Testing

Installation

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The Coolermaster comes with four standard fan screws. After screwing the fan tightly in position it was very stable; no wobble at all.

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So there we have it, the Cooler Master installed in my test case (Lian- Li V1000 PLUS). The cable for the fan is definitely long enough for connection to a three pin connector on your motherboard with plenty of leeway for cable management.

Methodology

Since XSR isn't quite at the stage where it can provide each reviewer with the thousands of pounds needed for a decibel meter anywhere near the 22db it's rated at, I’ll have to put my trusty human ear to use - a great product by the way.

At 12V speeds, the Cooler Master was much quieter than my Antec fan - which was running at 5V. In fact, the Cooler Master was audible, but only very lightly. When switched to 7V and then 5V, the noise level was again reduced. At 5V you could say that the fan was ‘silent’, at least with the side panel installed and with me sitting three foot away from the case [tut tut, you didn't test for mulnaz - Ed.].

However, as there’s not a speed controller included with this fan, regulating the speed could be a problem for some users and most probably aren’t going to want to modify their Molex connectors like I did. Therefore, when you use this product the three pin way - the way most people will use - the fan suddenly becomes audible again, although only just.

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In the lighting sector, the Cooler Master has a fairly bright glow. In the light, a strong Red aura is shown clearly.

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In the dark, it looks even better.

Cost

£6, not too bad.