Corsair SP120 QEs on a rad

[Nurf]

I have a thick 20fpi rad that needs fans and I have GT AP-15s, but trying for the first time to avoid a fan controller so I need quieter ones.
(Lets not go into changing the rad in this thread. Image it belonged to my great grandmother and I can't live without it)
I'd say the 1400rpm mark is where I don't utilize the high fpi, but it doesn't have a negative affect either. This means SP120 QE or GT AP-14 would be an option. Performance between them is close enough to not really affect my decision and everyone already knows which look better, but how about noise?
I'm running my GTs at ~1400rpm on the rad to get a sense of the Ap-14 sound levels. Are the SPs going to be as loud or have fans become quieter over the years?

I also noticed airdeano's posts where he says that performance editions undervolted to quiet edition speeds have more static pressure (meaning more noise also?) than the QEs. I thought the fans were the same, just different rpm. What am I missing here?

 

[Choklitmlk]

airdeano is right, he told me the same and when i tried it he was correct

go for the PE's, undervolted (with included adaptors or via other means) they perform better than QE's and though the noise is slightly higher, its hardly noticeable and worth it for the gain in performance

fyi, they are not the same. same inclosure and blades, but the motors are much different. the motor in the PE runs similar at 7v to the QE motor at 12v

also, for the high fpi rads your using, QE's tend to struggle to get the most out of the rad

the other advantage of the PE's is that if you later decide you want better performance, it wont cost you anything

theres my 2 cents, gl with choice

 

[tinytomlogan]

Performance editions do not undervolts to QE specs.

Performace editions are ALWAYS faster and louder.

 

[Nurf]

Thanks for the info on QE vs PE.

I'm guessing that Tom's "quiet" is quiter than mine, but just need a GT vs SP at same rpm comparison to give me a more accurate idea of the noise.
If the noise is the same, it doesn't necessarily mean that I won't buy them, but I don't want to buy them thinking they will be quieter only to find out that they aren't.

BTW I can only imagine how busy you are Tom, yet you still find time to share your thoughts with people like me. Really do respect that.

 

[Choklitmlk]

SP120 PE - 2350rpm @ 12volt SP - 3.3mm/h20
SP120 PE - 1375rpm @ 7-volt SP - 1.92mm/h20
SP120 PE - 975rpm @ 5-volt SP - 1.37mm/h2o

SP120 QE - 1450rpm @ 12volt SP - 1.29mm/h20
SP120 QE - 850rpm @ 7volt SP - .75mm/h20
SP120 QE - 600rpm @ 5volt SP - .53mm/h20

coppied from a post by airdeano on a thread i made a wee while ago

 

[CPMFW]

i use the sp120´s pe undervolted and i cant really hear them

 

[airdeano]

Corsair SP120 Fans For the Win!

i love my undervolted SP120 PE fans..

compared to the AP-15 no comparo.. the SP120 PE (undervolted) and SP120 QE
are quieter than the AP-15 fans. AP-14.. dunna know don't own any.

i can tell you this from my experiences.
i used to run HL Black Ice radiators (swore by them), but the fan noises we
kinda getting to me. i'd swapped from noctua F12 fans, AP-15, Artic, Cougar,
SilverStone AP, Bitfenix, and others.. out of all those and others, i could not
get a straight balanced performance to noise to satisfy my likeing. till the corsair
SP series. i'd bought 4 pairs of each and deffo the PE are cooler in temperatures,
hands down. but were windy. so bolted the QE fans and that was the cats meow.
super whisper quiet, but temps were not suitable.. bright idea: undervolt to
7volts.. 2°-3° warmer and whisper quiet. i run a non baffled roof fan and can
hear the PSU fan; no radiator fans at all. the QE @ 12volt were a tick quieter, but
i couldn't see loosing 5°-6° warmer than the PE @ 7volt.
running a BIX 360 in the roof and BIX 280 in the front using a 2550k (4.8) and
SLI GTX580 cards. always wanted a lower than 69° loaded performance with a
quiet stance.

funny thing, changing to HL SR1 360 and 280 dropped temps with the same fans
almost 11°. now same system and ambient showing 58° loaded. SP120 QE is
showing 6° better overall cooler temperatures.

your poor grams radiator was a good radiator in its time.. but you should look to
an update to the alphacool, HL SR1 or XSPC low fins per inch radiators. it's make
fans choices so much easier, it made mine a lot easier.

airdeano

 

[Nurf]

The SP120 vs AP-15 is a no brainer, ~1400rpm vs ~1800rpm, but your temps were useful.
I know a lower FPI rad would be so much better, but its a question of getting everything to fit. I will look into a new rad when I know exact space requirements and find a rad that can do the same, but thats something future me will handle.

 

[Master&Puppet]

There's a certain element of...

If you have chosen to use a 20fpi rad then you are happy to accept more noise for performance on a smaller rad. So on that basis I would go PE with a fan controller/7v adapter.

 

[Nurf]

Well I come from a "noise doesn't bother me" past, thus the 20 fpi (BIX lite). The lite takes very little space in the fittings side and now I pretty much need all of the space it gives. On top of having to find something that can fit in its place, I also have a slight budget problem atm. This is why I've decided to make my life easier and try to use the old rad for now.
In my situation, is fans what I should spend money on? Thats really something only I can say, but I need info first. Don't get me wrong, Im very happy with the replies, but it sounds like you all are wondering so much about my situation so I'm trying to explain it a bit.

For me GTs (AP-14s or any other) are easier and cheaper to obtain than SPs and not all my fans will be visible so the question of looking better won't even effect all my fans. This is why I want same rpm comparison, to know if my effort and money is going only on looks or noise too, then I can decide for myself if its worth it. After that the QE vs PE info you guys gave will help me decide which SP is better for my future needs and rads.

Back in the day I didn't mind having the AP-15s at full blast, but now 1300-1400 rpm GTs on a rad isn't what I'd call quiet. Its ok but not what I'd call quiet.

So yes, I'm a hard to understand, silent seeking, high FPI rad using water cooler :tongue: (might have to put that as my sig)

 

[Nurf]

I've just been playing around with the rpms of my GTs and came to the conclusion that with lower rpms it's not the dBA, but the type of noise that makes me notice them. (might be the bearings?) So I'm going with the SPs
because I'm guessing even if their not that much quieter in dBA terms, they will sound better.

I will have slightly less rad per watt than you, airdeano, so I should have the same or bigger differences in temps. Making the PEs sound quite tempting. (really liked the amount of detail in your post)
The QEs might not get me as good temps, but if I continue wanting a more and more quiet PC, in the future (with new parts and rads) I might want stupidly low fan speeds at some point and undervolted QEs can offer that.
Having QEs and GTs would mean that I'll have a wider range of fan speeds to choose from.

I slowly upgrade my parts instead of getting completely new systems, so I think for now I will sacrifice temps to get a quieter PC, knowing that if I don't like the temps, my poor old rad will have to retire sooner than expected :sad:

 

[Cody_h4x]

PE Edition are usually louder but have better torque to push the air through thicker things such as rads.