Page 2 - A Closer Look - Hardware
Out of the box, there are only a few things to note. For one, we have the Silencio FP 120 PWM Performance Edition fan, with a long cable connecting the 4 pin PWM header. The cable is sleeved to hide the four wires, and it measures approximately 450mm in length. This is 50mm shorter than the Fractal Design Venturi HP-12 PWM fans, but it still has quite a bit of length to maneuver around most cases. Next, we have the two mounting options, the anti-vibration fan mounts, and the standard metal screws. Otherwise, there are no additional extras, such as a PWM Y-splitter cable or vibration pads.
Unlike some of the fans we have seen here, the Cooler Master Silencio FP 120 PWM Performance Edition is all business in its design. The plastic frame is black in color, with the impeller also black. Cooler Master's logo is displayed on one side at the middle of the impeller, while some certifications are printed on the other side in a lighter gray. Typically speaking, fans are not really the flashiest of items, and are more intended to serve a purpose. The black coloring scheme should blend like a ninja into many cases; no pun intended. The fan frame is minimal in design, with only four arms obstructing any sort of airflow. This means a maximum amount of air should flow through the passage without any barriers. On the other hand, the lack of any grille means you should watch your fingers while handling the fan, as they may get nicked in the process.
According to Cooler Master, all of the Silencio FP models share the same types of bearings inside. These loop dynamic bearings, or LDB for short, are exclusive to Cooler Master's fans. These bearings provide a seal on the bobbin, with an IP6X dustproof rating to ensure a longer lifespan. In fact, a life expectancy of 160,000 hours is given to these fans, which is ten thousand hours greater than Noctua's NF-F12 IndustrialPPC fans. Internally, oil circulates around the bearing through grooves, which oil the shaft in a well-greased manner -- pardon the pun. Otherwise, a good bearing means the fan will keep spinning for a longer time, while keeping quiet during operation.
Taking a closer look at the fan blades, we can see a few distinct features. As we can read from the front of the box, the Cooler Master Silencio FP 120 PWM Performance Edition fans are aimed at creating high pressure. Thus you will see the fins are a bit wider, with not as much spacing between the blades. On the other hand, they are not as wide of blades as the Fractal Design Venturi fans. The angles each blade sits in comparison to the rotating middle is more gradual compared to the Venturi's, because the blade itself is also wider near the middle. The Silencio FP 120 PWM blades are quite sickle-shaped, with a very noticeable curve. This is designed to create more directed air, and therefore, produce a higher airflow. The ends of the fins sharpen out at the tip. There are a total of 5 fins on the Silencio FP fan. Otherwise, each blade is smoothed out on the surface to reduce any drag the fins may inadvertently create.
According to Cooler Master, the Silencio FP 120 PWM Performance Edition fan is driven by a "Smart Fan Engine technology". In essence, this stops power from going to the fan if it detects an obstruction in the fan blades, and automatically resumes it when the obstruction is clear. With some brief testing, I put the Silencio FP 120's own wire into the path of the blades to see if it would stop. Sure enough, the blades slowed to a halt and remained still. After a few seconds, the fan whirred back up again, spinning to the original speed. This being said, I would not necessarily recommend users put their own fingers into the blades to try it. However, I think it is great to see something like this, as system component wires may get caught in the fan blades. This should reduce any damage to other components or the fan itself. It is important to note this feature is not necessarily exclusive to Cooler Master; you can see it in action with many other manufacturers as well.
The fan blades are driven by Cooler Master's Silent Driver IC, which is said to have lower noise output, lower power consumption, and less vibration. As you know PWM fans are driven by modulating the pulse width signal to vary the rotational speed of the fan blades. Traditional PWM drivers do this by producing a sharp impulse train to drive their fans, possibly leading to audible clicking noises. Some competitors have solved this with a saw tooth-like wave pattern, with a gradual switch from ground to full voltage, but a sudden drop in the other direction. On the other hand, Cooler Master's driver gradually switches signals for both rising and falling edges. This is said to reduce the switching sound and create an overall quieter solution. Whether these claims hold true will be evident in our tests later on.
This fan, as indicated in its name, is a pulse-width modulation fan, or PWM for short. This means it uses 4-pin headers and connects to most modern motherboards directly. As for rotational speeds, the Silencio FP 120 PWM Performance Edition runs from 800 to 2400 RPM. On the topics of sound, airflow, and static pressure, the following lesson on these issues have been borrowed from Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Kwan's review of the Noctua NF-F12 PWM and NF-P12 PWM fans.
Noise and CFM relates to the big challenge when designing fans is to provide the best airflow to noise ratio. One would want the best amount of airflow, while keeping it as quiet as possible. Even with the best ratio, it is quite difficult to measure objectively at all times. The most common unit of objective measurement is CFM (Cubic feet per minute) of air for airflow, and dB noise, respectively. We will go over how application and CFM is related with regards to its standard measurements, but let us discuss perceived noise first.
dB (Decibels) is a logarithmic unit of sound intensity. While it provides what appears to be an objective measurement for the most part, it should be noted that perceived noise levels to the human ear, and actual sound intensity, could result in very different things. Human ears are more sensitive to particular frequencies, and when those particular frequencies are emitted from its source, it may appear louder than its numbers suggest. That same can be said vice-versa -- frequencies that human ears are less sensitive to can actually have louder dB measurements from a sound meter, yet the human ears does not perceive it to be as loud as the numbers suggest. Other factors such as turbulence noise are often not measured correctly, therefore, while it usually provides a good reference, it does not necessarily reflect real life performance.
With regards to the application and CFM, it is generally optimal to have a fan to have a high air volume flow rate -- but as aforementioned, pure CFM values are limited to an extent with regards to its indication on fan performance. It is not completely about how much air in can move per minute quantitatively, but equally as important is how it is executed in reality. Airflow to noise ratio is an essential factor as mentioned earlier. Static pressure is also very important depending on application. High resistance applications such as dense fins on a large heatsink require high static pressure, while case fans needs less static pressure and faster airflow. There are times where case fans will require higher static pressure too, such as the frontal intake fans, where a mesh grille would create some resistance. The differences in application is like a large truck that has a diesel engine with lots of low end torque for towing, compared to a sports car with a high revving gasoline engine with lots of power to beat around the track -- they are simply designed for different purposes, so choose one appropriate to your needs.
With all this out of the way, let's look at the technical detail of the fans. The Cooler Master Silencio FP 120 PWM Performance Edition is rated at a maximum 76 CFM, 27 dB, and 4.8 mmH2O. By comparison to my last fans I reviewed, the Fractal Design Venturi HP-12, these Silencio fans should produce more airflow and air pressure, while still being quieter than usual. However, we will see how this actually transfers into our classic performance tests, which looks at more than just the numbers.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
