sleeve bearing/ball bearing fan question

[ryan1]

hey guys,

i was just wondering what the difference was between sleeve bearing fans and ball bearing fans. is one quieter than the other? longer life span? i've been hearing that ball bearing (i think they were called double ball bearing?) fans were better than the sleeve bearing variety. can anyone help me out?

- ryan

[Kubie]

ryan1,
The ball bearing fan lasts much longer and is quieter. Most noise comes from fan pitch. The more air the fan pulls and the faster the rpm, the noisier the fan.
Carl

[PardeGT]

Ball bearings are superior to sleeve bearings. This goes for any and all types of motors. Lifespan is longer generally and when sleeve bearing wear they tend to get much louder.

Keep in mind, however, that a manufacturer can produce very cheap ball bearing units as well which may not last.

I recommend panaflo, sunon and antec fans.

www.2cooltek.com
www.inflowdirect.com
www.sidewinder.com

[ryan1]

thanks for the quick-response, guys

in terms of quality, and quietness, how would you rank the new vantec stealth fans, the panflos, and the antec fans (the ones that come stock in their performance cases, not the smart fans)

i'm currently considering picking up an antec sx1030/1040 and am wondering which fans to pick up to fill the 2 empty fan positions in the front of the case. i'm looking for the quietest fan that still provides adequate cooling.

thanks again,

- ryan

[Cricket]

Hi ryan1,

The Antec fans that come with the Performance cases are sleeve bearing type fans. They run pretty quietly, but will probably not last very long (but who knows, maybe they will).

I have a Antec SX830 that I've installed 5 Panaflo L-1A's into. Although they don't spin at high RPM, there is a nice breeze going through the case and they are practically silent. The only fan I do hear is the one on the Alpha PAL6035 I'm using on the PIII 1GHz processor I'm running.

I've never heard the Vantec Stealth fan, but I understand it's actually a Nidec fan and are supposed to be comparable to the Panaflo's as far as noise and quality is concerned.

Depending on which processor you're running and if you're overclocking it or not, Panaflo's are a pretty good choice for a quiet system if you're running your CPU at stock speeds.

If you're overclocking you'll need more cooling and will have to put up with more noise.

Take a look at the Sunon Whisper series of fans. Cheaper than the Panaflo's but almost as quiet.

You can see the specs of these fans here:2CoolTek Fan Page

Cricket