SilverStone AP81, FW81, FQ81, FM84 Review

While having a competent CPU cooler is great, as it allows most users to rest easy in knowing that the "brain" of their computer is nice and cooled, keeping the temperature around the aforementioned cooler as low as possible is also extremely important.

Managing temperatures inside computer cases is not always a simple process, especially when small form factor cases are thrown into the mix, while in your typical mid-tower or full-tower case you can easily move components and fans around in order to keep everything going smoothly, in cases designed for HTPCs for example, that same luxury is not always present. Choosing the correct and most effective fans is key if you want to have any sort of success when cooling your miniature systems.

Today, we're going to take a look at four SilverStone options for cooling your "wee" computers, the AP81, FW81, FQ81 and finally the FM84.

While the four products we're reviewing today differ in appearance from one another, in terms of packaging they are basically the same. All of them come tucked inside some see-through plastic that does a decent job of protecting the fans, there's also a sheet of cardboard that reveals not only the product's name but also its main features. I'm not a big fan (puns ahoy!) of plastic enclosures, they tend to be a pain to open and you can't exactly reuse them like you can with a cardboard box.

Bundled with the fans you will find quite a few extras, this is nice to see, especially when you take under consideration how affordable these cooling solutions from SilverStone are (7-10€). The FM84 model in particular is quite nice since it includes a helpful fan controller. Aside from that you will also find your typical screws and rubber washers to help reduce vibrations even further and a four pin to molex adapter.

The fans themselves have a nice weighty feel to them, this lends a sense of sturdiness and stability to these 80mm cooling solutions. They are also color coded, this way you can easily discern which fan is which and it aids the enthusiastic builder keeping the colors within their machines properly matched.

Besides being a lot more solid than what you might expect from such an affordable product, the blades also have three different designs to them ("mixed fan blade design"), according to SilverStone this reduces noise frequency.*

Aside from the differences in colors and cable sleeving, the design of the fans is pretty much the same. The only exception being the AP81 that has an air channeling grille, this gives the air flow a narrower path, making it more effective when cooling a single component is the objective.

Regarding the aforementioned cable sleeving, it would have been nice to see all four models come with it, unfortunately only the FQ81 brings that to the table.

Functionality-wise, all of them - exception once again being the AP81 - feel very similar both in terms of airflow and noise. But, as we can see from the table shown below, the FM84 can go a bit further in terms of cooling performance, while the AP81 is stuck at 3000 RPM which produces 30dB of noise. Finally, both the FQ81 and FW81 have the added value of a PWM connector, allowing them to adjust their speed automatically.

Another major difference between the four models is their bearings, both the AP81 and FM84 have your typical sleeve bearing, meaning silent operation as long as the lubricant holds. The FW81 has a long life sleeve bearing, which one assumes it's an improved version of the normal sleeve bearing. The FQ81 presents itself as the superior option with its fluid dynamic bearing, this may also explain why the FQ81 is the only version with sleeved cables.

Model	Speed	Airflow	Noise (dBA)	Life-Time (Hrs)	Bearings
AP81	3000	29.5	30	25000	Sleeve
FM84	1500~3500	15~36.87	18.1~34.8	25000	Sleeve
FQ81	1200~2800	12~27.53	15~28.5	50000	Fluid Dynamic
FW81	1200~3000	12~29.5	15.3~30	40000	Long-Life Sleeve

Final Thoughts

With more and more HTPCs and other forms of small computers inhabiting not only our offices but also our living rooms, size and silence become two of the most important factors when building a machine.

Since their RPM's don't need to be as high, keeping a 120 or 140mm fan silent is a much simpler process than doing the same with an 80mm model. Fortunately SilverStone did a fine job in keeping these fans silent, for the most part at least. At higher speeds they are noisy, and considering the speed adjusting limitations of the AP81, I wouldn't recommend it over the others unless you have a very specific purpose for it.

I would recommend the FQ81 for most builds, in very specific cases, I can also see the FM84 being somewhat useful. At the end of the day though, choosing the right fan for your system depends on what you want to do and your own personal preferences and priorities.

The Good

+Different colors

+Good airflow

+Various configurations

+Well built

+Fan controller (FM84 only)

+Price

The Bad

-Lack of cable sleeving (exception being the FQ81)

-Noisy at higher speeds

*Edit: The mixed fan blade design does not affect the fans airflow.

Thanks to SilverStone for providing the review samples

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Arctic F12 Pro PWM PST Review

When it comes to building your computer, sometimes saving a bit of cash on the cooling options, might cost you big later down the line. With this idea in mind, today we have for review the F12 Pro PWM PST, a very simple cooling product from Arctic that has a few somewhat original features that distinguishes it from the competition.

Starting by taking a look at the packaging, the F12 comes inside a plain white box with a picture on the front and lots of technical specifications on the back. Nothing fancy but it does the job of both protecting the fan and informing the customer.

Opening the box reveals only a few items bundled with the fan, a small plastic bag with screws to secure the fan into place and a small manual. Again, nothing too fancy but more than enough to satisfy the needs of most consumers, especially when you consider the 7.99€ price tag.

The fan itself, besides looking a bit more extravagant than most other options currently on the market, is also constructed and structured in a different fashion. What I mean by this is that the actual fan is not directly attached to the square-shaped plastic structure, instead, it's suspended from the center of the guard-like structure that Arctic has implemented. Both of these structures are connected through four rubber grommets meant to keep vibrations at bay.

While this type of construction does effectively reduce noise and vibrations, it also makes the F12 a bit limited when it comes to versatility. For starters and because of the way the F12 is designed, it can only work as an exhaust fan (unless you can hook it up to the outside of your computer case), the protection for the blades sticks out and prevents it from being mounted the other way around. It's also quite thick (37.5mm), meaning that if you're working in tight spaces the F12 might not be the ideal choice.

Performance-wise, the F12 Pro is quite effective at removing hot air from inside your case and doing it quietly, during testing, the fan remained pretty much inaudible for most of the time.

Final Thoughts

Keeping up with their tradition when it comes to cooling options, Arctic has once again delivered a great quality product that, compatibility issues aside, is a good choice if you're on the market looking for an affordable and high-quality solution for keeping your computer cool. Keep in mind though, that in most cases it can only work as an exhaust fan.

The Good
+Silent
+Good performance
+Price
+Unique design

The Bad
-Compatibility
-Thick
-Exhaust only (in most cases)

Thanks to Arctic for providing the review sample

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DeepCool UF140 Review

Today I am going to review for you guys the DeepCool UF140 case/psu fan.
DeepCool is a company that I actually didn't know all that well, so when I got the chance to review their product my surprise was almost immediate thanks to a very attractive visual design and color scheme (it actually kinda matches NRLB color scheme!).
After a bit of research I discovered that DeepCool was originally founded back in 1996 and since then their main goal and objective has been to provide thermal solutions to customers all over the world.
Just a curious fact about the actual name of the company, DeepCool was inspired by Deep Blue, you know, the program that beat Gary Kasparov.

Like I already mentioned, the UF140 can be used either for cooling your computer case or a power supply, this last option I didn't had the chance to try out so I can't really say how competent the fan will be in that role.
This 140mm fan comes packed in a very sleek and minimalist white box that also features a small window on the side that allows possible buyers to take a look at the actual product before buying it. I feel this was a smart move by DeepCool as the fan is visually attractive and will certainly draw the attention of some system builders out there. Besides the window, a few technical specifications and features are listed all over the box.

The fan blades present themselves in a bright and charming blue that goes really well with the gray/beige color of the frame. Each blade also has three small "wings" that improve the aesthetics and only the aesthetics of the product (especially when they are spinning).
The wire and four-pin connector are black which is great, just a shame to see that the adapters included in the package by DeepCool didn't receive the same treatment, small details like this are what set this sort of product apart from the competition, in a future revision of the UF140 we would like to see this fixed.
Four anti-vibration mounting pins are also included in the package.

The actual build quality of the fan feels OK, it's definitely one of the most heavy fans I tried so far (+/- 170g), still it's far from being the most sturdy. The UF140 frame flexes a bit, nothing special and never during my testing period did the fan rattle or felt like it could break.
According to DeepCool this frame is built out of TPE or Thermoplastic Elastomer, supposedly this will greatly diminish the amount of vibrations caused by the UF140.

The actual cooling performance of the fan is pretty good, it's actually an improvement over the 140mm Cooler Master fan that it replaced. The four pin connector grants control over the RPM of the blades which is always a plus.
In terms of noise the UF140 is indeed very silent, even at higher speeds the decibels produced were relatively low.

Final Thoughts
The DeepCool UF140 is a very charming and stylish fan, the extravagant blue combined with the nice design of the blades and the black cable make the UF140 one of the better looking fans on the market.
It's also a very silent fan that performs somewhat above average, it never caused any sort of vibrations or weird noises during the time we had it for testing, this was something that I liked to see as the strength of the frame didn't feel all that solid.
Unfortunately DeepCool does little to set itself apart from the competition, aside from the attractive look, the UF140 never really shines. The high price (around $20) that at the time of this review we encountered on Amazon keeps the UF140 from getting our full recommendation, but if you can find it on the cheap by all means pick it up.

The Good
-Attractive colors and design
-Silent
-Decent performance

The Bad
-High price
-Adapters lack visual consistency
-Frame sturdiness

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Noctua NF-S12A Review

Noctua is a company from Austria that's been around for almost ten years now, they're mainly known for their computer cooling solutions, particularly very silent and efficient fans.

Noctua is also synonym of quality and cutting-edge technology as their products are constantly being revised and updated to provide the user with the best experience possible.

The product we have for you today is Noctua's third generation S12 case fans, the first generation of fans from this family came out somewhere around 2006, since then Noctua has been improving the design and integrating new technologies into the frames and blades of their fans.

The NF-S12A fans actually come in three somewhat different versions, the PWM, the ULN and finally the FLX. While these three versions look pretty much the same and the tech behind them is also very similar, their RPM's and packaging content differ.

• NF-S12A PWM - 900/1200 RPM (automatic speed control)
• NF-S12A FLX - 700/900/1200 RPM
• NF-S12A ULN - 600/800 RPM

The S12 series quiet case fans come equipped with an improved blade design that has a few "Anti-Stall Knobs", these little knobs near the blades edges keep them from stalling due to their "high angle of attack", this means more efficiency at lower speeds.

Working in tandem with the knobs is the sturdy AAO frame or "Advanced Acoustic Optimisation Frame", according to Noctua, the anti-vibration pads on both sides of the AAO frame combined with the "Stepped Inlet Design" and "Inner Surface Microstructures" refine even further the S12 series performance, both in terms of noise and airflow.

For those of you who are not super scientists and may not know what all these technologies mean, they basically improve the S12 series in various ways, for example the "Stepped Intel Design" are a sort of mini-stairs on the side of the frame, they are there to reduce the overall noise and increase the airflow. The "Inner Surface Microstructures" are small fissures located on the inside of the frame, they help reduce the blades passive noise, improve airflow and static efficiency.

Moving on to the actual appearance of the S12 case fans you can expect to encounter a visual design very similar to other Noctua products, meaning that the traditional and extremely subtle brown and beige color scheme is back, giving these fans a unique look when you compare them to the competition.

This solid and discreet appearance is intentional and shows that Noctua is targeting a more mature audience with their products, personally I think they nailed it.

Advancing to the packaging contents you can expect to find within each box a few common items like 4x Fan Screws, 4x Anti-Vibration Rubber Mounts and 1x Braided Extension Cable.

On a more particular note each of the versions comes packed with some unique cables (all of them braided):

• NF-S12A PWM - 1x Y-Cable, 1x Low-Noise Adaptor
• NF-S12A ULN - 1x Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor, 1x 3:4-Pin Adaptor
• NF-S12A FLX - 1x Low-Noise Adaptor, 1x Ultra-Low-Noise Adaptor, 1x 3:4-Pin Adaptor

The boxes themselves are surprisingly well designed, with a velcro sealed door on each side of the package and a lot of information regarding the product you are about to buy on the inside of those doors.

It's actually pretty impressive how Noctua managed to shove so much info regarding the new features and specifications of each fan on such a small box.

After testing the fans I can say that I am really impressed, when compared to Cooler Master and Thermaltake fans they were able to maintain the same temperatures while running at much lower speeds, meaning that in terms of acoustic performance the S12 fans completely blow the competition out of the water.

At the time of this review the NF-S12A fans were priced at around $20 on Amazon, which is a slightly higher value than most other 120mm fans, but still a very acceptable price, especially if you consider that Noctua offers a 6 year warranty period and a MTBF of 150,000 hours.

Final Thoughts

This company from Austria seems to have done it once again, with each new incarnation of their products the Noctua name gets closer and closer to becoming an official synonym for performance and innovation, from their detailed and well designed boxes to the excellent build quality of their fans, everything is planned and executed with an extremely high attention to each and every detail.

We definitely recommend the Noctua NF-S12A fans for anyone interested in a reliable and silent cooling solution.

The Good

-Excellent build quality

-Excellent acoustic performance

-Good temperature performance
-6 Year Warranty

-Braided Cables

The Bad

-Color scheme is not for everyone

Thanks to Noctua for providing the review samples

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