Ball? I know that sleeve is the cheapest.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phoriver;14841728
Ball? I know that sleeve is the cheapest.

Well that's what I thought too, but then I see these $15 sleeve fans and it made me wonder...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103052

 

Ball is long lasting thou any type will make noise after sometime. Especially ball bearing tends to click at some specific RPMs if you control their speed

I'm liking my AKASA Viper but I use it on CPU cooler

 

Is ball the longest lasting out of all of them? I'm assuming 2 ball is better than 1?

There's also:

Hydraulic
Hydro Wave
Nanoflux Bearing
SSO
Twister
Rifle
1 Ball, 1 Sleeve
Ever Lubricate
Fluid Dynamic

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SgtSpike;14841750
Well that's what I thought too, but then I see these $15 sleeve fans and it made me wonder...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103052

That's a 4-pack for $15.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackbalt89;14841949
That's a 4-pack for $15.

Lulz, didn't realize that.

So 2-ball is the absolute best of the best bearing design?

 

I always thought FDB (fluid dynamic bearings) were superior fans. I am not saying they are though, just wanted to mention the option. They are definitely a premium priced fan.

 

I've always thought that these "enlobal bearing" fans from enermax have potential.

http://www.xoxide.com/enermax-marathon-enlobal-fan-120mm.html

The fan hovers in a magnetic field and does not actually make any contact with the stationary parts. They don't move a whole lot of air though. I've been meaning to buy one and try it out. Technically these should last almost forever considering that there is no bearing to wear out.

Strangely I have never heard much praise about them. Opinions always seem to be mixed when I read reviews. I just wish somebody would take the Gentle Typhoon's blades and put them on this bearing/motor.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SgtSpike;14841854
Is ball the longest lasting out of all of them? I'm assuming 2 ball is better than 1?

There's also:

Hydraulic
Hydro Wave
Nanoflux Bearing
SSO
Twister
Rifle
1 Ball, 1 Sleeve
Ever Lubricate
Fluid Dynamic

Some of the above are variations (in some form or another) of a sleeve bearing. Some high quality FDB fans are just as good as BB fans.

 

I have one FDB fan in my case. The Scythe S-Flex E and the thing is silent aside from air whooshing.

But apparently the FDB fans are hit or miss as to fan noise. I'm assuming if there is not enough oil they will make noise. Mine has not given me any problems and it's been whirring away for around 9 months.

Right now it's feeding my top 580 from it's zip tied position against my HDD cage.

 

Also depends on fan orientation.

Mounting a sleeved bearing fan horizontally will wear it out much faster than a ball bearing fan would.

 

I really like the FDB bearing used in the better Scythe fans, and the hydrowave in the better Panaflos. Similar longevity to ball while being quieter and often less fragile.

Plain sleeve bearings are nice a quiet, but don't last long and often fail without warning.

Ball last long and are usually cheap, but can make extra noise, and can be broken easily if hit or dropped. They tend to get very loud before they fail and this can serve as a warning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ********* Also depends on fan orientation. Mounting a sleeved bearing fan horizontally will wear it out much faster than a ball bearing fan would.

This is true.

Most derivative sleeve-type bearings do address this issue though.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SgtSpike Is ball the longest lasting out of all of them? I'm assuming 2 ball is better than 1? There's also: Hydraulic Hydro Wave Nanoflux Bearing SSO Twister Rifle 1 Ball, 1 Sleeve Ever Lubricate Fluid Dynamic

Quote:

Originally Posted by SgtSpike Is ball the longest lasting out of all of them? I'm assuming 2 ball is better than 1?

Two ball bearing is better than one. Ball bearing can be louder although some double ball bearing fans like the Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoon can still be fairly quiet. San Ace has some double ball bearing fans too iirc.

Quote:

Hydraulic Hydro Wave SSO Fluid Dynamic

These are all variations of the fluid dynamic bearing. They are similar to sleeve bearing but they have a better design that keeps the shaft and stator always lubricated. Notable fans include S-flex, Panaflos, San Ace, Noctua, and Thermalright.

Quote:

Nanoflux Bearing Twister

These are both magnetic bearings. It uses magnetism to repel the fan hub from the motor. These names are from Gelid and Enermax fans respectively.

Quote:

Rifle

It is a sleeve bearing fan with a spiral groove in a tube from the reservoir to keep it lubricated better.

Quote:

Ever Lubricate

It looks like a sleeve bearing with better sealed oil chamber.

Quote:

1 ball, 1 sleeve

Like the name suggests: It uses ball bearing on one part of the fan and sleeve bearing on another part.

There are also ceramic bearings which is just a ball bearing that is made of ceramic instead of stainless steel. You can read more about fan bearings here.

 

Nice explanations Riou, thanks.

I ended up going with a 2 ball bearing fan. We'll see how it goes.