X-bit labs

Roundup: 11 Fans for Two Super-Coolers and One System Case (page 11)

Category: Coolers

by Sergey Lepilov

[ 04/07/2008 | 07:35 PM ]

Scythe Slip Stream 120mm

We are going to conclude our today’s article with the latest solutions from the Japanese Scythe Company, which name should be very familiar to Formula 1 fans: Slip Stream. This line-up includes five 120 x 120 x 25mm models with different rotation speeds from 500RPM to 1900RPM. We are missing only one of them today, the model with 500RPM fan rotation speed targeted for true silence maniacs.

All fans are packed in transparent boxes with a cardboard insert that is of slightly different color for each fan model:

On the reverse side of the cardboard sheet you can find the airflow parameter value as well as other technical specs in five languages. The upper part of the box holds a 3-pin-to-Molex power adapter and four retention screws:

The unique key feature of Scythe Slip Stream series is a smaller rotor, only 36mm in diameter. Together with nine blades it allowed to significantly increase the airflow created by these fans compared with the same parameter by competitors’ solutions:

The fan blades have a more aggressive angle:

The nominal fan rotation speeds are 800, 1200, 1600 and 1900RPM creating 40.17, 68.54, 88.11 and 110.31CFM airflows respectively. The static pressure and noise do not really stand out against the competitors’ background (you can check the numbers in the specification chart below). But we believe that the subjectively comfortable fan rotation speed for Slip Stream fans is around ~1050RPM.

The fans use a sleeve bearing with the guaranteed MTBF of 30,000 hours:

I would like to stress that the rotor heats up quite significantly during operation, which is especially noticeable on high-speed models. None of the motors produced any of the common crackling sounds.

The fans weigh 115g and feature 300mm dabbles. The Slip Stream models boast very democratic price of only $9.80.

Now let’s take a closer look at the specifications of our 120-mm fans.