I purchased 3x Cooltek "Silent Fan 120" (non-PWM) to test them. They are cheap enough to test in 'bulk'.
At 1200 RPM (or 12V) (likely, my BIOS claims the IO chip so my software can't read it, have to see if I can turn that off) the thing is definitely audible at over 3 meters even in a noisy daylight environment (outside street noise).
Using a Zalman Fanmate2 to turn the volume down to 5V, it spins at > 900 RPM and produces a "spin image" that is just rather unstable. It might get better with lower speeds, but this fan's start voltage must be around 4V, because if I put an extra resistor in between, it does not start anymore. Forcing it to start, it runs at (xxx) RPM which for my system, I consider pleasant, but the image of the spin is very wobbly. The Cooler Master fan that came with my case, which runs at lower speeds with the same voltages, even has a better spin image, better stability.
Some simple pictures:
I am sorry I have no time left to write. I fucked myself up again.
The upper row is the fan spinning slow, the lower row is the fan spinning fast.
To me it is a chaotic fan and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. There is no bad sound character to it, the thing is just chaotic. I need my systems to create a sense of calm about them, because a calming system will also calm my person (and vice versa ).
The speed reduction with the Fanmate 2 is not big enough, so for me this fan also starts with a high speed at a too-low voltage. Reducing the speed further (below 900 rpm) is hardly possible because it won't start anymore. It is very cheap at about 6 euros (what do you expect, sure) but even though it is termed a silent fan, and true, it doesn't make a lot of noise (at lower voltages) I still woudln't consider it suitable.
Verdict: not suitable.
Pro's: Cheap, looks reasonably good (modest, simple) and has a pleasant enough noise character
Cons: Still feels very chaotic, the fan is wobbly, it only comes with a 3-pin header, you can't really reduce it below 900 RPM, the build is such that the yellow wire may even hit the fan blades, and the electronics produce a small crackling noise that you can hear if you put your ear close to it (10cm) even if the fan is not spinning; always the same cracking noise.
Cooltek "Silent Fan 120" little review
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Re: Cooltek "Silent Fan 120" little review
Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Cooltek "Silent Fan 120" little review
xen wrote:Verdict: not suitable.
Thanks a lot!
Re: Cooltek "Silent Fan 120" little review
Thanks for taking one for the team
Re: Cooltek "Silent Fan 120" little review
I must rectify a little bit. It seems that when I did the motherboard BIOS readout (from the BIOS screen) of the fans I had not put them behind a fanmate2, but I'm not sure.
In any case, that reading of 800+ RPM at the lowest voltages is not correct.
At 5V the fans spin at 580 RPM.
With another cable in between they go down to 540 RPM. For me that still feels chaotic, so the subjective experience doesn't change with that. The motherboard I am using now has aluminium heatsinks (which I dislike) but it likes the extra cooling; the three fans are being very nice to the motherboard that can overheat because it uses a single flat heatsink for both northbridge and southbridge (ASUS M2N-E SLI) and they reduce the chaos that the aluminium produces.
So for the "quieter" mainboard I wouldn't really recommend them, but since this one is chaotic by itself, the fans actually help a lot (in addition to or in conjunction with cooling). I have yet to take my Y-splitter out of the mail so I can feed two fans with the same fanmate, and get the rear fan to spin a little slower also.
In any case, that reading of 800+ RPM at the lowest voltages is not correct.
At 5V the fans spin at 580 RPM.
With another cable in between they go down to 540 RPM. For me that still feels chaotic, so the subjective experience doesn't change with that. The motherboard I am using now has aluminium heatsinks (which I dislike) but it likes the extra cooling; the three fans are being very nice to the motherboard that can overheat because it uses a single flat heatsink for both northbridge and southbridge (ASUS M2N-E SLI) and they reduce the chaos that the aluminium produces.
So for the "quieter" mainboard I wouldn't really recommend them, but since this one is chaotic by itself, the fans actually help a lot (in addition to or in conjunction with cooling). I have yet to take my Y-splitter out of the mail so I can feed two fans with the same fanmate, and get the rear fan to spin a little slower also.