Panaflo, ThermalTake fans

[Jim Taylor]

I wanted to both improve cooling and lower noise in my computer. The
only noisy fan I had was an Intel 60mm CPU fan which had a very
irritating high pitch component in its sound. My rear case and PSU
fans were low noise PC Power & Cooling fans. Temporarily
disconnecting the 3-year-old case fan made absolutely no detectable
difference in noise level. Disconnecting the CPU fan made a BIG
difference.

I thought the ThermalTake Silent Boost (p/n A1889) 80mm CPU cooling
fan would be good since they *claim* the noise level is only 21 dBA,
so I bought one. Like the Panasonic PanaFlo fans it has "Hydro Wave"
bearings which I had thought would mean no high pitch sounds like you
often get with high RPM ball bearing fans.

Well it didn't work out as I expected, The Silent Boost is just as
noisy as the 60mm fan and has a high pitch note too, albeit a lower
pitch due to the lower RPM. It also has a very noticeable vibration
when I put by hand on the side of it indicating to me that it's out of
balance or has defective bearings. At least it does a great job of
cooling, much better than the 60mm fan. If anyone else is using this
fan and heatsink, how much noise does yours make?

My PC Power and Cooling fans are only .9W which makes them very quiet
but they don't move much air. They're also 2-wire fans, so there's no
RPM sensing.

The 80mm PanaFlo fans *supposedly* come in 4 power ratings: 12L (Low,
..82W), 12M (Medium, 1.49W), 12H (High, 2.08W) and 12U (Ultra high,
3.24W). I though the 12M or maybe 12H would be a good replacement for
my .9W rear case fan and I could also add a 12M in front with no
sufficient increase in noise for the case fans. This and a quieter
CPU fan should have achieved my goal of better cooling and yet lower
overall noise,

I bought the PanaFlo fans from casecooler.com
http://casecooler.com/vanstealquie.html. They were out of the 12M
fans so I ordered two of the 12H model which *should have been* 2.08W
according to
http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/appliance/pdf/fba08a.pdf. What I
got are labeled "Model FBA08A12H" but they're.25A, 3W fans - and NO
RPM sensing. Can this be right? Is there such a thing as counterfeit
fans? Anyone else have a 3W, 12H 80mm PanaFlo?

The PanaFlo fans are noisy and the one I put in my case is making a
high pitch sound. I moved the PC Power & Cooling fan to the front.
My computer is beginning to sound like a vacuum cleaner and here I was
trying to make it QUIETER. Where did I go wrong?

 

[ArchGriffin]

I wanted to both improve cooling and lower noise in my computer. The
only noisy fan I had was an Intel 60mm CPU fan which had a very
irritating high pitch component in its sound. My rear case and PSU
fans were low noise PC Power & Cooling fans. Temporarily
disconnecting the 3-year-old case fan made absolutely no detectable
difference in noise level. Disconnecting the CPU fan made a BIG
difference.

I thought the ThermalTake Silent Boost (p/n A1889) 80mm CPU cooling
fan would be good since they *claim* the noise level is only 21 dBA,
so I bought one. Like the Panasonic PanaFlo fans it has "Hydro Wave"
bearings which I had thought would mean no high pitch sounds like you
often get with high RPM ball bearing fans.

Well it didn't work out as I expected, The Silent Boost is just as
noisy as the 60mm fan and has a high pitch note too, albeit a lower
pitch due to the lower RPM. It also has a very noticeable vibration
when I put by hand on the side of it indicating to me that it's out of
balance or has defective bearings. At least it does a great job of
cooling, much better than the 60mm fan. If anyone else is using this
fan and heatsink, how much noise does yours make?

My PC Power and Cooling fans are only .9W which makes them very quiet
but they don't move much air. They're also 2-wire fans, so there's no
RPM sensing.

The 80mm PanaFlo fans *supposedly* come in 4 power ratings: 12L (Low,
.82W), 12M (Medium, 1.49W), 12H (High, 2.08W) and 12U (Ultra high,
3.24W). I though the 12M or maybe 12H would be a good replacement for
my .9W rear case fan and I could also add a 12M in front with no
sufficient increase in noise for the case fans. This and a quieter
CPU fan should have achieved my goal of better cooling and yet lower
overall noise,

I bought the PanaFlo fans from casecooler.com
http://casecooler.com/vanstealquie.html. They were out of the 12M
fans so I ordered two of the 12H model which *should have been* 2.08W
according to
http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/appliance/pdf/fba08a.pdf. What I
got are labeled "Model FBA08A12H" but they're.25A, 3W fans - and NO
RPM sensing. Can this be right? Is there such a thing as counterfeit
fans? Anyone else have a 3W, 12H 80mm PanaFlo?

The PanaFlo fans are noisy and the one I put in my case is making a
high pitch sound. I moved the PC Power & Cooling fan to the front.
My computer is beginning to sound like a vacuum cleaner and here I was
trying to make it QUIETER. Where did I go wrong?

I don't have that much experince with PC cooling, but I suppose you could
look in to the AeroFlow fans for your processor:
http://www.xpcgear.com/vanaerpremxp.html

 

[Guido]

Go here:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com//

 

[Gary W. Swearingen]

My computer is beginning to sound like a vacuum cleaner and here I was
trying to make it QUIETER. Where did I go wrong?

I can't help you with bearing noise which might be your principle
noise problem, but I'll question your basic concept of trying to
improve both your noise and cooling without changing the size or
number of input and output air holes.

If you do manage to improve you're cooling, it will be by increasing
the air speed through your case holes, which will add noise to counter
much of the reduction in fan blade noise, if any. And even if the
theoretical sum of two fan noises was reduced, you might experience
something different since one of the fans is now at the front of the
case closer to your ears and not blocked by the case. Plus a greater
percentage of the input air is now going through the typically-
restrictive fan "hole" than which used to go around the drive cages
and going faster, both tending to increase the noise. (Many cases
have front fan holes that are more metal than hole. BTW, they often
suck as much case air as fresh air, so they don't help cooling as much
as you expect.)

 

[Boomerlake]

This place's quiet pc page is probably a better place to buy quieter fans and
other equipment for a quieter computer: http://www.directron.com/silence.html

 

[jeffc]

My computer is beginning to sound like a vacuum cleaner and here I was
trying to make it QUIETER. Where did I go wrong?

I think the best way to go is to use adjustable fan speeds. They already
come automatic in some power supplies, and you can get manual controls (look
cool on modded pc cases) and they also make RPM temperature controllers for
case fans. Thus, when your computer isn't working too hard, all fans are at
low RPM (the best way to get quiet). When your game is smokin' on all
cylinders, the fans will speed up, but then there will probably be so many
explosions going on at that point you won't hear them

 

[WooduCoodu]

your mistake was going with the M or H fans if you want quiet go with the
panaflo L fans and maybe an M for a CPU fan, though an L should be
sufficient. casecooler is a good place to get them. the reason they have 3
pins and no rpm is panaflo fans come with just bare wires, the 3 or 4 pin
tails are either added by the seller or you have to buy them seperately.
there are panaflos that have rpm monitoring but they're almost impossible to
find, the model numbers end in BX instead of A (L1A and L1BX for example).

 

[WooduCoodu]

not a chance, go to silentpcreview. i wouldn't trust anything directron
says. it's awfully convenient how they're fan shows up as the very best on
that list. also, they have the vantec stealth showing as quieter than the
panaflo L1A which everyone knows isn't true.

http://www.directron.com/noise.html

This place's quiet pc page is probably a better place to buy quieter fans and
other equipment for a quieter computer:

http://www.directron.com/silence.html

 

[Jim Taylor]

This place's quiet pc page is probably a better place to buy quieter fans and
other equipment for a quieter computer: http://www.directron.com/silence.html

Thanks for the link. The $12 "Directron" Silencer fan is interesting.
http://www.directron.com/sil.html It looks exactly like the $10 PC
Power & Cooling Silencer fan (which I have two of).
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/alarmandaccesories/silencerfan/
I wonder who *really* makes it? I know it's a darn good fan if the
air flow is enough for you...and VERY quiet even after 3 years of use.
I just wish it had RPM sensing and a 3-wire connector. Without the
RPM sensing I'd be afraid to try one for my CPU cooler.

 

[Jim Taylor]

Go here:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com//

Wow, nice link, over three thousands posts on the Thermaltake Silent
Boost alone! I see one thread, "Thermaltake Silent Boost - not silent
and not 21 db," so now I know I'm not the only one not happy with what
they say *is* a Panasonic Panaflo fan.

Maybe it's Panaflo fans that people should stay away from. I may end
up throwing away the noisy, vibrating "21 dBA" fan on the Silent Boost
and putting something better (and lower RPM) on it. Maybe it's the
"Hydro Waves" that cause the vibration.

 

[Jim Taylor]

your mistake was going with the M or H fans if you want quiet go with the
panaflo L fans and maybe an M for a CPU fan, though an L should be
sufficient. casecooler is a good place to get them.

The L is only .82W though (if you can believe the specs), even lower
than the PC Power and Cooling fan. The M is what I thought I wanted
but since the 2.08 watt H turned out to be 3 watts, there's no telling
what I'd get. I wouldn't use any fan for the CPU without RPM sensing.

the reason they have 3
pins and no rpm is panaflo fans come with just bare wires, the 3 or 4 pin
tails are either added by the seller or you have to buy them seperately.
there are panaflos that have rpm monitoring but they're almost impossible to
find, the model numbers end in BX instead of A (L1A and L1BX for example).

Yes, I found that out AFTER I purchased the fans.

I think you can get RPM sensing Panaflo fans from digikey.com (which
is not a company selling to the PC market). Download
http://dkc3.digikey.com/pdf/T032/1032-1033.pdf for a list of what they
sell (only 76k bytes). The RPM sensing Panaflo model FBA08A12M1BX is
$8.75, only $.50 more than for a non-sensing model.

What I can't understand is why any *PC products* web site would sell a
Panaflo fan without RPM sensing or without a 3-wire power cable
included in the price. Having to pay $1-2 for a <$.10 cable is a
ripoff.

 

[E. Harris]

Thanks for the link. The $12 "Directron" Silencer fan is interesting.
http://www.directron.com/sil.html It looks exactly like the $10 PC
Power & Cooling Silencer fan (which I have two of).
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/alarmandaccesories/silencerfan/
I wonder who *really* makes it? I know it's a darn good fan if the
air flow is enough for you...and VERY quiet even after 3 years of use.
I just wish it had RPM sensing and a 3-wire connector. Without the
RPM sensing I'd be afraid to try one for my CPU cooler.

 

[Jim Taylor]

I've been thinking about something like that already. I meant to look
for some rubber washers when I went to Home Depot last weekend but
forgot about it after spending 15 minutes just to find some #10x5/8"
sheet metal screws to mount fans with. I'm not sure how effective
they would be though. $2 for 4 fan "isolators" at
http://www.siliconacoustics.com/fanisolators1.html seems a little
high.

Punch-hole grills have always been a pet peeve of mine. I MUCH prefer
wire grills. I've thought about cutting them out but have always been
afraid it would look (and feel) like a butcher job. With all the
cases on the market today you'd think a few of them would do it right,
especially companies like Lian Li.

 

[Jim Taylor]

Wow, nice link, over three thousands posts on the Thermaltake Silent
Boost alone!

I was off by a country mile on that one. The 3k was "views," not
replies. I *knew* 3k couldn't be right.

Even so, I've picked up some good hints from the site. For the guys
in that forum at least, ALL 80mm Panaflos are noisy, even the L models
unless you run them at 7V.

I may end up throwing away the noisy, vibrating "21 dBA" fan on the
Silent Boost and putting something better (and lower RPM) on it.

I think I have two choices here, either replace the Panaflo
FLA08A12M1A (2W, 24.7CFM, 33dBA) with a FLA08A12L1A (1.2W, 17.3CFM,
26dBA), or try mounting something like the Nexas Real Silent case fan
(1500RPM, 20.2CFM, 17.6 dBA) available from
http://www.siliconacoustics.com/nexus80mmrealsilentcasefan.html.
Looks like the Nexas might be better. Notice how the fan that
Thermaltake claims to be 21 dBA is spec'ed by Panasonic at 33 dBA, and
that must be without the vibrations that mine makes.
The lying bastards.

 

[Guido]

Fan isolators:

$0.49 each here
http://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/109/html/1212.html


$1 each here. They do provide a nicer picture and explanation.
http://www.siliconacoustics.com/fanisolators1.html


Melamine Foam Sound Absorbing Ceiling Tiles - 24"x24" $2.95
Use to line case. Helps to quiet things down and it's cheap.
http://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/109/html/3237.html

Ribbed grommets (part 9311K138) for disk mounting, etc. Will have to spread
disk mount bracket in order to fit grommet.
http://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/109/html/3436.html


Loads of "Quiet Computer" tips and discussions:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com//




from fuel line tubing for RC vehicles, use the same screws, but go through a
3/16" to 1/4" pice of fuel line silicone tube. It dampens vibrations. Also,
you can use silicone caulk or "Shoe Goo" to mount fans, this also cuts down
on the noise. A lot of the noise is caused by the "punch-hole grills", so
nibbling these out and replacing the grill area with the spiral-wire chrome
grills helps, if the grill is not in a dangerous spot, just nibble out the
entire area. Earl<<