Everyone is raving about more cooling and less noise. What can you do to get more cooling? One way is to add more fans, another is to water-cool. Either way you go, you're still going to need at least one fan.

What is a fan? Is it just a little motor that spins those little blade things? If you were to explain it to a kindergartner, yes. But to someone looking for the best performance there is a lot more to it.

Most of you think that the most RPM (revolutions per minute) is a key factor to performance, and some might think that size is better. But what it all comes down to is how well the fan moves the air. Air movement is measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute). What determines the amount of CFM a fan can move is the combination of the pitch (or the angle) of the blades and RPM of the motor. I can write an entire article on pitch, but that would be take away from this review.

Once fans were using straight fan blades, but through design and technology the curved blade design was created to improve aerodynamics. This curved design helps to improve air flow and decrease the noise the blades create while pushing all that air.

When noise first became an issue for the PC enthusiast; they started finding ways to reduce the RPM of the fans. The first idea cam from reducing the voltage to the fans, but soon everyone realized the reducing the voltage also reduced the airflow of the fan.

This is where the review will begin. Many fan makers have been working on designs for better airflow with less noise levels. AcoustiProducts is known for developing sound deadening products for PC's. They modify cases and use foam products to help alleviate the noise and vibrations in the case itself. They even have great tips on their website on optimizing airflow in your case. One of their newest ventures is the AcoustiFan. The AcoustiFan comes in 3 sizes, 80mm, 92mm, and the one I have today which is the AFC120CT 120mm fan. The specs for these fans are as follows.

AcoustiFan was developed for good CFM and low noise. They decided to use clear acrylic for their fans which adds a nice touch. This leaves case modders like myself open for installing 3mm or 5mm LED's for lighting effects. How well designed can a fan be you ask? Let's start with the bearings. All AcoustiFans have oil-impregnated bearings for low noise, very little vibration, and a life expectancy of 26,000 hours. All fans are thermally controlled with a thermistor that can be placed at various places inside the case for optimal results (also known as Smart Fan). The package contains the fan, four mounting screws, a newly designed compression grommet, and even includes a 3 pin resistor to lower the voltage even more for the ultra quiet operation. This three pin resistor reduces the voltage down from 12 volts to 8.5 volts.