TR Forums

Hey,
I am using realan case E-D3.It has a fan inside but I want to change a new one.
Can anyone recommend either:
a) A really good, really quiet 120mm case fan with a green LED, or
b) A standalone green LED that I can put in front of something like a Noctua fan that doesn't require an additional power plug.

Thanks!

Overclockers.com did a nice roundup of case fans about a year ago here. Just looking at it briefly, it seems like the best performers were the ones without LEDs, but the differences weren't enormous. The results are pretty much what you'd expect - the faster the fan runs, the more noise it will make, and the more air it will push. From what I can tell, three of the fans they tested can be purchased with green LEDs. They are, in order from lowest speed to highest speed, the Antec TrueQuiet 120, the Silverstone AP121-L, and the Cooler Master SickleFlow X. I linked to Newegg for convenience, but I'm sure you can find the Antec and Silverstone fans cheaper elsewhere.

GELID's WING 12 PL in green? White LED on green blades, didn't find on Newegg but $19 at PPCs and for $3 more they'll sleeve the fan cable for you; $23 at FrozenCPU.com if you prefer and don't dislike/avoid it following the past issues.

I've not paid attention to LED fans so I wouldn't know any offhand. Just find a green LED fan and go with one that has rifle, FDB, or SSO bearings. You won't want a sleeve bearing, though fluid/hydro bearings are supposed to have the edge over ball and rifle bearings for acoustics.

The single-colour Thermaltake Riings go okay, but steer clear of their RGB units - the controllers are rubbish (n=9). Riing with the (included) Low-Noise Adapter would serve you well in that case. That said, I run NZXT Aer RGB gear now and don't really recommend them, either (n=8).

Cougar make a nice FDB unit with various LEDs in 120mm, quieter at full-tilt than above (n=12). I think Phanteks do/did one, unsure whether they offered green specifically but their F-120SP fan is an excellent all-rounder, as is their F-140SP if you can fit it (n= way too many to count).

The CM SickleFlow recommended earlier is a good fan but a loud fan - couple it with an inline resistor of some description (or just feed it 7V) and it'll serve well, but they're very noisy at full-tilt - strange motor pitch (n=4). I notice there's a SickleFlow X around now - haven't tried that one.

Haven't tried the SilverStone one listed, either. Looks like it'd go alright with a resistor or 7V adapter, too - noisy bugger at full-tilt. Give the 'regular' Corsair fans a miss too - too noisy for the airflow, and the older ones have a PWM 'tick' at lower RPMs.

The alternative is RGB, and in that case I only have experience with Thermaltake and NZXT and recommend neither. Thermaltake cheap-out on their controller hardware (and their software is a bit buggy still), and NZXT's unorthodox fan design gives clearance issues when you mount the fan LEDs-in (I've also noticed they're not particularly well-balanced). The Aer gear also needs the HUE+ controller to change LEDs, driving up the cost (although the CAM software is excellent).

The newer Corsair maglev RGB gear looks okay but again at AU$80/fan they're dreaming. I'm also seeing In Win and AeroCool sets, but have no experience with those.

If the LED is optional, it'd be a Phanteks F-120SP all the way (unless you can find a Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1850). If you need the LED, a regular Thermaltake Riing in green with the LNA.



I spend way too much money and time on fans, sigh.