With
the modern processor hitting temperatures in excess of 50C under
load, heatsinks have gotten bigger, and fans getting louder. These
loud fans are the result of the incredible CFM most of them put
out, and although they do the job well, the noise can be unbearable
for some. There are lower RPM fans available, which are more or
less silent, but the paltry airflow that usually accompanies it
doesn't make for the friendliest overclocking environment.
Thermal
controlled fans are really nothing new. There are several manufacturers
producing them, and the Vantec Thermoflow is just another. The
question is, what separates Vantec's fans from the others? Before
we begin, here are the specifications ripped right off their site...
Right
off the bat, we can see that Vantec's temperature range is a little
more forgiving than others. Starting at 25C, the fan starts to
speed up until it levels off at 50C. Up until recently, I would
have said that the 50C is a little high, as I wouldn't think most
cases would reach that temperature. However, I recently acquired
a Shuttle XPC SS51, which is a small form factor PC. After loading
it up with all my equipment, I realized that cooling is actually
a concern with this case.
The
Fan
Although
we received several case fans of various sizes, I'm going to be
focussing the review on the 80mm fan. All the fans are similar
in design, save for the size differences.
I
was a little surprised that a 4 pin molex connection is required,
as the fan doesn't really draw a lot of power. A fan monitor connection
is included so that you can keep an eye on the fan speed if you
so desire.
Pictured
above is the sensor. Like the Thermaltake Smart Fan, I don't really
feel that this is the best position for it as the sensor isn't
really in the "hot" areas. Scott
@ ClubOC commented that the fan probably wouldn't make a good
intake fan. I'd have to agree as the cooler air being drawn into
the case would never allow for the fan to spin at the higher RPM
levels. The fan would be better suited for exhaust or perhaps
a silent heatsink application.
Testing
and Final Words
Like
I mentioned earlier, testing was done on a Shuttle XPC SS51. Along
with the 2.4GHz CPU, we've added a 7200rpm HDD, a GeForce 4 Ti4600
and a 24X Plextor. No joke, system temperatures regularly hit
52C. Now, I am going to have to investigate this a little closer,
but the system does come stock with a relatively slow spinning
fan. With the Vantec Thermoflow, case temperatures were a little
better at 49C. Noise levels were acceptable, but it is noticably
louder than the stock solution.
We
also tested the Thermoflow on an Athlon 1700+/Swiftech heatsink.
Previously, the combination was equipped with a Thermaltake Smart
Fan 2. Load temperatures after 20 minutes of Prime95 were 49C.
With the Thermoflow, temperatures were unchanged, although the
Thermoflow ran much quieter.
As
you've probably guessed, we were fairly satisfied with the Thermoflow.
I do think that Vantec should redesign the fan so that it reaches
it's maximum RPM at a lower temperature. In the Shuttle PC, the
fan was running near maximum capacity (3346 RPM), and wasn't loud
enough to be a distraction to me. The price is right as well.
I've spotted them in local retail stores for about 18$ Canadian,
which is only about 5$ more than generic, and 2$ cheaper than
Thermaltake's solutions.
Pros:
Fairly priced, decent performance, not terribly noisy.
Cons:
Peak speeds require case temperatures higher than most people
will likely never achieve.
Bottom
Line: This isn't the best performing fan I've used, but it
wasn't designed to be a 80cfm monster. It is the best thermal
controlled fan we've tested thus far though.
If you have any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
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