120mm Fans vs. 140mm Fans - Are Bigger Fans Better?
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- čas přidán 1. 08. 2024
- What's better, 120mm fans or 140mm fans? The answer might surprise you.
Recommended Fans (see article above for updated 120mm recommendations)
Best 140mm fan for EVERYTHING: amzn.to/45rlX0q
Related Videos
The Best 120mm Fans: • The Best 120mm Fans - ...
The Best 140mm Fans: • The Best 140mm Fans - ...
Timestamps
Introduction 0:00
Averages 0:55
Individual Fans 2:17
Conclusion 3:42
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The victory of Arctic's fan from the previous video blew me all the way up here!
you all prolly dont give a damn but does anyone know of a way to log back into an Instagram account?
I stupidly lost the account password. I appreciate any help you can give me!
@Leandro Jason Instablaster ;)
I sincerely appreciate your series testing 120mm and 140mm fans and this current video tying those results together. I have exclusively built in SFF cases (Sliger SM580 and NCase M1). Finding the right balance between noise reduction and effective cooling can be a challenge, which is why I applaud your efforts in this regard. Thank you.
Great round up video. Your videos are some of the best on CZcams for fans and air cooling. I'm glad to have come across your channel in my search for a CPU cooler and case fans. Keep up the great work!
this temperature to noise graph per fan comparison definitely shows who's best. I prefer it a lot over bar graphs, much more readable. Keep the good content coming !
The only channel I subscribed to during my COVID-PC building quest. I like how you evolve your videos and the 2D charts are much usefull than usual bar graph list at other places.
Bruv your videos are hidden gem ngl. No other youtuber do those kinds of comparison of noise vs temps, even Gamers Nexus only selected one particular noise level and normalised test based on it.
Would be super cool if you could upload more because your comparisons are simply the best.
I'm new to building PC myself, so your channel has really helped me out a lot. Thank you!
I wish you made more videos. U have some of if not the best comparisons and tests here. Underrated
I wish everyone else made charts the way you make yours. So many bar charts where you have to compare one with another in your mind. This is so much clearer.
Where did you go? I was hoping you made a best 92mm fan CPU coolers for small builds. I hope you get back into it. Your channel was doing well. You helped a lot of people. I hope you are well.👍
I Went with 8 140mm 3000RPM Noctua Industrial fans for my custom loop about 7 years ago and they are still running great. I keep them paired with coolant temps and at about half the rated RPM. Great airflow, low noise, water/dustproof, only complaint was the price. You definitely get what you pay for if you shop around for quality.
Hey man I watch a lot of tech YT videos and j wanna say I rly like u channel, and keep pumping out the content
Been looking for a data driven "fan deathmatch" for a while now, Excellent series so far will definitely be staying tuned for more episodes. Would especially like to see if the Arctic P12 PWM can take all categories like it's big brother. At 1/5th the price of the Noctua (at least in the UK) - it would be incredible if the Arctic P12 could take the "blow-out" crown as well. Keep up the good work.
Ty for being to the point and adding time stamps. Instant subscribe from me!
Thank's man for your really nice work. It's easy to understand for everyone. I hope that you will be able to test even more fans to get the best of the best and the best price performance product.
I just watched several of your video's and they are packed with so much useful information. I would subscribe if you uploaded more.
FREAKING LOVING THIS VIDEO! EASY SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE! Thanks a lot!!!
Appreciate the content, hope you're well and thanks for sharing
What a lovely video. To the point without any bs. So rare. You have a sub.
Your videos are so complete, just subbed
The real comparison should be 2 140s vs 3 120s.
I think the real purpose of this exercise is for people who can mount either 120 mm or 140 mm fan (same amount of fans not 2 140 mm vs 3 120 mm). If they can mount 3 120mm fans vs 2 140mm I think most of them will choose 3 fans (if budget allows). Because many cases nowadays can let you either mount 2 120/140 mm fans on top and 1 120/140 mm fan on the rear. So this video really helps those people to make decision.
I absolutely agree. I have 2 140mm front intakes and i am wondering whether 3 good 120 would actually outperform them in terms of either noise or cooling capacity.@hardware scientist: given that you already established such a great review setup, is this something you could potentially test? I am thinking 2 14mm Arctic P14 PWM vs 3 Noctua NF-A 12x25?
Which would really depend on the case. If I were to have 3 120mm fans in my case the bottom most fan's airflow would be split blowing half it's air into the PSU shroud.
@@treefiddy727 same with my case (meshify c). I also would’ve needed the bottom fan to be a thin one so it could fit between the front panel and hard drive cage. So instead I went with 2 140s for intake and 3 120s for exhaust (2 on top, 1 on the back)
I know with aio comparisons 360 rads outperform 280 rads but they are very close.
In my experience 2 X 140 on a 280 rad are about as good for sinking heat as 3 X 120 360 rad. Needles to say that a bigger, thicker radiator with horrific fans that are barley spinning will always perform much better than a small radiator with a better fans going at full blast.
I've found much the same with my testing.
What would be great is a discussion on fan design - learning about dynamic / static pressure; learning about how to identify based on blade design and count, etc...It'll give context to all this data.
This is the best video from useful content per minute perspective. Thank you very much!
I'm glad I just purchased a atx case that support lots of 140mm fans. cant wait to install everything and here how quiet it is
Great video as always, but 0:22 almost gave me an aneurysm. The whole point of that frame is that to use a 120mm fan on a 140mm radiator you need to seal the difference in size so that you don't lose static pressure around the edges.
What would help the frame achieve that is mounting it correctly, with the flat part closer to the radiator, not the other way around. I have no doubts that you mounted it correctly while testing though.
Unexpected combined conclusion. Thanks!
Great video, subscribed.
Another very useful video. Thank you!
One of the best tech channel, you dont promote/use social media so we'll never know where you're gone to but i really hope you're okay, and i want you to know that you helped me alot with all the benchmarks and reviews thank you so much.
Thanks buddy. I'm still around, just very busy working on other stuff. Hopefully someday I'll have time to make videos again!
@@HardwareScientist oh thank goodness i was worried, im glad you're well and busy apparently, thats a good thing. Take your time man and comeback strong!💪 all the best for you and your channel
@@HardwareScientist Good to see you're doing well, looking forward to more videos
Nice video with a breakdown of the data. Thanks
Great vid. Thanks, dude!
thanks for this clear great video, really helpful
Hey, can you get your hands on an Arctic P12 PWM fan? They are a fraction of the Noctua A12 fan in price but great performance. Would love to see how they perform, especially against the 140mm P14
Also, I'd love to see if AIO temps with different fans to see if there is ever a noticable change.
Just found your channel. No uploads for 3 months. :(
Hope you're doing okay and that we'll see you back soon :)
Why dont you have more subscribers? Such good content, and no subjective comments like other channels. You are BBC to their CNN and Fox.
Thank you for your tests and measures.
I miss this guy's video, very sad to let him go.
what happen to him?
@@JayzBeerz he exploded
@@coldfront. what
@@A-4723u yeah
Looking forward to an NF-A14x25, if/when it comes out! Will you be testing its performance? Love your testing, thanks man!
Great video as always. Glad to be subscribed to Your channel. Now i am wondering is there a difference in radiators for liquid cooling, same size radiators are they the same performance? full copper.
This video was a interesting one. Do you think you could do this but with your CPU coolers? Like Compare the best budget one with mid-range and best mid-range with the high-end
Very informative video as always. Maybe can you test Phanteks PH-F140K fan ?
That's helpful!
One comparison I'd love to see is case fan test of 2x140mm versus 3x120mm as the front intake since this exact configuration is extremely common in mid tower cases.
Ooh good idea! I personally want to see a comparison of all the popular 200mm fans (Noctua NF-A20, CM MF200R, Thermaltake Riing Plus 20, Aerocool Duo 20, and any others)
@@willwastaken I remember Gamers Nexus doing something like that: m.czcams.com/video/1HqFWnh8qmQ/video.html
So, what do you recommend? 3x120mm fan or 2x140mm fan?
Difference isn't massive, really. I would go for 2X140mm. Or get a case that supports 3X140mm as intake.
Saw all your 3 videos and i love your tests
If one day u could do the same with rgb commons fans (lian li, TT, corsair ...) It would be insane
Repeating a request:
Noise normalized thermals for 3 120mm vs 2 140 mm
My Define C has options for both.
Also for top mounted fans, does putting a single large 140mm fan over the CPU cooler help, or Dual 120mm?
I’d imagine dual 120mm would lead to some bleed from the top front fan going directly out the front top, as well as having to adjust pressures.
I just found your channel a few days ago. Love the content and the way it's presented. Are you going to make more videos in the future?
I wish to see more content from this channel too..
Hi there, big fan of your reviews. You seem calm, unbiased and collected. A thing that is sorely missed when reviewing products. I was on the verge of starting my own bloody review channel to fix the gap but found you and optimum tech to fill my void. Glad to have stumbled upon you!
Now a question -- You're extremely objective in your reviews which is perfect but I'm interested in your personal opinion about the pitch of the fans and overall feel to them. Do you think the two fans noctua 12x25 trading blows with the p12/14 has a better pitch to it? better feel and build quality? While I see a few of the reviewers I trust review the arctic better performing especially as case fans I see far more complaining about whine/noise over the course of time with arctic (the warrenty should take care of that though) and better pitch of the noctua. Do you agree with some of those statements or was the arctic to your ear the most pleasent?
And a final question. What is your rig. What components do you use? What hardware?
I absolutely hate AIOs which most use and most care about --- it is just many moving parts, high failure rate, similar performance to quality air coolers and often pricier. The current plan is to build in the new CM nr200 with arctic p14 and or nf a12x25s the 3700x or 3800xt depending on price, some gigabyte or msi ITX board b550 or 450, my old gtx 1070 ftw and my old dark rock pro 4 modded so it'll fit. Despise how all cases are designed for full custom loops with several resevoirs etc. You just get builds with a 75% empty case instead of making cases that are significantly smaller, targeted at people who will only install nvme ssd and an air cooler.
Love to hear your opinion on current cases, aio vs air and what gear you use
love denmark
The thing is, most pc case front panel can mount 3x120 or 2x140. Sure, the 140 might perform better 1:1 against 120, but how do we know for sure with 2:3 against 120? Also there is the argument that with 3 fans you potentially could run the fans at lower rpm for the same airflow, potential noise reduction.
I had this same question lol
@@4000marcdman
There's more to it than that for sure. I mean sure, provided cash isn't an issue, just fill the whole thing with Noctua NF-A12x25s.
But what if you have, say $60-70?
Noctua NF-A12x25s are currently $32(USD)
Noctua NF-A14s are currently running $24(USD)
(Amazon)
Which cools more? 2x A12x25s, or 3x A14s?
@@Justifiers right. That's the question.
Interesting. I would also be curious to know how the Noctua NF-S12a (advertised as case fan) performs against the NF-A12x25. According to the specs the NF-S12a has better airflow but in real world it could show other results
Will be interesting to see how fans compare when Noctua releases their next 140mm. Would also be interesting if phanteks released a thick 140mm fan, I feel like that would basically destroy everything in the current market
Hello, Hardware Scientist can you do a new 2020 best 120mm Fans and include the Arctic P12 PWM ?
hello sorry in my case I can mount 3x120mm on the front but if I make a small change I can also mount 3x140mm what do you think is it worth making this small change? will I buy more performance and less noise? yes and yes what do you think of the:(hush! Light Wings 140mm PWM High Speed Fan 3 Pack ARGB Lighting Silent Case Fan 4 Pin BL077)?
Great video, but I haven't found the exact answer to my question.
I have a front panel that can fit either x3 120mm fans or x2 140mm fans
If the fans performance is relatively identical, which setup would be more benefitial?
Since you can only fit two of 140mm, would 120mm extra fan overpower 140mm setup?
I would be really interested to see how the bgears b-PWM fans would stack up against these, they have a 120 and 140 version. There isn't any good comparative content out there for them, but personally I have been using them for a while and haven't had any issues, no cooling issues and haven't had any fail
Can somebody help me please? What's best for a rear exhaust fan? Airflow or pressure? I can only fit a 120mm.
keep that good work
Love the video! Got 140mm fans after watching this video. What about 140mm vs 200mm?
Hi, I'm doing so diving and came across this. Figured I'd ask you incase you might know or could point me towards a solution. Assuming identical fans what setup is expected to move more air, 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm?
Comparing the area of the circles 120 = 11309.73, 140 = 15393.8. 3x120 = 33929.19, 2x140 = 30787.6.
Of course this involves alot of assumption regarding fan speed. where a configuration with larger fans could operate at lower speeds and for a small sacrifice of airflow might be much quieter.
you are the best, just keep doing videos..
One thing to note is the whine noise around 1100-1300 rpm for the Arctic p12 can be pretty irritating depending on how sensitive your hearing is.
3 kaze flex (120mm) or 2 Deepcool RF140 (140mm) ?
can you also do a video about fan position and creating optimal flow
Are you gonna make a video of thin fan like 12015 size? It will be useful for ITX case users.
So if you run a 140mm at the same RPM you were running a 120mm at, ie. say 120mm was 1000 RPM - and then you ran the 140mm at 1000 RPM, the 140 will then cool MORE at that RPM - but will it be louder? The motor engine for example?
Where's that liquid cooling video you were taking about in the air cool cpu round up?
3 fan 120 front, are better than 2 fan 140 front?
No 2 140mm fans will work better as the middle 120mm fan kinda does not do anything and you should stick with 2 140mm fans
@@grantherrmann2723 That has basically no basis in physics, the middle 120 does the same amount of work as the outer 120s. Fan efficiency is only changed if there is a large amount of restriction on the exhaust (static pressure) or a large amount of velocity on the intake (relative angle of attack). Putting 2, 3, 10, any number of fans next to each other has no realistic degradation.
3x120s at the same rpm with the same profile as 2x140s will flow more air and so *should* result in better cooling but only barely. Case design will actually be a bigger contributor overall.
3x120 = better GPU temps
2x140 = better cpu temps
3x140= best period
@@marcgallant5270 That is entirely dependent on the case, not the fan configuration. 3x120 vs. 2x140 cooling specific components better has everything to do with interior shape and fan placement. CPU and GPU have their own dedicated fans, the only purpose of case fans is to male sure there is fresh ambient air for the components dedicated coolers to work with.
@@droolguy pretty much every"good" airflow optimized case GN has tested 3x120 vs 2x140 the 3x120 always edges out the 2x140 for GPU temps, his sample size is rather large.
A pretty cool idea for a video would be the cheapest 120mm fans you can buy against each other :)
Even though I suspected these results, going through another elaborate test study never harmed anyone. :)
Thank you sir!
It depends on the need. In general 120mm fans have more pressure than 140mm fans. If you have a very restricting radiator or thin mesh (generally in the front), I prefere to use 120mm’s. For non restrictive air flow, like in the back and top of the case, where there’s no radiator or thin mesh, I use 140mm’s, because they have the same air flow at lower speed (more quiet).
Did you even watch the video, at all? 140mm fans are better at everything. The only time a 120mm fan is better at anything is when you are choosing a premium high end 120mm over a basic low end 140mm (like the video shows). But if you are choosing a premium high end 140mm fan, no 120mm fan can beat it at anything.
@@angrysocialjusticewarrior I checked all stats and static pressure is higher with smaller fans. Of course there’s a minimum size but hey, there’s a good reason why we have 120mm high static pressure fans in our server rooms. 140mm is better for high airflow as long as there’s no high airflow restriction. ^^
@@angrysocialjusticewarrior this.
@@ArsenicShooter So that's a yes then, you did NOT even watch the video.
And no, the reason your server rooms have 120mm fans is not because its the best for static. Its because its cheaper to have smaller fans.
There is a reason why 280mm AIO can compete with 360mm AIO while a 240mm AIO gets outclassed by even air coolers.
@@angrysocialjusticewarrior ok, but then could you explain why the static pressure is higher on 120mm fans? Just being curious 🧐 just type in Google highest static pressure computer fans and you’ll get tons of tests showing 120mm fans are better. I’m talking about high restrictive systems, like the servers we have. Money is the last problem in a bank when it comes to efficiency in hpc systems with availability, believe me. For most gaming pc 140 are better as airflow is higher at same rpm, but as soon as you add just on very restrictive radiator, the 120mm wind hands down to push the air through. There are other tests taking that in consideration elsewhere.
We use Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM with a static pressure of 7.63 mmH2O. If you find one 140mm with the same static pressure or more for the same price and industry norm, let me know I’ll check it out, for sure.
Pls try some server grade high performance or high rpm fan like delta , i have one in my system and pls tell is worth the noise u get with server fans for getting low temps
Could you make a video comparing RGB fans? Maybe even bring up the non-rgb fans to compare performance?
In a lot of cases, you can have either 2 140's, or 3 120's. Which makes a 1:1 comparison between them not so useful.
It would be really good see a comparison between different fan configurations in a case.
Ie, my case allows 2 140mm or 3 120mm in the front, 2 of any of the two at the top, and 1 120mm at the rear, and i'm wondering what's the best configuration i could (before buying the fans)... really interesting.
Was about to say this, in that circumstance what would be better? Both as just case fans, or as a lot of radiators can be installed at the front of a case, what's better in that circumstance, a 360 aio with 3 120 fans, or a 280 aio with 2 140 fans if you take price/performance into consideration, 360 aio is probably better, but will cost a good chunk more than the 280 etc.
definitely a good argument, I'd rather have 3 120mm fans in most situations because you get more airflow, but in areas where good single fan performance is necessary (like a heatsink) I'd use 140mm
No but my case only supports either 2×120 or 2×140 (top of the case...)
@@satyam5241 then use 140mm since it would provide more airflow
5x 140mm fans or 6x 120mm? The fans I want to use are: Noctua NF-P12 redux-1300 PWM 120mm or Noctua P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan.
I wish you could test 200mm fans. There are a few that I'm interested in (Noctua, Bitfenix, Cooler Master, and Thermaltake). I really want to see which is the best giant RGB fan haha
@Hardware Scientist I really appreciate the time you took to do all of the testing and data work-up, alongside making the video, thank you! I will certainly be subscribing and watching more!
I am curious about the static pressure of these fans and if that might explain some of the steeper 120mm cooling curves. Originally I was thinking about using the NF-F12 industrialPPC-24v-3000 Q100 due to its static pressure rating, but now I am unsure. I keep getting told to build with 140 but you're starting to convince me I've at least been looking at the right brand. Any thoughts?
i have a F140 arctic Bionix its pressure through dustfilters is amazing
Can anyone tell which is better for exhaust fans
Arctic p14 pwm vs bionicx p14
Will Noctua NH-D15 heatsink with 2 arctic P14 PWM perform better then with 2 Noctua NF-A15 ? You are biggest fan expert i know of and i love your videos.
also will you make 200 mm fan comparison ?
The most important stat you didn´t say: Noise. a 140mm fan will need less rotations to move the same air so it will have reduced noise.
could you please do a comparison between the allround/airflow/static pressure (A/S/F (yes i know the swapped S and F triggers me as well, so I've just sent them a mail to ask WTF is it all about)) versions of the 120mm Noctua's? maybe throw the A15 in as well (140x150mm fan with 105mm hole spacing (same as 120mm fan)). cheers.
I have a ML08-H and I am looking at slim 120 or slim 140 fans for a custom water loop for the cpu. I picked a FLEX PSU so I have just enough room for a 20mm 240 radiator or maybe a 20mm 280 radiator if one existed. Just not sure what slim parts to choose.
A water block and pump are also iffy but easier to pick, not happy with the prices rn, I can work with a low profile pump/cpu block or alpha cool's tiny water pump and a normal cpu block.
So, I have 3 x 200 mm fans in my case. I have been mocked that they aren't as good as the 140s would be. I like the lower RPM quietude they have. Any chance you can add some 200s to the chart?
woah what kinda case supports 3 200mm fans im curious 0.0
I'm curious 120 vs 140 vs 200 I'm looking at 200 but have little info on them unfortunately
Amazing video! I took your advice and replaced my 14mm silentwings 3 with Arctic P14 PWM and did not regret that decision. Amazing how much more quiet the Arctic are!
Would you, by any chance, consider a comparison of intake fan setups? I am thinking of 2 14mm Arctic P14 PWM vs 3 Noctua NF-A 12x25? Keep up the good work!
uff 14mm is pretty small do you even get air into your pc with a fan thats 1.4cm big?
Are those anti-static gloves you are using?
Are these tests done under idle CPU load?
What better for upper fans, three 120mm or two 140mm?
I have 3 140s up front and 1 140 on the back plus a 240 radiator up top with a 120 fan next to it.
I'm more concerned with GPU temps; so would 3x120's in a mesh front case outperform 2x140's? Since the GPU get's more direct airflow? Or would well-placed 140's win in that scenario?
3x120s would probably win, but not by a huge margin.
hay can you make a top ranking like this of the most silent cpu coolers maybe with a noctura NH-L9i
or the NH-L12S
Hey, I was wondering if you could maybe do a video comparing the regular Arctic P-Series and F-series fans to their BioniX counterparts? Also, I was wondering if you could do a test comparing whether or not it makes a difference to use different combinations of fans. For example, does it make a difference to have your case exhaust fans be optimized for air flow and your intake fans be optimized for static pressure (regardless of whether or not they're blocked), or maybe some other combination, rather than having them all be the same fan? As well as apply the same concept to an air cooler in a push-pull scenario.
I have a Bionix 120 and a case full of P12s and had the Bionix on a 120mm rad at one point - I saw little difference at normal rpm between this and a P12. Both had a tendency to produce a bit of whine at certain rpms. When I pushed the Bionix to higher rpm (iirc it had a higher rpm ceiling) it pulled ahead with slightly better temps (I'm not a tester so this is pretty subjective) but it was pretty damn noisy. Had it running as a case exhaust behind a Fuma 2 at relatively low rpm and it does the job just the same as a P12. If you can get the P12 in the budget 5 -fan pack it's unbeatable value imo.
Aaaaa I just found this channel and it's not active at all :( Shame because finally I see someone with scientist approach on pc components.
wonder how some gentle typhoon AP-15's would compare to the noctuas
Nice results.
Bit mixing avocados with apples, static pressure fans with just regular case fans. But still you get some information from video and it results :)
Are you gonna make a video about the arctic freezer 50?
3x 120mm arctic bionix or 2x 140mm arctic bionix, better ?
120mm A12x25 pretty good for problems with clearance over ram where 140mm won’t fit over RAM on a cooler