Nexus Real Silent PWM Fans

Author: Andrew "ClickShot"
Published: Jul 21st, 2008
Category: Cooling, Reviews

Introduction

When it comes to fans there are only two real things that matter to most people; silence and airflow. These are two things that are also not found together very often as often one is sacrificed in favour of the other. However we are beginning to see increasing amounts of fans which offer both. One such product that hopes to join this select group is the Nexus Real Silent PWM series of case fans.

About Nexus

Nexus Technology BV was established in 2000 by a group of experts on heat conductivity and noise reduction in the computer industry. The founders have build up an in depth knowledge and experience on heat conductivity issues and thermal characteristics by working closely with many of the larger pc manufacturers for several years.

Specifications

80×80x25mm with PWM control
Noise level: from 16.2 d/BA
Fan speed: 1000~2800 RPM
Airflow: max. 38 CFM
Foggy chassis
incl. ultra-soft Silicone Fan Mounts
2×92x25mm with PWM control
Noise level: from 15.8 d/BA
Fan speed: 700~2500 RPM
Airflow: max. 43.5 CFM
Clear/Foggy chassis
incl. ultra-soft Silicone Fan Mounts
120×120x25mm w. PWM control
Noise level: from 15.5 d/BA
Fan speed: 500~2000 RPM
Airflow: max. 76 CFM
Clear/Foggy chassis
incl. ultra-soft Silicone Fan Mounts

The Package

The Real Silents arrived in similar packaging infact the only difference between the 3 fans was the sizes of the packaging and the product specifications on the packaging. The front features Nexus’ trademark whispering woman and the specs for the fan in banners and random labels. The rear of the packaging has the Nexus product promise in several different languages and the specs in the same layout again.

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Inside the packaging you will find the fan and a small bag of 4 soft rubber fixings. The Nexus’ themselves are all aesthetically different. The largest spinner – the 120mm one – features a transparent frame, as does the 92mm fan; but the 80mm model has a fully frosted and translucent finish to it. All of them have completely different blade profiles too. The largest of the three has your standard sweeping blade shape, the 92mm fan has a much more square design, and the 80mm fan has a squarish shape with a more round leading edge.

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As the fans are all transparent to some degree it is possible to see the inner workings of each. I think that this is pretty cool as you can see the coils of wire, which actually look better than the standard sticker – which when spinning is indistinguishable.

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On the other side of the fan is the framework which holds the actual fan in place. Upon this framework there is a Nexus sticker.

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On the frame of the two larger fans there are special spaces for the installation of LED’s.

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I think that this is a great idea as I for one feel that most fans with LEDs preinstalled look tacky and normally the LED’s are the wrong colour of the style you’re going for. So the fact that you can install your own LED’s and personalise the fans to your liking is surely something that will catch on with products in the future.

As all of the fans are PWM controlled they all have the 4-pin power cable and power connector.

Click to enlarge

There is quite a range in RPM’s and noise levels between the 3 fans with the loudest smallest and fastest being the 80mm fan and the 120mm fan being the quietest slowest and largest.

Installation, Testing and Results

The installation of all 3 of these fans was incredibly simple with the only mounting mechanism being the super soft rubber pegs. These pegs pulled through the holes easily and held the fans securely to the case. It was then simply a case of connecting the power cables to my motherboard and powering them up.

To test fans there are only a few things we can do: measure noise levels, measure airflow and talk about ease of installation – as I already have.

At lower RPM’s all 3 of the fans were inaudible, especially the large fans. However at higher RPM’s the fans were all audible, he larger fans were however very quiet. So they don’t quite live up to their “Real Silent” branding but they are sure damn close to it.

With regards to airflow the Nexus’ did not disappoint. The blade profiles are all different for a reason; if a fan is smaller then the curvature of the blades needs to be a lot sharper as this will pull more air thus increasing airflow. The airflow was noticeable at all RPM’s tested and it could always be felt by placing your hand in front of the fan about 50cm away.

The larger fans didn’t build up any dust at all over the 2-day non-stop stint for which they were tested but the smaller fan unfortunately built up a lot of dust.

Cost

The smallest of the 3 fans retails for £3.99, the 92mm model retails for £4.59 and the 120mm one retails for £5.99. These prices are quite reasonable for spinners which not only pull a lot of air but also offer very quiet to near silent performance.

Conclusion

The Nexus Real silent PWM series of fans offer great airflow and very low noise levels throughout. I would therefore recommend them to anybody looking to quiet down their PC without sacrificing performance.

Pros

LED spaces
Very Quiet
Good Airflow
Value for money
PWM controlled
Easy installation

Cons

Not silent

4 Star Award

7 comments
Leave a comment »

kantele July 23rd, 2008 8:49 am :
How could it be very quiet and not silent in the same time?
Rico Huang July 30th, 2008 6:23 am :
the fan’s design is not beautiful.
Rico Huang July 30th, 2008 6:25 am :
Pros: very quiet
Cons: not silent

I can’t understand what does the writer mean ?
andrew July 31st, 2008 8:00 pm :
right is something is very quiet then its surely good is it not? But if you are going to market a product as silent and then it isn’t then that’s bad very bad. And is there not a void between very quiet and not silent anyway? and it appears that you seem to think that silent and very quiet are the same thing which i can tell you categorically they are not.
andrew July 31st, 2008 8:03 pm :
where has it been said that they are beautiful? and can you sign up to the forums and leave the comments there please because all comments here are wiped after a certain space of time so nobody will be helped by this feedback thanks
Apollo August 2nd, 2008 1:25 pm :
Silent and Quiet are two different things. Most companies advertise products as silent, when normally, they are not. This is the point Andrew is trying to make.
Munters September 1st, 2008 3:07 pm :
Then change the con into “Not completely silent” or something like that.