*REVIEW* Overclockers UK & SilverStone - 120mm FQ121WC Watercooling Radiator Fan *REVIEW*

dacads

dacads

dacads

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Hi all, today I will be reviewing the Silverstone FQ121WC fan.

Specifications:

- Material P.B.T.
- Bearing P.C.F. bearing (Powder Copper Fluid Bearing)
- Rated Voltage 12V
- Start Voltage =7V
- Speed: up to 1,800rpm
- Airflow 67.5CFM (at maximum speed)
- Static Pressure 0.54-1.82mmH2O
- Noise Level 16.4-24 dBA
- Life Time 150,000 hours
- Weight 143 ± 5g
- Dimension 120mm (L) x 120mm (W) x 25mm (D)

First Impressions

Let's get started then, as described in the product description the fan is shipped in OEM condition which means it comes with no retail box or accessories, to keep costs down. It's worth nothing this means no screws are included either, personally this is no biggie for me but might it be an issue for some people.

It has a nice flat black cable which I prefer over a round braided cable if I’m honest.

Housing and fan blades are black, presumably for a stealthy look and also easy customisation i.e painting another colour. Apparently easy to disassemble as well but I wasn’t brave enough to attempt that as I have a tendency to break things!

Initial thoughts are it certainly shifts a large amount of air! Only issue is the fan is quite loud at full pelt, with a slight whining noise starting around 7v, so by no means a quiet fan which is a shame. I assume this noise is coming from the motor, would be interesting to see if other high RPM fans make a similar noise.

Anyway enough rambling on about that, hopefully I haven’t put you off and the testing to follow can change your mind!

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Testing

My system:
3570k @ 4.2GHz
Hyper 212 Evo Cooler
7870 Tahiti
Casecom 6788 case - Fan at Front, side, top and rear

Tests will be carried out using the fan on the CPU cooler and then as a side intake fan. Techniques will involve a CPU stress test using prime95 and GPU stress test with unigine valley. This will test the effectiveness of the fan as a CPU fan and also case fan.

The Akasa Apache fan will be also be used to carry out a side by side comparison.

So first of all I tested the Silverstone fan by using it as a CPU fan while running Prime95.

Prime95
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Fan used as intake (side)
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Unigine Valley
qH2kptV.jpg



Akasa Apache Temperatures

Prime95
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Fan used as intake (side)
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Unigine Valley
HP4Ze8r.jpg


So as you can see the Silverstone performs slightly better when it comes to CPU cooling but you have to take into mind it is spinning at a much higher rate and also a bit noisier.

Performance wise then I would say Silverstone is slightly better than Apache but mostly on par.

Overall between the two, the Apache wins for me as it maintains a low noise level and also similar temperatures as the Silverstone.


Final Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Pros: Great price, good performance and RPM range and it's an eco product.

Cons: Only downside is the noise which would put me off but I know noise is not an issue for everybody. Maybe the fact that it doesn't come with any accessories could be an issue for somebody, but I'm sure you'll know this before buying.

Main selling point I would say is the price and simple look, offering the performance of more expensive models.


P.s I’m no professional reviewer by any stretch of the imagination, so please take this review with a pinch of salt. I do however hope it was useful and helps you make a decision. If you have any advice for future reviews or requests for this one, I’d be happy to comply.
 
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You didn't mention that its 15mm thick while the FQ-121's (the fan on which its based) box even states its 25mm thick but its only 15mm. Its amusing reading customer reviews, of a Silverstone fan advertised as 15mm touting the advantage and how great it is to be 15mm thick and then reviews of these fans which don't mention the fact.

I run 2 FQ121WC and 6 FQ121, the FQ121WC has a better dynamic RPM range because the other version is PWM instead of 3-pin dc. I've read reviews saying it gets loud at over 10v but never heard of noise complaints @ 7v. I have my pc behind a think wall so I only notice the fans at close to max when there is no input to my headphones.

If u test the fans with a fan controller you will probably find that they spin down to 300 rpm which would beat just about any other fan, the FQ-121 only goes down to 900-1000 rpm with a 1600-1800 rpm max.

When I go next to my PC I wouldn't describe the note as a whine. With the high dynamic range these fans beg to be intelligently controlled, they can be quieter than quiet or performance mode.

My Gigabyte board would not allow control of the 3pin FQ121WC on the primary CPU header only PWM based fans.
 
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Thanks Megatron

The fan is actually 25mm thick, I've updated the OP with fan specs :)

The spec mentions starting voltage is 7v but I'll have to see if that is the case.
 
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Yes I have and it is 25mm without a shadow of a doubt. The FW121 and FN123 are the only Silverstone fans that are 15mm thick. You can tell from the OCUK pictures as well that it's no way 15mm.

The weight is 143 ± 5g, I'll amend that. (so should OCUK on the product page)
 
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I stand corrected, not sure how I arrived at the conclusion in the first place but it stuck with me and only double checking would change my mind. On the plus side I have 8 x 25mm thick fans instead of 15mm (or so I thought).
 
I have 8 of these on an NZXT Grid+ V2 and they are brilliant. 630rpm when idling and

@dacads Speedfan works really well with the Z77 MPower if you want to do more testing at different fan speeds.
 
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