We've come a long way since the first case-fans. High noise air pushers were introduced by YS-Tech, Delta and others to help us drop the case temperature. It didn't take long for some people to start experiencing hearing problems.
With all these fans running at full speed is what only a matter of time for someone to step up and provide solutions for slowing them down and killing the noise. The Rheobus was first introduced to attack this problem, later-on had fans equipped with a Rheobus and finally newer generations support temperature sensitive fans.
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Specs :Today they've send us an advanced 92mm fan, this is no ordinary run of the mill product, but a fully researched and refined piece of craftsmanship. Why do I say this?
The
AcoustiFan product line combines several popular "fan mods" into one, delivering good CFM (Cubic Feet/Minute air moved) at very low dBA (decibel sound levels).
Rotation speed: 1400-2000 RPM
Air volume throughput: 26.7-41.7 CFM
Noise: 18.2-25.9 dBA (to find out how silent this is click here)
Connector: 3-pin motherboard
This fan comes is a compact white box and contains everything needed to hook it up to your PC as long as you have a free 3-pin connector on your motherboard. The package would have been 100% complete if they also included a 3-to-4 pin adapter.
AcoustiFan
4x Gel mounts and Screws
Low-Speed resistor
Installation :
Last year I installed a Melvine Rheobus to slow down a noisy Papst 92mm fan. Although this effectively reduced the sound generated the high CFM fan, I had an idea I could make the PC even more silent. I removed my side panel and looked inside, this PC is located in a "high traffic" area of the house and it basically served as a dust-magnet:
Doesn't look too tasty now
So out with the old, in with the new:
Since this is a home-made suck-hole I had to improvise with the installation of the "Anti Vibration Gel Mounts". Officially they should be seated in the mounting holes:
I placed them between the case panel and the fan and ended up with this:
Next up there is the question of placing the thermal sensor and whether or not you want to use the extra Low-Speed resistor pass through. This extension drops the voltage to the fan from 12v to 6.5v, reducing the max CFM to 15.6. As I wanted to have a really, really silent system I used the Low-Speed resistor and placed the thermal sensor between the fins of the Northbridge heatsink.
Looks ::
If you have a modded case then this FAN will nicely accommodate it with its clear blades and textured plastic exterior
Testing ::
Time for some action, I booted the system and waited for the sound of a spinning fan... with the low-speed resistor this fan spins at ~890rpm (according to the Asus fan header readout) and is virtually silent. I went straight into the BIOS checked the "System Health" page and let it sit there for a few moments.
As the inside of the case became hotter the fan slowly increased its rotation speed (movie), as advertised.
Sound-wise this fan surely beats my costly Papst fan, but does it keep the system cool?
Here are the parameters and result of my tests last year which haven't changed since:
The Tech. info:
- P4 1.8@2.55Ghz – vcore: 1.6v
- Standard Intel cooler
- Room temp: 21°C
- Running Folding@Home
Rheobus + Papst (minimal setting)
Mobo temp: 32°C
CPU temp under load: 55°C
Rheobus + Papst (maximal setting)
Mobo temp: 30°C
CPU temp under load: 52°C
AcoustiFan with low-speed resistor
Mobo temp: 31°C
CPU temp under load: 54°C
Conclusion
The AcoustiFan combines the best proven sound reducing technologies into one fine product. Thermal sensor, anti vibration mounts and a good balance between CFM and dBA. This clear plastic fan is of high quality and can keep your system running cool without sacrificing silence.
Throw out those Rheobusses and fan controllers because these temp-controlled fans are self-intelligent!
PRO
Extremely silent
Good looks
CON
Missing a 3-to-4 pin power converter to make this bundle complete
I would like to thank Dave from QuietPC for sending us this fine product, check out their website for howto's on silencing your PC even further!
Questions/Comments: Forum thread