[doyll]

Indeed it could be. Maybe a harmonic from airflow resonance / impeller resonance or any of a number of other possible causes. Some fans sound horrible when mounted to certain grill designs. But just using sound of each at same speed only show one is louder than other at that speed with no airflow / pressure / cooling / temps being taken into account really isn't giving any kind of functional comparison .. which was why I asked Harald to give us temps for each fan setup at same noise level. In Harald's defence, he does say "sadly, with my ear, don't have any equipment" and it's almost impossible for our ears to listen to one fan setup, then change fans and run at same speed be able to say one is louder within a few dBA. Heck, it takes 3dB or more for most people to even know if dBA / SPL has gone up or down.

 

[Herald]

I already said the temps are better with the t30. I also said it is louder at same rpm. You dont need scientific tools to measure that, it is night and day obvious. I had the a12x25 almost constantly running max (very aggressive fan curve) and they never bothered me even at full blast. Tbf, not that the t30s are loud or anything, but at 2000 rpm they are for sure louder.
.
As far as the temps go, there is around a 5c difference running both at max rpm at 200w cpu load running p95 small ffts. Was hitting around 83 with peaks to 86 on the a12, 77 with 81 peaks on the t30..

But of course the t30 is way louder maxed out. Not the loudest fan ive ever had, some corsair sp 120s are way louder at 2400 rpm.

 

[Herald]

@Streamroller , @doyll Could it be a specific high noise frequency that doesn't show up in dBA testing producing a noise a small part of the population doesn't like ?. Especially with miniITX, or some weird case/fan setups or if it's very close to someone's head.

Can you listen through and compare on the video and the link below @Herald , and tell us if the T30-120 sounds annoying, similarly to what you hear on any of the speeds ?

Phanteks T30 Case Fan Review - Speed Monster on silent Soles | Page 6 | igor´sLAB

Disclaimer: The following article is machine translated from the original German, and has not been edited or checked for errors. Thank you for understanding!

www.igorslab.de

Its not annoying. Its just louder at same rpm. That doesnt really matter cause they also push more air at the same rpm. Its not worth it to get the t30s if you already own the a12x25 imo, unless you actually plan on taking advantage of the 3000 rpm. I do when im benchmarking, so thats why i bought them.

But if you dont have fans and looking for some, yeah i think the t30s are the better choice. Im waiting for the 140 version to change all my fractal torrent fans as well (except maybe the front 180s, dunno yet)

 

[HowYesNo]

would this fan be any good as case fan for intake?

 

[Dogzilla07]

Its not annoying. Its just louder at same rpm. That doesnt really matter cause they also push more air at the same rpm. Its not worth it to get the t30s

annoying = louder, it's less common, but, specific noise high/low frequency can easily manifest itself like that. It's one of only 2 possible answers because otherwise it doesn't make sense, testing so far has showed the opposite. And about 2 dozen user accounts, or a bit more found them more quiet.

You dont need scientific tools to measure that, it is night and day obvious.

True, you don't necessarily need scientific tools, but you always need the scientific method/to adhere to it.

It's night and day for you, but it might not be night and day for me, and a third person can have a completely different experience. Your ears and your experience is your own, nothing more, nothing less, it does not mean the fan is objective louder or quieter. Phanteks MP120/MP140 are measurably more quiet than Silent Wings 3 for instance, but quite a few people could not tolerate how "loud" the Phanteks was and swore by ultimate silence when they switched to Silent Wings 3. A bunch of people reported the complete opposite. I specifically kept track of this over the years with the people who tried all of them on their setups, as it was such a great example.

For least annoying fan at comparable speeds, ~65% or so people swore by Silent Wings 3, about ~25% or so for Phanteks, and the rest were Noctua NF-A14 + other fans.

would this fan be any good as case fan for intake?

Yes, it would be a very good fan as an intake.

 

[StreaMRoLLeR]

Gamernexus have this 60.000 usd industry level tester. I would NOT trust igor or anyone else for FINAL CONCLUSION. More seriously my brain and my ears already telling me T30 is way better then everything i owned. ( SW3- Arctic P14- A25- Arctic Bionix )

 

[StreaMRoLLeR]

would this fan be any good as case fan for intake?

I would be good for every scenario. IMHO you would put T30's on restricted space ( like INTAKE with dust filter or a panel ) thats where it shines

 

[doyll]

Harald;
Kinda goes without saying that a fan running 3000rpm is going to be louder, move more air have higher pressure, etc than a fan of similar design is at 2000rpm.
My question was and still is:
Does T30 cool better at same noise level as NF-A12x25.
I ask because so far you've only given us T30 is louder than A12x25 at same speed.
That really tells us nothing useful.
To be a useful comparison we need performance at same noise level.
I seriously doubt you can listen to your setup, change fans and by ear get other set to same noise level for reasons I already gave.

would this fan be any good as case fan for intake?

What Dogzilla07 said.
I ran a 3-pac as case fans in my Evolv mATX with very good results. They were only case fans used as 3x front intakes w/ all openings in fan mounting panel not being used by them blocked off so air they moved into mobo compartment had to flow on through and out, not leak around in front of fans and go in circles. Thing is using T30 as case fans is like using a semi truck to haul on bag of groceries .. way more capacity / performance / expense than is reasonably needed for the job. While T30s' worked very well, there are many others that will do same job for less money. That said, I have a long history of using components with way more performance ability than I ever need or use, like TY-143 fans, big coolers, CPUs & GPUs , even PSUs and cases.

 

[Herald]

Harald;
Kinda goes without saying that a fan running 3000rpm is going to be louder, move more air have higher pressure, etc than a fan of similar design is at 2000rpm.
My question was and still is:
Does T30 cool better at same noise level as NF-A12x25.
I ask because so far you've only given us T30 is louder than A12x25 at same speed.
That really tells us nothing useful.
To be a useful comparison we need performance at same noise level.
I seriously doubt you can listen to your setup, change fans and by ear get other set to same noise level for reasons I already gave.

Its obvious i cant run the tests you are asking me to, i already aknowledge its just an opinion based on my personal experience. I could probably try and run something more scientific but honestly i dont really care that much, i got the t30 cause of the 3000 rpm (obvious i only use it for benchmarking), so even if they were worse at same rpm i wouldnt really care.

Also afaik most reviews also agree with me that at 2000 rpm t30 is louder. Obviously that by itself doesnt mean much, since tests should be done noise normalized, but some people disputed that and claim reviews say otherwise, which i think is false.

What i can tell you with certainty though is that my gpu temps are lower with the t30, which surprised me. I expected the opposite, but there you go. I guess it has to do with my specific case which is fractal torrent, with other cases i assume the t30s will draw more fresh air that would normally be directed to the cpu.

 

[doyll]

I understand you don't have equipment needed to do serious testing, and understand not wanting to get technical.
Indeed, T30 is a little louder at same RPM than some other fans. Bbut they move more air / make more pressure than others at same dB, and even more airflow / pressure at same RPM. End result is better cooling with less noise. Only down side is price and fact they are about twice as much fan as most of us will ever need or use. Maybe in the future we wll see a 1500-1750rpm version with lower price tag.

If you ever do get interested in doing more scientific testing, there are free apps for computer and some cel phones to measure SPL / dBA. Computer needs a mic too. Or could buy a low cost but decent meter starting at about $20. Mine cost a little more w/ USB cable so I can plug it to computer and keep record.

 

[ciarlatano]

I understand you don't have equipment needed to do serious testing, and understand not wanting to get technical.
Indeed, T30 is a little louder at same RPM than some other fans. Bbut they move more air / make more pressure than others at same dB, and even more airflow / pressure at same RPM. End result is better cooling with less noise. Only down side is price and fact they are about twice as much fan as most of us will ever need or use. Maybe in the future we wll see a 1500-1750rpm version with lower price tag.

If you ever do get interested in doing more scientific testing, there are free apps for computer and some cel phones to measure SPL / dBA. Computer needs a mic too. Or could buy a low cost but decent meter starting at about $20. Mine cost a little more w/ USB cable so I can plug it to computer and keep record.

Let's try it another way.......

Fan A: 50 CFM, 1.6mm h2o, 28 dBA
Fan B: 44 CFM, 1.3mm h2o, 28 dBA

Fan A is clearly the better choice. The speed they are running at is completely irrelevant and inconsequential.

@Herald - Does that clarify what @doyll is trying to say?

 

[Herald]

Let's try it another way.......

Fan A: 50 CFM, 1.6mm h2o, 28 dBA
Fan B: 44 CFM, 1.3mm h2o, 28 dBA

Fan A is clearly the better choice. The speed they are running at is completely irrelevant and inconsequential.

@Herald - Does that clarify what @doyll is trying to say?

Let's try it another way.......

Fan A: 50 CFM, 1.6mm h2o, 28 dBA
Fan B: 44 CFM, 1.3mm h2o, 28 dBA

Fan A is clearly the better choice. The speed they are running at is completely irrelevant and inconsequential.

@Herald - Does that clarify what @doyll is trying to say?

I was never confused about what he is trying to say.

 

[ciarlatano]

I was never confused about what he is trying to say.

I assumed you are since you keep going back to rpm. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Herald]

I assumed you are since you keep going back to rpm. 🤷‍♂️

I posted this before

" that at 2000 rpm t30 is louder. Obviously that by itself doesnt mean much, since tests should be done noise normalized, but some people disputed that and claim reviews say otherwise, which i think is false. "

I tested same rpm cause that's all I can test without proper equipment.

 

[StreaMRoLLeR]

My babies came. After 2 month of Amazon wait. Its THE BEST FAN I EVER USED. Uploading my test

all other fans are min rpm. T30 used on 3080ti strix LC radiator. ( no dust filter)
Compared to garbage ryujo standart fans, t30 produce same noise level at 1600rpm when ryujo is set to 1300rpm. Temps dropped 2-3c. Noise comfort raise 10x more. (Photos include 1100rpm-1600rpm-1430rpm and 1970rpm) Amateur iPhone 11 pro Mic
edit: photos are not in order. 1100rpm -31.5dba || 1600rpm 36.9dba || 1437rpm 35dba || 1970rpm 42dba

 

[doyll]

So noise level is way lower with T30's with a couple degrees lower temps as well. Definitely a win / win in my book.

Thanks and rep for the information!

 

[Blameless]

Grabbed a three pack of these recently. Have only done cursory tests, but I'm pretty impressed with them so far. A tiny bit of bearing noise at low RPM, but otherwise very quiet relative to the air they move.

I still need to test actual cooling performance vs. subjective noise level with my preferred filters (corrugated wire mesh), but I'm hopeful. Smaller hub diameter seems to help vs. my A12-25s. My P12s still see the least additional noise with these filters out of every fan I've tried, but they just can't move enough air to cool the GPU I'm trying to cool.

 

[Dogzilla07]

A tiny bit of bearing noise at low RPM,

Did you maybe try Corsair ML120, ML140 before, and did they have it as well ?

 

[Owterspace]

Do any T30 users have any Noctua iPPC 3K fans? Looking for similar performance to what I have now, but with a little less noise..

 

[Blameless]

Did you maybe try Corsair ML120, ML140 before, and did they have it as well ?

I haven't personally tried the Corsair fans.

The noise on the T30s is very minor...only audible over the basic air flow of the fan below 1500rpm and only with the fan held to my ear. I only mentioned it in comparison to the A12x25 because the latter are the only fans I have with less bearing noise.

Do any T30 users have any Noctua iPPC 3K fans? Looking for similar performance to what I have now, but with a little less noise..

Yes.

No formal measurments, but it's not even a contest. At 3k rpm the air flow is similar in open air, better throught my filters, and the noise profile is much more tolerable.