Bitfenix Spectre Pro Review

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In this review i talk about the new Bitfenix Spectre Pro Fans that were provided from Kul1 who is the Bitfenix Rep on this forum - so a BIG thank you to him :D

I will be comparing these fans to the "Phobya Nano-G 14 PWM Silent Edition" fans which i reviewed here - a BIG thank you to OcUK for these :D

Also, this is my first time using a light-tent, im still learning my way around a camera :p

Anyway, here are the Bitfenix fans

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Their packaging is very appealing, it has a sort of Industrial/Gothic kinda look about it - very nice

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Once inside the package, you get the fan, metal fan screws (black), silicone anti-vibration fan mounts, a fan->molex adapter AND an LED on/off lead

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On an interesting note, that LED lead is basically a font-panel extension cable, so i was thinking of attaching it to my HDD access Front panel indicator and watch the fan blink when using the HDD :p

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What is very clear is the amount of detail and thought that Bitfenix have put into making these fans, they have even branded the rim of the fan, you would only see this during installation and it really adds to the confidence in the product because they have obviously spent a great deal of time designing these

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Even in something as insignificant as the cable, it is flat, black ribbon cable with a black connector - this is stacking up to be a really impressive fan!

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On the back of the fans, you can see there are much more strengthening posts than on a regular fan (only 4)

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Another interesting feature is that the frame (which looks fantastic BTW) has fan holes for both 120mm and 140mm mounts

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And for the modders out there that like to change the colours of your LED's, this seems very simple as they are just slotted into the outside with easy access

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Comparing this to the Phobya fan, one can see that the designs are very different

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The Phobya fan is much more understated, with a smoked black design and nice curved blades, it does look very sophisticated. On the other hand, the Spectre Pro's are much more Industrial looking, with very strong, striking features. The Spectre Pro's have a presence that the Phobya fans lack.

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The construction of the Spectre Pro's and the Phobya fans are second to none, i can bend and flex the frame and there is no creaking and little deflection - both have very decent build quality.

The Spectre Pro's also come with more kit than the Phobya and there are a few extra touches, like the black fan screws rather than the plain silver with the Phobya, that really stand out.

I have also been given the 200mm Spectre Pro fan. I had actually bought a new case and was going to replace the stock fans with the Spectre Pro's so i took a few pics when i was changing them out

This is the stock fan; a 200mm Corsair fan that is 20mm thick and claims to run at 1000RPM and move 39CFM

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And this is the Spectre Pro i will be replacing it with, Bitfenix claim that it is 900RPM and it moves 150CFM!!!

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Something that one may not be aware of is that the 200mm Spectre Pro is one of the largest fans to use such a good bearing (Fluid Dynamic Bearings (FDB)) and other 200mm fans use much lower qwuality bearings - Good one Bitfenix!

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Interestingly, the Bitfenix has many fan mounting positions and can fit a variety of mounting holes

Also, look at how much bigger the bearing is in the middle of that fan! That shows how high the quality of these fans are!

The Bitfenix fan is 25mm thick as oppose to the 20mm of the stock Corsair fan which is why it can afford to have such sculpted fan blades and uprated bearings - and the CFM really slow the increase! 39CFM->148CFM!!!

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Since moving from the Stock fans to the Bitfenix fans, max GPU temps have dropped from 85 to 78, which is reasonably good - that is a 7 degree drop for little change in noise - i am quite impressed with these :)

In conclusion, i am very very impressed by these Bitfenix fans. I would go as far as to say that i prefer the styling over the Phobya fans. One must remember, however, that these are made for different jobs. The Phobya is very much a powerful workhorse that is understated and meant for attaching to a radiator in a watercooling setup. The Bitfenix is much more exotic looking, with some very useful features. I would seriously recommend the Bitfenix Spectre Pro's to any consumer that wants a really good fan and a really good looking fan too!

Just by chance, i also recently bought some Bitfenix Alchemy Extension Cables and i would like to add: If Bitfenix continue to provide such quality items - they will have a devotee in me :D
 
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Good review :)

Did you manage to figure out how the rubber AV fan mounts work? Both me and nikeair94 were left quite puzzled by them.

The fan LED jumpers into the HDD access is a great idea :D might just have to give that a try the next time my case is open.

And I agree, at the moment Bitfenix seem to be raising the bar - well done to them, even considering dropping my 500R for a shinobi XL.
 
Did you manage to figure out how the rubber AV fan mounts work? Both me and nikeair94 were left quite puzzled by them.

they are like normal AV fan mounts:


fan <- mesh <- rubber mount

and then i used a set of needle-nose pliers to pull the silicone and as it stretches out, the fan holes slip over the bump and when you release, it holds it in place :)
 
Ahh, you see I didn't want to pull them that hard, pulled into one side and then they just fell out, guess I just needed to pull them through harder. At least I have some spare that I now know what to do with, ended up using the last of my Akasa ones.

Some very crisp quality pictures there too :)

Any issues with whine coming from the mesh with the higher airflow? The side mesh on the 500R can get quite vocal at times while the 140's in the roof are pushing out that much air that its making the mesh cover vibrate a little. Not a complaint as I use headphones but more a testament to how much air the fans shift.
 
Any issues with whine coming from the mesh with the higher airflow?

i have a windowed side panel, and on the front i have tried to space the fan away from the mesh with some silicone washers and it is fine, not 100% solved, but a lot better :)
 
Would the 120mm be any good for water-cooling? May junk the vipers for these LED ones if they're decent enough
Also does the 200mm fit the front of a 650D with the drive bays in place? I know they can be moved but not sure if I can be bothered....
 
I have a 600T, and I'm now considering the 200mm fan.

What's noise like compared to Corsair's 200mm fan?
 
Would the 120mm be any good for water-cooling? May junk the vipers for these LED ones if they're decent enough
Also does the 200mm fit the front of a 650D with the drive bays in place? I know they can be moved but not sure if I can be bothered....


Check my review of the fans, tested against vipers on a rad. Vipers came out on top by a good 4-5c.
 
Don't get me wrong, they still perform well on a rad, just not as well as a viper which is spinning a good ~500rpm faster.
 
Hi,
Would the hard-drive cages fit, after you installed the bitfenix pro 200mm?
i'm considering to use this in my corsair 600t as a front intake fan.
 
This is the stock fan; a 200mm Corsair fan that is 20mm thick and claims to run at 1000RPM and move 39CFM

The stock corsair 1000RPM fan moves 92CFM, not 39.....

I am also interested in what the noise is like compared to the stock corsair, as I'm considering moving the hard drive cage back and putting this fan in as intake. (600T).
 
i got an antec p180 mini which has a top fan which is 200x25mm TriCool fan. want a fan though which i can monitor the rpms. would bitfenix be worth the cost? i do like the bearings though. pretty mych all other large fans iv seen use sleave bearings.
 
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