Index 1: Sound Pressure - 120mm Fans

The title of this page is a simplification; we actually tested sound pressure (in dBA), which most people confuse with noise.

Remember that a low sound pressure isn't everything - you should also see how much air a fan can push, and possibly most importantly, how much air it can push per dBA.

The 120mm Scythe Gentle Typhoon and Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000 have been included for reference as they're our favourite 120mm fans. The Antec Big Boy 200mm fan is our favourite supersize fan. Please read how we tested to see how we generated these results and what they mean.

NOTE: The sound room had a background noise of 19.3dBA, so any fan rated at 19.3dBA could actually be quieter still.

Sound Pressure

Background noise level was 19.3dBA

  • Noctua NF-B9 (min fan speed, 92mm)
  • Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000 (80mm)
  • Noctua NF-R8 (80mm, medium fan speed)
  • Noctua NF-R8 (80mm, min fan speed)
  • Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000 (120mm)
  • Antec Big Boy 200 (200mm, min fan speed)
  • Noctua NF-B9 (medium fan speed, 92mm)
  • Revoltec RL037 (80mm)
  • Revoltec RL042 (92mm)
  • Be Quiet Silent Wings 92mm (92mm)
  • Antec Big Boy 200 (200mm, medium fan speed)
  • Scythe Gentle Typhoon D1225C12B4AP-14 (120mm)
  • Scythe Kama-Flex SA0825FDB12L (80mm)
  • Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000 (80mm)
  • Noctua NF-R8 (80mm, max fan speed)
  • Noctua NF-B9 (max fan speed, 92mm)
  • Enermax Magma UCMA8 (80mm)
  • Scythe Kaze-Jyu Slim SY1012SL12M (92/100mm)
  • Antec Big Boy 200 (200mm, max speed)
  • 19.3
  • 19.3
  • 19.5
  • 19.9
  • 20.7
  • 21.3
  • 24.3
  • 24.9
  • 26.0
  • 27.3
  • 28.5
  • 28.6
  • 29.5
  • 29.5
  • 29.9
  • 29.9
  • 30.6
  • 33.8
  • 37.4
0
10
20
30
40
Sound Pressure (dBA). lower is better

Discuss this in the forums
YouTube logo
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review

October 14 2021 | 15:04