Deepcool XFAN 120L/B Review

I gave you guys a hint yesterday about something that was lined up ahead. Yes, it is this, the Deepcool XFAN 120L/B.

Introduction:

I set off to the market with my pockets full to buy something that can cool a budget rig for my viewers like you on the other side of the screen as you guys are of my prime concern. So, I went around the market searching for fans that would:

• Beat the heat!
• Be worth the money
• Do not try to dig huge holes in one's pocket
• Be quiet or Silent (whatsoever)

So, to satisfy these need is a whole lot of work! Suddenly, something caught my eyeballs and it was Deepcool!

This brand is not NEW but is neither old, so the question is whether it is the one you should trust?

Well, pretty much as far as cooling is concerned and that too when fans come into action, you need to take a look at a plethora of stuff that specializes in just popping out from some "Pandora's Box" like:

• Fan Size
• Built Quality
• Revolutions per minute (RPM)
• Presence of brushed motor
• Bearing type

Specifications:

• 120mm Fan
• Nice and sturdy built quality
• 1300 RPM
• Brushless Motor
• Double Ball bearing

So, the brushless motor is better and offers long life as we all know and double ball bearings give more lubrication and thus increase efficiency.

A Look at the packing

To ensure the product is safe and good, the packing should be good. But I came to a surprise when I saw that the fan is directly under a plastic cover behind which is a card board securing the fan from the back but as I came to my senses, I realised that it is Deepcool here cutting on a costs by a bit.

As all the popping eyes might see the packing is straightforward with nothing "literally covering" the fan.

Deepcool lists some of the salient features above the top-right corner of the fan itself.

Now, that was all we could find out with the outer packaging, so:

The fan reveals itself as you slide the outer covering and the fan is facing you from the rear side with the goodies below it.

These are the handful of goodies you get along with the fan

• A Bag of four screws
• A Warranty Card
• A Quality Certificate from Deepcool

These might assure you that the product is full and packed!

A Closer Look:

A closer look often reveals the quality of the product and the insights too. 

So the fan is basically a multiple connector fan with curved blades which are of surprisingly good quality and stability. The design is a really common one and the one we generally trust. The four LEDs that are present hide themselves in all the four corners and do not contribute to any kind of mess. The LEDs fire the light perpendicular to the edges which create that curve effect.

The connectors are of both the types i.e. The 4-Pin MOLEX Connector and the 3-Pin motherboard connector. The major advantage of the 3-Pin connector over the 4-Pin connector is that you can monitor fan speeds using a suitable software like Speedfan. But still controlling the fan is only possible with a 4-Pin Motherboard connector.

However, the number of pins in the 4-Pin connector has been reduced to Two pins that draw power from the 12v rail of your PSU and thus the LED and the fan do wonders at performance. When connected to the 5v Rail, it badly affected the overall performance of the fan and the low RPM was accompanied with dim LEDs (Expected).

LED and Fan performance under 5v rail

True power of the fan can be only harnessed using the 12v ray, not to worry though, that is the only way you can connect it properly at a glance.

LED and Fan performance under 12v rail

The LEDs are conveniently present on the four edges of the fan and give a pretty nice effect overall whatsoever.

LED positioning

So, the change is pretty much visible and the effect too. I switched off the lights just then and went ahead with the camera for this fan!

This indeed was a beute when tested in a dark environment and a complete performer too. The fan is bright enough to light up a small room but might not replace your traditional lights.

The Bottom Line:

The fan is a pretty good performer and a good buy considering the price. A little amount of vibrations of low amplitude were observed so it is recommended that you use something like rubber to secure the contact areas and allow no vibration.
Overall, the fan performs really good and the LEDs are worth every penny.

Pros:

• Bright LEDs
• Double ball bearing
• Brushless motor
• Good quality plastic
• Both connectors available

Cons:

• Packing could have been better
• Feeble Vibrations can be felt

Rating:

4.7 TechStars / 5 TechStars