Best fans for use with watercooling and heavy overclocking

Hi corsair fans.... haha punny... :winking:

ANYWAY! so running a SE240 and a PE360. Iv'e got 3X HD120 which 2 are on the SE240 at 1000rpm (SET) and the three on the PE360 are the same ones off a H150i infact the same ones i had on my H150i before i went full custom w/c I think theyre ML120 SP non-rgb.

ANYWAY what is a great choice RGB or NOT for high cfm and low noise?

Are the EKWB VARDAR the best fan on the market right now? are LL120 even any good or all show no go?

People with experience replying *PREFERRED :biggrin:

Strictly in terms of radiator performance, it will goes ML > HD > LL. I have done this comparison extensively on the 140mm model over a period of years with various hardware. In relation to what you are doing, I found that a 300-330W steady load (like from a GPU) had about a 2C step up difference between the models at 1000 rpm. So ML 30C, HD 32C, LL 34C. etc. For the 120mm versions the gap is usually a bit narrower. I am running 9 HD140s now on Z370 + 2080 Ti combo in my specs. Coolant delta over ambient is usually about +9-10C for 425-500W over 2x280mm radiators. You have reminded me it might be time to run this newest configuration on all ML and perhaps I will set that up later today.

This is a Corsair forum so I will restrict my answers to the above products, but you certainly can find some AC Delco 4000 120x38mm blower that will eat its lunch. That doesn't mean you really want it though. -2C coolant is still just -2C on CPU and GPU. When both pieces are already at or below 50C, what's the point?

My favorite has always been the HDs. I like the clear look, I think it looks good with your build and hardware, and it is probably the best free air or case fan in the group. It goes down the middle in terms of free airflow vs radiator effectiveness. It is surely coming up on Winter time where you are. You could run some straws tied to rubber band and still be OK. If you are going to go heavy, wait for the Summer time to maximize both the value and use naturally higher room noise floor to cover them up.