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Written by [t0rc]
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The Mutant Mods 80mm Fan appears to be another attempt by the corporate
world to mass produce the individuality and creativity that modders
have so long been known for. Pre-mods have usually been frowned upon,
not only because they takaway the true individual satisfaction of
modding(being able to say you did that yourself), but because they're
usually below average in quality and performance. Although this fan
does have 4 LED's in it, putting in the pre-mod category, I cannot
complain as it does it's duty. Keeping your air cooled system running
at comfortable temperatures with low dB while adding a little extra
style to your case.
Background Information on Mutant Mods:
| Comdex
Fall 2003 (Nov. 17, 2003), Las Vegas: StarTech.com introduced it's new
line of PC products stamped "Mutant Mods". As StarTech.com's Product
Manager Tarun Bhasin stated, "The market for mod products is exploding.
Mod products are one of the fastest growing segments of the computer
parts market and there was no one brand that offered a complete
selection of quality products for consumers until Mutant Mods." Mutant
Mods offers a line of mod products that vary from USB 2.0 Cables with
LEDs to EL Wire Kits to LED Fans. Quoting an insert I recieved,"Mutant
Mods is a complete line of computer parts and accessories that add a
splash of originality and a dash of color to computer workspaces." In a
statement Product Manager Tarun Bhasin sums up the Mutant Mods relation
to consumers and also recognizes modders, "Mutant Mods will appeal to
mainstream and power computer users, PC gamers, and hardcore modders.
Consumers care about the appearance of their computer as much as
performance and are not content to live with the boring beige and black
PCs prevalent in the market today." |
The brown box the fan was packaged inside was more than adequately
stuffed to guard the merchandise against any possible damage. Inside,
the fan itself is wrapped with it's mounting screws(4) in a small,
compact, store-rack resembling wrapping.
On first impressions the fan looks small and incapable of delivering
both aesthetic and statistic appeal, I assumed it would favor visual
appeal over performance. The fan uses a 3-pin connector to provide it's
12v requirements along with those of the LEDs.
Manufacturers Specifications:
- Dimensions: 3.15"x3.15"x0.98"(80x80x25mm)
- Fan Type: Dual Ball Bearing
- RPMs: 3,000
- Voltage: 12v
- CFM: 37.27
- dB: <27
- Connector: 3-Lead TX3
Being constructed out of clear acrylic, the green LED's easily
penetrate the rotating blades creating the appearance of a solid beam
of light for each LED. The green has a nice tone to it that is darker
than the camera could pick up. The intensity of the LED's was far
higher than I expected; two would light up an oversized full tower.
In order to keep the LED's lit properly, a strip of circuitry is run
around the mid-section of the fan and held down by it's snug fit and a
piece of tape. The tape runs over the printed side to protect it from
possible shorts or damage. The circuit is of parallel design to avoid
having one LED burnout cause the rest to fail.
Click Here To Enlarge
The clear acrylic frame has a small amount of flex when you apply a
force slightly less than what it takes to rip a newspaper in half. It's
fairly sturdy; under most conditions this fan won't break. It's fairly
durable, as I dropped it down wooden stairs and on concrete without an
marring of the surface.
The blades are not sharp enough to cut your fingers if you put them
inside the fan while it's spinning, but when you move it around and
constantly have that happen, it's an annoying reminder that a grill
would've been a nice addition to include. The blades are aligned very
well, following the same path, with the same distance from the edge for
each blade on each rotation. Mounting the fan was easy to do, the
self-tapping/threading screws went in without a hitch.
Click Here To Enlarge
After leaving the fan running on a system for a while, I found that
it's pretty quiet. While not specializing in silence like the
AcoustiFan and it's friends, the audible hum that the fan emits is
below the 27dB limit.
If the controls above do not appear and/or function properly, you may need to download the free QuickTime Player.
Here I've recorded the running fan, and if you turn your volume to
roughly your normal music listening(unless of course it's 100%, in that
case, put it at a low level) you should be able to get a better idea of
the humming that can be heard when you are approximately 3.5 feet away
from the fan. Of course if you turn the volume to max, that would be
similar to having your ear about 1 inch away from the fan.Depending on
the grill you put on it, the fans noise level may increase; also take
into consideration that if your buying a grill, while designs are neat,
if the fan is going to provide a significant portion of your cooling,
try to select a grill that restricts airflow the least, else you might
have a cool looking but high temperature rig. For those of you on
56K/ISDN or slower, you may need to wait a little longer to let the
file completely load.
The Mutant Mods' Green 80mm Quad-LED Case Fan is a successful pre-mod
attempt. While I'd much rather add my own LEDs to a fan of my choice,
this fan isn't such a bad deal. It remains decently quiet once inside
your case, at the same time adding some extra lighting and pizzaz. It
could be quieter but it's not made for the purpose of being silent. The
37.27 CFM of this fan is adequate, you'd obviously need a few to cool a
whole case. I'd like to see this fan come with a grill and have a
little better securing of the circuit for the LEDs'. Perhaps a little
beading of hot glue around the edges. I reccommend this product to
those who already have adequate air cooling but are looking to enhance
the aesthetic appeal of their case. This fan recieves an 89% rating and
the silver award.
Thanks to Mutant Mods for sponsoring this review.
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