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Arctic Cooling 80mm Pro2L TC Sponsored By Arctic Cooling
Reviewed 11-11-04 Arctic Cooling has provided Marns CDA with its patented Arctic Cooling Pro2LTC fan. This fan is slightly different then your standard 80mm case fan. The first thing I noticed is that the depth of this fan is considerably wider then most other cooling fans I've seen. Most 80mm case fans are around 25mm and the Pro2L TC is 34.5mm. I am not sure if this detail will increase the products performance, but it will be observed during the review. The main feature that Artic Cooling is trying to sell is its temperature control system to reduce sound levels in your case. We will find out later if the product stands up to this claim. Another difference I noticed from this product is the light placements. There are 4 LED's placed inside the frame itself. This aspect is hard to describe, so please take a look at the following pictures further into the review, for better details.
Price: Recommended Retail Price is $10.00 US Newegg.com price is $5.99. This seems pretty standard for most quality 80mm LED fans. To buy click Here Newegg Specs:
Specifications:
Installation This is a case fan, so installation is pretty basic. AC uses the 3 pin motherboard connector for power and RPM controls so if you do not have a 3 pin available, you will need to purchase a converter for your standard 4 pin 12v Molex. All in all, the install is standard. Nothing new, just mount the fan on the case using the 4 screws provided and plug the 3 pin connector into your mother board.
Appearance The overall appearance is not too bright nor too soft. There is just enough lighting accent to be noticed.
I am impressed with the pre-sleeved wiring. This factor is a big plus, even if it's white, it's still less you need to pay for and time saved.
Performance The graph above provided by Arctic Cooling shows how the temp controls in the fan are supposed to run at lower temperatures. The lower RPM's the fan runs is to maximize sound reduction whenever possible. After I ran some basic tests using a few heat points, it was pretty much my conclusion that the RPM compared to temperature are the same as the graph provided. So rather then show these results twice we will just refer to AC's image above. In reference to the sound, we placed this fan in a case and turned off all of the other fans and there was no sound noted, other then the PSU fan. Even with the case open the sound was so slight in comparison that I was dumbfounded.
Quality The thickness and quality of this mold fan is far superior to your stock case fan. The plastic is rigid so be careful if you don't use the standard hardware. The after market ultra coarse thread you get at Home Depot tend to be a bit rough on the plastics. You must remember though this is a fan its not a $30 heat sink or a $200 video card. The most important thing is that it performs to specification, and that it pushes air. Then worry about style. The Pro2L TC fan has both. Another interesting note is that Arctic Cooling went through the trouble to patent this design, meaning generally they did something special that no one else has done. This is most likely being the temp control combined with the light placement and technology involved with this fan. Now I don't know the exact reasons for the patent or what feature was so special, but I agree this is a unique fan.
Pros
The price is right. The quality you get with this fan is a great buy. The temperature control works awesome. Sound of this fan is considerably lower then many of its competitors. Quality is more then satisfactory. Cons It can only hook up to a 3 pin without converter and they do not provide the 4 pin converter. Note: I don't think this fan was intended to not have RPM control though and this you would lose with the 4 pin connection. Conclusion If your looking for a nice fan that will auto-adjust to your case temp, you found it. This quality fan does exactly what they promise and for a very reasonable price. The only draw back is the single connector type, but that is by design so I am not sure if this is a flaw. This is a very nice, cost effective fan. I recommend this for anyone looking for a quiet, well made product for cooling a case. We award Arctic Cooling the Marns CDA "Blue Ribbon Seal of Approval" for a high quality all around fan.
Rating
5 out of 6 stars Review Date 11/11/04 Reviewer Paul (Pr101j)
Company Info
End Customers Distributors &
Assemblers /System Builders Marns CDA By pr101j
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