The DeepCool Gamer Storm TF120 is the first cooling fan to have spoilers on its blades. We simply must have a good look at this.
Product on Review: TF120
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Deepcool
MSRP: $16.99 / £16.99
Today we are looking at a first for ‘fans’ of computer fans – a design from Deepcool’s Gamer Storm brand which features 2-layer blades. Due to this subtle change the blades on the impellers of these fans look like the spoilers on race cars. The question is, do they have any impact? We will be looking closely at this fan.
Deepcool have this to say:
TF 120 series feature unique patented 2-layer blade design to offer a powerful air pressure, the scientific channelized frame to reduce the noise arose by the whirlpool of airflow, and semi-hermetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing solution to power MTBF up to 100,000 hours. The TF120 series fan’s advanced detachable blade design to give more color choice built-in 3-proof functions (Dustproof, Waterproof, Oil-leakage proof), which satisfy your DIY enthusiasm to build a unique rig.
Deepcool is a manufacturer out of deepest China with lots of toys to play with. Deepcool maintains two main divisions on their website: an OEM/ODM side where they offer all sorts of cooling products for industry; and an enthusiast side where they offer cases, coolers (water as well as air), power supply units, and – oh yes – fans. This is how Deepcool describe their outlook:
Deepcool design and manufacture a comprehensive range of high quality products, covering desktop cooling solutions, laptop cooling solutions, server cooling solutions, embedded cooling solutions, and other thermal components. . . . Ever since the stunning victory of Deep Blue, a program running on an IBM supercomputer, over Gary Kasparov, then world chess champion, in 1997, it has been clear that computers would be the most powerful tool of human being. At that time, we started our computer cooling business. We hoped our products could be as great as Deep Blue. With that in mind came the name Deepcool.
At Vortez, we began covering Deepcool products in mid-2012, and have found that their fans tend to have interesting features and accessories which set them apart from the usual run-on-the-mill. Perhaps of most interest to general consumers is that the fans tend to have both PWM speed control and 7-Volt adapters; It’s like getting two fans for the price of one.
Features and Specifications
From Deepcool:2-Layer Blade Design:
Unique patented 2-layer blade design, show an amazing visual feeling to tune in well with wavy LED light.
Double Functions:
The unique blade configuration to offer a powerful air pressure; the scientific channelized frame to reduce the noise arose by the whirlpool of airflow.
Double Performance:
Semi-hermetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing solution to power MTBF up to 100,000 hours. Avoid electromagnetic sound & reduce the noise arose by mechanism friction.
DIY Solution:
The detachable blade to give more color choice built-in 3-proof functions (Dustproof, Waterproof, Oil-leakage proof).
Unique patented 2-layer blade design, show an amazing visual feeling to tune in well with wavy LED light.
Double Functions:
The unique blade configuration to offer a powerful air pressure; the scientific channelized frame to reduce the noise arose by the whirlpool of airflow.
Double Performance:
Semi-hermetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing solution to power MTBF up to 100,000 hours. Avoid electromagnetic sound & reduce the noise arose by mechanism friction.
DIY Solution:
The detachable blade to give more color choice built-in 3-proof functions (Dustproof, Waterproof, Oil-leakage proof).
Technical Specifications of the TF120:
Deepcool thoughtfully provided us with what is called a P-Q Curve.
Packaging & Bundle
The TF120 comes in on of three colors options: Red, White and Blue. We’ve selected the the white and red fans for this review, but the blue design will be mechanically identical.
Each Deepcool TF120 comes in a secure plastic box with cardboard cladding evocative of the 2-layer blade design. Printed on the outside of the box are the fan’s P-Q curve and specifications, which will be valuable if you were to see it on a brick-and-mortar retailer’s shelves before purchase.
Inside the plastic box is a slide-out tray with the fan and accessories. Deepcool includes with the TF120 a ziptie, a 40cm PWM extension line, four standard fan screws, and a 7-Volt adapter.
Closer Look
Looking initially at the exhaust end of the TF120 shows how the fan blows out with its compound blade. Here you can see the double edge on the exhaust side of the fan:
On the intake side we see the simpler and more traditional single leading edge on the blade. But from this angle the second ‘spoiler’ layer is clearly apparent, very similar to spoiler wings you see on the back of some cars that can greatly change its aerodynamic properties.
Luckily for us, the impeller is designed to pop off the motor. This allows us to get an edge-on view of the fan blades.
The bearing of the fan is designed to take an amazing amount of punishment and keep the fan running. On the left is a picture of the fan frame with the impeller popped off. Superimposed in the top-right of the shot is a Deepcool-supplied picture of the bearing. In the right picture is a closeup showing the translucent corner of a fan.
Test Setup and Methodologies
Deepcool supplied two TF120’s, a Red and a White. The fans were mounted on a foam stand to measure its RPM in free air and to measure its Sound Pressure Level at 10cm. To convert to a standard 1m, you subtract 20 dB. The advantage of a close-in measurement is that you have the best chance of measuring the fan’s own SPL. This can be an issue when the fan is quiet and the ambient is typical silence as heard by the human ear.
On the night of the testing, the basement had an ambient SPL of 30-30.5 dBA, measured by a Tenma 72-942 SPL meter. A Tenma 72-942 will measure sound pressure accurately down to 30 dBA.
The fans were then placed on a test box, with an inlet fitted to the fan and an outlet that was 116mm. Into the outlet went the measuring head of an Extech AN100 Anemometer, which was configured to average ten readings to capture the CFM. In addition to the unobstructed airflow, the output of the TF120’s was measured pulling behind a standard mesh metal filter and pushing through a 30-FPI radiator.
Unfortunately, because the 7v adapter uses the 12v and the 5v lines from the PSU, no RPM could be directly measured when the fans were running at 7 Volts.
For comparator fans we have the Scythe (made by Nidec) Gentle Typhoon D1225C12B AP-15 with a nominal speed of 1850 RPM, and the San Ace Silent Medium 9S1212P4M011 with a nominal speed of 1850 RPM. Both fans are in the same speed class as the TF120’s, and all four fans were also tested at 7 Volts.
Results of Testing
As you can see below, the TF120 exceeded its specs and was fully a match for its comparator fans.
One factor we couldn’t measure directly but did observe is that the TF120’s produced no clicking at all. Whilst in older PWM fans clicking has proved to be a significant problem, even at 7 Volts the TF120’s were regular in the noise they produced.
Conclusion
The TF120 by Deepcool is another fan in their Gamer Storm line, and we found that in testing they do what Deepcool claim they will do, and look good doing so. Thus far the Deepcool fans have all exceeded their specifications, and that’s a nice track record for a firm; let’s hope they keep it up. Furthermore, from the consumer point of view the fact that these are PWM fans allows your motherboard to control their speed to suit the cooling load that is placed on them, letting you tailor cooling performance and sound levels to match your needs and tastes. It may seem trivial to some, but that’s genuinely an under appreciated feature for those without access to separate fan controllers.Most importantly perhaps Deepcool has literally done something rare, and that’s radically changing blade design in a consumer-class fan. It’s also the first time we’ve come across this ‘spoiler’ style, perhaps making it unique in the consumer space. The TF120 has an MSRP of £16.99 in the UK, and $16.99 when it is available in the US. Whether it be pulling air into a case through dust filters or pushing air through radiators for water cooling, this fan will be more than suitable.
Deepcool have innovated with flair in a usually conservative design space, and in the TF120 created a product that looks unique and performs with aplomb. In so doing they’ve earned our award for innovation, and continue in a line of products which have impressed us in the past few years.
Deepcool TF120 Pros
+ Fan blades with spoilers – a first
+ TF120 exceeds Deepcool’s published specs
+ Pushes plenty of air
+ Pushes a good amount of air through a rad
+ Silent PWM control
+ No clicking in PWM or in Voltage control
+ Comes with a 7-Volt noise reducer.
+ Package gives you P-Q curves for three typical RPM’s
Deepcool TF120 Cons
– None
+ Fan blades with spoilers – a first
+ TF120 exceeds Deepcool’s published specs
+ Pushes plenty of air
+ Pushes a good amount of air through a rad
+ Silent PWM control
+ No clicking in PWM or in Voltage control
+ Comes with a 7-Volt noise reducer.
+ Package gives you P-Q curves for three typical RPM’s
Deepcool TF120 Cons
– None
