Associate
Item description
Silverstone Air Penetrator Fan Blue LED
Manufacturer and code
Silverstone: AP121-BL (blue LED)
Cost
£13.38 (inc VAT @20%)
Supplier
Withheld by G-Dubs in respect of Forum rules
Description and overview
A 120mm case fan from established hardware manufacturer Silverstone. The fan reviewed here has Blue LEDs, however it is also available with Red, white or green LEDs
First impressions and quality.
The first thing I noticed about this fan when I picked it up to open it was that it weighed more than I'm used to. This is a good thing as lightweight usually equals flimsy and flimsy is not a good attribute for any item to possess unless it's a silk negligee. On opening up the smartly packaged fan we find inside along with the fan itself, 4 grub type mounting screws, 4 silent rubber mounting grommets and a Molex adapter which splits the Molex feed into 3 separate fan headers labelled 5v, 7v and 12v.
The body of the fan is finished in a rather attractive chrome effect. That effective my good lady thought it was actually chrome plated when she first saw it from across the room. My good lady, like many ladies out there are attracted to all things shiny, but then us modders do like a bit of shiny shiny so who can blame them!
The 7 fan blades are clear with a slightly frosted appearance, presumably better to aid the dispersion of light from the LEDs.
Build quality and finish are very high, one of the highest I've seen The plastics used are dense and strong, the chrome finish is deep and even, and even the 50cm long 3 pin cable has been nicely braided, giving an overall impression that what you have in your hand is not just your average fan.
Where this fan also differs from other fans is that the rear side has myriad of curved fins radiating from the central hub. It is this feature that is core to its design and claims of improved airflow characteristics.
Instructions
Instructions are not provided with this fan, and as it's not exactly a complex, it might be nice to have something to hand that explains the relevance of the various voltage options available.
Fitting.
The fan can be fitted to the case either with the grub screws provided, or with the silent mount rubber grommets also included.
As the fan body is of the traditional open corner construction, the fan can also be fitted to a tower type CPU cooler or to a radiator with the use of the appropriate fitting screws or clips (not included) The fan is not of the PWM variety so if used as a CPU cooler it's speed cannot be controlled dynamically by the Motherboard.
The fan comes wired via a pre braided 50cm long cable terminating in a 3 pin fan header connector
The pack also includes a Molex to 3 x 3 pin fan header connector cable allowing the fan to be fed with either 5v, 7v, or 12v
Those of you who like to mod your fans by painting them (although it would be a sin to cover this chrome finish) will be pleased to know that the fan blade and hub section can be removed in the usual manner allowing painting of the blades and cowling section separately
Performance.
In my previous fan reviews I've been strongly of the opinion that fans have 3 jobs to do.
1 Be quiet.
2 Move air.
3 Look sexy, cool, awesome, pretty, the muts nuts (insert adjective as appropriate).
I shall be assessing this fan using the same criteria.
If you're the sort of chap that like to play Top Trumps and let's be honest we all love the stats whether they mean anything to us or not. have a quick canter through the case fans section at withheld by G-Dubs in respect of forum rules and soak up those numbers.
Link removed by G-Dubs
Numbers are just that at the end of the day, Numbers. So to add a sense of perspective and to keep this "Man on the street" I'm going to compare this fan with to two quite popular models that I have personal experience of:
The Scythe Gentle typhoon 1850
Link removed by G-Dubs
And the BitFenix Spectre.
Link removed by G-Dubs
Why these two? Well firstly the GT 1850 has been my personal weapon of choice for many years, and secondly the Spectre impressed the pants off me when I reviewed it a while back.
One is quite Dull but sure does move the air, and other a bit of a looker but not s powerful.
Job 1 Be quiet
So how does the Silverstone compare noise wise? The box says it's 22.4dB(A) Which means it comes in between the other two with the GT at 28dB(A) and the Bitfenix at 18dB(A). using the real world measurement of "putting your ear up against it and having a listen" (be careful if you use this method, as a seasoned assessor I now have only 1.4 ears left to test with) I can report that the Silverstone actually sounds quite a lot quieter than the GT (no surprises there as the GT is a faster fan) but also a lot quieter than the Bitfenix, which is surprising as the Bitfenix has a lower rpm and is rated 4.4dB(A) lower. Numbers eh! just goes to show they can't always be trusted.
Job 2 Move air
The fan is rated at 1500 rpm, and we're reliably informed by the packaging that it can move 35.36CFM of air.
The GT on the other hand is an 1850rpm fan moving 57.6CFM, with the Bitfenix slower than the other two at 800-1000rpm but still moving an impressive 52CFM.
On paper this doesn't look good for the Silverstone, however this fan has an ace up its sleeve.
Silverstone claim that whereas most fans are designed as extract fans the Air Penetrator is designed as an intake, being able to focus airflow into a column and push it into the depths of your case, and as such outright airflow rating is not a priority. So it may not be able to pull the hot air out of your case as well as the others, but it is claimed that it will be much better at pulling air in and projecting it over your beloved hot hardware. It does this through its patented "Blade and fin" design (those curved lines on the rear of the fan).
Time for the real world test. Picking up the fan while it's running (mind those fingers) and letting the air project onto my face at varying distances (and mind the nose) it is actually very noticeable that the air coming from the Silverstone behaves in a different way. The air from the other two fans could be felt at distances of up to 45 cm but always felt "gusty" and turbulent. The flow of air from the Silverstone on the other hand could be felt well up to 100cm and felt like a column of air of constant high velocity. I guess the boffins at Silverstone got it right, this thing appears to do what it says on the tin.
Job 3 Look sexy, cool, awesome, pretty, the muts nuts (insert adjective as appropriate).
As I've said before It's not as easy to pick a fan today as it used to be. "Back in the day" all you had to worry about was how much air you wanted to shift and how quiet you wanted it to be. Please note that the exact point in history that "Back in the day" represents varies depending on your age, but is generally accepted to be sometime in the late 80s early 90s.
The fan cowling is chrome and is finished to a high standard. The blades are frosted clear Perspex.
The Fan is illuminated by LEDs mounted not in the cowling as is more usual, but in the hub section. As a result there is much less light leakage and a very even dispersal of the light across the fan blades. To demonstrate this I have included a few shots of the two LED fans.
Comparing it to the other two fans as we have with the other criteria I think it does very well, although of course aesthetics are very subjective. For my own part I like the performance of the Typhoon but have never used one in a project without first taking it apart and spraying it up. Without this treatment it looks to me very much like it's been made from re-cycled grey and black plastic wheelie bins. The Bitfenix is a nice looking fan and could well be the one you choose if it fits the theme of your case. However where it lets itself down is in the light leakage from the LEDs. I'm of the opinion that the Silverstone takes first place.
Conclusion.
A very High quality fan. The claims of Silverstone that the Air penetrator fan can project a column of air into your case appear very well founded. I think this fan is not only well suited to front intake duties but will prove very effective indeed when attached to a heatsink or Radiator.
Good points.
Very High quality appearance and finish
Air Penetrator technology
Braided cable
Quiet
Bad points.
Not cheap
Low CFM if used as extract
How could the product be improved?
A higher CFM would make it a good all-rounder
Would I want to spend more to make it better?
Nope.
Silverstone Air Penetrator Fan Blue LED
Manufacturer and code
Silverstone: AP121-BL (blue LED)
Cost
£13.38 (inc VAT @20%)
Supplier
Withheld by G-Dubs in respect of Forum rules
Description and overview
A 120mm case fan from established hardware manufacturer Silverstone. The fan reviewed here has Blue LEDs, however it is also available with Red, white or green LEDs
First impressions and quality.
The first thing I noticed about this fan when I picked it up to open it was that it weighed more than I'm used to. This is a good thing as lightweight usually equals flimsy and flimsy is not a good attribute for any item to possess unless it's a silk negligee. On opening up the smartly packaged fan we find inside along with the fan itself, 4 grub type mounting screws, 4 silent rubber mounting grommets and a Molex adapter which splits the Molex feed into 3 separate fan headers labelled 5v, 7v and 12v.
The body of the fan is finished in a rather attractive chrome effect. That effective my good lady thought it was actually chrome plated when she first saw it from across the room. My good lady, like many ladies out there are attracted to all things shiny, but then us modders do like a bit of shiny shiny so who can blame them!
The 7 fan blades are clear with a slightly frosted appearance, presumably better to aid the dispersion of light from the LEDs.
Build quality and finish are very high, one of the highest I've seen The plastics used are dense and strong, the chrome finish is deep and even, and even the 50cm long 3 pin cable has been nicely braided, giving an overall impression that what you have in your hand is not just your average fan.
Where this fan also differs from other fans is that the rear side has myriad of curved fins radiating from the central hub. It is this feature that is core to its design and claims of improved airflow characteristics.
Instructions
Instructions are not provided with this fan, and as it's not exactly a complex, it might be nice to have something to hand that explains the relevance of the various voltage options available.
Fitting.
The fan can be fitted to the case either with the grub screws provided, or with the silent mount rubber grommets also included.
As the fan body is of the traditional open corner construction, the fan can also be fitted to a tower type CPU cooler or to a radiator with the use of the appropriate fitting screws or clips (not included) The fan is not of the PWM variety so if used as a CPU cooler it's speed cannot be controlled dynamically by the Motherboard.
The fan comes wired via a pre braided 50cm long cable terminating in a 3 pin fan header connector
The pack also includes a Molex to 3 x 3 pin fan header connector cable allowing the fan to be fed with either 5v, 7v, or 12v
Those of you who like to mod your fans by painting them (although it would be a sin to cover this chrome finish) will be pleased to know that the fan blade and hub section can be removed in the usual manner allowing painting of the blades and cowling section separately
Performance.
In my previous fan reviews I've been strongly of the opinion that fans have 3 jobs to do.
1 Be quiet.
2 Move air.
3 Look sexy, cool, awesome, pretty, the muts nuts (insert adjective as appropriate).
I shall be assessing this fan using the same criteria.
If you're the sort of chap that like to play Top Trumps and let's be honest we all love the stats whether they mean anything to us or not. have a quick canter through the case fans section at withheld by G-Dubs in respect of forum rules and soak up those numbers.
Link removed by G-Dubs
Numbers are just that at the end of the day, Numbers. So to add a sense of perspective and to keep this "Man on the street" I'm going to compare this fan with to two quite popular models that I have personal experience of:
The Scythe Gentle typhoon 1850
Link removed by G-Dubs
And the BitFenix Spectre.
Link removed by G-Dubs
Why these two? Well firstly the GT 1850 has been my personal weapon of choice for many years, and secondly the Spectre impressed the pants off me when I reviewed it a while back.
One is quite Dull but sure does move the air, and other a bit of a looker but not s powerful.
Job 1 Be quiet
So how does the Silverstone compare noise wise? The box says it's 22.4dB(A) Which means it comes in between the other two with the GT at 28dB(A) and the Bitfenix at 18dB(A). using the real world measurement of "putting your ear up against it and having a listen" (be careful if you use this method, as a seasoned assessor I now have only 1.4 ears left to test with) I can report that the Silverstone actually sounds quite a lot quieter than the GT (no surprises there as the GT is a faster fan) but also a lot quieter than the Bitfenix, which is surprising as the Bitfenix has a lower rpm and is rated 4.4dB(A) lower. Numbers eh! just goes to show they can't always be trusted.
Job 2 Move air
The fan is rated at 1500 rpm, and we're reliably informed by the packaging that it can move 35.36CFM of air.
The GT on the other hand is an 1850rpm fan moving 57.6CFM, with the Bitfenix slower than the other two at 800-1000rpm but still moving an impressive 52CFM.
On paper this doesn't look good for the Silverstone, however this fan has an ace up its sleeve.
Silverstone claim that whereas most fans are designed as extract fans the Air Penetrator is designed as an intake, being able to focus airflow into a column and push it into the depths of your case, and as such outright airflow rating is not a priority. So it may not be able to pull the hot air out of your case as well as the others, but it is claimed that it will be much better at pulling air in and projecting it over your beloved hot hardware. It does this through its patented "Blade and fin" design (those curved lines on the rear of the fan).
Time for the real world test. Picking up the fan while it's running (mind those fingers) and letting the air project onto my face at varying distances (and mind the nose) it is actually very noticeable that the air coming from the Silverstone behaves in a different way. The air from the other two fans could be felt at distances of up to 45 cm but always felt "gusty" and turbulent. The flow of air from the Silverstone on the other hand could be felt well up to 100cm and felt like a column of air of constant high velocity. I guess the boffins at Silverstone got it right, this thing appears to do what it says on the tin.
Job 3 Look sexy, cool, awesome, pretty, the muts nuts (insert adjective as appropriate).
As I've said before It's not as easy to pick a fan today as it used to be. "Back in the day" all you had to worry about was how much air you wanted to shift and how quiet you wanted it to be. Please note that the exact point in history that "Back in the day" represents varies depending on your age, but is generally accepted to be sometime in the late 80s early 90s.
The fan cowling is chrome and is finished to a high standard. The blades are frosted clear Perspex.
The Fan is illuminated by LEDs mounted not in the cowling as is more usual, but in the hub section. As a result there is much less light leakage and a very even dispersal of the light across the fan blades. To demonstrate this I have included a few shots of the two LED fans.
Comparing it to the other two fans as we have with the other criteria I think it does very well, although of course aesthetics are very subjective. For my own part I like the performance of the Typhoon but have never used one in a project without first taking it apart and spraying it up. Without this treatment it looks to me very much like it's been made from re-cycled grey and black plastic wheelie bins. The Bitfenix is a nice looking fan and could well be the one you choose if it fits the theme of your case. However where it lets itself down is in the light leakage from the LEDs. I'm of the opinion that the Silverstone takes first place.
Conclusion.
A very High quality fan. The claims of Silverstone that the Air penetrator fan can project a column of air into your case appear very well founded. I think this fan is not only well suited to front intake duties but will prove very effective indeed when attached to a heatsink or Radiator.
Good points.
Very High quality appearance and finish
Air Penetrator technology
Braided cable
Quiet
Bad points.
Not cheap
Low CFM if used as extract
How could the product be improved?
A higher CFM would make it a good all-rounder
Would I want to spend more to make it better?
Nope.
Last edited:
but I'm gonna get 3 of these, 2 for the rad, one for the front intake, and I'll get a few more when I watercool 
lol 
