GELID fans – quiet, effective, and very cool

Matt Jancaitis 14 Jan, 2009 at 12:12pm ET Article published in Tech

Testing

The first test involved a small LAN-sized case with standard idle core temperatures of around 50°C. This ought to push the fan to its higher limits and test how quiet it can remain. I moved from a Scythe case fan (the SY1225SL12H) to the GELID Silent 12 TC, and it quickly ramped up to full speed. At its highest end, it was only slightly quieter than the Scythe, with a 30 CFM deficit (the Silent 12 is rated for 58 CFM, while the Scythe in question rated a whopping 88 CFM). As a result of decreased airflow compared to the Scythe, case temps rose a couple of degrees, and it gave good insight as to where this fan belongs.

Note the cable shielding, which we'll mention later

So noting that it was already quieter than many fans at its highest capacity, I moved it to its recommended environment, which is a case with good airflow and good temperature control. Since it’s a “low-speed optimized” fan, it should be much more silent if it’s allowed to work in its lower RPM range. In this case, the Silent 12 replaced an Antec Tri-Cool 3-speed fan, which has a switch to allow you to manually put the fan into low, medium, and high RPM mode. In this case, even its lowest speed was roughly on the same sound level as the ramped-up Silent 12—good news so far!

Since this box had an ambient temp closer to 30°C, the Silent 12 was more able to work in the low RPM range, and this is where it definitely wants to live. Case temps didn’t stray above the norm, and it was all but silent in operation the whole time. The “whoosh” of air was far louder than operating noise from the fan. To be sure, I also plugged them directly into a 12V rail with a voltage regulator to compare low, medium, and high for all three of these fans to confirm airflow and noise level.

While the high ends were definitely nothing special, the Silent 12 was wonderfully quiet at the lower ends, and certainly deserves its name. Matched with the temp sensor, this fan will give you movement when you need it and silence when you don’t, which is as nice a combination as you can ask for in a case fan.

Prices match up well with other fans in its class, down under the $10 mark from AeroCooler, one of GELID’s precious few North American distributors.

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Comments

1. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 12:19pm BuddyJ I want to put some WINGs in my Antec Nine Hundred. Their serviceability sells it for me.
2. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 12:20pm Snarkasm They are absolutely ridicucool. My case is quiet as a mouse, but cool as the other side of the pillow.
   
   Do recommend, A+++++.
3. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 12:57pm Thrax If only they had temperature control like the Thermaltake A2029.
4. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 1:03pm Snarkasm

   Thrax wrote:

   If only they had temperature control like the Thermaltake A2029.

   
   The Silent 12 does.
   
   A great case setup for these fans would be Silent 12s over the HDDs and exhausts and Wings for a heatsink fan or on a radiator for watercooling. Power and silence for where you know you'll always want it, and variability for places that can use it.
5. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 1:05pm Thrax The silent 12 just has a thermistor. The A2029 has a thermistor and a pot. Quiet as hell, too.
6. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 1:31pm Snarkasm Ah, I see. A quick spec comparison for everybody's benefit, then -
   
   Thermaltake A2029:
   RPM
   1300 ±20% RPM at 20C
   3500 ±10% RPM at 55C
   
   Air Flow
   35.43-95.22 CFM
   
   Noise Level
   25.5 dBA at 1300RPM
   45dBA at 3500RPM
   
   Silent 12:
   RPM
   750 RPM at 22C
   1500 RPM at 42C
   
   Air Flow
   ? - 58CFM
   
   Noise Level
   12 dBA at 750 RPM
   25.5 dBA at 1500 RPM
   
   
   
   95 CFM is nothing to sneeze at, but it sounds like if you don't need all that much, the Silent 12 will be quieter.
7. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 1:38pm GHoosdum The Wing sounds like a fantastic fan!
8. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 2:06pm mas0n I've been a long time fan of the Scythe SFF21E (I have 10+ around the house) but might be willing to give Gelid a chance. Being able to disassemble and clean is pretty nice.
9. 
   14 Jan 2009 ~ 2:57pm primesuspect I am SOLD on the removable impeller. You can probably take the impeller out and put it in the dishwasher. IN.
10. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 3:02pm Snarkasm Just make sure the mag ring in the impeller is smooth and debris-free before you put it back on, heh.
11. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 3:31pm DrLiam I've been a huge fan of magnets for the longest time and to see them being implemented here in a fan blows my mind! One quick question, are we dealing with electro-magnets or material magnets? I never heard of nanoflux bearings before and I was wondering how it maintains it's charge if it is not plugged in. Will the fan fall off after a month of inactivity? (Let's say I went on a long holiday.)
12. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 3:48pm Snarkasm I believe they're electromagnets, as the wire spools would indicate, but it takes some effort to remove the impeller from the housing when powered down. They will never just fall off, so there's no worry there.
13. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 3:57pm Zuntar Material magnet on the blade side. I have one of these Enermax "Everest" and I cannot bring myself to use it in my rig simply because the color of the leds is a horrid light blue.
    
    I just wanted a nice silent fan on the back cause it's an 80mm. I might be trying one of these...... blue or green?
14. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 4:01pm DrLiam

    Zuntar wrote:

    Material magnet on the blade side.

    
    Ahh, that makes sense now, why didn't I think of that earlier. :P
15. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 5:11pm MachineDog OMG Geekgasm! DO WANT. I need to get new fans anyway, my case is around 5 years old and the fans are loud. >_< It's bad when your parents mind how loud it is.
16. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 9:30pm TurboPenguin Where?
    
    Has anyone been able to find somewhere that sells these? I looked on Newegg but had no success? Grr I hate it when reviews come out on cool stuff and nobody can find to buy them....
17. 
    14 Jan 2009 ~ 10:04pm Snarkasm

    Prices match up well with other fans in its class, down under the $10 mark from AeroCooler, one of GELID’s precious few North American distributors.

    
    AeroCooler. I believe they sell both models in multiple sizes. Go there and search by manufacturer on the left side and you'll see everything they carry.
18. 
    15 Jan 2009 ~ 12:16am BuddyJ GELID just replied to an email I sent them. The GELID Wing fan will run underwater, so they say!!!
19. 
    15 Jan 2009 ~ 12:17am Thrax Video incoming.
20. 
    15 Jan 2009 ~ 2:20am DrLiam

    Buddy J wrote:

    GELID just replied to an email I sent them. The GELID Wing fan will run underwater, so they say!!!

    
    lol... You asked them if the fans are capable of running underwater!? Why did you think of that question. xD
21. 
    15 Jan 2009 ~ 10:28am BuddyJ That's just it, I didn't ask! They just responded saying "PS They run under water."
22. 
    15 Jan 2009 ~ 10:43am Khaos

    primesuspect wrote:

    I am SOLD on the removable impeller. You can probably take the impeller out and put it in the dishwasher. IN.

    Totally with you on that one Brian. Dishwasher-safe fan impellers = win win win win win WIN.
23. 
    15 Jan 2009 ~ 1:32pm Snarkasm PS, the video is up in the article, in case you've missed it. 3rd page at the bottom.
    
    Underwater fans! How rad.
24. 
    16 Jan 2009 ~ 9:40am Zuntar

    Snarkasm wrote:

    AeroCooler. I believe they sell both models in multiple sizes. Go there and search by manufacturer on the left side and you'll see everything they carry.

    TurboPenguin wrote:

    Where?
    
    Has anyone been able to find somewhere that sells these? I looked on Newegg but had no success? Grr I hate it when reviews come out on cool stuff and nobody can find to buy them....

    
    Performance PCs FTW
25. 
    16 Jan 2009 ~ 10:05am Snarkasm More 'spensive.