More and faster blades, BeQuiet! Pure Wings 3 (BL113)

BeQuiet! Pure Wings 3 (BL113) in detail

Go for the variant with nine longer blades or seven shorter blades? That’s the question we’ll tackle in this test of the Pure Wings 3 140mm fan. In addition to the different geometries, you can also choose between different speed ranges with differently placed maximums. The high-speed variant has the upper hand, as expected, when it comes to needing to achieve the highest possible airflow. But it also excels in other situations.

Evaluation

The nine-blade Pure Wings 3 (BL113) makes sense in systems where its slower variants (with seven blades) aren’t enough. Due to lower adjustable speeds, which result in lower airflow, or cooling performance. Thus, it can be said that it pushes the boundaries of the Pure Wings 3 with fewer blades. However, if the goal is quiet operation at the speeds achieved by a slower variant of the PW3 (BL108 or BL107) as well, it is often more sensible to reach for those. In fact, it has a higher airflow at comparable noise levels, even through radiators. But we’ve always seen a higher airflow with the high-speed variant, which also scores higher with a plastic filter. With unreinforced nylon filters, expect the mesh to collide with the impeller, as with many other 140 mm fans.

More important than the micro comparison with the second of the pair of possible Pure Wings 3 geometries, however, is how this fan stacks up against competing solutions. Off the top of our minds, we can consider the Arctic P14 Max selling for similar money. The latter has the upper hand virtually in all cases, as long as both fans can be slowed down to a comparable noise level. For example, the Pure Wings 3 (BL113) has a 9-21% lower airflow through radiators across the entire noise spectrum. The BeQuiet! fan is significantly slower after normalizing to the same noise level. This shows well how efficient Arctic’s 5-blade designs are, and that more blades also means more noise. That’s natural, but in this case it’s alongside a lower airflow. Also compared to the Endorfy Fluctus 140 PWM, another fan competing on price, the operation of the 9-blade Pure Wings 3 is characterized by a lower airflow.

One thing is the airflow and another is the acoustic profile. Compared to the aforementioned fans from Arctic and Endorfy the Pure Wings 3 (BL113) has relatively “the most pleasant one”. In other words, it doesn’t have the significant peaks in the lower frequency range that usually accompany cheaper fans. The “rumbly” tonal peaks tend to be lower even compared to the 7-blade black variant.

In this price range, the super-low vibration of the PW3 (BL113) is also noteworthy. The likelihood of further noise increase by causing vibration of the case or cooler is quite small. If we were running a “airflow to vibrations coefficient”, this BeQuiet! fan would be very high in the rankings. Compared to the Arctic P14 Max, one of its strongest competitors, the Pure Wings 3 (we’re still talking about the BL113 variant under test) also has the advantage of lower minimum speeds. These are stable from about 360 rpm (versus about 900 rpm for the P14 Max). On the other hand, the maximum airflow of the Pure Wings 3 is significantly (approx. 30%) lower and the Endorfy Fluctus 140 PWM is also better in this regard with a higher maximum airflow at simultaneously lower noise levels.

We see the biggest sense in prioritizing the Pure Wings 3 (BL113) over the aforementioned competing fans in the more acceptable acoustic profile and in lower vibrations. And then some may also find the BeQuiet! fan’s speed range, which starts at lower and quieter rpm compared to the P14 Max, as more attractive. Although at lower speeds, the Pure Wings 3 with fewer, larger blades – the BL112 – is usually a more sensible choice if you’re looking for a fan in white. That (the white design) is also one of the selling points.

The aforementioned fans from a similar price range are only available in black/dark and the choice is much narrower among the white ones. If you limit yourself to white fans only, the Pure Wings (BL113) will be one of the most effective in terms of cooling performance across a variety of use cases. So while the 7-blade variant is more efficient for quieter operation, in systems optimized for higher cooling performance, which is associated with higher speeds, the 9-blade BL113 is worth considering. And that’s also in terms of exceptionally low vibrations.

The BeQuiet! Pure Wings 3 (BL113) is a fairly efficient 140mm fan that can be considered a good choice especially in the context of the above-standard airflow, if alongside which the higher operating noise is not a big deal. Especially if you welcome the lower price, which is around 11 EUR.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• BeQuiet! Pure Wings 3 (BL113) in detail
• Overview of manufacturer specifications
• Basis of the methodology, the wind tunnel
• Mounting and vibration measurement
• Initial warm-up and speed recording
• Base 6 equal noise levels…
• ... and sound color (frequency characteristic)
• Measurement of static pressure…
• … and of airflow
• Everything changes with obstacles
• How we measure power draw and motor power
• Measuring the intensity (and power draw) of lighting
• Results: Speed
• Results: Airlow w/o obstacles
• Results: Airflow through a nylon filter
• Results: Airflow through a plastic filter
• Results: Airflow through a hexagonal grille
• Results: Airflow through a thinner radiator
• Results: Airflow through a thicker radiator
• Results: Static pressure w/o obstacles
• Results: Static pressure through a nylon filter
• Results: Static pressure through a plastic filter
• Results: Static pressure through a hexagonal grille
• Results: Static pressure through a thinner radiator
• Results: Static pressure through a thicker radiator
• Results: Static pressure, efficiency depending on orientation
• Reality vs. specifications
• Results: Frequency response of sound w/o obstacles
• Results: Frequency response of sound with a dust filter
• Results: Frequency response of sound with a hexagonal grille
• Results: Frequency response of sound with a radiator
• Results: Vibration, in total (3D vector length)
• Results: Vibration, X-axis
• Results: Vibration, Y-axis
• Results: Vibration, Z-axis
• Results: Power draw (and motor power)
• Results: Cooling performance per watt, airflow
• Results: Cooling performance per watt, static pressure
• Airflow per euro
• Static pressure per euro
• Results: Lighting – LED luminance and power draw
• Results: LED to motor power draw ratio
• Evaluation