Almost every case these days come with case windows.
From entry level cases to the more expensive high end models,
it's rare to find one without a case window. The whole point of
these windows would be to show your gear off, but unless you do
something about the lighting, all people are going to see is a
dark interior with a bunch of shadows cast behind it.
Cold cathode fluorescent lit (CCFLs) tubes are nothing
new, as modders have been using them for years. UV reactive CCFLs
have also been around for quite some time, though they are relatively
new when looked at in respect to the age of standard CCFLs. Nowadays,
you're seeing more UV reactive products hit the market as more
and more users want to show off their PC's hardware through the
window.
Today we'll be looking at a number of UV products
from Ultra
Products. We'll be taking a look at some UV CCFLs, as well
as their 80mm fans. Outside of our general opinions, we'll be
testing the fans for their cooling performance.
First up are the CCFLs and the UV reactive case
fans. The first set of CCFLs is the Dual
12 Cold Cathode UV Light Kit, which are a couple of the standard
straight tube variety.
The tube measures 12" long, and is slender
enough to fit in the majority of cases. You only need about 1/2"
of clearance for installation, which is accomplished by some double
sided tape on opposite ends of the tube. One side of the tape
is already pre-applied, so simply peel the other end, and stick
it into the case. You'll want to make sure you plan where you're
putting these ahead of time, as the tape is pretty sticky, and
removing the tube afterwards will need to be done with some care.
The second set of tubes we have are the 80mm
Round Light Kit CCFLs. These are to be installed on any 80mm
fan, which in most cases would be the case fan or CPU fan. Four
screws are included, so installation is as easy as installing
a fan grill. I should point out that these tubes will end up being
aligned flush with the fan. If you have a snap-mount for the fan,
such as those found in the Dragon case we reviewed earlier, where
it only accepts 25mm deep fans, you should not install these tubes.
What will happen is the fan will no longer fit. If the fan is
screwed into the case directly, you will have no problems.
All of Ultra's UV CCFL kits include a box that the CCFLs plug
into. The box is no larger than a couple AA batteries, and can
be attached anywhere within the case.
You plug in the CCFLs into one end of the box (a maximum of two
CCFLs), and a Molex power tap into the other end. This power tap
is connected to the expansion-slot rocker power switch which screws
into a free PCI backpanel.
We also received a number of 80mm
UV Reactive Translucent Fans. The fans are rated at 2500rpm,
and move about 33cfm. In terms of noise, they are not very loud,
and actually quieter than the fan on our ASUS X600XT video card.
The noise rating is 29.8dB. One problem I had with the fans
was that there was no indication of the airflow direction. In
case you're unaware, rounded portion of the fins is where the
air comes from, therefore as an exhaust fan, that should be
pointed at the inside of the case. Little directional arrows
would have made this less complicated.
To give an idea of the cooling performance, we
matched three of them up against some Aeroflow 80mm fans, which
offers similar specifications. We'll also be tossing in a Vantec
Tornado into the mix. The test setup is identical to our Dragon
case review.
| |
CPU
|
Chassis
|
| Ultra UV |
54
|
34
|
| Aeroflow
LED |
54
|
34
|
| Vantec Tornado |
52
|
30
|
You won't see much a performance difference unless
you're comparing it to fans rated with a higher (or lower) CFM
rating. The Tornado, as expected, is the best performer, but
it is easily the loudest (especially when running three of them).
Final Words
All of the UV products worked as advertised, and
it's hard to rate them in some ways as it's ultimately going
to be up to the buyer if UV products is something they are going
to need. Let's look at them according to category.
The UV light kits are easy to install, and will
fit in a number of cases due to the compact size. The straight
CCFLs go for about $20
online, which ends up making them one of the more expensive
light tubes on the market. Vantec has 12" CCFLs as well,
and they are about 1/4
of the price. I have not found a competing product for the
round tubes, so the $20 may be worth it if you'd like to pick
them up.
The UV fans did not disappoint, though they did
not really stand out either. Ultra's UV fans go
for about $9, which places them in the upper range in pricing.
Again, there are cheaper choices, and many of which are brand
names. Cooling performance was as expected, and the fans are
very quiet. These fans are no replacements for more powerful
ones such as the Tornado, but those aren't the fans these are
meant to replace. Our only complaint is the lack of the air
direction indicators.
Pros: Looks great all lit up. UV fans are
quiet.
Cons: Products are generally more expensive
than the competition. No air direction indicators on the fans.
Bottom Line: Ultra Products' UV line is
in line with the competitions when it comes to quality and UV
reactiveness. Everything is brightly lit once the UV lights
are turned on. Ultimately, it's going to come down to price
and availability, not to mention if UV-based products is something
you desire.
If
you have any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.
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