[lsxtrkiller]

So I have been out of the loop for a few years now and its time that I get back into the scene. My question for everyone which im sure has been answered time and time again in somewhere on the internet but my searching didn't really reveal a definitive answer so bear with me. I am looking into building a new loop for my gpus I will be using a 40mm thick xspc ax rad by 360mm my question is what fans are the king of the mountain of late. I have scythe ap-15s on my rad now... I seen they discontinued the dt series but I have found that i can still purchase them. Are the grand flex fans that replaced them any better? Or has another name come out with better static pressure / noise ratio fans? Noise level isnt a huge concern as I have a fan controller anyways just want the best performance rad fans I can get basically.

Thank you everyone for the help in advance.

 

[apw63]

IMO King of the hill is any of these.

Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-P
Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-PS
Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M12-P
Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M12-PS

I run 8 of the NB-Multiframe M12-P on my 3 XSPC RX V2 series RADs 2 360mm and 1 240mm. If I was to buy again I would get the NB-eLoop B12-PS. The only down side to NB fans are price. You have to pay to play. Once investment is made you will not have to buy new fans for a very long time.

 

[Newtocooling]

According to what I've been reading lately these new EK fans seem to be getting a lot of really good buzz, as the potential replacements for the AP 15s

http://www.performance-pcs.com/ek-vardar-f3-120-1850rpm-high-performance-liquid-cooling-fan.html#Specifications

 

[Unicr0nhunter]

Gentle Typhoons have not been discontinued. Nidec just stopped having Scythe be a retail distributor for them, and no, Scythe's Grand Flex fans are not even close to being a suitable replacement for them even though Scythe would love people to think they are.

Here's a bit of info posted recently about the Gentle Typhoons.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Unicr0nhunter

Gentle Typhoons are not 'out of production'.

They are still available from Nidec commercially, who have said all along that they "have no plans to discontinue" the Gentle Typhoon lineup. They just no longer use Scythe as a retail distributor, nor do they appear to be interested in replacing them with anyone else to package, market, or distribute the fans on a retail level for them like Scythe did, which means nowadays anyone wanting to buy new Gentle Typhoons from Nidec will have to be able to meet their 10,000 fan Min Order Quantity.

Coolerguys apparently did just that with the 1850rpm GTs, formerly commonly referred to as AP-15s when they were distributed by Scythe. The '15' was Scythe's customer order number. Coolerguys' 1850rpm GT's are AP-53 for the same exact fans, but a newer batch of them, and they come oem packaged, not with Scythe's retail boxes.

Spoiler: 1850 rpm Gentle Typhoons: AP-15 (old - Scythe) AP-53 (new - Coolerguys)

Like WiSK mused, we should probably have been calling them "B5APs instead of AP15s" all along. If you are so interested, you can see here for a thorough explanation of Nidec's fan model naming conventions.

That said, that's only for those most popular 1850rpm GTs. What's still being sold so far of other Gentle Typhoon model numbers, like tatmMRKIV's AP-30s, are remaining stock from Scythe. As those models stocks dwindle I suspect it will probably be less likely that companies will invest in 10,000 fan orders of them like Coolerguys apparently did with the 1850rpm models, but who knows? TBH I was a bit surprised Coolerguys stepped up to get more of the 1850rpm versions. Hopefully it turns out to be a good investment for them.

As Newtocooling mentions, EK is marketing their new EK-Vardar fans as an alternative to Gentle Typhoons. Phanteks also has new 'radiator optimized' line of fans out that likewise hold some promise..