GELID Solutions Low Speed Optimized Silent Fans Review

Testing:

The fans are tested against other fans of varying quality, airflow, noise, and power draw. One of the most powerful fans is the Delta TFB1212GHE with its 220CFM+ airflow - this fan will be used as the best case scenario for cooling capability. To test the fans, the Evercool Transformer 4 is used due to its ability to mount 120mm fans. The smaller Silent 8 TC is tested in an equally small heat sink - the ZEROTherm Core 92 that was designed for 92mm fans rather than 80mm, but still works just fine. The ambient temperature is approximately 74F-23C and the CPU is clocked in at 3.33GHz with 1.26V to see how well the fans handle the heat. Prime95 and Real Temp 3.00 are used to get load results, the average of the temperatures is reported in the corresponding charts. All testing is performed in a case for real-world results.

Testing System:

• Processor: Intel i7 920
• Motherboard: MSI X58 Platinum
• Memory: Mushkin HP3 12800 3x2gb DDR3
  
• Video Card: Nvidia GTX260 216sp
• Power Supply: Mushkin 800 watt Modular power supply
• Hard Drive: 1 x Western Digital Green 1TB SATA
• OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit SP1

Comparison Heat Sinks/Fans:

• Evercool Transformer 4
• ZEROTherm Core 92
• Gelid Wind 12
• Gelid Silent 12 PWM
• Evercool EC12025SL12E
• Antec Tricool 120
• Delta TFB1212GHE

Gelid Wing 12 and Gelid Silent 12 PWM

Gelid Silent 8

Not surprisingly, the stock Evercool fan did the worst reaching nearly 75C at load, while the Delta reached 59.7C, a 15C difference. The Wing 12 did very well here, passing the Antec Tricool 120, while the Silent 12 PWM and Tricool 120 score very similarly. The Silent 8 TC performed comparably to the others, but lost to the Tricool 80 by a couple of degrees.