Arctic F8, F9 and F12 TC Fan Review

1. Introduction2. The F8, F9 and F12 TC Fans3. Testing Methodology and Performance4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

To test the fans we built a system in the In Win Dragon Slayer case that we reviewed recently as it has space for all three sizes of fan that we’re testing today.  We will be comparing Arctic’s fans with the standard fans that are supplied with the case.  The 80mm fan will be fitted in the hard drive bay, the 92mm as a rear exhaust and the 120mm as a roof exhaust.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the chassis we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our Digital Sound Level Meter SL-824 one meter away from the case.  As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Test System

Chassis: In Win Dragon Slayer
Processor: Intel Core i5 660
Motherboard: Gigabyte H55M-UD2
Cooler: Silverstone NT07-1156
Graphics Card: HIS Radeon HD5550 (Passively cooled)
Memory: 4GB (2x 2GB) Crucial Ballistix RAM
Storage: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB 7200rpm (HD103SJ)
Power Supply: Corsair TX650W

Although Arctic’s fans didn’t cool our test system as effectively as In Win’s stock fans, this isn’t what they’re designed to do.  The stock fans run at a constant RPM and are therefore able to shift more air than the temperature controlled Arctic fans which don’t reach full speed until the system heats up.

So, the Arctic fans are able to cool the system more quietly than the stock fans which aren’t even very loud themselves.  This was shown in our testing where we recorded a lower noise level for the system with the Arctic fans installed.

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