Akasa Amber is a winner.My "12cm Fans"Experience.

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:39 pm

The 120mm Akasa Amber is the best 120mm fan currently available that I have tested ( http://www.akasa.co.uk/akasa_english/sp ... 83_l2b.htm ).Behind it come the Nexus and the Acoustifan.
Note that when I say "test" I mean not only testing what's the most quiet fan at the default 12v (where the Akasa is easily a clear winner since it has the lowest RPM value at 12v) but testing all fans with a fan controller (7v-12v).And it seemed that the Akasa fan was at all volts the quietest and without any airflow differences that could make a difference.(I'm backed up by this review http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/review.php?id=101 )
I also feel I should mention that there were certain points or little zones of the fan controller's knob near the lower volts where the fan motor would exhibit a faint high-pitched noise which however would immediately disappear if you would turn the knob a touch (and I mean literally a touch) higher or lower so as to move the knob beyond that point.I own five of these fans and these points I'm talking about were almost identical in 3 of them and different than in the other three but identical between them in 2 of them.I don't know if the controller has anything to do with that (however I'm sure it's about the current provided to the fan motor) but the fact that the noise is so easily disappeared held me back from occupying myself with this any further.
The fans were tested in a completely silent environment at night suspended (no vibration-induced noise) without any impedance.
About vibration, the Akasa was by far the lighter of the three (the others were considered "heavy" when compared to it) and I dare say the less prone to vibration overall.That was really unexpected for such a light and pretty fan.The only fan I know that defies the NOTE in the SPCR Recommended Fans article.
Simply Impressive!

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:50 pm

looks like a winner, are you in the US? if you are where'd you get and what's it's price?

winguy · Post by **winguy** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:51 pm

Imvd85 wrote:(where the Akasa is easily a clear winner since it has the lowest RPM value at 12v)

The Akasa at 1,400rpm is quieter than the Nexus at 12V?

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:06 pm

At 12v both fans were noisy but the Akasa was producing more airflow than the Nexus and it felt quieter.It must have something to do with its weight and the shape of the blades: the fan blades feel like they are spinning effortlessly (especially when undervolted) compared to other fans.
For availability check "Where to buy" section on the Akasa site ( http://www.akasa.co.uk ).I bought them in Greece and they are not of the cheap ones.

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:13 pm

found them!
http://www.overcool.com/exec/product.as ... m_id=31711

they're a reasonbale price, on par with the regular non-nexus 120 yate-loon

shipping is nice too

JazzJackRabbit · Post by **JazzJackRabbit** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:17 pm

Somehow I really doubt the results. There is no way a 1000RPM Nexus is going to be louder than a transparent plastic fan at 1400 RPM.

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:24 pm

What can I say?I didn't expect it either.

computergeek22 · Post by **computergeek22** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:42 pm

Are you guys sure the Akasa is quieter at 12v than a nexus 120mm?

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:45 pm

it has to be those fan blades

differences
the akasa has bigger blades and less "curvage" than the yate-loon and thinner blades?

this make no sense though, akasa is ball bearing / yateloon is sleeve

I'm not saying I doubt you, it's just weird

IT HAS TO BE THE ORANGENESS.....

we need a full review on this...

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 4:37 pm

I rechecked.You are right.I shouldn't say the akasa fan is quieter than the Nexus fan at 12v nor that it has the lowest RPM(I knew it had lower RPM than Acoustifan but I didn't mind the Nexus).I got carried away.I take it back.
The amount of air that the Akasa moves at 12v is much much bigger than that that the Nexus moves and thus air turbulence comes in (mind the thats!).However when you undervolt the akasa to avoid the excessive turbulence, it is quieter than the Nexus.Playing it safe, what I should say is that you can make the Akasa move clearly more air than the "Nexus at 12v" and still be quieter.
I never really paid that much attention to 12v noise since I was going for silence with the maximum airflow .So I looked for the point where the fan emitted permissible or "silenced inside a case" noise and then check which fan provided the best airflow at that point.The winner was clear.

computergeek22 · Post by **computergeek22** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 4:44 pm

So let me rephrase what you are saying: The Akasa moves more air at the same sound level as the Nexus at 12v. Correct? If this is true then the Akasa would seem like a good product as even the Nexus at 12v is pretty quiet.

sun.moon · Post by **sun.moon** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 4:58 pm

That Alaska Amber fan looks strikingly similar to the Noiseblocker fans - only that the blades of the Noiseblockers are blue...

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:03 pm

ahh yes the noiseblocker fans, we don't see much of them in the US, though I do remember a couple of german(?) SPCR's who had a couple in their rigs

computergeek22- I think he means that the Akasa at 12 v is louder than the nexus due to air turbulence, but he says that you can undervolt the akasa to be as quiet and push more air than the nexus at 12 volts which seems like quite a feat!

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:07 pm

Yes that was exactly the result of my test and this is why I preferred the Akasa over the Nexus.
By the way, am I the only one that tried the Akasa?This fan has been out long enough and it is good enough that more should have checked it out.It's also part of the Akasa Evo120 CPU cooler.
Something else I want to say is that quality 12cm ball-bearing fans have nothing to be looked down upon by same type sleeve-bearing fans since the different noise their bearing emits is something you only perceive when you place your ear close to it and not inside a case under your desk.

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:12 pm

unfortuately akasa is not really prevalent in the US and when the name does pop up, it usually the craptacular akasa "paxmate" noise dampening

judging by the ONE place in the us (according to akasa's website) where you can by this particular fan (sidewinder doesn't carry it) you can see why it's not as big a "brand name" here

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:17 pm

Yeah, akasa paxmate is garbage.The akasa amber is actualy an Y.S.Tech

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:23 pm

Imvd85 wrote:Yeah, akasa paxmate is garbage.The akasa amber is actualy an Y.S.Tech

really? Y.S. TECH is definately not a popular brand here especially after the TMD fans they were pushing (those were interesting though)

I'd be curious to know where you got the info about the manufacturer being YS tech

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:36 pm

The ys tech model number is printed on the akasa amber label reviewed with photos at http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=a ... m=75&num=1.

I have a ys tech FD 121225BL that I reviewed with the nexus a while ago. My ys tech had a top speed of 1000rpm. - FG

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... t=fan+test

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:50 pm

ahhh I see

we might have a dark horse coming, of course that's what we said for the globes....

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:56 pm

Upon my akasa fans it is printed "Y.S. Tech KM 121225LB" .It is likely that this is the same model.

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:53 pm

the same model with different blades since they do not look alike

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 7:00 pm

and different colors

it'd be nice fan to try out, i'll blame you if it doesn't live up to your praise

computergeek22 · Post by **computergeek22** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:45 pm

I'm just waiting on your guys' feedback. It's either this fan or the nexus. For 10 bucks cheaper I can get 2 of these and replace that noisy big fat 30mm wide tricool in the p180. Thanks!

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 10:01 pm

actually, I'm waiting on you!

anyway, If they're not good, we CAN return them for no restocking fee (overcool.com), pay return shipping though

I'm planning to use this in my seasonic and to duct to the CPU heatsink (planning on XP90), kill 3 fans off

then my system will be only 2 fans!

computergeek22 · Post by **computergeek22** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 2:17 pm

I don't know if its just a myth but I always do my christmas shopping AFTER Christmas cuz it's cheaper and I'm cheap like that

. I should have it built by mid january so if ur waiting on me, you'll have to wait for a while.

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 2:53 pm

after finals and christmas vacation, i'll be in the same timeframe as you!

heh
i'm now thinking of getting that fan included in the Akasa EVO 120, would be easier to duct, but 10 bucks more and there seems to be some quality issues....(heatpipe bent) i hope not, but I have a couple of weeks to figure it out!

Imvd85- do you have this particular heatsink? looks like you do If you do, what do you think of the temps, ease of installation, and looks?

PS computergeek22 are you at the [H] too?

Imvd85 · Post by **Imvd85** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 4:12 pm

I own a few Akasa Amber fans but I don't own an Evo 120. However my brother has ordered it a few days ago for his system.I can let you know how it performs when we lay our hands on it.
Meanwhile, here is a review by a very trusted Greek site with many pictures of the cooler http://www.pctechnology.gr/vbull/vb/article.php?c=27 .

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 4:30 pm

great! i look forward to it!

and believe me once I get interested in something, I'M interested and obbsessed, I spent the whole morning researching the evo 120...instead of studying.....

computergeek22 · Post by **computergeek22** » Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:40 pm

Yeah, yangster, I pretty much read up on any of the big forums AT, XtremeSystems, HardOCp, and SPCR. Great sites, and great helpful people - allows me to learn a lot as I have in the past month or so. I got my p180 and my scythe ninja. The p180 is nice and I fiddled around with it in the inside just planning things out. The ninja's heatsink fins are really easy to bend which I learned the hard way. I might have to do some lapping but it looks very decent and no scratches and all but I just want to be ultra-sure.

Locklear · Post by **Locklear** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:11 am

I just ordered 3 of these to replace some shoddy nexuses i bought. 2 of 3 nexuses had very noticable bearing noises. one had a fairly high tapping and one creates a humming cause the fan blades looks really unbalanced. I also feel the nexuses move a tiny bit to little air at max speed for my taste.

I'll give you guys some feedback once they arrive, but with christmas and all that around the corner i doubt i'll have them before the newyear

Akasa Amber is a winner.My "12cm Fans"Experience.

Akasa Amber is a winner.My "12cm Fans"Experience.

Re: Akasa Amber is a winner.My "12cm Fans"Experien