AcoustiFan Noise Canceling kit Review

     These days the push is on for more speed and more power.  But with every upgrade in power comes an upgrade in cooling.  Bigger faster fans mean more noise.  Acousti Products have created the 'AcoustiFan' range to help with the noise.  Thankd to our friends at Quiet PC, we have a new kit to get all that noise back under control.  Lets see what these things can do.

     Quiet PCs have become a big business.  Once a fringe practice reserved for hobbyists, the the ever increasing needs for more cooling have made noise reduction and efficiency hot items.  A quick look at the major players shows even the big boys are taking noise to heart. Apple uses noise reduction in their advertising claiming the new Mac is "whisper-quiet." Dell lists their XPS machine as having "5 quiet cooling fans."  Never content to just buy a box, enthusiasts are turning to sites like Quiet PC to find DIY solutions.

     Our AcoustiFan kit came with both an 80mm and a 120mm Fan.  The mounting kits and screws were also included.  The kit provided us a chance to test not just their fans and gaskets but also a chance to see how the mountings would work on the fans stock in our XION II Gaming Case. The XION case features both two 120mm fans and an 80mm side fan.

Our showy green 80mm has to go.

The flashy front cover will pose a challenge.

     The AcoustiFan 80mm isn't flashy but we are looking for quiet performance now.  The fans felt solid and heavy compared to the stock fans I am replacing.  AcoustiFan has designed these fans to last.  The DustPROOF construction means the fan is designed to keep harmful dust out of the motor, effectively keeping the motor quiet and prolonging its life.

Specifications:

     We are committed to publishing accurate and truthful noise level data - taken directly from acoustic testing reports to recognized International Test Standards. At 1m distance in the average home/office environment noise levels below 10dBA will be difficult to discern above normal background noise levels.

The Install:

     Wow, that's a lot of specs for a fan.  Lets move on to the install.  I installed this kit into the XION case with a OEM Athlon 64 cooler, a BFG 6600GT OC and a Power Watcher PSU featuring two 80mm fans.

     After removing the old fan, its pretty easy to attach the gasket to the fan.  As you can see above, these gaskets are pretty solid as well.  The gasket is much thicker and softer than I have seen.  They are 2.5mm thick and have a softness of Shore A 40° ±5 for you techies out there.

Here is one attached to the 120mm.  These do catch a UV bulb nicely.

     Using the enclosed screws and rubber washers gives the offset shown above.  That's a lot of noise dampening!  I sacrificed the decorative grill to keep the install looking clean with these oversize screws on the windowed side.

Here is the inside mounted 80mm. 

     Each fan comes with this universal adapter.  Just try to find a fan controller not covered here.  There is plenty of cable length to reach any location in my case.

     The kit also comes with these screws.  I removed the other 120mm and remounted it with the gaskets for completeness.

Conclusion:

     After firing the PC up, I had to check to make sure the fans were running at all.  With no lights to clue me in, its amazing how much quieter things sounded.  The fans were inaudible over the system even at full load.  I was initially concerned about a noticeable drop in airflow, but the total CFM reduction was not measurable in system temperature.  It was very tempting to disassemble the rest of my fans and install the gaskets and see how much quieter things could get.  PC noise is often viewed as a necessary evil, AcoustiFan has shown there is another way.   Although these little guys are not cheap, if you are tired of the constant droning, give these a whirl.

MSRP by Product:

80mm Fan: $27.95
120mm Fan: $35.95
80mm Kit: $5.85
120mm Kit: $6.95
4 Pack of Gel Mounts: $4.25