Aluminum fans

[Nick Burns]

Why do people seem to insist on aluminum case fans? Is it just looks or do they have some kind of added performance to them? I love their look, but I'm curious why I see them used more and more often, especially on radiators for water cooling. Are these aluminum fans better than plastic ones for cooling a radiator?

[twest17]

its aluminum, that must mean it cools better :D

[Carnil]

The only important difference between aluminum fans and plastic ones is looks. I suppose if you were going to be running a fan at several tens of thousands of RPM, an aluminum fan would hold together longer, but most people don't do this.

[SpoonMaN]

i just got a few of these new aluminum fans and i love em
i have 2 80mm and 2 120mm and all i can say about em is wow very quiet and push alot of air

[Sterculus]

Well, the Evercool Aluminum fans actually push very good air at a quiet sound level. Other than that, the only real benefits of an aluminum fan are the looks.

[Stedeman]

It's 2 fold. 1 it looks nice and at one time was different, 2 if the fan dies you get to have a sweet shroud (the fan part just slides out) I am using one now for a shroud on my black ice mini rig (fan is new I just needed a shroud quick;))

[Restorer]

I bought my 120mm Evercool Aluminum fan based solely on its ratings and what people have said about it, but I realized that it looks damn cool in my custom side intake in my Lian Li case. :D The Evercool 120mm is rated only 2dB higher than the lowest rated, which was the Enermax adjustable, but several have said that the Enermax is louder than advertised. Not to mention the Evercool pushes more air than an 80mm Tornado. ;)

[NcBaller1985]

Aluminum fans tend to offer more CFM's at lower DB's because aluminum is an extremly light material. They look good too!

[Restorer]

Note that the typical aluminum fans only have an aluminum frame. Anything that spins is plastic, painted to look like chrome.

[Kino]

yeah, juat imagine a fan with metal blades running at 3000+ RPM and someone getting a finger stuck in it :eek:

even the chrome painted ones look kinda scary.... those look SHARRP!

[rpckvv]

yep...consider them cheap cuisinarts. if you dont put a heavy-duty fan grille on them, they WILL cut your figers clean off.

the reason people like them? they're not plastic, they're a shiny metal, and people like shiny things

-peter

[sandman001]

hehe, you haven't felt pain till you've stuck your finger in a delta 38.......or a tornado 92mm at full speed.

[rpckvv]

i have delta 68 and that exact tornado. i'd prefer not to even listen to them, let alone stick my finger in them...that's why i'm going to watercooling as soon as the parts come in...


*imagining an aluminum tornado*
*screams*

-peter

[Paxmax]

ALU fan? Just the looks.... well, maybe being heavier it might run smoother.

OT: I was experimenting with the 120mm 190cfm Delta... My girlfriends son (although young, severly intrested in PC's) was "just checking out the breeze" (at the wrong end) when his hand got sucked into the fan! Luckily it was "only" running at 6 or 7 volts, but he still bled for 20 minutes.... making a terrible cut in his finger. The blades might be plastic, but they are quite sharp and carry enough inertia to slice a finger.

[james.miller]

i have a 120mm alu fan (a "titan" baged version) and i can honestly say that it does make a difference. There is next to no vibration through the frame, and you would be suprised how much difference that makes.

[AMD_Me]

Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for ~ Will Rogers

Damn Straight


I like the looks of the aluminum ones, but am currently using 7v 12
MM 120cfm deltas

[1Time]

I don't see my two 120mm Evercools much. I've got one as an intake mounted in the floor of my Chenbro Genie and the other is 7volt modded in the rear as an exhaust. I bought them since I wanted to maximize air flow and minimize noise. The 7volt modded one is extremely quiet and the other at full speed pushes quite a bit of air. Haven't used my 120mm Panaflo since.

[dagamore]

I love them and they are not that much louder then my enermax audjustable ones ( at the same speed setings) and they look nicer in my setup.

[Nick Burns]

I know the pain of sticking fingers into fans, I was unplugging a Smat Fan 2 from my case, but the power connector was really on there. I when it came off, my finger slipped into a running Smart Fan 2 and sliced half my finger nail off and gave me a cut on both sides of the finger that looked like it cut right through. I still don't understand how the cut happened. It broke the blade of the fan right off. The fan was running full speed by the way. It bled for 20-30 minutes. I am going to buy two of those evercool 120mm for my new Sonata, well once I get the money for the case and fans.

[Bensa]

I was working on the family comp, then I saw the stock Intel heatsink. Hmmm, looks like theres no fan? I stick my finger in and the fan just stops, but it doesn't even leave a mark, and now I ponder on the real efficiency of these things:p

[Susquehannock]

It has been said in many threads that Aluminum fans are
slightly more quiet because the harmonic vibrations don't
transfer through Aluminum as well as plastic.


Not exactly sure myself. :D

[1Time]

Originally posted by Susquehannock
It has been said in many threads that Aluminum fans are
slightly more quiet because the harmonic vibrations don't
transfer through Aluminum as well as plastic.

I'm guessing a major reason these aluminum fans have a better noise to CFM ratio is the center housing is smaller and the blades appear to be longer and better shaped to move air than other fans. Just my subjective $0.02.

[Nick Burns]

Does anyone know of any 120mm aluminum fans with higher than 79 cfm? Or are there any other auminum 120mm fans besides the ever cool fan?

[bdunosk]

I got a 120mm Evercool a while back, used it for 5 minutes and got rid of it. Waaay too loud, I was using it on a radiator in hopes it would push more air or at least be quieter than my Panaflo 120mm L1A. *shrug*

[Jibjo]

bdunosk:"I got a 120mm Evercool a while back, used it for 5 minutes and got rid of it. Waaay too loud"

LOL I must be half deaf then because two days ago mine arrived and i plugged them into my current rig to test them: with both running next to each other, outside the case on my desk right in front of my face, i coun't here nothing. Way quieter than my 80mm case fans.

[countermods]

quick question for u guys who say the aliminum is just for looke. wouldnt the aluminum take some heat off your hsk and wouldnt it cool it better

[Howie]

Nah, it probably would help cool down your heatsink since there's little if any contact between the AL fan and the heatsink itself. But the actual fan would defintily cool the heatsink :p