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”
Can you guess how big the difference in vibration can be between the “best” and “worst” piece of the inexpensive Endorfy Stratus 120 PWM fan? We’ll take a look at this in the future, and your job will be to guess as accurately as possible. As a reward, whoever comes closest to the correct answer will receive any “cooling” product from Endorfy. In the case of smaller items, the prize can also be made up of multiple items. Read more “Guess a fan vibration variance and win anything Endorfy”
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”
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”
In the next fan test there will be a model for which many of you have been waiting for a long time. It will be quite easy to recognize it even from the photo, which reveals only a small part of it, a detail. Everyone who writes us what fan it is will be entered into a draw for one big pack of them. And it’s really worth entering, there aren’t many more attractive options in the 120mm fan field (and we’ve exhausted all the hints with this one). Read more “The next fan in our test database will be… can you guess?”
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)”
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”
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”
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”
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”
“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”
An older, even old, but still relevant fan. The selection among cheaper, 140mm models is quite small and when you look at the design of the Silent R3, it looks quite good at first glance, even technically. Moreover, it is a slower-speed fan, which doesn’t automatically mean that it avoids resonant frequencies, but it does promise to run rather quietly. And at those lower noise levels, also an attractive price/cooling performance ratio. Read more “Fractal Design Silent R3 140 mm: Low speed, “no” vibration”
The biggest shortcoming of Arctic’s original P-series fans is the rumbling sound profile. The manufacturer realized this and decided to do something about it. Sensibly, by implementing a hoop to eliminate the critical vibrations that are the source of the annoying acoustic profile. The implementation turned out well, and already the P12 A-RGB shows how much quieter it is compared to the older P12 model. And the list of improvements doesn’t end there. Read more “Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB: Hoop? Anti-rumble rescue”
Pressure here, pressure there. Omitting the adjective and not clearly specifying what type of pressure is being referred to can lead to all sorts of misunderstandings. Especially when in fan terminology, the word pressure is usually associated with static pressure. Not infrequently, however, dynamic or total pressure is meant. Complicated? Not really, you just need to be clear about what is being talked about and learn to read between the lines a bit. Read more “Dynamic pressure. How does it relate to other fan parameters?”
Low-profile fans are a special category, but sometimes they are unavoidable in more confined spaces. For technical reasons, it’s always about compromises compared to more respectable fans of normal thickness, but their weight can vary. If the Arctic P12 Slim and Alphacool SL-15 don’t fit your needs, the Scythe Kaze Flex II 120 Slim may be the closest thing to what you’re looking for. Read more “Scythe Kaze Flex II 120 Slim: Well balanced SFF fan”
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