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NEXUS REAL SILENT CASE FAN DF1209SL-3
Ambient noise at the time of testing was 18 dBA.
| Brand |
Nexus |
Power Rating |
0.25A / 0.96W |
| Manufacturer |
Dynatron |
Airflow Rating |
27 CFM |
| Model Number |
DF1209-SL3 |
RPM Rating |
1,500 RPM |
| Retail Availability |
Yes |
Noise Rating |
19.2 dBA |
| Bearing Type |
Sleeve |
Header Type |
3-pin & Molex |
| Hub Size |
1.30" |
Starting Voltage |
2.4V |
| Frame Size |
92 x 92 x 25 mm |
Number of Samples |
3 |
|
Our thanks to EndPC Noise for supplying these
samples.
|
|
Voltage
|
Noise
|
RPM
|
CFM
|
Power
|
|
12V
|
21 dBA@1m
|
1380 RPM
|
28 CFM
|
0.87W
|
|
9V
|
19 dBA@1m
|
1060 RPM
|
22 CFM
|
0.68W
|
|
7V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
820 RPM
|
17 CFM
|
0.57W
|
|
5V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
570 RPM
|
11 CFM
|
0.45W
|
|
@15 CFM (6.8V)
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
790 RPM
|
15 CFM
|
0.55W
|
May 5, 2008
The updated airflow results here are the result of improvements
in our testing procedures. They are more accurate than the original results
above, but they are not directly comparable. Please compare these only with
fan reviews published after May 5, 2008 — or ones that have updated
results published in a box like this one. |
|
12V
|
21 dBA@1m
|
1380 RPM
|
19 CFM
|
0.87W
|
|
9V
|
19 dBA@1m
|
1110 RPM
|
15 CFM
|
0.68W
|
|
7V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
890 RPM
|
11 CFM
|
0.57W
|
|
5V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
620 RPM
|
8 CFM
|
0.45W
|
|
@15 CFM (9.0V)
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
1110 RPM
|
15 CFM
|
0.68W
|
Nexus fans are quiet. They're so quiet that, for a few years now, they've appeared
in our reviews as "reference" fans, the standard against which other
fans are judged. The 92mm version has the same smooth, low freqency noise character
as its brothers, and it disappears easily into the ambient noise when undervolted.
In SPCR's test lab, this disappearing point is around 8V, judged from a listening
distance of one meter.
At full tilt, the noise level of the Nexus 92 is acceptable for most users
— the ones who don't obsess over noise and can accept a fan that is quiet
but not silent. There is a small amount of motor hum, but it is so quiet that
it may be drowned out by other sources of noise in the system. This motor noise
drops off almost immediately below 12V, and the only noise from 8~11V is a low
growl that just lets you know the fan is spinning. As noted already, it is effectively
inaudible below 8V.
The Nexus is affected very little by orientation, which is a bit unusual for fan with sleeve bearings.
The rotation speed did not vary appreciably whether the fan was blowing up,
down, or sideways. Our usual caution is that sleeve bearings tend to be less tolerant of heat than ball bearings, and is usually not an ideal choice for a hot, heavily-used processor. However, sleeve breaing vary considerably in their design details and execution, and we have no way to ascertain longevity and heat resistance. We can say that a handful of 92mm Nexus samples have been in sporadic use in the lab for some time (read: at least a year or two), and no significant degradation or failure has come to any of them.
The starting voltage for our test sample was an impressively low 2.4V. We can't
imagine why anyone would use such a low voltage, but it does make for a very
flexible fan. A fan that starts at 3V could potentially be powered by a pair
of AA batteries. We leave it to you to find a use for such a fan...
The only real question mark surrounding the Nexus is sample variance. Our look
at the 120mm Nexus revealed that some samples were definitely better than others,
although the 92mm comes from a different manufacturer. We looked at a total of three different
samples, one of which sounded slightly different from the others: It produced
a faint ticking that was absent in the other samples. The ticking was minor
enough that most people are unlikely to notice, but it does make us wonder whether
the fans could become noisier with time.
Noise Recordings
FANDER FX92-W
Ambient noise at the time of testing was 18 dBA.
| Brand |
Fander |
Power Rating |
0.15A / 1.8W |
| Manufacturer |
Unknown |
Airflow Rating |
15~35 CFM |
| Model Number |
FX92-W |
RPM Rating |
800~2,000 RPM |
| Retail Availability |
Poland |
Noise Rating |
13.9~26.2 dBA |
| Bearing Type |
Sleeve |
Header Type |
3-pin |
| Hub Size |
1.38" |
Starting Voltage |
2.9V |
| Frame Size |
92 x 92 x 25 mm |
Number of Samples |
2 |
|
Our thanks to Fander
for supplying these samples.
|
|
Voltage
|
Noise
|
RPM
|
CFM
|
Power
|
|
12V
|
28 dBA@1m
|
1900 RPM
|
45 CFM
|
1.35W
|
|
9V
|
23 dBA@1m
|
1530 RPM
|
36 CFM
|
0.96W
|
|
7V
|
19 dBA@1m
|
1230 RPM
|
27 CFM
|
0.73W
|
|
5V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
870 RPM
|
19 CFM
|
0.50W
|
|
@15 CFM (4.4V)
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
750 RPM
|
15 CFM
|
0.43W
|
| *All tests done with the fan controller set to maximum. |
May 5, 2008
The updated airflow results here are the result of improvements
in our testing procedures. They are more accurate than the original results
above, but they are not directly comparable. Please compare these only with
fan reviews published after May 5, 2008 — or ones that have updated
results published in a box like this one. |
|
12V
|
28 dBA@1m
|
1860 RPM
|
29 CFM
|
1.35W
|
|
9V
|
23 dBA@1m
|
1510RPM
|
22 CFM
|
0.96W
|
|
7V
|
19 dBA@1m
|
1220 RPM
|
18 CFM
|
0.73W
|
|
5V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
900 RPM
|
13 CFM
|
0.50W
|
|
@15 CFM (5.8V)
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
1030 RPM
|
15 CFM
|
0.53W
|
Unless you happen to come from Poland, you've probably never heard of Fander.
We certainly hadn't. That didn't stop the Fander FX92-W from unexpectedly showing
up on our doorstep, followed shortly by a polite e-mail asking if we had received
it. We were a little suspicious — unsolicited review samples are almost
unheard of — but we had nothing to lose from turning it on and listening...
And we listened, and listened, and said to ourselves "hey, that's pretty
good". And then we set it aside to wait for this round-up.
And then we tested it, looked at the numbers, and said "hey, that's really
good!" In fact, its good enough to go head to head with the Nexus 92. It
even sounds the same: At lower speeds, the noise is a smooth, low hum that quickly
fades into the background. The Fander may be a touch sharper, but the difference
is tiny and probably irrelevant at slow speeds.
The Fander has a couple of advantages over the Nexus as well. For starters,
its default speed is faster. This may be irrelevant to those who won't accept
any noise at all from a fan, but it's good news for those who find the Nexus
just a tad too slow for their needs. It quickly develops motor whine
as it pushes above ~1,500 RPM, but even that is fairly smooth. However, its
main advantage is that it comes with its own fan controller, which allows adjustment
down to ~800 RPM — the equivalent of ~4.6V. At that level, the Fander was
effectively inaudible in the lab.
Comes with a fan controller built-in.
So, here it is: A fan with the best kind of noise character that can be completely
silent out of the box — with enough flexibility to set the fan to just
the right level without requiring a separate fan controller. Is there anything
that could make a more perfect fan than this?
Well, there's a couple of drawbacks. The first is that the Fander is currently
unavailable outside of Poland. In fact, they don't even have an English web
site. That could change in a hurry; their unsolicited donation to SPCR suggests
that they're anxious to expand to the English-speaking world, and we're sure
a few of our readers will be eager to import them. However, until Fander gets
an international distributor, a trip to Poland may be the only way to get your
hands on one of these babies.
A more serious concern is with the bearing and sample variance.
Of all the fans we tested, the Fander was affected most by orientation, slowing
by almost 15% when blowing downwards. The Fander also had a noticeable "warm-up" time: It started at about 1700 RPM and took two or three minutes to stabilize at maximum speed. One of the two samples had a slight buzz that made us wonder whether it had been damaged in transit.
That said, reliability is not easy to judge. We have no direct evidence that
the bearings do not wear well, and Fander's reliability spec (presumably "Z.ywotnos'c'"
means MTBF) rates the fan for 80,000 hours — extremely high for a sleeve
bearing.
Quibbles of quality aside, we look forward to the time when these begin to
show up internationally. The Nexus could use some competition...
Noise Recordings
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