LED Fans

[NoctisReitop]

I was wondering if someone could give me some information about LED fans. I am worried about simply obtaining a crap fan with lights on it... Wondering which ones work well enough to cool efficiently and provide light at the same time.

EDIT: And also, would it be suggested to replace the 6 fans that come with a TJ-07 Silverstone case with better fans?

[gvblake22]

Buying good quality fans that look neat is a delicate balancing act as most of the LED fans are all show and not nearly as much substance. Are you looking for something with silence as the main objective (at the expense of airflow) or do you want a fan that will move a lot of air and cool well (at the expense of sound)?

[Dr. V]

Personally if it moves 35-40 CFM+, it's worth having lights for - also quiet if it's in that range. Anything higher than that will tend to be on the louder side alone, and will probably not have lights if it's high quality/quiet.

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by ST!X

Personally if it moves 35-40 CFM+, it's worth having lights for - also quiet if it's in that range. Anything higher than that will tend to be on the louder side alone, and will probably not have lights if it's high quality/quiet.

Are you talking about 120mm fans? Because any 80mm fan moving 40CFM is definitely not going to be quiet!

Which brings up a good point, what size fans are you looking for NoctisReitop?

[NoctisReitop]

I'm not so worried about the noise level. I don't really want it to sound like a jet engine either. I guess that if I have to, I could get some kind of fan controller to turn down the noise, while keeping the computer in an idle state, while I sleep. More worried about cooling my case while having lights

Edit:

Originally Posted by gvblake22

Which brings up a good point, what size fans are you looking for NoctisReitop?

I'm considering several things. I was thinking of possibly switching one or two of the case fans out with led ones, which would be primarily be a 92mm for the rear fan or a 120mm for the top.

I'd really like to have an LED fan attached to the glass window to pull in air like that. I'd have to personally mod the window, which I'm not wanting to do...

Third idea was to have one fan on a possible GeminII be LED.

[gvblake22]

Any particular color you are looking for? The AC Ryan Blackfire series fans look very cool and come in about every color imaginable, but they don't undervolt very well at all (I have three of them). They are reasonably quiet at full speed, but still definitely noticeable. The airflow is pretty average too.

The Thermaltake Thunderblade fans come in red, green, blue, and multi-colored LED versions and move a decent amount of air at the expense of noise. At full speed they are fairly loud, but I think they undervolt well, so a fan controller would work well with them.

I've also tried the Evercool Aluminum fans, but none with the LED's (all plain silver versions). They are actually some of the best fans I've used, just a bear to try and mount with traditional fan screws. You are best using long, thin bolts that run through the entire width of the fan and are securedwith a nut on the end.

[NoctisReitop]

Blue. Sorry I forget to mention that.

Edit: What about oiling the axis further, does that help with noise? What about noise reducing brackets, do those work well?

Also, speaking of cooling, would this be a good idea for creating a front intake?

[polobunny]

Antec TriCool. You won't be deceived.

120mm
Newegg.com - Antec 761345-75024-0 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail

80mm
Newegg.com - Antec 761345-75020-2 80mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by NoctisReitop

Blue. Sorry I forget to mention that.

Edit: What about oiling the axis further, does that help with noise? What about noise reducing brackets, do those work well?

Also, speaking of cooling, would this be a good idea for creating a front intake?

Oiling the bearings could help, but not likely. Most of the noise produced by fans is not from a squeaky or grinding turn shaft, but from the hum of the motor and the turbulence created by blades not ideally crafted (this creates a "wooshing" sound of the air movement).

That Silverstone bay converter with fan thing would work great for adding an extra front fan for intake, but not for $45! You can do the same thing with a little time, ingenuity, and material for under $10.

[NoctisReitop]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

That Silverstone bay converter with fan thing would work great for adding an extra front fan for intake, but not for $45! You can do the same thing with a little time, ingenuity, and material for under $10.

Ohhhhh, but it's pretty! And blue ^^.... Bah, I know it's a little rough on the wallet, that's why I've not made up my mind yet =\

Any ideas on an alternative way to construct a frontal intake?