60mm Fan Face off – AddA vs YS Tech vs Papst

SUMMARY: AddA is not a Papst killer, but it does outpoint the YS Tech – if you’re upgrading, not a bad way to go.

Pham Computer was nice enough to send over some AddA fans to test out, one of them being the 60 mm 3 watt, 28 cfm model (AD0612UB- A73GL). This is a ball bearing, 37 dBA fan rated at about 28 cfm, 2 cfm more than the YS Tech. It draws 3 watts compared to YS Tech’s 2.2 watts and the Papst’s 3.7 watts (rated at 33 cfm).

To test them out, I used the ASUS A7V with a Duron 700 @ 900 MHz, 1.84 volts. I mounted an Alpha PAL6035, using Arctic Silver, and changed fans without removing the heatsink from the socket. I ran each fan with Prime95, with the following results:

The AddA is noisier than the YS Tech but not by much – the Papst is noticeably louder. With almost one watt more, the AddA does turn in slightly better performance than the YS Tech but trails the Papst by about 3C overall – not surprising considering the rated cfms of each fan.

If you’re looking to upgrade from something like a 20 cfm fan and want to hold the noise down, the AddA is a credible alternative. Anything much beyond it will be LOTS noisier.

Thanks again to Pham Computer for sending us the AddA to test out.

I also want to mention that they charge only $4 for shipping, regardless of what you buy and how much. Skeptic that I am, I bought a case (I NEVER buy a case through the mail due to shipping charges) that was on sale for $36 and, damn, they really did charge $4 shipping.

If the price is right, the shipping is terrific.

PS: I did not include the Delta – it’s covered in another review and I did not want to hear it again.

Email Joe