Case fan

[Rookie]

I substituted the rear case fan with a zalman 120mm one. It runs at 1800rpm
and isn't really annoying. The stock fans were 1400rpm rated (about 1350rpm
actual speed).

Encouraged by the nice temperature decrease, I then bought another one for
the front position. This one ran at 1700rpm and was incredibly noisy. So I
returned it and decided to buy a zaward dimple, which claimed to be
24db/1500rpm rated. It also looked nicely packaged and so on.

This one is indeed much more quiter, and the led lights are nice as well,
however it runs at 1320rpm, while the official specs are 1500+-10%, which
means it should be at least 1350rpm. This fact is perhaps as annoying as a
noisy fan.

Now I am wondering, is it worth returning it? Chances are that the next one
will be the same, and even a different brand won't be much better.

 

[John McGaw]

I substituted the rear case fan with a zalman 120mm one. It runs at 1800rpm
and isn't really annoying. The stock fans were 1400rpm rated (about 1350rpm
actual speed).

Encouraged by the nice temperature decrease, I then bought another one for
the front position. This one ran at 1700rpm and was incredibly noisy. So I
returned it and decided to buy a zaward dimple, which claimed to be
24db/1500rpm rated. It also looked nicely packaged and so on.

This one is indeed much more quiter, and the led lights are nice as well,
however it runs at 1320rpm, while the official specs are 1500+-10%, which
means it should be at least 1350rpm. This fact is perhaps as annoying as a
noisy fan.

Now I am wondering, is it worth returning it? Chances are that the next one
will be the same, and even a different brand won't be much better.

C'mon, get a grip! You are talking about a 30rpm deviation from spec on
a cheap fan, not a 30 minute difference on an expensive Swiss watch. If
it keeps things cool and does so quietly, why mess with success?

 

[UCLAN]

I substituted the rear case fan with a zalman 120mm one. It runs at 1800rpm
and isn't really annoying. The stock fans were 1400rpm rated (about 1350rpm
actual speed).

Encouraged by the nice temperature decrease, I then bought another one for
the front position. This one ran at 1700rpm and was incredibly noisy. So I
returned it and decided to buy a zaward dimple, which claimed to be
24db/1500rpm rated. It also looked nicely packaged and so on.

This one is indeed much more quiter, and the led lights are nice as well,
however it runs at 1320rpm, while the official specs are 1500+-10%, which
means it should be at least 1350rpm. This fact is perhaps as annoying as a
noisy fan.

Now I am wondering, is it worth returning it? Chances are that the next one
will be the same, and even a different brand won't be much better.

I'd look closely at the manufacturer's specs. They are usually made at zero
back pressure. I'm not sure if the case back pressure will cause a 30 RPM
drop on a front mounted fan, but I wouldn't doubt it.

 

[Plato]

This one is indeed much more quiter, and the led lights are nice as well,
however it runs at 1320rpm, while the official specs are 1500+-10%, which
means it should be at least 1350rpm. This fact is perhaps as annoying as a
noisy fan.

Now I am wondering, is it worth returning it? Chances are that the next one
will be the same, and even a different brand won't be much better.

You're kidding right?

 

[ElJerid]

I substituted the rear case fan with a zalman 120mm one. It runs at 1800rpm
and isn't really annoying. The stock fans were 1400rpm rated (about
1350rpm
actual speed).

Encouraged by the nice temperature decrease, I then bought another one for
the front position. This one ran at 1700rpm and was incredibly noisy. So I
returned it and decided to buy a zaward dimple, which claimed to be
24db/1500rpm rated. It also looked nicely packaged and so on.

This one is indeed much more quiter, and the led lights are nice as well,
however it runs at 1320rpm, while the official specs are 1500+-10%, which
means it should be at least 1350rpm. This fact is perhaps as annoying as a
noisy fan.

Now I am wondering, is it worth returning it? Chances are that the next
one
will be the same, and even a different brand won't be much better.

But how do you know the speed? Probably there's also an error of +/-10% on
the measurement...
Anyways, most 12 cm fans run at +/-1200 rpm and at that speed they do the
job!

 

[kony]

I substituted the rear case fan with a zalman 120mm one. It runs at 1800rpm
and isn't really annoying. The stock fans were 1400rpm rated (about 1350rpm
actual speed).

Encouraged by the nice temperature decrease, I then bought another one for
the front position. This one ran at 1700rpm and was incredibly noisy.

Was it noisey in general or noisey only after mounting on
the front of the case? Try mounting the first fan on the
front of the case to see if it is also noisy/noisier there,
as where a fan is mounted can effect perceived noise and
actual noise from turbulence.

So I
returned it and decided to buy a zaward dimple, which claimed to be
24db/1500rpm rated. It also looked nicely packaged and so on.

This one is indeed much more quiter, and the led lights are nice as well,
however it runs at 1320rpm, while the official specs are 1500+-10%, which
means it should be at least 1350rpm. This fact is perhaps as annoying as a
noisy fan.

The 1500 +-10% is a free air rating, once the fan is mounted
in the case that will decrease. Since many cases have
obstructions around the front fan mount, it is not
surprising that it drops in RPM. Since a front mounted fan
has more noise escaping the front towards the user, it is
even desirable for the front fan to have lower RPM than the
rear, unless you were trying to positively pressurize the
case because you have a filtered intake.

Now I am wondering, is it worth returning it? Chances are that the next one
will be the same, and even a different brand won't be much better.

No, not worth returning to get same thing again, but is a
zaward dimple a good quality fan? If not, that would be a
better reason to replace it.