Alphacool Core fans
Six new models, with the slowest capping at 2,000 rpm and the fastest up to 4,000 rpm. It’s a mix of 120 and 140-millimeter fans, where with the larger format Alphacool reached for differently modeled rotors. This is also with a view to ensuring that a fan this fast and relatively large can operate at all at reasonably low vibration. Among Alphacool’s new products is therefore a fan with more robust blades as well.
The Core model line is complemented by fans and right away in a very ample number of three 120 mm fans and three 140 mm fans. The smaller (120 mm) format has fans with speed ranges up to 2500, 3000 and 4000 rpm. The lower limit of the active mode (when the fan is still spinning), something like minimum or starting speed, is not specified by Alphacool.
However, we know that the fans support semi-passive mode, which means that they switch off from a certain PWM intensity. And we can also assume that the higher the maximum speed of the fan, the higher the start-up/minimum speed will be. However, this is not necessarily true and they may all start from the same level as well.
The slowest 120-millimetre model (with a max. speed of 2,500 rpm) is specified to achieve an airflow of up to 123.40 m3/h at a static pressure of 2.42 mm H2O. Plus 500 rpm with the middle model should mean a 28.9 % increase in airflow (159,03 m3/h) and it is up to 203.54 m3/h in the 4000rpm fan specifications with an enormously high static pressure – 12,67 mm H2O.
Alphacool has had high-speed fans in the 120mm format for some time, but the 140mm is making its debut. For these, it is notable that while the 2000-rpm model has a
similar blade shape to the 120 mm Core fans (i.e. rather narrower), the faster 2500 and 3200-rpm variants already use a significantly different rotor. It has just about half the number of blades, but with a significantly more robust design per blade – at least in terms of width.
Keeping the original rotor with slimmer blades would certainly cause more undulation at such high speeds and therefore more vibration would be transmitted to the frame. To counteract this, the blades might even be thicker to achieve higher rigidity. But the material used is the same for all fans (and by that we mean even 120 mm models) – PBT (UL94V-0). The fastest Alphacool Core fan has a claimed airflow of up to 261.48 m3/h at 3200 rpm. The static pressure is then 6.99 H2O.
A wire circular grille is included with all of these fans. If properly installed (in front of the rotor) the fans are covered by the IP22 rating. This, by the way, means that it is also some resistance to water, more precisely drops falling at an angle of 15 degrees.
Alphacool Core fans use ball bearings and the MTBF is set at 70,000 hours (at 40°C) for the faster models. Only the 120 mm fan with a maximum speed of 2,000 rpm has less than 50,000 (at 25 °C) in its parameters, which is also the cheapest at the recommended price of 6.50 EUR. The 3000-rpm fan in the 120mm format is priced at 7 EUR and the 4000-rpm fan at 8 EUR. The prices of the 140mm variants are 7.50 EUR (fan with max. 2000 rpm), 8 EUR (2500-rpm variant) and the most expensive (for 9 EUR) is the model whose speed at 12 V or at 100 % PWM intensity corresponds to 3200 rpm.
The fans are already available, on Alphacool’s e-shop at the prices listed above.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
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