REVIewed Aritic Cooling8L 12L fans

[fireandice]

Introduction.


Arctic Cooling is a very well known company for making top of the line performance computer cooling products.



In this review, we will be looking at the 8L and 12L see if it lives up to Arctic Cooling's reputation for great
provenance.


The Product.



The 8L and 12L are Arctic Cooling's new low speed low noise case fans. These are some of the features of these fans.


-Best Noise-Performance Ratio
-Patented Case Design
-Patented Vibration Absorption
-Compatible with tool less Mounting Mechanisms for Standard 25 mm deep fans

-6 Years Warranty
-The Fluid Dynamic Bearing

8L Technical Data


-Dimensions: 80 x 80 x 38.5mm
-Rated Fan Speed: 1500 RPM
-Air Flow: 18.0 CFM / 30.5 m3/h
-Noise Level: 16.0 dB(A), 0.15 Sone
-Power Consumption: 12 V, 0.1 Amp.
-Weight: 82 g
-Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
-Connector / Cable Length: 3 Pin Molex / 400mm
-Safety Approvals: CE
-Warranty: 6 Years





12L Technical Data

-Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 38.5mm
-Rated Fan Speed: 1000 RPM
-Air Flow: 37.0 CFM / 62.8 m3/h
-Noise Level: 20.0 dB(A), 0.3 Sone
-Power Consumption: 12 V, 0.15 Amp.
-Weight: 126 g
-Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
-Connector / Cable Length: 3 Pin Molex / 400mm
-Safety Approvals: CE
-Warranty: 6 Years







What's in the package"




-Fan
-Mounting Screws
-Arctic cooling Case Badge


Overall first thoughts:


The fans seem very well made. The plastic is fiberglass reinforced. The rubber mounts that isolate the fan from the
mounting bracket are very innovative and the fan blades have been optimized for larger air flow and higher static pressure.r
The sleeving on the wires has a rubber type feel.


Installation

Well this is easy. just like a normal fan but do to the fan case mounting positions are limited. We could not make our computers rear
fan opening the exhaust. Instead we make it the intake and the front fan opening exhaust. They fit very nice and the cables were long enough
to mount in our case without any problems but not to long so that theres a mass of wire.




Performance.







I compared the fans with equal CFM case fans. First up was a tube i rigged a fan mount to. The idea of this test is to levitated a feather in
the long tube. First i did the 8L and marked the spot where the feather levitated in the tube and then i done the same with a equal CFM 80mm
case fan. I then repeated this test with the 12L and a equal CFM 120mm case fan.



Test Rig.



80mm test rig



6 foot section of 80mm clear plastic tubing



80mm fan mount on the bottom of the tube



120mm test rig



6 foot section of 120mm clear plastic tubing



120mm fan mount on the bottom of the tubing




(EXTRA PHOTOS)
http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m240/neeksreviews/Freezer 64 Pro/8L and 12L/


Final Thoughts:




Why these fans may not put out the CFM like some of the loud monster Deltas they do put out a lot of air for how loud they are, I should say
loud with these fans. I tryed to hear them and failed. Every test i done i could only hear the gentle sound of air rushing by if i put my ear next
to the fan. I set the fans on a hardwood floor, in a cardboard box and on a peace of metal and even when i put my ear next to the fan i could
not hear either the 8L or the 12L. These fans put out the most CFM for there noise leva and would be perfect for those who want a quiet media
center or a ultra quiet computer.


Pros


-Low Price. Around $10 for the 12L and $6 for the 8L
-High Performance
-Silent Operation even with the fan at 100%
-Best CFM to Noise Ratio
-Very High Quality


Cons.

-Due to the style of these fans. They have Limited Mounting.


I give bolth fans a 9 out of 10.


I would like to take this time to thank Arctic Cooling for provideing me with a sample for this review.


Edit*
Fixed broken links.

 

[kovboi]

i don't really understand what you're testing - clarify please? - and the link appears to be broken.

aren't these just undervolted versions of the ACF8 and ACF12?

 

[nvidiaOCmaster]

good review for some good fans. Every fan should be reviewed.

 

[fireandice]

there totaly new fans.

there 12 volt fans that spin at low rpm. The fan blades have been "tweeked" so they give the best airflow at those rpm's


I love these fans the only downside i seen was the limited mounting, but i can deal with it since there totaly silent and the rubber mounts that hold the fan to the mounting cage really help.

 

[kovboi]

there totaly new fans.

there 12 volt fans that spin at low rpm. The fan blades have been "tweeked" so they give the best airflow at those rpm's


I love these fans the only downside i seen was the limited mounting, but i can deal with it since there totaly silent and the rubber mounts that hold the fan to the mounting cage really help.

ok, but i still don't know what to make of this test. what did you compare them to? what were the measurements and...well, what do the results actually mean? for instance, you state that they have the best cfm to noise ratio. so how did you measure noise? how do they stack up against nexus, globalwin, enermax enlobal, or even the original acf8/acf12 fans? i don't mean to be a jerk, but this is more of an advert than a review.

 

[fireandice]

i levatated a feather in a long tube to compare the power of the fans. nothing i had on hand could could produce the same results why still beaing that silent.

Why do you want to compare them to acf8 and acf12? those are louder founs there were made to be extremly quiet as i noted in my reivew.

Do outher fans move more air? yes, Are they quiet? extremly. Why would you buy them? If you hate sound or are bulding a media center pc. These fans move alot of air for how quiet they are. i dident have any problems with vibration with the 12L and 8L as i would with the typical style fan.

i like these fans. i honestly think they offer the best proformance to noise ratio out and. I had some low noise fans that when mounted you could hear the vibration if you put your ear by it. With these fans i tryed to hear a vibration and couldent. i had it powered and on a hard wood floor. on a peace of metal and mounted in a case and each time i couldent hear the fan.