15× Endorfy Stratus 120 PWM fan in vibration tests

Same model, different pieces. Differences in vibrations can be dramatic. Especially if they are cheap fans with high manufacturing tolerances. While most Endorfy Stratus 120 PWM fans have some vibration, you can also come across “golden” samples that don’t vibrate at all. This is admittedly a very rare but existing situation. The variance of vibration is much greater than you might think. Read more “15× Endorfy Stratus 120 PWM fan in vibration tests” »

MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi: Axe for “expensive” and “weak” boards

If you don’t want to skimp on a motherboard for an AMD CPU, but also don’t want to pay more than you need to, the MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi appears to be an attractive option. The price is well under two hundred euros and yet it can handle even the Ryzen 9 7950X without any power limits. Although there are also things calling for improvement, the cheapest MSI B650 board in ATX format defends its position in a lower-budget gaming build. Read more “MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi: Axe for “expensive” and “weak” boards” »

Asus ROG Strix 850G Aura: Biggest power supply on the list

It gives a very good first impression. The design of the housing is something that sets this Asus ROG Strix 850G Aura PSU apart from the rest. Besides the above-standard dimensions, which suggest that it could be “rich” inside as well, there’s also a rather sophisticated cover or grille, and in line with aesthetic trends, there are also ARGB LEDs. What remains to be seen is what form the main thing will take – the electrical characteristics. Read more “Asus ROG Strix 850G Aura: Biggest power supply on the list” »

Phanteks PH-F120T30: The fan that pushes boundaries

Does it or does it not clearly beat the Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM? The Phanteks T30 doesn’t like second places, and in the vast majority of cases it doesn’t get to them, outperforming competing fans in its format (120mm) by a good chunk when optimally setup. But that was a bit of a must to justify the extra thickness, which is associated with poorer compatibility after all. Read more “Phanteks PH-F120T30: The fan that pushes boundaries” »

This is “Grand Tornado” – finally an elite Scythe fan

We’ve known about Scythe’s preparations for a new fan for some time now. We are only now getting to the details of its design. While it hasn’t officially been released yet, it has appeared in Wootware catalogue – and in all its glory. In addition to the complete parameters, we have several high-resolution photos available. With the Grand Tornado fan, Scythe is sure to get a say in who has the “best” fan. Read more “This is “Grand Tornado” – finally an elite Scythe fan” »

Noctua has LGA 1851 support. Mounting stays physically the same

The first generation of Intel CPUs with support for the future LGA 1851 socket is still a long way off, but the first info about cooler support is already making its way to the public. Documents have surfaced where materials around the Noctua NH-U12A cooler are linked to this platform, for which everything is ready. Noctua doesn’t deny this, and meanwhile ideas arise about how it could possibly be with the mounting systems of other coolers. Read more “Noctua has LGA 1851 support. Mounting stays physically the same” »

Escape from darkness – BeQuiet! Light Wings White (BL101)

There are only a few white fans with ARGB. Still, BeQuiet’s Light Wings models have some rather unique features as this rare commodity. That’s true visually as well. But they also have high performance or airflow to noise ratio. For our tests this time, out of the two options, we chose the high-speed design, which has its “own” blade geometry. But it also handles very low speeds to boot. Read more “Escape from darkness – BeQuiet! Light Wings White (BL101)” »

Vertex GX-850 or entry level ATX 3.0 PSU by Seasonic

What kind of power supply tests would it be without Seasonic represented? Under this brand, which has long held one of the best reputations among computer power supplies, there are already three lines of power supplies with support for the ATX 3.0 standard. In the tests we will focus on the most affordable one, the Vertex GX. Before we get into the electrical measurement results though, let’s go over the basic design details. Read more “Vertex GX-850 or entry level ATX 3.0 PSU by Seasonic” »

BeQuiet! pushes efficiency with new Shadow Base cases

BeQuiet! is introducing a fourth line of cases – Shadow Base to the current trio (Dark Base, Silent Base and Pure Base). The first models in the 800 series are smaller than the Dark Base Pro 901, but with more emphasis on cooling efficiency than the Silent Pure Base. BeQuiet! is building the main key points on this too, and there is something to it. If only for the fact that they used fans that have a higher efficiency compared to older models. Read more “BeQuiet! pushes efficiency with new Shadow Base cases” »

Scythe Kaze Flex II 120: Wild ride in reverse

Clockwise rotation fans are quite a rarity, you don’t normally come across them. However, Scythe, for example, makes such models and for good reason. Why not take it the other way around? In terms of standalone operation, of course, it doesn’t matter. In series, in the position of the second fan, it is possible to achieve higher cooling performance on CPU coolers compared to using fans with the same direction of rotation. Read more “Scythe Kaze Flex II 120: Wild ride in reverse” »

Arctic’s “P” line of 80 mm fans now includes the Max model

A smaller fan format does not always have to mean low airflow. To achieve comparable results to larger cross-section models, there needs to be higher rpms and with them higher noise levels, but as long as you accept this, and you don’t really have much choice due to the size constraints, the new P8 Max fan seems like an attractive option. And most importantly, it’s one of the few of its kind. Read more “Arctic’s “P” line of 80 mm fans now includes the Max model” »

Valkyrie X12: Impressive rotor, a bit undermined by the motor

You might be saying that you know the rotor of this fan and that Valkyrie was inspired by the Gentle Typhoon D1225C a little too much. But that’s okay. Mainly the positives were taken from said template and the biggest negative – high vibrations – was avoided. And although some things could still be worked on, in the context of ARGB LED models the X12 fan fares quite well. Read more “Valkyrie X12: Impressive rotor, a bit undermined by the motor” »

Analysis: The main reasons why fans vibrate

We pay close attention to fan vibration in our tests, as it clearly indicates the mechanical qualities of the design. However, it is always good to have an idea why some fans vibrate more, others less, some not at all. And we will deal with this in more detail in this article, which is based on our own experience, but also on notes from fan developers. Can a cheap fan reach high speeds without vibration? Read more “Analysis: The main reasons why fans vibrate” »

Psychoacoustic optimization of coolers… A gag? Physics

“Modifying” a cooler by replacing the fan with a relatively more efficient model may not always lead to the desired result. Sometimes you will get significantly less improvement than you would expect, other times you may even be worse off. This means that at equal noise levels, you will achieve lower cooling performance, and it doesn’t really matter what fan you use. Sometimes the design of the heatsink has the final say. Read more “Psychoacoustic optimization of coolers… A gag? Physics” »

DeepCool shakes up top-flow coolers, AN600 with a height of 67 mm

A newcomer joins the ranks of CPU coolers with a fan above/below the fins – the DeepCool AN600. And according to the parameters, it immediately attacks the established coolers of its height category, which it naturally wants to beat. Regarding the TDP, 180 W is claimed, which seems plausible given the structure of the cooler. A larger fan is used, and even into the visually massive heatsink, heat is delivered via an adult portion of heatpipes. Read more “DeepCool shakes up top-flow coolers, AN600 with a height of 67 mm” »