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Over the past months we've looked at numerous products from Arctic which have generally left us with positive feelings. Even though they have diversified into different markets, they still have a plentiful range of cooling products, some of which we have for review today.
Today we are going to look at three of Arctics TC (temperature controlled) range of fans, the F8, F9 and F12. As their names suggest, these fans are 80mm, 92mm and 120mm in size.
Specification
F8 TC
Dimensions (LxWxH): 80 x 80 x 25 mm
Fan Speed: 500 – 2000 RPM
Max. Air Flow: 28 CFM / 47.6 m3/h
Weight: 72g
Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Warranty: 6 Year
F9 TC
Dimensions (LxWxH): 92 x 92 x 25 mm
Fan Speed: 400 – 1800 RPM
Max. Air Flow: 35 CFM / 59.5 m3/h
Weight: 84g
Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Warranty: 6 Year
F12 TC
Dimensions (LxWxH): 120 x 120 x 25 mm
Fan Speed: 300 – 1350 RPM
Max. Air Flow: 57 CFM / 96.8 m3/h
Weight: 110g
Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Warranty: 6 Year
All three fans are supplied in white-coloured cardboard boxes which differ only in size. Despite the small size of the boxes, Arctic have packed in a whole host of information about the fans inside alongside a large picture of the fan on the front.
The accessory bundle included with the fans is very limited, consisting only of four screws and an Arctic Cooling sticker. It would have been nice to see some anti-vibration rubber fan mounts included.
Like other Arctic products we’ve reviewed in the past, all the fans have a black and white colour scheme. Arctic certainly aren’t pushing any design boundaries with the TC range of fans, opting for a standard blade and housing design.
The speed of each fan is controlled by a temperature sensor which can be placed anywhere in the chassis, providing the 40cm cable will reach there. They run at the lowest speed up to 32c and then will increase rapidly when the temperature increases over this, reaching a maximum at 38c. All three fans are powered via a standard 3-pin header.
The F8 TC 80mm fan spins between 500 and 2000rpm depending on temperature. The F9 TC 92mm fan spins between 400 and 1800rpm and the F12 120mm fan spins between 300 and 1350rpm.
To test the fans we built a system in the In Win Dragon Slayer case that we reviewed recently as it has space for all three sizes of fan that we’re testing today. We will be comparing Arctic’s fans with the standard fans that are supplied with the case. The 80mm fan will be fitted in the hard drive bay, the 92mm as a rear exhaust and the 120mm as a roof exhaust.
We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
Today to test the chassis we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our Digital Sound Level Meter SL-824 one meter away from the case. As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
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
Test System
Chassis: In Win Dragon Slayer
Processor: Intel Core i5 660
Motherboard: Gigabyte H55M-UD2
Cooler: Silverstone NT07-1156
Graphics Card: HIS Radeon HD5550 (Passively cooled)
Memory: 4GB (2x 2GB) Crucial Ballistix RAM
Storage: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB 7200rpm (HD103SJ)
Power Supply: Corsair TX650W
Although Arctic’s fans didn’t cool our test system as effectively as In Win’s stock fans, this isn’t what they’re designed to do. The stock fans run at a constant RPM and are therefore able to shift more air than the temperature controlled Arctic fans which don’t reach full speed until the system heats up.
So, the Arctic fans are able to cool the system more quietly than the stock fans which aren’t even very loud themselves. This was shown in our testing where we recorded a lower noise level for the system with the Arctic fans installed.
It can be very difficult to find the perfect fan for your needs as there are so many on the market and because the differences between different fans are often much less clear cut than with other components.
One of the main questions when we are reviewing a fan is ‘what target market is it most appropriate for'. This range of temperature controlled fans is perfect for customers looking for the quietest possible system without compromising too much on thermal performance.
One of the main advantages of these Arctic fans over other low-noise alternatives is the impressive price point that they come in at. We were able to find the F8 for £3.80, the F9 for £4.39 and the F12 for £4.99, all from QuietPC.com.
KitGuru says: These fans run quiet, shift a decent amount of air and represent great value for money.
