Review and testing of fans Aerocool Dark Force, Lightning and P7-F12 Pro

The subject of our review today will be five Aerocool fans from the new Dark Force, Lightning and Project 7 series. In addition to the fact that these are budget models (not counting the P7), they are also analogues of what is usually found in cases of this brand, which means – can serve as a simple and quick replacement in case of premature failure of stock propellers. Let’s consider them all in order.

Aerocool Dark Force 8cm Black Fan

The smallest 80mm fan in the line can be useful for owners of older cases. Supplied in a cardboard box, the images on the front side of which are clearly inspired by the game Doom, or something similar. On the reverse side are the technical specifications.

In shape, this is more than a standard fan with a conventional frame, sized 80x80x25 mm. The impeller has seven small blades of the usual configuration and a brand logo sticker. The insulation of the power cable is transparent, its length is 460 mm to the three-pin connector and another 50 mm to the “molex”.

As a bearing, a plain sleeve is used with a MTBF of 20,000 hours declared by the manufacturer. The fan model and its electrical characteristics are indicated on the sticker on the back.

There are two types of fasteners in the kit at once – four standard screws and four rubber “nails”. They are made of very hard rubber, which can make it difficult to thread them through the fan holes without additional tools.

This propeller is capable of starting at 1000 rpm when 6 V is applied, and this is probably the only mode in which it is not audible. In the range from 1200 to 1700 rpm, the bearing emits annoying crackling and rustling, and at a maximum speed of 1800 rpm, aerodynamic noise from the blades is added to them. In terms of the measured air flow, too, everything turned out to be not as optimistic as the manufacturer stated.

Aerocool Dark Force 9cm Black Fan

The packaging of the 92mm propeller is made in the same style as the 80s. Therefore, we will not dwell on it too much.

This propeller is also made according to the standard scheme, except that the blades have increased slightly in size. The insulation of the power cable is transparent, its length is 440 mm to the three-pin connector and another 50 mm to the “molex”.

The bearing here is also a sleeve, whose claimed life of 20,000 hours of use depends largely on how carefully the lubricant was applied to the shaft, and in what orientation relative to the ground this product was stored in the warehouse. The engine is slightly larger than the 80mm model.

The set of fasteners consists of four screws and four rubber dampers designed to isolate the transmission of vibrations from the propeller to the PC case.

The fan is able to start quietly at 4V and 800rpm, and remains silent up to approximately 1300rpm and 7V, with no spurious overtones. In the range of 1600-1800 rpm, it goes beyond the comfort limit and starts annoyingly making noise with the engine and blades. Overall, the 92mm fan proved to be much nicer than the 80mm fan, both in terms of performance and noise levels.

Aerocool Dark Force 12cm Black Fan

120mm fans are by far the most popular size for modern cases and coolers, primarily due to their combination of power and relative silence. Because Aerocool Dark Force 12cm will be clearly more in demand among buyers than its smaller variations. There are propellers of 140 and 200 mm caliber in this line, but, unfortunately, they did not get to our review. The box is not much different from the rest of the products in the series, except for its size.

The frame and the fan impeller are completely standard – seven blades with the usual slope, without tricks and “improving” aerodynamics modifications. The insulation of the power cable is transparent, the length is 440 mm to the three-pin connector and another 50 mm to the “molex”.

The bearing is sleeve, but the size of the motor has increased again, which promises a better ratio of its power to electricity consumption.

The kit is the same as for other models in the series – four screws and four rubber “nails”.

The propeller starts almost silently at 4V and 600RPM and is completely silent up to 6V and 800RPM. Above this threshold, a noticeable hum appears. Annoying noise level and frame vibration starts after 9 V and 1100 rpm.

Aerocool Lightning 12cm Blue Led Fan

The packaging of the following product is original. On its frontal part, a propeller is depicted from above, from which lightning strikes in the direction of the sea. Fortunately, this is only an artistic interpretation and this fan does not really know how to emit lightning.

The Lightning series is not much different from the Dark Force in terms of technical parameters of fans, but has translucent blades and a frame, and backlighting, as its name suggests. The backlight and blades of these models are available in blue or red, in sizes 120, 140 and 200 mm. The insulation of the power cable is transparent, the length is 425 mm to the three-pin connector and another 50 mm to the “molex”.

The power consumption of this fan has increased significantly due to the backlight. There are only four LEDs and they are located at the corners of the frame. The bearing is the same as before – a conventional sleeve.

The blue illumination is non-uniform and not very bright, it forms a visual effect on the blades in the form of curved lines or a flower, depending on the speed of rotation of the impeller.

A set of four screws and four rubber “nails”, we’ve definitely seen it somewhere before.

The fan as a whole turned out to be quieter than its analogue from the Dark Force series, but a strong imbalance of the bearing catches the eye, due to which the vibrations reach their climax at maximum speed. The propeller is capable of starting at 4 V and 550 rpm, and maintains silence up to 850 rpm. It is also interesting that in the range from 900 to 1200 rpm, the characteristic hum and aerodynamic noise do not appear. Although when installed in a case, taking into account the vibrations mentioned above, the situation in terms of parasitic overtones can be much worse.