Go-to 120x38MM server case fan?

[jcl333]

Hello folks.

I am looking for a recommendation on case fans for a tower server.
It's a normal type case that holds 12x HDD but the fans it uses are intended for cooler SATA drives, not 7200 eSAS drives.
I also have 10Gig NICs and RAID controllers that are expecting a 200CFM server environment.
I put small fans on these things, but I still need to move the are out of the case.
M/B is an X10SRH-CF and uses a Noctua CPU fan that works great

Here is what I *think* I am looking for:
- PWM that can go down to ≈700RPM but can hit 3000 or even higher when needed
- I think 38MM fans should give me better efficiency / static pressure / noise combination
- Something that people know doesn't have an irritating "whine" or other issue, some fans aren't as loud but irritating
- My servers are in a separate room not expecting quite, but there are some fans that have a piercing whine you would hear across the house even then

I have another server that uses a Supermicro SuperChassis 836BE16-R920B, the mid-plane uses Nidec UltraFlo V80E12BHA5-57
These are great, but they are 80x38MM fans and I need 120x38MM
These can go all the way up to 7000RPM if needed, but 90% of the time they fairly quiet, and even almost pleasant sounding

Searching around I see Noctua makes and industrial fan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFCRATC/ref=emc_b_5_t
But, this is a 25MM fan, and might not be beefy enough, but otherwise I have good luck with Noctua if ppl like this fan
I have seen a few comments that it makes an unpleasant noise, but reviews are mostly good.

Here is another example:
https://www.amazon.com/Electronics-...fan+4+pin&qid=1607369708&s=electronics&sr=1-4
Nice Delta beast, but don't know if it would be a good fit for my expectations, but might be the type of thing I am looking for.
Hard to find all the specs, but appears to be over twice the flow and static pressure of the Noctua.

Wouldn't mind finding something a little cheaper too, but if I have to pay $20-30 so be it.

Thanks

-JCL

 

[i386]

It's a normal type case that holds 12x HDD but the fans it uses are intended for cooler SATA drives, not 7200 eSAS drives.

Sata and nearline sas drives have the same mechanics. "Real" sas drives with > 7200 rpm could be a problem in high density chassis.

But, this is a 25MM fan, and might not be beefy enough, but otherwise I have good luck with Noctua if ppl like this fan

I had the 3 of the 140mm version and a 120mm in a lian li chassis. At full speed aka. jet engine mode they could move enough air too "cool" a ~20m² office in summer

 

[kapone]

@jcl333 - I use the Delta AFB1212SHE in 2 of my disk chassis, and they work great. They are almost silent at the Optimal or Standard setting for Supermicro motherboards.

Shameless plug: I still have a few left over from my build. How many do you need? I'm reasonable.

 

[larrysb]

The Delta is a good fan. You can look at the current rating of the fan to get a very good idea of how much air it can move. There's no magical technology that moves air. Air is heavy, it takes power to move it. A fan that has a max current of 1.60 amps is going to move more air than the same-size fan that can draw 0.96 amps. It also going to be noisier, but there's no magical technology that moves air without making noise.

I like the Noctua fans and coolers best, but with off-the-shelf cases, I'll take the 140mm fans over the 120mm for more air and less noise. If you have only the 120mm choice, then you make those tradeoffs.

 

[ari2asem]

Startseite - Scythe EU GmbH

Kompatibilität Sockel AM5 Alle aktuellen Scythe-CPU-Kühlermodelle sind voll kompatibel zu AMDs Sockel AM5. Unsere Kühlermodelle nutzen zur Montage die Original Backplate der AM5 Mainboards. Ein Wechsel oder Demontage der Backplate ist nicht erforderlich. Der Installationsvorgang ist in allen...

www.scythe-eu.com

Enermax - D.F.STORM

www.enermaxeu.com

 

[jcl333]

Sata and nearline sas drives have the same mechanics. "Real" sas drives with > 7200 rpm could be a problem in high density chassis.

I had the 3 of the 140mm version and a 120mm in a lian li chassis. At full speed aka. jet engine mode they could move enough air too "cool" a ~20m² office in summer

Well, I am using 7200 rpm drives. Another difference is that SAS operates at a higher voltage than SATA, might make some difference.
But, I am also using an LSI Raid controller + onboard HBA so those are putting out some heat too.

 

[jcl333]

@jcl333 - I use the Delta AFB1212SHE in 2 of my disk chassis, and they work great. They are almost silent at the Optimal or Standard setting for Supermicro motherboards.

Shameless plug: I still have a few left over from my build. How many do you need? I'm reasonable.

Well, how many do you have / what are you looking to get for them?

 

[jcl333]

The Delta is a good fan. You can look at the current rating of the fan to get a very good idea of how much air it can move. There's no magical technology that moves air. Air is heavy, it takes power to move it. A fan that has a max current of 1.60 amps is going to move more air than the same-size fan that can draw 0.96 amps. It also going to be noisier, but there's no magical technology that moves air without making noise.

I like the Noctua fans and coolers best, but with off-the-shelf cases, I'll take the 140mm fans over the 120mm for more air and less noise. If you have only the 120mm choice, then you make those tradeoffs.

The case in question can do 140mm, on the top, and on the back. On the front I think it will do 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm. But I think 3x 120mm will be more even. But if I found the right 140mm maybe.

-JCL

 

[jcl333]

Startseite - Scythe EU GmbH

Kompatibilität Sockel AM5 Alle aktuellen Scythe-CPU-Kühlermodelle sind voll kompatibel zu AMDs Sockel AM5. Unsere Kühlermodelle nutzen zur Montage die Original Backplate der AM5 Mainboards. Ein Wechsel oder Demontage der Backplate ist nicht erforderlich. Der Installationsvorgang ist in allen...

www.scythe-eu.com

Enermax - D.F.STORM

www.enermaxeu.com

This looks like a good fan, I may try one.

 

[kapone]

Well, how many do you have / what are you looking to get for them?

Over 20, used 9 (was going to use more but didn't work out). Depending on how many you want, and shipping costs, roughly $12ish/ea?

 

[larrysb]

The case in question can do 140mm, on the top, and on the back. On the front I think it will do 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm. But I think 3x 120mm will be more even. But if I found the right 140mm maybe.

-JCL

The tradeoff is noise vs volume of air. A larger diameter fan can move more air with less noise. Putting in 3x 120mm will move about the same amount of air as 2x 140mm, but the 140's will be much quieter. A 140mm circle has about 1.4 times as much area as the 120mm fan, the airflow per RPM is a function of that.

The Enermax fans are pretty good. I've had good luck Noctua, who include a lot technical data and their stuff is consistently good, quiet and reliable. If you don't mind the color scheme.

If noise is not a consideration, then I would say to skip all of the "enthusiast PC" parts entirely. Go hit an industrial electronics supplier, like DigiKey, where they have hundreds of fans in all sizes and forms from centrifugal, squirrel-cage and compound fans, (like 1U server fans with multiple in series on each other running >10,000 rpm.) All with full data sheets, mechanical drawings, etc. For industrial use, Pabst makes good stuff, as do Sanyo and Panasonic, Delta and Nidec are all big OEM favorites.

It is a challenge cooling 12 hot-running drives in a consumer case. Heck, the drives are going to make quite a lot of noise.

 

[kapone]

It is a challenge cooling 12 hot-running drives in a consumer case. Heck, the drives are going to make quite a lot of noise.

Ask me how I know.. I was trying to cool this beast (and it's not even a consumer chassis) "quietly"...

It has 6x 120mm fans in a push/pull config, to cool 48 drives. And I have two of these beasts running. That's what the stack of Delta 120mmx38mm was bought for. Unfortunately...the 38mm fans didn't fit this chassis. Not enough clearance.

 

[larrysb]

Conversation in the server hardware engineering lab:

"Do you think it is cooling adequately?"

"Huh?"

 

[oxynazin]

I also have 10Gig NICs and RAID controllers that are expecting a 200CFM server environment.
I put small fans on these things, but I still need to move the are out of the case.

Exactly same situation.

Just tested Nidec 120x38 1.6a FAN in dual socket SM board. At minimum RPM 900-1000 it is quiet enough: I can hear it only if I stand near my tower. At 1500-2000 RPM it is not so loud but sound is not as pleasant as from Noctua FANs. 3000 RPM is OK for me with closed door. At 6000 RPM I think my neighbors will start complain I will not recommend to use any 120x38 server fans for a PC sitting anywhere near you, but if your tower (as in my case) in other room then I will go for some not so expensive server fans. But at 23$ for Delta I would go for Noctua Industrial, because in my case I found locally Nidec FANs at 7$ each.

So my plan is to use Noctua Tower coolers for CPU connected to FANA and FANB headers (Periperial zone in SM boards) and all other case FANs to FAN1-6 (CPU zone). This reversion (CPU zone for peripheral and vice versa) because CPU temps are not an issue at all for me with big tower coolers, and I can use some low RPM fans for them. So I can manually control separately case's FANs and CPU FANs via some IPMI script.

Also for cooling PCIe devices you can consider something like this: PCI Side blown Graphics Card Cooling Fan Mount Bracket New ^P | eBay
This thing helped me to cool one PCIe hot SSD without any big intake FANs in one project.

And finally: it seems that in many tower cases the back of the case where PCIe devices mounted can hold one 120mm exhaust FAN with some little modding (zip ties?), but have not tried it yet. And it depends on the model of the case and whether you have some cables in this area and where exactly these cables are (if in the middle then it will not work, if at the last or first slot, then probably).

So in conclusion I think that with IPMI controlled server case FANs, side blown FAN holder for PCIe area and maybe exhaust FAN at the back of the case I will be able to cool my hot PCIe stuff at 95-100F summer temps at reasonable sound levels. Will check this next summer