See how two 120mm fans from newcomers GELID fared against an assortment of other case fans on the market in this latest fan test.
GELID are pretty new on the cooling scene meaning this review should be quite an interesting and important one. There are many other top quality fan and system cooling developers in the market at present which makes for a tough and competitive environment. Let’s see if they can prove themselves.Up for review are two of GELID’s 120mm fans. The Silent 12 fan which comes in three flavours and the Wing 12 UV Blue which includes a speed control box.
The English word “gelid” is derived from the Latin word “gelidus” (extremely cold, icy).
GELID Solutions Ltd. is a Hong Kong based company with Swiss Management and founded in 2008 by Gebhard SCHERRER and VC TRAN. Both have worked in the PC Cooling industry for a number of years and successfully built up an IT company with their expertise.
GELID designs and manufactures thermal solutions, CPU coolers, fans, and other computer hardware for both gamers and silent enthusiasts. We provide computer hardware distributors, retailers and system integrators with innovative, virtually silent, high- performance and top quality thermal solutions.
Quality and innovation are key. And, being Swiss, we leave nothing to chance. That’s why we provide a total solution – from bearings to thermal compound, from design to shipping, from the moulding of the fan to the print on the box – with state-of-the-art machines and experienced staff.
Our Vision:
Combine quality and ingenuity to set the standard in creating best- in- class products for global computer enthusiasts
As their latest venture, GELID Solutions Ltd. is a privately owned limited liability company with a registered share capital of HKD 1’000’000. Strategically based in Hong Kong, “Asia’s World City”, it enjoys an unrivalled location at the geographical and economic centre of Asia. For our customers, this means easy and quick access to our vast manufacturing base in mainland China.
Packaging and Features
Initial impressions are very good. The packaging design of each fan is very professional – especially when compared to the vast majority of other manufacturer’s attempts. This should create a strong brand image helping to increase awareness of the product and ultimately sales, very much like graphics card and other PC component manufacturers do.
Besides the striking colours and cutting edge typeface the packaging lists the fans specifications and performance data. One interesting point to note from each box was the mention of the 5 year warranty that covers you in the unlikely event of a fan failure. Certainly a thumbs up from me.
As I mentioned earlier (and as can be seen in the pamphlets in the image above) the Silent 12 comes in three different configurations. The first is the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) model reviewed here, a TC (Temperature Controlled) version and finally a plain vanilla model.
On opening the Silent 12 i discovered a simple but functional selection of the 120mm fan itself, a GELID case sticker and 4 of GELID’s specially developed temperature resistant rubber fan mounts. GELID describes the mounts as being made of high quality, temperature resistant, extra long lasting rubber designed to stop vibrations from the fan motor from travelling into your PC case.
The fan itself utilises a Hydro Dynamic Bearing which the box information says ‘guarantees ultra low noise’ and the PWM feature ‘provides airflow by adjusting fan speed according to the CPU load’ which should mean that the fan throttles to a much lower rotational speed when it is not needed. In fact, the Silent 12’s PWM system is a newer ‘intelligent’ system developed by GELID to improve cooling performance while maintaining quiet operation.
GELID writes:
‘Designed for advanced users GELID Silent PWM fans provide additional airflow by using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to automatically adjust fan speed according to the CPU load. The fan can be idled down and thus be much quieter. An intelligent IC had been integrated into the fan’s PCB to exploit your mainboard’s BIOS software. This technology is more efficient and convenient than using an external fan controller to adjust the voltage.’
As you can see below it offers great performance that tailors itself perfectly to CPU load.
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“The intelligent GELID PWM Curve is more efficient than the traditional red curve of other PWM fans.”
Specifications
*Included: 4 Rubber Fan MountsAirflow (CFM): 58
Bearing: Hydro Dynamic Bearing
Cable Length (mm): 500
Connector: 4 Pin Molex
Current (A): 0.18
Dimension (mm): 120 x 120 x 25
Fan Speed (RPM): 750 – 1500
Noise Level (dBA): 12 – 25.5
Safety Approvals: CE, RoHS Compliant
Static Pressure (mmAq): 1.6
Voltage (V): 12
Warranty (years): 5
Weight (g): 120
MSRP: USD 12.00 / Euro 7.00
Moving on to the next test model we find that the Wing 12 UV Blue has a more feature packed selection. Above and beyond the Silent 12’s 120mm fan, GELID case sticker and those 4 special temperature resistant rubber fan mounts you also get a fan speed controller with connecting cable and a sticky pad for mounting the controller wherever you please.
This fan uses a slightly different (GELID patented) Nanoflux Bearing (NFB) which allows for noiseless operation. It uses an electromagnetic field to stop the solid moving parts from touching and consequently allows the fan to start up at 5v and gives the fan an extremely long life. In fact the Wing 12 has an expected lifetime of 100,000 hrs MTTF (Mean Time to Failure) @ 40c which is double the 50,000 hrs of the Silent 12. Unlike sleeve and ball bearing fans the Wing’s Nanoflux bearing is constructed of a high precision self lubricating material which essentially eliminates any oil leakage.
The Wing 12’s impeller also has ‘Optimised Winglet Fan Blades’ to further aid quiet operation – plus the fans impeller can be removed for easy cleaning too. All very impressive I’m sure you’ll agree.
Specifications
*Included: 4 Rubber Fan Mounts, Fan Speed Control
Airflow (CFM): 64.3
Bearing: Nanoflux Bearing (NFB)
Cable Length (mm): 500
Connector: 3 Pin Molex
Current (A): 0.22
Dimension (mm): 120 x 120 x 25
Fan Speed (RPM): 1500
Noise Level (dBA): 25
Safety Approvals: UL, CUL, CE, RoHS Compliant
Static Pressure (mmAq): 1.925
Voltage (V): 12
Warranty (years): 5
Weight (g): 119
MSRP: USD 19.00 / Euro 11.00
Testing
To fully compare the GELID’s with the competition they face today i took delivery of a selection of fans from other competing manufacturers.In order of appearance – Akasa Amber AK-183-L2B, Akasa (grey smoked) DFS122515L, Thermaltake TT-1225 and the Vantec Stealth SF12025L.
VS the new challengers the GELID Silent 12 and the GELID Wing 12.
Testing Methods
I will use a sound pressure level meter to test the db rating of each fan at both 12v and 7v.
Due to the sound level meter only registering a db rating of 50db+ i will have to adjust the sampling distance to allow the fans to register on the meter – after a few test runs i decided to test each fan at each rated voltage at a distance of 2cm.
I could then use a ‘damping of sound level with distance’ calculator to calculate the db rating at a greater listening distance. This will give a clearer understanding of the actual volume of each fan.
The test will use a PC comprised of the following hardware:
E6600
Gigabyte G33 motherboard
4gb of GEIL ULL PC6400
Hiper Type-R 580w PSU
Results
Running @ 12v and recorded @ 2cmAkasa Amber – 66db
Akasa Smoke – 64db
Thermaltake TT-1225 – 68db
Vantec Stealth – 70db
GELID Silent – 70db
GELID Wing 12 – 66db
After conversion the results @ 2m are as follows
Akasa Amber – 26db
Akasa Smoke – 24db
Thermaltake TT-1225 – 28db
Vantec Stealth – 30db
GELID Silent 12 – 30db
GELID Wing 12 – 26db
Running @ 7v and recorded @ 2cm
Akasa Amber – 58db
Akasa Smoke – 54db
Thermaltake TT-1225 – 60db
Vantec Stealth – 61db
GELID Silent 12 – 58db
GELID Wing 12 – 54db
After conversion the results @ 2m are as follows
Akasa Amber – 18db
Akasa Smoke – 14db
Thermaltake TT-1225 -20db
Vantec Stealth – 21db
GELID Silent 12 – 18db
GELID Wing 12 – 14db
Summary of individual fan performance
The Akasa Amber produced a smooth performance although i must admit that there was an audible whine. It even continued this at 7v which was unacceptable to me as it was quite noticeable. One redeeming feature is that it did manage to produce an average amount of back pressure at 12v but almost none at 7v.
The Akasa Smoke was a very quiet fan. Virtually silent at 12v and pretty much totally silent at 7v. Only negative was that it had very little back pressure even at the full 12v. Although unable to test it’s CFM must be pretty low.
Thermaltakes TT-1225 (a personal favourite from my Big Typhoon days) was very smooth sounding and despite it’s db rating seemed particularly quiet at 7v. It did have fairly limited back pressure at both 7v and 12v though.
The Vantec Stealth was a surprise since its name would suggest ultimate silence. It produced a very audible whine at both 12v and 7v. This was quite intrusive and could not be recommended for a quiet cooling solution. The fan did produce some very good back pressure though – even at 7v and could definitely be recommended for performance cooling if noise was not an issue.
GELID’s Silent 12 produced an audible whine at 12v but was virtually silent from 7v it also provided very good back pressure at both voltages.
The GELID Wing 12 UV Blue performed impeccably. It was very smooth sounding at both voltages and was basically silent at 7v. Although i could not test at exactly 9v I adjusted the controller to what i thought would be 9v and it was very quiet indeed. It also provided really good back pressure at all tested voltages.
Conclusion
Firstly the Silent 12 offers PWM convenience, rubber mounts, a great warranty and performance that compares directly with other quality fans in the market. To create a fan that combines the silence of Akasa’s Amber and Thermaltake’s TT-1225 with the back pressure of the Vantec is commendable. It does create a little noise while running at 12v but nothing more than the Amber which is considered one of the best in its class.Secondly is the Wing 12 UV Blue. It has the same rubber mounts and great 5 year warranty of the Silent 12 yet adds fan speed control and performance that eclipses all those tested. It provides the ultimate silence of the Akasa Smoke combined with the back pressure of the Vantec. It is a little pricier than it’s little brother but it’s more than worth it. The Neoflux bearing and the Optimised Winglet fan blades work together to produce a truly silent and capable fan. Perfect for those wanting high performance cooling without sacrificing their eardrums!
GELID have two winning fan systems here and although in their infancy look like they will be a formidable force in the fan market from now on. Top performance at an affordable price means they both come very highly recommended.
We would like to thank GELID Solutions for supplying these samples.
You can discuss this review on our forum: HERE
