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Today we take a look at something special, the world's first dual material fan from Aerocool. The new DS ‘Dead Silence' Fluid Dynamic bearing fans are particularly interesting due to dual layered blades, comprised of plastic and rubber. Aerocool claim this helps to absorb the noise of moving air. The fan frame has been designed with four noise absorption chambers and anti vibration rubber on each of the mounting holes. Aerocool rate the life span at over 100,000 hours. Are these the ultimate low noise enthusiast fans?
Aerocool have made a positive impact in the last year. Their Dead Silence Gaming Cube was one of the greatest computer cases to grace our labs in 2013.
While they do often focus on budget oriented products they clearly have a research and development team capable of producing some stunning products.
It is no longer good enough that a company sells fans with plain black colour schemes. System builders today spend a lot of time colour coordinating their rigs, and with this in mind, the new Aerocool DS Dead Silence fans are available in four flavours – Black, White, Red and Blue.
We received a 120mm fan in white, and a 140mm fan in red for our review today.
Aerocool DS Dead Silence Fan overview:
- One of world's most quiet fans with breakthrough technology and innovation.
- Beautifully finished ‘Dual Colour and Dual Material Fan' with four colour combinations and LED's.
- The world's first dual layered fan blades – combination of plastic and rubber fan blades to absorb ‘Wind' noise.
- ‘Fish-Eye' surface design on the back rubber side of the fan blades to minimize air turbulence.
- Optimised fan blade angle design for a perfect balance of airflow and noise.
- Noise and shock reduction fan frame incorporating four noise absorption chambers and anti vibration rubber on each mounting hole.
- Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) delivers longer life span, higher precision rotation and anti shock function.
- Low starting voltage of 3V.
- Four Anti Vibration screws are included for easier installation.
- Power cables are ‘black' sleeved with both 3 pin and Molex 4 pin connectors.
- Extra low speed 7V 3 pin adapter for ultra low fan speed.
The 120mm (12cm) version of the Aerocool DS Dead Silence fan ships in a clear plastic packet with the product clearly visible from the front. This white coloured version looks great, and Aerocool highlight the other colours underneath the window.
The rear of the packet highlights the specifications of the unit.
Inside the packet is a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter, a 7V voltage reduction 3 pin adapter, 4 screws and 4 rubber rivots.
The Aerocool DS Dead Silence fan in white is rather eye catching and nicely finished, comprised of 9 fan blades. This wouldn't look out of place in either a standard black chassis, or a white case from the likes of NZXT.
The fan measures 120mm x 120mm x 25mm and weighs 170g.
This Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan is rated at 12V, with a starting voltage of >3.0 V. It is rated to demand 2.4 watts of power. The voltage reduction cable is included, which steps down the demand to 7V. The rear side of the fan blades incorporates a ‘fish eye' design to help reduce turbulence, lowering noise levels.
The construction quality of the fan is very high, and it is immediately noticeable all of the fine attention to detail, even on the corners of the unit.
The blades of the fan are made from a combination of rubber and plastic which is aimed to reduce turbulence and noise.
On the exhaust side of the fan, Aerocool have sculpted the plastic to help concentrate and direct the airflow.
The Diagram above explains how the air is concentrated and forced through, using the concentrated airflow principle.
The Aerocool DS Dead Silence 120mm fan in operation, above. Each corner of the unit is lit up by a single white, matching LED.
Aerocool have incorporated a lot of noise damping design into the fan. Each corner has a ‘Silencer' which can absorb and reduce the noise of the air passing between the blades. This anti vibration pad is also designed to reduce vibration caused by the spinning blades.
The image above shows how the Silencer operates, taking the air and interrupting the flow to reduce noise.
The Aerocool DS Dead Silence fans are fully sealed to stop the lubricant from leaking.
Fluid Dynamic Fans by nature are more robust than traditional Sleeve bearing, or Ball Bearing units. They are fully lubricating, with high anti shock characteristics and have a life span in excess of 100,000 hours. A standard sleeve bearing fan by comparison would be rated between 30,000 and 50,000 hours maximum. The oil way in the center area of the shaft keeps it lubricated. Lower friction also helps reduce noise and temperature, enhancing life span.
The 140mm (14cm) version of the Aerocool DS Dead Silence fan ships in a clear plastic packet with the product clearly visible from the front. This red coloured version looks great, and Aerocool highlight the other colours underneath the window.
The rear of the packet highlights the specifications of the unit.
Inside the packet is a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter, a 7V voltage reduction 3 pin adapter, 4 screws and 4 rubber rivots.
The Aerocool DS Dead Silence fan in red is beautiful looking and nicely finished, comprised of 9 fan blades. This would look great in a red chassis from the likes of Lian Li or NZXT.
The fan measures 140mm x 140mm x 25mm and weighs 190g.
This Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan is rated at 12V, with a starting voltage of >3.0 V. It is rated to demand 2.4 watts of power (same as the 120mm version on the previous page). The voltage reduction cable is included, which steps down the demand to 7V. The rear side of the fan blades incorporates a ‘fish eye' design to help reduce turbulence, lowering noise levels.
The construction quality of the fan is very high, and it is immediately noticeable all of the fine attention to detail, even on the corners of the unit.
The blades of the fan are made from a combination of rubber and plastic which is aimed to reduce turbulence and noise.
On the exhaust side of the fan, Aerocool have sculpted the plastic to help concentrate and direct the airflow.
The Diagram above explains how the air is concentrated and forced through, using the concentrated airflow principle.
The Aerocool DS Dead Silence 140mm fan in operation, above. Each corner of the unit is lit up by a single Red, matching LED.
Aerocool have incorporated a lot of noise damping design into the fan. Each corner has a ‘Silencer' which can absorb and reduce the noise of the air passing between the blades. This anti vibration pad is also designed to reduce vibration caused by the spinning blades.
The image above shows how the Silencer operates, taking the air and interrupting the flow to reduce noise.
The Aerocool DS Dead Silence fans are fully sealed to stop the lubricant from leaking.
Fluid Dynamic Fans by nature are more robust than traditional Sleeve bearing, or Ball Bearing units. They are fully lubricating, with high anti shock characteristics and have a life span in excess of 100,000 hours. A standard sleeve bearing fan by comparison would be rated between 30,000 and 50,000 hours maximum. The oil way in the center area of the shaft keeps it lubricated. Lower friction also helps reduce noise and temperature, enhancing life span.
To test the Aerocool DS Dead Silence 120mm fan today, we are using the Corsair H60 (2013 version) which we reviewed previously.
Test System
- Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K
- Motherboard: MSI Z87-G43
- Memory: 8 GB Kingston 2133 MHz
- Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-2
- Case: NZXT Phantom 530
- Graphics Card: AMD Radeon 280x
- Graphics Card (noise tests): HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence
The fan included with the Corsair H60 is very similar to those included with the H80i and H100i and is loosely based on the design of the new Corsair Air Series SP120 fans. It doesn’t spin quite as fast though, topping out at 2,000 RPM. At this speed it can push 54 CFM of air and can generate a static pressure of 2.36 mm H20.
As we discussed earlier, the 12cm AEROCOOL DS fan spins at only 1,200 RPM at 12V, but it still manages to push 54.8 CFM at close to half the maximum rated speed of the Corsair unit.
The temperature differences are slightly in favour of the Aerocool DS 120MM fan (56c v 58c). Importantly however, we need to factor in the noise levels.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
We can only accurately measure down to 28dBa with the noise meter in our environment, so anything better than 28dBa cannot be accurately recorded in our tests. That said – anything rating at 28dBa in our graphs is going to be realistically ‘almost silent' in the real world.
The Corsair fan is quite loud, spinning up to 37.9dBa – clearly audible and moderately intrusive. The Aerocool DS Dead Silence Fan by comparison is extremely quiet. The AeroCool DS 120mm is rating right at the accurate limits of our noise meter, meaning it is probably well below the 28dBa rating we can present today.
Our findings show that while cooling performance between the 120mm Corsair fan and the 120mm AeroCool DS Dead Silence fan is very closely matched, the noise differences paint the whole picture. The 120mm Aerocool DS Dead Silence fan trounces the 120mm Corsair fan.
AeroCool rate the 120mm unit @ 15.8dBa at 12V and 12.1dBa at 7V. Without a specialised designed acoustic chamber we really are not in a position to verify either of these claims, but we can say the DS Dead Silence Fan is almost silent, even with our ear 3 inches away from the blades during operation (be careful if you do this yourself!).
To test the Aerocool DS Dead Silence 140mm fan today, we are using the Corsair H90 140mm High Performance Liquid CPU cooler.
Test System
- Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K
- Motherboard: MSI Z87-G43
- Memory: 8 GB Kingston 2133 MHz
- Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-2
- Case: NZXT Phantom 530
- Graphics Card: AMD Radeon 280x
- Graphics Card (noise tests): HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence
The fan included with the Corsair H90 is a 140mm ‘high Torque' fan which spins at 1,500 rpm. This fan is designed to push a lot of air through the large radiator – Corsair claim a maximum 94 CFM, although it is unlikely to be running at 100% most of the time.
The 14cm AEROCOOL DS fan spins at only 1,000 RPM at 12V, but it still manages to push 64.8 CFM at 50% less speed than the Corsair unit.
Even though the AeroCool DS Dead Silence 140mm fan is spinning slower than the Corsair fan, the temperatures are evenly matched, peaking at 53c.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
We can only accurately measure down to 28dBa with the noise meter in our environment, so anything better than 28dBa cannot be accurately recorded in our tests. That said – anything rating at 28dBa in our graphs is going to be realistically ‘almost silent' in the real world.
The Corsair fan can be clearly heard under load, emitting almost 36dBa – clearly audible and moderately intrusive. The 140mm Aerocool DS Dead Silence Fan by comparison is again extremely quiet. The AeroCool DS 14mm is rating right at the accurate limits of our noise meter, meaning it is probably well below the 28dBa rating we can present today.
Our findings show that while cooling performance between the 140mm Corsair fan and the 140mm AeroCool DS Dead Silence fan is almost identical, the noise differences are once again considerable, in favour of the Aerocool unit.
AeroCool rate the 120mm unit at 15.8dBa at 12V and 12.1dBa at 7V. We really are not in a position to verify either of these claims, but we can say the DS Dead Silence Fan is almost silent, even with our ear 3 inches away from the blades during operation (be careful if you do this yourself!).
We don't often analyse fans on Kitguru, mainly because it is such a dull prospect for everyone involved.
Until Aerocool took some time to explain the new Dead Silence design we were ready to politely refuse and move onto something ‘more interesting'. We are glad we decided to accept the samples for review, because the DS Dead Silence fans are something special.
There is no doubt in my mind that while Aerocool may still be earning their reputation in the enthusiast sector, that they are coming up with some great ideas. The Dead Silence Gaming Cube reviewed in October 2013 has proven to be a great sales success for the company, and rightly so – we loved it. The Dead Silence Gaming Cube not only looked fantastic, but I couldn't hear it when it was switched on, earning it bonus points.
Bequiet! have experienced great success over the last couple of years with their superb quality SilentWings range of fans, but I have to admit I wasn't expecting AeroCool to be batting at this high a level so quickly. The fact that Aerocool are selling 120mm and 140mm fans in 4 different colours is also sure to prove popular with the image conscious enthusiast system builder. Technically, they are high grade Fluid Dynamic Bearing fans built to last a very long time … in excess of 100,000 hours.
Both 120mm and 140mm fans should be rated with the quietest fans currently available and our testing has shown that by removing the default Corsair fans on the H60 and H90 all in one liquid coolers, you can reduce system noise emissions substantially. Taking it a stage further and replacing chassis fans as well would reap massive rewards. I for one thoroughly enjoy building a nice quiet system and always budget in extra money for quality fans. We all know that many case manufacturers will use the cheapest fans they can order, in bulk – to keep down their costs.
We have no hesitiation in giving these Aerocool DS Dead Silence fans our highest award. They are exceptionally well built, emit virtually no noise, but can compete with many performance fans currently shipping with leading ‘all in one' liquid coolers.
We don't yet have confirmed pricing or store links, but we have been told that prices will range between £9 and £13, per fan. Also, good news for those people who don't like LED lighting because Aerocool will be selling a plain black version.
Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
You can buy them over at CCL.
Pros:
- almost silent.
- both produce strong airflow.
- coloured, with matched LED lighting.
- various adapters included in box.
Cons:
- None
Kitguru says: These are easily some of the best fans that money can buy. They look great and Fluid Dynamic bearing fans are built to last a very long time.
