Introduction

So how do you write a review on fans? Shall I wax poetic over the glorious air these things push, the marvels of engineering and manufacturing that have collided into the epitome of the fan? How my computer just wasn't complete without this product? Hell no! These are fans, they blow!. or suck (depending on the direction), Period.

That still leaves the question on the table. When does a fan crawl up from the evolutionary muck and become something more than just a fan? Why would I want to purchase one product over another? Of course, to find the answer, it depends on whom you ask. This is the point when all the marketing types would start their spin on the superiority of one product over the other. Since I am not a marketing individual, I will just have to rely on my inane ability to sense crap. Everyone ready? Let's go get it!


First Looks

In the hot seat today I have the X-Blower from Thermaltake. I have my big tin snips at the ready. They enjoy ripping into hard plastic, metal ducting, and long walks on the beach!. but wait, could it be, the box is yielding its contents with relative ease!no tools required. Yeah! My trusty sidekick will have to wait until the next processor box arrives now.


Let's take a look at what I have in front of me. I have a standard 80mm fan, a 2-knob rheostat, a blower thing, and lots of screws. According to the literature supplied off of Thermaltake's website, the blower is supposed to be used as a standard case fan, and the standard 80mm case fan is supplied for the heat sink. What, you don't know what a blower is?? A blower, unlike a standard fan, draws air into its turbines and forces it downward in a solid stream. Unlike a fan that has a "dead zone" in the center where the bearings and motor are located, the blower delivers a more complete and even airflow. This is especially useful when cooling a heat sink. A blower should deliver a better flow of air than a standard fan. So we have discovered a bit of a discrepancy here, the Thermaltake website states (above) that the blower "can make air spread on the heat sink evenly," then recommends you install the "blower for case fan". Huh??? So, we now scrap any form of advertising i.e. the instructions, and just try this stuff out.

Testing

Since this thing was not designed as a conversation piece, let's use it and see what actually works the best, the blower or the fan as apparently the folks at Thermaltake's research and marketing were as confused as I seem to be. Just to make things interesting, I will be using my existing heat sink from a Cooler Master Aero 7+. This is an all copper heat sink, and a rather good one at that. Arctic silver is the thermal compound being used for the chip/heat sink interface. I will be changing the fans and measuring the chip temperatures with each fan on the highest setting. To generate the necessary heat for the test, I will be cooling an overclocked Barton 2500+ chip. (2 x 200 MHz with 11.5x Multiplier). This chip has no problems generating the kilojoules required to test out these coolers! Which do you think will work the best?


So how did these fair? Well, for starters, I know why I am using the Cooler Master Aero 7+. The Cooler Master has good cooling with moderate noise levels. The 80 mm fan (or the "Badger Mincer" as it has affectionately come to be called here at TheTechlounge) sounded like a 747 fleeing La Guardia. At 5200 RPMs, I can see why. The blower didn't seem to fair any better. Its noise levels were not as high, but then again, its max RPM is only 4200. So looking back on our results, if you are deaf and don't care about noise, then slap that 80 mm on and let it rip. But unless you plan to replace your current 80mm heat sink fan, it really wouldn't be necessary. If you wish to forego the Miracle Ear you can try the blower; however, its cooling capacity will only be as good as the heat sink you put on it. Of course this product doesn't come with a heat sink, so if you figure out what they were thinking give yourself 10 points and a cookie.


So now that we have tested all three fans, we can begin to get a good idea of this product's performance. The temperature readings are actually more dependent on the RPM rating than the actual fan design. It is my opinion that the Cooler Master fan is a better design than the Thermaltake. I come to this conclusion on the basis of equivalent RPM comparison. When both fans are set to equal RPM's, the Cooler Master fan yields lower temperatures along with lower noise. On closer inspection of both the Cooler Master blower and the Thermaltake blower, it is apparent that the Thermaltake blower has smaller fins, thus the requirement of higher RPMs for comparable cooling.

Temperature Comparisons
(Show All Graphs) (Collapse Graphs)

CPU - Idle

CPU - Load

Mobo - Idle

Mobo - Load

TT Smart Fan II

Cooler Master

TT Blower

37

37.3

37

0

Temperature ( °C )

100

 

 

CPU - Idle

CPU - Load

Mobo - Idle

Mobo - Load

TT Smart Fan II

Cooler Master

TT Blower

44.8

46

45.3

0

Temperature ( °C )

100

 

 

CPU - Idle

CPU - Load

Mobo - Idle

Mobo - Load

TT Smart Fan II

Cooler Master

TT Blower

28

24.2

25

0

Temperature ( °C )

100

 

 

CPU - Idle

CPU - Load

Mobo - Idle

Mobo - Load

TT Smart Fan II

Cooler Master

TT Blower

29

28

26

0

Temperature ( °C )

100

 

 

By the way, installing the blower as a case fan is effective, just ugly in my opinion. If you don't have a window in your case, then by all means slap that thing in there, no one will see and it can be your little secret.

Conclusion

So after that entire thrashing, how do I really feel about this product? To tell you the truth, the product itself is not bad, it's the execution that's lacking. I could find nothing wrong mechanically with any of the components. The included rheostats were handsomely constructed, nicely polished and had ample lengths of wiring to run to the fans. The 80 mm fan worked well, and can easily be turned down to a comfortable noise level. Neither of these fans should really be used in combination with a heat sink, but as case fans they won't disappoint. The real draw for this product will undoubtedly be the price. At approximately $20, this package has a lot to offer. Purchasing two smart fans will run you about the same price, but without the nicely finished rheostat controls. Of course one of those fans will be an ugly blower, but if that is your style, run with it.

Pros

Thermaltake Quality
Nice Rheostat
Plenty of length on the wiring

Cons

One question, WHY?
Loud
Confusing marketing
No fan guard on 80mm fan