140mm Case Fans: Noctua NF-A14, ARCTIC P14, be quiet! Silent Wings 4 and Corsair RS140
Why 140mm fans can cool more quietly than 120mm fans, where they fit, and four 140mm fans to consider.
Why 140mm fans can cool more quietly than 120mm fans, where they fit, and four 140mm fans to consider.
Photo by Mkhan4793 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
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A 140mm fan moves the same amount of air as a 120mm fan at a lower speed, so it’s usually quieter. If your case has 140mm mounting positions, using them is one of the simplest ways to reduce noise.
Where 140mm fans fit
Check your case manual: many mid-towers support 140mm fans in the front and top, but not always in the rear. Radiators are sized for specific fans, so a 280mm radiator needs 140mm fans and a 240mm radiator needs 120mm fans.
Four to consider
- Noctua NF-A14 PWM: a long-standing benchmark fan with a long warranty, in Noctua’s brown and beige colors, or black in the chromax line.
- ARCTIC P14 PWM PST: a budget fan with a daisy-chain connector (PST), which makes it easy to connect several fans to one header.
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 140mm: focused on low noise.
- Corsair RS140: Corsair’s daisy-chainable fans, with ARGB versions available.
Airflow vs static pressure
Fans for open front panels and empty spaces should prioritize airflow. Fans for radiators, dense filters or heatsinks need higher static pressure. Most good modern fans handle both reasonably well.
Setting fan curves
Set fan curves in the BIOS or software so fans stay slow at idle and ramp up gradually under load. Base case-fan curves on GPU or CPU temperature where your board allows it, not on the motherboard temperature alone.
Bottom line
If your case takes 140mm fans, use them. Choose a fan based on noise, connectors and warranty, then tune the curve for quiet idle.
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Illustrative photos: Photo by Mkhan4793 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0