Thanks for posting this feedback, it means a lot to me. A lot people have enjoyed this video, and that's great, but most people probably don't realize what it took to put it together. It was a lot of work not just to do the actual benchmarking, but also to do the preparation and planning, including polling my viewers, in order to make sure the results would be meaningful. Going through all of this and getting useless results would have been a major disappointment. Well, I guess it's up to my viewers to decide if it was useful or useless, but it sounds like you at least appreciated it!

Wow, maybe this was the issue! So many variables when you start really digging in! Thanks for the tip!

@@TheTechBuyersGuru arctics are actually known to have a hum at only certain rpms'. Turn them up a tiny bit past that point, it vanishes, turn them down past that point the hum also vanishes. ITs just at the like 85% point or so that they do that. Cant remember what channel exactly figured this one out ill have to go back and look. They were testing these against the Noctuas.

@@TheTechBuyersGuru I'm late, but Apple did make the fans on the big Mac Pro run at different speeds to avoid this noise

My Arctic F12s do that harmonic thing at very specific speeds as well!

“Harmonic resonance” sounds like something from half-life

Yeah, I'm pretty sure no one else has tried testing this with as much detail as I did. Glad you appreciate it!

Glad you like them, thanks for being a subscriber!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Glad you enjoyed this video. It took about 2 weeks to produce. That's why you won't see it many other places.

Thanks for sharing!

Glad it was helpful! This was a big project for sure!

Glad you enjoyed it - I did try to cover all the bases, including ones I hadn't seen asked (or answered) before!

Thanks and good luck with your project!

Yeah, that second top exhaust fan is something a lot of people thought would cause problems, but the tests prove otherwise.

I hope it's not tedious to watch, LOL! Luckily, it was only a bit tedious to test!

Glad you like them! This particular one was a lot of work, but something I'd wanted to do for a long time!

Maybe this will be the vid that puts me over the top! I'm glad you like it, and I'm pretty proud of how much work (and thought) I put into this. I wanted it to go beyond what's been done before.

Glad to help! I can't test every possible combo of components, but luckily I tested yours!

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yes you tested even something I was willing to try (top intake). Now I have a question, how were you able to install the 140 tops fans? The cpu power cable gets in the way, was it the same for you? I tried to push a little but was too afraid to damage it.

This is a video I've been promising since the summer, so I worked overtime to get it in before the end of the year. It was a ton of work, but I learned a lot, and it sounds like you probably did too! Catch you in 2021!

@@TheTechBuyersGuru yup see you next year too. Best wishes to your family and friends too 👍

Thank you, I appreciate the supportive words. This was one of the most time-consuming videos I've ever made!

Glad you enjoyed it! Welcome!

​@@TheTechBuyersGuruimagine if you tested side panel mounting, apparently that makes a huge difference, but apparently we stopped doing that in consumer cases.

Good point! That's really designed to allow the PSU to be mounted up, but it has a hidden benefit in modern systems!

Glad you liked it!

Thanks for the sub!

Happy to help! I'm pretty sure no one else has this info, which is why I published the video!

Great to hear!

Thanks for stopping by! Alas, 1mil is about 100 years away unless I get a very big break!

Thanks so much!

My recommendations stand - these are excellent fans. The fact that I was able to find some configurations where P12s outperformed P14s doesn't diminish the products in any way. I believe that in much bigger cases, the P14s might be warranted.

have you heard any harmonics from certain speeds? if anything i hear rubber mounts help isolate those vibrations

@@Aleph-Noll I was wondering this as well, seeing as the Arctic fans have no rubber mounts and just bolt straight to the chassis, this is a concern.

Did you find p12 quieter than p14 as he said?

@@LeoTelles Don't forget he was positioning the dB meter over the case and did say that you hear them the most , but if the case sit on the desk it could be a totally different story too.

Glad it was helpful! Honestly, every case is different, and there's no way I'm going to run this test on a bunch of cases, so 500DX owners are just super lucky! ;)

Working on it, thanks!!!

@@TheTechBuyersGuru No worries, keep up the good work. Watching all the way from New Zealand and these video's have helped me out a lot.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for participating!

Thank you! Enjoy the P14!

I was a bit disappointed too, but it doesn't mean they are bad fans. In the 3- and 4-fan configurations, they were actually better than the 120s. But putting 5 in the case just added a bit too much turbulence, which increased noise and may have disrupted airflow out of the chassis.

Glad I could help! That was one I lot of people have wondered about!

That was my hope, A Hope!

You're so welcome!

You're welcome! This was something a lot of people asked me about, and I'd never seen tested before, so I did it!

@@TheTechBuyersGuru thank you for the best video you made. So do not make top fan as intake,right?

Glad to help - I put a lot of planning into this video to try to make it as useful as possible, although there's always more to explore!

If you look closely at the dBA-normalized 3DMark graph for the extreme setups, you'll see that the 4x140s were excellent for CPU temps, but not quite as good for GPU temps. I suspect that if I had lowered the bottom fan below the level of the PSU shroud, the temps would have (counter-intuitively) been better for the GPU.

Glad you enjoyed it! Took a lot of time to produce, maybe worth an ounce of gold!

@@TheTechBuyersGuru I can only imagine the hard work for making these videos. I have watched other videos about fans comparison, but yours are a lot better and useful. Thanks again :)

Much appreciated! I know more folks are producing fan videos, which shows that there's a lot of interest. I'm constantly trying to move the ball forward (as you probably see in the progression of videos on the channel), and that is definitely not an easy thing to do!

Ha, ha, that's the first time my videos have been compared to a nature documentary. I like it!

@@TheTechBuyersGuru have you yet tested the variable of (1) intake/down facing top fan, but on the front side of top only; leaving the back/top open (In my mind, this solution has an back / case exhaust too) Literally I bought 8 Arctic P12 PWMs this morning bacuse of your video. I have the lian LI 215 and I'm replacing the front (2) 200mm 3 pin fans with (3) arctic P12s, and P12s throughout my case. Decided against the Scythe for my front fans.. I hope I make the right choice!

I haven't tested the setup you suggested, but since you now have 8 P12s, you can try it yourself! Glad that my videos convinced you, but wow, eight is more than most cases can hold!

Thanks for the visit! Believe it or not, I have another case fan test coming up at the end of March. It will be just as epic as this one, but instead of comparing fan position, it will compare different brands with full case installs of each brand. More details to come early next month. It will take me a *long* time to produce, hence the late-March ETA.

No problem 👍

Which Arctic do you have, and how do you have it mounted in the 500DX? I'm curious about which combos will actually fit so I can tell others, specifically if the 240mm fits on top, for example. I know the 280 won't, but other 280mm AIOs can, as shown here! - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q7uFfNefv7isqYE.html

@@TheTechBuyersGuru I have the 280, I'm planning on front mounting and since I got the five pack of fans I'm going to see if I can pull off a push-pull configuration for the AIO, but I'm waiting on my GPU to ship. Will report back when I do get my GPU so I can pull off my build!

That could be pretty tight, but mostly because the tubes will be hard to route if mounted down (which is how the interwebz wants you to do it nowadays thanks to a GN video). The hose outlets will be below the shroud, and I think they may not bend around the inside-mounted fans to get to the CPU.

@@TheTechBuyersGuru aaah, I didn't think of that. Well, worst case I'll have two extra fans lying around in the case of any failures.

​@@TheTechBuyersGuru Following up on this - I ended up just going for the standard front mount for the Arctic, without push/pull, and outfitted the whole case with P14s. Your video on the 140mm fan shootout helped a ton! My build is here: imgur.com/a/GM0ryus

Glad it was helpful!

Yeah, hopefully this video will pick up a nice amount of views, because similar videos from big KZfaqrs scored like half a million, and I definitely took the testing a step further!

As for one fan... well, I'd buy another, LOL! But honestly, depends if I cared about CPU and GPU thermals. I'd put it right below the GPU in the front of the case if the GPU was my priority, and I'd use it as an exhaust in the rear if the CPU was my priority. But then again, I haven't tested this.... and probably never will!

Ha, ha, yes, you are all set with those 6x120s!!! I have a couple big case reviews coming up over the next few weeks, and then the huge AIO shootout. Stay tuned for a poll on that topic in the next few hours!!!

Welcome aboard! You got some great cooling gear there!

Glad I could provide some useful insights! Fan performance is incredibly complex, which might be why you don't see many other KZfaqrs trying to tackle it! I definitely can't cover it all, but I try to give people something to think about beyond specs on a website, which is how most people have bought fans for decades.

Glad it helped. You've definitely maxed out your mATX case!

Glad you're enjoying them!

I have the Mesh 2 Performance. Got the 5-pack of Arctic 120s and 140s. Replaced back fan and CPU air cooler fan with the 120s. Daisy chained 3 140s at the front (can be done, the middle one is stacked behind the bracket and the top and bottom in front of it. I think I had to turn the bracket around, which is an intended config). Set at Auto it runs very very cool regardless and is silent.It's win-win all the way.

@@ElsinoreRacer What were your temps before you changed fans? I have the RGB version with 3 120's in front, 2 under gpu and one exhaust.

@@ElsinoreRacer Have you noticed any resonance issues? I have the p12s installed in the exact same case and noticed a bunch of resonance issues across almost the entire rpm range. This has made leaving them on auto nearly impossible since the low noise levels are ruined by the high pitched sound of the resonant frequencies when the fans ramp up and down.

The case is actually on the higher end of the airflow spectrum, but yes, there are a few cases that would beat it. I think it's fairly representative of the average modern case.

Thanks for the sub!

Oh, yes, I know all about the P12 Slim, in fact I just posted the announcement at launch this morning: kzfaq.infoUgx3mjItd3KBGVdhd_t4AaABCQ More importantly, not only have I seen them, but I also have them in for testing. A shootout review will be coming in a couple of months, after I'm done with a whole bunch of other videos I have in the works.

@@TheTechBuyersGuru 👍 good to hear 🙏

Put an aerofoil just beneath your GPU to direct air that was exiting out pci slots upwards.

Your odds of winning were 100%, so yes indeed, we have a winner! ;)

Kind of contradicts with scythe 120mm fan 😁

@@TheTechBuyersGuru 100%? Anyway I can get those odds in Vegas? Lol

@@ollieh2587 Hmm... good point, ok, the Artic will win in terms of best value! Nailed it.

@@TheTechBuyersGuru I bought 1x P14 and 3x P12 (a year ago), and only 2x P12 ended in my PC case, working perfectly, almost inaudible at 780RPM. The other ones went straight to electronic waste. Arctic quality control is abysmal. The price on them can be easily multiplied by 2. Half of them are expected to have fan screeching, motor vibration defects, or both. It's a pity that they seem to have so little competition. Noctua is expensive and its sound signature is a silent chainsaw.

I understood that, thanks!!!

I was seven words into your comment, and I got worried, but then I finished reading and I loved it!

Thanks for watching the whole thing, and I'm glad to hear it didn't drag on for you despite all the data! I do heavily edit my videos to cut out the chatter (stuff that seems interesting as it comes out of my mouth but isn't once I listen to it!). Truth be told, I fully expected different results, even testing the setup that I thought was "right" at the end so I could keep it running in my system only to find that it was terrible (that was with the top fan flipped). I do hope that this video opens up a new dialog on PC cooling, because I don't think some of these issues have been fully examined thus far. Of course, I left about a million variables on the table for others to play with, so it's not like this conversation is over, it's only just begun!

I should apologise for the way I structured my first message in the beginning, I guess you could say that's a bad habit.

@@TheTechBuyersGuru This message is a bit lengthy, I get carried away in writing/research sometimes and then realise what time it is and how long I've invested towards sharing a suggestion. From my perspective, your last video has opened up a whole new ballgame in regards to testing, the problem is, there's no way we could expect you to cover each new door. I went through the latest comments on this video, which you've done a stellar job at responding too. It seems some people would still like you to take their suggestions into account with testing, but with your level of detail, their requests are much larger than they realise. Perhaps in the next video, you could consider leaning in a different direction, allowing you to still follow-up on this content by keeping the users engaged and not putting an unrealistic workload on your shoulders. I had two thoughts in mind: Directly asking your fanbase to experiment using a set of specific parameters. You could document three-five different types of experiments you'd like to see numbers in, then assign two volunteers to each experiment(if available). I'd imagine that some of these tests would help the users construct questions or statements that may make it easier for you to strategically invest your time. Their results would not be conclusive in any way; it would just help lead you towards something in which you deem interesting or valuable. The second was sending out emails to individuals who handle airflow/circulation at a professional level, something like a structural engineer working in the airflow department. Briefly explain your position. You're trying to give individuals insight to maintain their hardware safely whilst also educating users enough to indirectly lower sales towards poorly engineered cases and fans. The last statement changes depending on who you're contacting; it's supposed to be a reason that relates to their values/morals/ethics. Ask if they have time for a couple of questions if so, show them a diagram of what you thought would work, and why; then followed up with what seemed to have worked. If they're hesitant in helping, you can mention that whichever professional adequately supports will be mentioned in that video with a thank you, as well as their business subtly brought up. E.g. I want to thank John for yada yada who's currently working as an Air Conditioner manufacturer for X company." There are also some interesting ways of measuring airflow from some brief Google search pages, perhaps if you were to use a tool to take a few measurements in your worst and best case-fan setups, you might be able to find similarities which turn out to be consistent with future tests.

They will be quieter! For a bit of a custom look, you might consider the white model: amzn.to/2MPMuku

This is indeed a really interesting idea, and I think adding that bottom fan is a great idea. You'd just have to make sure to flip the fans on the Fuma 2 to make that reverse airflow work, and I'm not sure they'd be quite as effective in a pull arrangement as they are in push.

@@TheTechBuyersGuru If the fans are reversed, they would be on a push configuration, pushing fresh air from the back and pulling it in the case , where it is immediately exhaust by the Top fan, am I right ?

Push and pull refers to the orientation of the fan on the heatsink (or radiator) fins. So if you have reversed the airflow in your case to go from back to front, then you need to flip the fans on the Fuma 2. This makes them "pull" fans, as they are pulling air through the fins, not pushing it. Fans are typically a bit less effective in this orientation.

@@TheTechBuyersGuru Oh alright, I get it now ! Thanks for the explanation! Theoretically tho, both push and pull configurations should level out , as RPM increases right ?

They are close, but they are not the same.

That is a very good point. But air doesn't always move from high pressure to low pressure, it has to have a pathway to do so. So putting a high pressure fan in the wrong place means low airflow, and hence poor cooling efficiency.

Well, sounds like this video was spot on for you given the case you have. It's not something I could repeat with many cases, that's for sure. But why do you say 3x120 wasn't effective? It seems better than 2x140 based on my benchmarks, no?

@@TheTechBuyersGuru not that it wasn't effective, but I thought the night-and-day difference I expected compared to 2x140 front. The difference doesn't seem worth buying additional 120mm fans I don't already own.

Oh, yeah, this was all a theoretical test assuming you were coming from no fans. In terms of tossing two 140mm fans and buying three 120mm fans for a minimum of $30, it's probably not worth it. With that said, the default configuration of the case is 1x140 in front, top, and rear, so I would absolutely suggest swapping out that single front 140mm for triple 120mm fans, and then putting the second 140mm on top (despite minimal benefit, because you'd already have it and it's greater than zero!).

That is an interesting concept. Perhaps something for me (or someone else) to test in the future! My hunch is that airflow fans are never as effective as people might imagine, because there are very few applications in a case that have low resistance. Exhausts are actually fairly high resistance due to the grilles they must push through.

I have arctic freezer 34 esports duo as my cpu cooler,..the fans are p12 bionix, and they have the same hum resonant sounds,..very annoying btw

I use Skiron fans instead of Arctic for this reason. Their sound profile is consistent as they ramp up in RPMs. Downside is that their lifespan isn't as long as Arctics.

this is true. i have two p14s. one in front, one as rear exhaust. the hum starts around 1000 rpm so i keep them at 950 rpm constant. definitely not buying arctic fans anymore.

@Kachongui Kach I think its just the motor.

@Kachongui Kach Just keep them running at constant. my hum now starts at 900 rpm but disappears between 1000-1100. a couple of weeks ago, it started at 1000. lol

Thanks for the sub, and trust me, you and a million other people, including me, thought this was going to work out differently. Strangely, under 15,000 people have watched this video since I published it, but I'm sure those other 985,000 people will be heading over soon! ;)

I'm waiting

@@maozedowner5915 So as it turns out, I'm an idiot with almost no idea what I'm doing. And the results show this. My cpu is an i9-12900kf running at 4.9Ghz. Cinebench r20 was too hard to find, so I went with r23. After a 5 minute loop, I got a max temp one one core of 87° and an average max temp of about 79.5° on Core Temp 1.17.1(that incredibly high temp told me I might be doing it wrong) For the GPU(3080 FTW3 ULTRA) I ran the time spy test while following it with task manager and although my gpu load hit max, the temp never went above 53°(this confirmed I was doing it wrong.) It's disappointing, but I don't think my findings will be of any help to anyone. Sorry.

@@htat1guy Yeah... no comparison point whatsoever, it's not gonna help.