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Thoughts on Phanteks PH-F140XP / PH-F120XP?

15K views 38 replies 13 participants last post by  doyll 
#1 ·
I've been looking at new case fans for a while, finding one great fan only to be beaten by a new one.
But I feel I've finally found the ultimate ones for my case - 2x Phanteks PH-F140XP in the front as intake, and 1x Phanteks PH-F120XP in the back as exhaust.
The numbers on the marketing side may not look the greatest, but in tests that I've watched they're simply dead silent, yet still have good airflow and static pressure.
(the test videos are below)

However, these figures, as well as the test results doesn't tell much if these fans really are that good being attached to cases in particular, or if they're not as good on cases but better on radiators and such?
Do you have any thoughts or experiences on these fans? It would be lovely if they performed as good attached on cases as they seem to do, I even have the feeling they beat the Silent Wings on the audio level in addition to the airflow/pressure and pricing.

Do you have any other suggestions on fans that may beat these?
 
#2 ·
Right off the bat, Phanteks' own F120MP is a much better fan than the F120XP. Other than that, you can sit here and nitpick about fan specs all day, but when they go into the case for real world use, you will be hardpressed to find anything that will be noticeably better as a case fan.

Not sure why you are looking at PWM for case fans, though.
 
#4 ·
I'm not specifically looking for PWM fans, just for the one fan combination that I feel like going with as long as it practically works. Do you have any thoughts regarding PWM fans?

I did check out the MP as well, though that one was way noisier by itself at least, and according to Phanteks it's more aimed towards watercooling-radiators.
Thanks for the point outs though, I will take another look at them
smile.gif
Do you have any specific thought regarding that model?

The fans will be placed in vertical axis. One of the pages say the fans use fluid bearings, not sure if that is the same thing as sleeve bearings (I don't speak english as native language so the page I read the specs at may use other words for the bearings)

Thanks for the replies!
 
#5 ·
The thing being, the F140XP is the PWM version of the F140SP. If you are going to be using voltage regulation, and not PWM, for your speed control, you want the F140SP. It is more common for case fan headers to be variable voltage.

I found the F120MP to be a far better fan than the F120XP. More air movement at similar noise levels. They perform better on rads simply because they have better static pressure. Phanteks has essentially abandoned the rest of their 120mm fans in favor of the F120MP.
 
#6 ·
PH-F140MP is among the best. Vardar is slightly better, but they seem to be having some harmonic noise and quality control issues. TY-147A is near identical in performance .. and is known to be one of the very best along with NF-A14 & A15 of same design.
40db @ 6" is 23.6db @ 1 meter


PH-F120MP is among the best
40db @ 6" is 23.6db @ 1 meter


Only Nidec Servo GTs are definitely better, and EK Vardar if they solve their quality issues.
Both cost more.
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ciarlatano View Post

Right off the bat, Phanteks' own F120MP is a much better fan than the F120XP. Other than that, you can sit here and nitpick about fan specs all day, but when they go into the case for real world use, you will be hardpressed to find anything that will be noticeably better as a case fan.

Not sure why you are looking at PWM for case fans, though.
Agreed, the MP/HP2 series are better than the SP/XP. I have four of them in my case now. I like them even better than my Noctuas and they were cheaper.
 
#8 ·
I've taken a look on the ones on the graphs and such, but either I could find little to no info on them / not available in my country (such as the EK Vardar), or the specs showed they had too poor airflow and airpressure (like the Corsair ones). Thanks for pointing them out though
smile.gif


I also did take another great look on the Phanteks MP ones to give them a fair shot, but honestly there's nowhere indicating they would be better for my particular case.

Here's a comparison on the sound level between the XP 120mm and the MP120mm

On the 120mm ones (which will be placed in the rear as exhaust), there is no difference in static pressure between the MP and XP, though the XP has better CFM airflow than the MP, and according to the linked tests above the XP also runs more silent.
On the 140mm ones however (which will be placed in the front as intake), the MP do in fact have slightly better static pressure, but I don't think that difference of 0.1 in static pressure would make any practical difference for me as the improvement from my current fans will be insane - however the XP one has way better CFM than the MP one. It may sund strange that I think it's important given that they will be used as intake, but at that high static pressure I reckon that the CFM can also make some difference.
And since they're both pretty much the same as the 120mm except bigger, I feel that the 140mm MP can also run a little louder (there is no test on this one however).

Not to mention the MP ones are manufactured as radiator fans, while the XP ones are simply manufactured as "computer fans" (probably with a more versatile appilcation), and I'll use the fans on a case, not a radiator
smile.gif


Anyway, have you had any chance of doing a comparison on these? I mean these are only tests and numbers, and if you've tested them both yourself and think the MP one is better then that is even more valuable info
smile.gif
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

PH-F140MP is among the best. Vardar is slightly better, but they seem to be having some harmonic noise and quality control issues.
I currently have 24x of the PH-140MP's in my latest build (check out build log in sig below).

I also purchased a Varder 140ER fan for testing and was not impressed by its noise profile. Also it had a lot of vibration as compared to the Phanteks which usually translates to induced case noise.

Currently very impressed by the PH-140MP Phanteks and would certainly choose them again.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by steffeeh View Post

I've taken a look on the ones on the graphs and such, but either I could find little to no info on them / not available in my country (such as the EK Vardar), or the specs showed they had too poor airflow and airpressure (like the Corsair ones). Thanks for pointing them out though
smile.gif


I also did take another great look on the Phanteks MP ones to give them a fair shot, but honestly there's nowhere indicating they would be better for my particular case.

Here's a comparison on the sound level between the XP 120mm and the MP120mm

On the 120mm ones (which will be placed in the rear as exhaust), there is no difference in static pressure between the MP and XP, though the XP has better CFM airflow than the MP, and according to the linked tests above the XP also runs more silent.
On the 140mm ones however (which will be placed in the front as intake), the MP do in fact have slightly better static pressure, but I don't think that difference of 0.1 in static pressure would make any practical difference for me as the improvement from my current fans will be insane - however the XP one has way better CFM than the MP one. It may sund strange that I think it's important given that they will be used as intake, but at that high static pressure I reckon that the CFM can also make some difference.
And since they're both pretty much the same as the 120mm except bigger, I feel that the 140mm MP can also run a little louder (there is no test on this one however).

Not to mention the MP ones are manufactured as radiator fans, while the XP ones are simply manufactured as "computer fans" (probably with a more versatile appilcation), and I'll use the fans on a case, not a radiator
smile.gif


Anyway, have you had any chance of doing a comparison on these? I mean these are only tests and numbers, and if you've tested them both yourself and think the MP one is better then that is even more valuable info
smile.gif
It is blatantly obvious you have no understand of fan performance. Believing specifications makes and listening to video clips of how fans sound instead of believing people who have years of experience and testing knowledge with all kinds of fans in all kinds of computer applications. .

We've given you the truth, but you refuse to believe. You are just another sheep being lead to the slaughter.
tongue.gif
 
#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by steffeeh View Post

Anyway, have you had any chance of doing a comparison on these? I mean these are only tests and numbers, and if you've tested them both yourself and think the MP one is better then that is even more valuable info
smile.gif
Several people, myself included, have given you firsthand accounts. Actually....it looks like every single poster in this thread has given you opinions based on firsthand experience with the fans inquestion. So, rather than asking for comparisons, go back and read the thread since they are already there.

If you need mine again, simplified:

1. The F120MP is a far better fan than the F120SP. The MP moves more air in real world use than the SP at similar noise levels. I could care less what a random YouTube video running them in open air says.
2. The F140SP (or XP if you need PWM) and F140MP are very even in the application you will be using them. However, the SP has a smoother sound profile to my ears.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ciarlatano View Post

Several people, myself included, have given you firsthand accounts. Actually....it looks like every single poster in this thread has given you opinions based on firsthand experience with the fans inquestion. So, rather than asking for comparisons, go back and read the thread since they are already there.

If you need mine again, simplified:

1. The F120MP is a far better fan than the F120SP. The MP moves more air in real world use than the SP at similar noise levels. I could care less what a random YouTube video running them in open air says.
2. The F140SP (or XP if you need PWM) and F140MP are very even in the application you will be using them.
However, the SP has a smoother sound profile to my ears.
This is biggest reason I have SP case fans .. combined with the fact they came stock in the cases and I only had a add a couple more.
thumb.gif

You normally are not this patients with identity ten tea challenge individuals.
 
#13 ·
I take your suggestions more as your opinions more than any universal truth (espcially as I'm posting on numerous forums), to help me make up my mind on which ones to get since people are sayin different things elsewhere.
I did say myself that I understand that the reality of different fans may be different and that numbers aren't everything, and that if you have valuable experience trying both of them, then that is of course way more valuable than any number - especially if you have compared the XP and MP in addition to eachother.

Don't be mistaken that I'm sitting here questioning everything that you say, I just want to retrieve every possible info and interact to come up with a suitable solution for my case
smile.gif

And no, I don't know much about fans, and this is why I'm posting here.

EDIT: I started typing this before the previous 2 posts here, too lazy to edit all of the text
 
#14 ·
Obviously our suggests are our opinons. But they are opinions based on years of experience from using literally 10 of 10 of different fans, coolers, cases, etc. on everything from simple case fans to hi-dollar water cooling systems.

You would be better served by figuring out a few good sources of information and depending on their opinions. Much less data to try and verify.

There are several ways to determine who knows their stuff and who does not.
Google a user's name and see where and what they have posted.
Use sites like Thermalbench. User Geggeg here is the person who runs Thermalbenth and tests in a hi-thech lab using hi-tech equipment.

Users like ciarlatano and myself have years of testing and reviewing. We do not put out unsupported information.

Some forums have better information and members than others. Here on OCN is one of the best. There are member with lots of experience and knowledge in each of the forum areas, from case, motherboard, CPU, graphics, air, water, etc. But still, some are much better than others. So areas have more 'wanna-bee' experts in them. Peeps with a few builds under their belts who think they know everything, but without enough experience to know there are exceptions to almost every rule. A good way to glean these peeps out is by how black and white their statements are. The more precise an answer is often indicates a limited amount of knowledge. There are few 'perfect' solutions with only one combination, but there are lots of 'great' solutions with many combinations. I hope that makes sense. One of my biggest problems giving answers to peoples' questions is determining what I think will server them best .. and when I give several possible solutions or cannot give a simple definite 'best product' to use they get mad because they do no understand there is no simple answer. Most solutions do not have black and white answers. They have a broad gray area of good solutions between the black and white sides.

If you are interested in air cooling, fans, case airflow, etc. you might find 'Ways to Better Cooling' linked in my sig helpful. 1st post is index, click on topics of interest to see them.
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by czin125 View Post

Is the F140MP better than the F140HP?

On paper it seems like it'd be otherwise, but is the former better? Can the latter be used on a radiator or it wouldn't fit ?

68.1 cfm / 1.62mmH2O / 25.3 dba at max rpm

88.6 cfm / 1.64mmH2O / 19 dba at max rpm
I don't understand why you are comparing 140mm MP and HP fans? I don't thing HP are sold anymore.
PH-F140MP is a square fan with wide impeller.
PH-F140HP is a round fan with narrower impeller.
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

I don't understand why you are comparing 140mm MP and HP fans? I don't thing HP are sold anymore.
PH-F140MP is a square fan with wide impeller.
PH-F140HP is a round fan with narrower impeller.
Sorry for being late.

F140HP has vastly inflated specifications.

Anyway about this thread, I had the F140SP all this while as my rear (it came stock with the enthoo pro) and last year I bought 2 F140MPs (I might've forgot to use them for like over half a year or something...) because they were cheap (<10USD each! New on top of that)

Comparing both of them with a filter in front of them (Silverstone FF143) The MP handily beats the SP hands down at the same RPM and as case fans they are more or less the same but the SP has a smoother sound profile indeed but eh, it's splitting hairs at this point.
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveLT View Post

Sorry for being late.

F140HP has vastly inflated specifications.

Anyway about this thread, I had the F140SP all this while as my rear (it came stock with the enthoo pro) and last year I bought 2 F140MPs (I might've forgot to use them for like over half a year or something...) because they were cheap (<10USD each! New on top of that)

Comparing both of them with a filter in front of them (Silverstone FF143) The MP handily beats the SP hands down at the same RPM and as case fans they are more or less the same but the SP has a smoother sound profile indeed but eh, it's splitting hairs at this point.
We seem to be missing something. PH-F140HP was a cooler fan, not a case fan. The case fans are / were PH-F140SP.

New Phanteks cases come with no-name / no model # replacement case fans in stead of the PH-F140Sp, but they are basically PH-F140SP fans with PH-F140MP / PH-F140HP_II impeller on PH-F140SP motor. The MP impeller has a higher pressure rating with similar CFM and dB ratings .. which translates into slightly better airflow on paper / in test chamber. I changed my caee fans from SP to MP to tyr and compare them, but it's kinda hard to verify in actual use awhen one is variable voltage and other is PWM.

I agree there is a little difference in sound, but I didn't find a significant difference in my case airflow. I do like the PH-F140HP_II on my PH-TC14PE better then the older PH-F140HP .. and these are same fan motor with different impellers too .. both PWM with same RPM.

Cooling Technique does some good testing. Comparing their flow to sound graphs shows a little difference .. obviously the MP is higher rpm so graph line goes up farther.
 
#21 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveLT View Post

You used to be able to buy F140HPs on their own.

I did say filters
I think PH-F140SP are still available
I know you said filters. I was just adding information
 
#22 ·
I am probably stating the obvious here. I recently replaced 2 PH-F140SP with 2 PH-F140MP in my Define C, and the MP's are much more quite. My motherboard was only capable of running the SP's at a minimum speed of 60%. I guess this is the big difference between 4 pin / 3 pin.
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Battou62 View Post

I am probably stating the obvious here. I recently replaced 2 PH-F140SP with 2 PH-F140MP in my Define C, and the MP's are much more quite. My motherboard was only capable of running the SP's at a minimum speed of 60%. I guess this is the big difference between 4 pin / 3 pin.
Which motherboard do you have?
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Battou62 View Post

I am probably stating the obvious here. I recently replaced 2 PH-F140SP with 2 PH-F140MP in my Define C, and the MP's are much more quite. My motherboard was only capable of running the SP's at a minimum speed of 60%. I guess this is the big difference between 4 pin / 3 pin.
Not quite sure what you are saying.
It it that you are able to idle the 4-pin PWM PH-F140MP at lower speed than you could idle the 3-pin PH-F140SP at?
what serralha said.

The manual fan control on some motherboards require 'fan tune' / 'fan optimization ' software to be ran before we can manually adjust the fans to less than 50-60% power / PWM signal. Defies logic, but is true.
 
#26 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Battou62 View Post

@Doyll

You are correct, I did not run the fan tuning in bios. Motherboard is the Asus Strix Z270E.
Probably would have allowed you to idle it down a bunch more.
wink.gif
 
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