An old-school rotor with one small aerodynamic tweak, the shortcomings of the Dynamic series of fans removed, and the addition of ARGB LED lighting. There are negatives too, but with the right application you can neatly avoid them. Overall, though, Fractal Design’s Aspects are functionally among the most feature-rich of what’s available in the current lineup of LED fans. Read more “Sightly and efficient: the Fractal Design Aspect 12 RGB PWM test”
It’s heating up. We have added the first triple-A fan to the tests, which has been viewed “some way” for years, and now it will turn out how it is exactly – what are its weaknesses and what are its strengths. Some have also debated whether the Silent Wings 3 happens to be the most efficient fan ever. But as it happens, it’s a bit more complicated than a one-word answer like yes or no. Read more “Silent Wings 3 (BL066): The best from BeQuiet!… so far”
Aside from whether the fan is named after the zodiac or a serial killer from California, we know all about Gelid’s latest fan. In the end, the inspiration may stem from the latter as well. After all, it has a backlight option and at the same time “kills”, performance-wise, the price-equivalent fans without it. And attractive models at that. But there is one thing that can erase all the good features. Read more “Gelid Zodiac fan: ARGB LED and excellent price/performance ratio”
Sometimes they don’t even get a chance and are immediately replaced by other, “better” ones. We’re talking about fans that come pre-installed in computer cases. We are going to test one of them now and although there are reasons to replace the Dynamic X2 GP-12 (PWM), be careful not to end up being worse off. After all, these aren’t exactly ordinary fans. They even have more specific aerodynamics and acoustics modifying features. Read more “Dynamic X2 GP-12 PWM: Fractal Design knows what works in cases”
So, now we get to see what the grooves on the entire surface of the blades, which are typical of BeQuiet! fans, are worth! Judging by the geometry, we were initially concerned that the results might go in a similar direction to the Arctic BioniX F120. But it’s a lot better than that, and the 120 mm Pure Wings 2 even achieves a top price/performance ratio while running very quietly. The best of the fans tested so far. Read more “BeQuiet! Pure Wings 2 (BL039): It wouldn’t do without the grooves”
Gigabyte’s new fan stands out from the crowd of flashy, inefficient PC components. The Aorus 120 ARGB may entice the user with its illuminated rotor, but the features that make a fan a fan don’t play second fiddle either. Although there is still room for tuning and improvement, the Aorus 120 ARGB excels in many ways and beats even competing models from traditional fan manufacturers in some areas of application. Read more “Gigabyte Aorus 120 ARGB: Not just stylish, but a proper fan”
Now that’s what we call a turnaround. Remember how the BioniX F120 failed on obstacles? The newer BioniX P120 (A-RGB) no longer has such a fundamental limitation. On the contrary, it is significantly less stifled by obstacles than many competing fans. Just tame those vibrations, fine-tune the acoustics, where there are some flaws, and it’ll be great. The basis (the rotor) is better in practice than the label parameters suggest. Read more “Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB: The lit specialist for filters and grilles”
Predisposed to more demanding industrial conditions, Akasa OTTO fans go well beyond “normal” home computer use. Complete water and dust resistance, three-phase torque and, above all, a unique vibration elimination system. The effectiveness of the proven “S-Flow” rotor is high, but there is one thing Akasa has overdone a bit. That is, if the OTTO SF12 fan is really meant for system cooling. Read more “Akasa OTTO SF12: Anti-vibration membrane, wavy blades and IP68”
It could have been a very good, affordable fan with lighting. Moreover, the SickleFlow 120 ARB rotor design is efficient, at an excellent level, but all the good features are killed by one thing – an extremely noisy motor. It’s so noisy that a return trip from the factory output control would be appropriate. And it’s not just your everyday whir that you hear only from centimeters away. No one will ever miss this sound. Read more “Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB: If not for the horrible rattling…”
There are situations where standard 25 mm fans will not fit. Even the 120 mm format therefore offers lower alternatives. The first thing that naturally comes to mind is that such fans mean a trade-off in cooling efficiency. However, this may not be true and the hassle of thinking about how to fit a thicker fan inside may even be quite unnecessary. A well-designed rotor can achieve fully-fledged results when compared to a thicker rotor, even if it is slimmer. Read more “Alphacool SL-15 PWM: Low profile does not equal low airflow”
We watched the Arctic BioniX F120’s behaviour during tests with our jaws dropped. First of all, because in some situations it really has top efficiency, and at a low price of around ten euros. But that’s how it excels in theoretical applications where nothing stands in it’s way. When it works with a filter, grille or radiator, the magic of the BioniX is gone. Such a significant turnaround is unique and fascinating. Read more “Arctic BioniX F120: The efficient fan that loses to obstacles”
Every SilverStone Air Penetrator series fan includes an aerodynamic grille on the exhaust. This is firmly attached to the frame, but can be forcibly removed. The AP123 fan has gone through such a process and we will demonstrate the benefits of this grille. Whether it is good or bad cannot be noted briefly, but the way SilverStone communicates it to the public is again a bit unfortunate and misleading. Read more “We cut the grille out of the Air Penetrator. Better than the original?”
We have tested a dust filter that combines the best features of plastic and nylon filters. It has high mechanical resistance, is easy to clean and yet also has low restrictiveness, so it does not significantly change the sound of the fan and does not increase its noise level. Compared to plastic filters, it does not even “hiss”. This addition thus extends the database of results with the latest type of dust filter, one with a metal grille. Read more “Akasa metal filter beat the “plastics” in tests by a good chunk”
A harsh headline, but a fair one. We always try to find mostly good things when testing, but sometimes it’s tricky. That’s the case here, where SilverStone is misleading its customers. The grille doesn’t significantly increase noise? We have no sympathy for hoaxes like this. Especially when it’s all “well thought out” and staged. Such practices do not shed a good light on the combination of three different blade shapes, which actually has something to it. Read more “The AP123 or how SilverStone’s been fooling people for years”
In this test, we’ll take a look at Noctua’s anticipated first representative and how it ranks next to other fans. We’ll start from the bottom with the most affordable one from this Austrian company. It should be noted that Noctua views this class of fans slightly differently than other brands, and has the base perched very high. However, there is one BUT, which is rather insignificant, but still “lifted some people out of their chairs”. Read more “Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM: Not every low-end is the same”
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