Fancy testing some Alpenföhn fans? Post in this thread!

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Alpenföhn Föhn140 Wing Boost

Introduction

Not so long ago, 80mm fans were the standard size for a 'modern' PC. Indeed it wasn't until the mid 2000's that 120mm fans became the fan size of choice. Cooling fan manufacturers have done their best to evolve the design of the fan blades to allow them to push more air without increasing noise levels. Design innovations such as Enermax's 'batwing' hold true to this. Other manufacturers prefer to concentrate their efforts on the hub bearing to reduce noise however there is only so much design innovations can produce before physics takes over.

Moving large amounts of air will inevitably mean more noise is produced. A fan that runs at 1000rpm will likely be quieter than one that runs at 2000rpm. So we are now at a stage where yet again, fan size needs to increase if the battle to push air is won without the need to wear ear defenders. 140mm fans are rapidly becoming more common place in high end PC enclosures and it is to this end that we take a look at a relative unknown in the UK market cooling market, Alpenföhn.

Alpenföhn are a subsidiary company of EKL AG group, a German engineering company specialising in cooling products.

Uncompromising quality and highest service - these are the characteristics for which is the EKL AG since its inception in 1995, and for which she is known.

Already more than a decade to pass our partnerships in Taiwan and China. Documenting that the highest standards are achieved inexpensively. Development and processing in Germany - low cost manufacturing in our factories in Asia: This is the formula with which we have established ourselves as a medium-sized Swabian company - for the benefit of our customers - in the international market. High level of quality is obvious for us. It is backed by continuous material and production control in Asia and Germany and guaranteed.
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Ever heard of them? Me neither but rest assured, I have little doubt they will soon become popular in the UK PC cooling market.

Specifications

The specifications below were taken directly from the Alpenföhn website:

  • Dimensions - 140x140x025mm
  • Operating voltage - 12 VDC
  • Noise - 19.4 dB (A)
  • Speed (12V) - 1100 rpm
  • Speed (7V) - 600 rpm
  • Air flow - 104.70 m³ / h
  • PWM - Yes

Packaging & Contents

The fan arrived in a laminated cardboard box with the product name emblazoned across the front with an Alpine backdrop - cool yet beautiful? A small cut out window on the front of the package hints at the contents:

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The rear of the package displays some of the unique product features along with the fan specification:

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Taking the fan out of the box I was surprised by its weight. This is bar far the heaviest fan I have held and while it is not exactly lead weight, it is certainly heavier than your average 140mm fan (200g to be precise):

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The fan blades are a very fetching royal blue colour with a contrasting black frame. Note that in each corner of the fan are two sets of holes, ideal for those wishing to use a 140mm fan but only have spacing for a 120mm version.

Now going back to the weight, I see now why the fan is so heavy. The frame is made of injected rubber instead of the commonly used rigid plastic. This certainly gives a quality feel to the fan (heavy is good - heavy is reliable!) but that is not the reason for the choice of material. Being rubber, vibration of the fan will be cut to an absolute minimum which will asist in reducing the acoustics of the fan. More on this later.

The rear of the fan is pretty much a standard affair with the main hub held by four supporting brackets linked to the frame. The sticker on the hub does not reveal any specification regarding power requirements, just the product serial number and notification that this product is made in China.

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One of the unique features of the Föhn140 is, as it's name suggest 'Wing Boost' technology. These little ridges which make up the fan blade design alledgedly allow the fan to run 'surprisingly quiet'. Something I will put to the test later in the review.

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Another feature of the Föhn140 is the use of a hydraulic bearing. This type of bearing ensures the mechanism is inaudible and should stand the test of time, indeed AlphaFöhn are so confident they offer a three year warranty on this product.

Something we don't often see in fan design is innovations in the frame work. With less surface area in contact with the case, noise should also be reduced, theoretically at least. With this in mind the frame design on the Föhn140 is angled away from the mounting points:

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One area I am nearly always left disappointed is when a fan does not have the cables braided. Unsightly red/yellow/black power cables should be abolished along with beige PC cases. I am however happy to report that the Föhn140 not only has its PWM cable braided but it is also done very neatly using quality braid. Not only that but as we saw earlier on the rear of the fan, the actual cables underneath are not coloured other than grey and black. Even the cable plug is black and not some cheap brown/beige affair:

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So with the aesthetics of the Föhn140 pleasing to the eye all that remains are the accessories. Again I am happy to report that the Föhn140 does not disappoint:

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Included are four extruded rubber mounting threads instead of screws. These are relatively easy to use, just thread them through the fan, through the case and pull to attach the fan. Perhaps the only problem with this method is that the rubber mounts can leave an unsightly knob of rubber when attached. This is easily rectified with a pair of scissors but may make remounting difficult. I would have liked the option to use standard fan screws in future revisions as 4 x black screws will hardly break the bank?

While the fan cable is 40cm long, enough for most midi cases, Alphaföhn have also included a matching 40cm extension cable so those with full or even extended tower cases will not have a problem powering this fan. I happy to report this is also braided to the same high quality of the fan cable itself. The only potential issue found with the extension cable is that it trims off the 4pin PWM socket to a standard 3 pin affair. Not ideal if you want to use the full funcionality of the fan with the cable extension.

Perhaps the only let down with the accessories is the included 7v reduction cable. While this in itself is a welcome addition, especially to those wishing to run the fan at its most quiet setting, aesthetically speaking it is not a pretty sight. Neither the Molex cable or the 7v-4pin lead are braided. A minor point but a flaw in what was thus far a perfect start.

On with the review:

Testing

Unfortunately I do not have a sound meter other than one included with my iPhone which tbh is hardly the most accurate of things so I'll be concentrating on the performance rather than the acoustics of the fan for this review.

That said upon testing the fan I did not encounter any discernable clicking reported in some reviews unless the fan was shaken while turned on, not really conducive of a fan in its natural habitat but worth mentioning as this could be a result of the hydraulic bearing. The fan is pretty much inaudible at 7v but does emit a mild hum at 12v, not intrusive but definately noticeable.

I will be using the following setup to test the fans performance:

Intel i7 920 @ 4.2Ghz (1.325vcore)
Asus Rampage 3 Extreme
OCZ Blade @ 2000MHz 7-8-7-20
Prolimatech Super Mega
Enermax Revolution 850w PSU
GSkill Falcon 128Gb

For the purposes of comparison, I will be using 140mm Prolimatech Vortex fans which I currently use in my setup.
Idle temperatures were taken after 20minutes in windows 7 64bit, minimal programs running in the background, with an ambient temperature of 23.5c.
Load temperatures were taken after 20 minutes of Prime95 v26.4 running the small ffts torture test.

Here's what I found:

Results

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Nothing much to report in all honesty. The Prolimatech fan was ever so slightly better under load when both fans were run at there maximum 12v. The Prolimatech runs at 1000rpm whereas the Föhn 140 runs slightly quicker (and louder) at 1100rpm so the gap could potentially widen were the fans both run at the same speed. With the Föhn 140 running at 7v (600rpm) the results were not quite so good as expected but were a little quieter.

Conclusion

There is no doubting the Föhn 140 is a really good looking piece of kit. The rubberised texture of the fan gives a solid feel to it and despite not being able to scientifically test for acoustics, physics suggests that a pliable material will result less rattles than something that is rigid. Couple this with the included rubber mounts, cable extension and 7v adapter and there is nothing more you could want....well there is actually.

The one area that I found disappointing was the performance. I expected great things from this fan but was left wanting because it did not outperform a lower priced product that also didn't have the added features the Föhn 140. The Föhn 140 Wing Boost weighs in at £13.91 at the time of reviewing whereas the Prolimatech Vortex used in todays comparison is slightly cheaper at £11.22.

So, while it was no means a disastrous showing by Alpenföhn, I am left with a bitter taste in my mouth because for all the promise of acoustics and the gorgeous aesthetics it failed to improve on a much more basic fans performance. Should Alpenföhn be able to master the performance aspect of the fan, I have no doubt it will be high on every enthusiasts shopping list but alas for now, you will have to settle for average performance in a very attractive package.

The Good
  • Price
  • Aesthetics
  • Included accessories
  • 120/140mm mount options

The Mediocre
  • 7v adapter not braided
  • Performance is average

The Bad
  • Nothing to report

Score 8/10

A big thanks to Mishima @ Vortez and Alpenföhn for providing the fan for this review.
 
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Great review, look forward to seeing how the 120mm versions fare, as im considering a couple for my cpu cooler and possibly my rear case fans.
 
Very Nice review Webbo, straight forward and to the point.

l was going to pair them to my x3 Promlima Vortex 140mm, might just get another x3 Promlima Vortex 140mm for a push-pull config.




OLDPHART.
 
If you are using fans in push pull (on a triple rad I presume) you really should match them up anyway ;).
 
Very nice mate thanks for posting this and so soon too. Sorry I didn't reply sooner about where to post. Here is perfect, within the thread :)

Glad you liked the fan, some nice points there!
 
Cheers Helios. It's been a while but I actually enjoyed doing a write up :). As a bonus it forced me to dust off the heatsink so win/win :).
 
Right then that's going to be extremely embarrassing to follow w3bbo's review, well done on that mate you've covered all most everything.

So I will move on with a mini review (of sorts) with some very basic noise testing.

So I set my camera to record sound and started with the just the PC and loop I have running, with no fans on at all, so we can hear the Laing pump and some water faintly:)

Laing pump

Next up the two Alpenföhn fans at 12V.

Next up the two Xigmatek fans at 12V that I had before.

To me, I find the Alpenföhn fans are indeed quieter than the Xigmateks(or tonally better), also the Alpenföhn fans run faster at 1,100 rpm compared to the Xigmateks at 1,000 rpm
If anyone wants to hear them at 7v I can do that if you want as well, just shout, I hope this is ok for you all as this kind of thing is not what I am good at:)

A big thank you to mishima at Vortez and Alpenföhn for providing the fans for this very mini review.
 
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Received a single 120mm fan so I won't be able to do a like for like comparison against my 3X Vipers on my RX360 rad. All my other fans are 140mm.

I have added a single PA100 rad to the loop and will use the 120mm with this. Not perfect but at least I will be able to use it with my aquaero.
 
mishima said:
What camera/lens you using mate?
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I shamefully sold my trusty 400d and macro setup when I stopped reviewing last year so have had to make do with a pocket Canon A495. It's ok but some tweaks need to be made via photoshop to get the best out of it:o. I may have to save up some pennies again soon though as I miss my old setup.

hyperst said:
Right then that's going to be extremely embarrassing to follow w3bbo's review, well done on that mate you've covered all most everything.
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I'm sure Mishima wants to see input from all sources m8. I don't think he was aware I used to review products professionally previously so I found reviewing a fan pretty easy as I have done it all before. You have given a different angle which is great to see (and hear!). The idea behind these forum reviews are to get honest input from the end user, something I believe we have both shown. Nice review btw:)

I look forward to other peoples opinions on these.

chrisarm said:
Are these new products cause just seen 3 people sellin them on ebay they only have one each for sale. Now I wonder where they got them from ;p
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I would doubt very much anyone who has obtained a free sample from Mishima would sell them on, at least without having the courtesy of reviewing them first as that is just bad form. If you scour the internet you will see they are sold elsewhere in the UK and are not entirely new, just a little scarce. They have actually been around in the UK for about a year. Hopefully OCUK will be stocking them soon as they are a quality product (I've just made a product suggestion to Spie).
 
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What's the price of these. I like the blue fins.

Then again Ive just bought 6 high speed black ones so would be a down grade unless they make high speed ones as well
 
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