control. I prefer to manually control my case fans direct from the PSU, with the included controllers, and they're basically set and forget! The only fan that changes speeds is the CPU fan! Once I sorted out the direction of the airflow and made both case fans exhaust, 1300 rpm was the perfect all around setting for both!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

Russ, so where do you have your fan controller? Basically what I am saying is that I dont want to fit it in front of the case in a 3.5 inch bay. I want it in the back, where the PCI slots are. Can I do this?

 

Russ


The cause is unlikely to be caused by the bearings, it was the actual motor that you were hearing. When you place it on a surface you turn the surface into an acoustical amplifier. I would be interested in knowing how you were able to achieve it running across the table while it was being powered from the motherboard with 6 inch cable?

 

According to the specifications shown at Tigerdirect it doesn't need to be modded since it includes pwm control. So perhaps there are different versions of the fan because PWM would be a 4 pin on motherboard connection.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1621480&Sku=S35-1084

 

Sophocles.. An Extension Cord ..Ya Dummy ..HAaaaHAaaa

 

And where did you find this three pin extension cord. LOL

 

abuzar1,

The 80mm came with a rear slot mount for the fan controller. It has room for three controllers, so I use it for both controllers. I did have the 120's controller on a drilled 5.25 blank, but when I discovered that it was pretty much set and forget, I removed it and installed it on the rear bracket!

Sophocles & rick5446,

Actually Rick is pretty much right! It came with one of the fans I bought in the past. One end has a molex to go to the PSU and the other end has a male 3 pin fan header plug on about an 18" wire. I use it for testing fans! LOL!! I've seen lots of fans that include a header like that, but the prongs aren't shielded like this one is. It looks exactly like a fan header on the MB, except it's on the end of a wire so it can't short anything out!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

So now were talking maybe 18 inches. I still don't see how it would run across the table.

 

Sophocles,

I didn't mean literally! LOL!! Like a dog on a leash, it can't go any farther than the leash allows. It does dance all over the place without the fan blade though!

If you would like to try a simple experiment, set any 120mm fan standing up on the desktop and connect it. It will be very quiet and vibration free! Now, pick the fan off of the desk by it's top corners! The minute the fan breaks contact with the desktop, it buzzes like a Bee in you hand! LOL!! That's why I don't use rubber grommets or those Silicone fan mounts. Thay are good for noise, but terrible for vibration. I screw mine down solid to the mounting surface and don't get any noise or vibration with either Silverstone!

Here's what the two different plugs look like:
Exposed
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812189119
Shielded
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812267003
The shielded one is a Dell fan adapter extension. I wasn't able to find one with a Molex plug on one end. Like I said, the one I use came with a case fan and I have no idea who makes it!

Best Regards,
Russ