Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

  1. #1
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    48
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    Hi all

    I have bought some 140mm Aerocool Shark fans for my radiator. I got the red LED version as plain black was not available at the time and the prices were the same anyway – I am not really bothered about looks. I have not had the chance to use them yet as I’m waiting for other parts before I finish my watercooling loop but came across a worrying statement in an old edition of Custom PC I happened to be browsing.

    The editor who wrote the column stated that LED fans were basically rubbish as they were made of flimsy clear plastic which flexed too much. This increased the noise considerably and robbed fans of most of their ability to move air. I’ve looked at recent customer reviews of these Aerocool fans on online retail sites and the comments regarding noise and airflow/pressure seemed consistent whether the reviewer owned the plain black or coloured LED version.

    Can anyone shed any light on this. The article is dated from 2009 so I wonder if problems with LED fans have been corrected now. If not I think I will send them back. I notice the manufacturer’s specifications are identical whether the fan is a LED model or not but fan specifications are generally untrustworthy from what I’ve read.

    Thanks in advance

    Mag

  2. #2
    HEXUS.social member Agent's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Internet
    Posts
    19,168
    Thanks
    735
    Thanked
    1,607 times in 1,045 posts

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    Never heard of the issue before. The fans would need to use some seriously thin plastic for them to ever flex. I've got a mix of LED and non LED and I've never had an issue.
    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    And by trying to force me to like small pants, they've alienated me.

  3. #3
    jim
    jim is offline
    HEXUS.clueless jim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Location: Location:
    Posts
    11,435
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked
    1,639 times in 1,304 posts
    • jim's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z
      • CPU:
      • i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz
      • Memory:
      • 8GB Corsair Vengeance LP
      • Storage:
      • 1TB Sandisk SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ASUS GTX 970
      • PSU:
      • Corsair AX650
      • Case:
      • Silverstone Fortress FT03
      • Operating System:
      • 8.1 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell S2716DG
      • Internet:
      • 10 Mbps ADSL

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    I think it's fair to say that if you're using LED fans then some of your budget has gone on the LEDs rather than higher quality bearings/plastic etc, but to lump them all together and say that they must have flimsy plastic? I don't get that.

  4. #4
    Not a good person scaryjim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Gateshead
    Posts
    15,196
    Thanks
    1,231
    Thanked
    2,291 times in 1,874 posts
    • scaryjim's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Dell Inspiron
      • CPU:
      • Core i5 8250U
      • Memory:
      • 2x 4GB DDR4 2666
      • Storage:
      • 128GB M.2 SSD + 1TB HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon R5 230
      • PSU:
      • Battery/Dell brick
      • Case:
      • Dell Inspiron 5570
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10
      • Monitor(s):
      • 15" 1080p laptop panel

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    Sounds like a reviewer who's had a bad experience with one LED fan and lumped them all together. Clear/translucent plastic is not inherently less rigid than opaque plastic, that's just plain dumb. Similarly there's no need for an LED fan to have thinner or more flexible fins - the majority of the effect with LED fans is from light reflecting off the fan, not shining through it.

    Besides which, a quick google shows that the fans you're talking about have identical specifications listed, and are made by the same manufacturer to the same design. I'd be utterly staggered if they had significantly different performance!

  5. #5
    Drum & Bass Till I Die deejayburnout's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Kinglassie, Fife
    Posts
    2,013
    Thanks
    296
    Thanked
    133 times in 114 posts
    • deejayburnout's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte x470 Aorus Ultra Gaming
      • CPU:
      • Ryzen 2600 at stock speeds ( for now)
      • Memory:
      • 2 x Corsair 8GB DDR4 Vengeance LPX 3000MHz
      • Storage:
      • Gigabyte 128GB M.2 PCIe x2 NVMe SSD, 120GB Kingston SV200, 2 x 1TB WD Drive, 2 x 2TB WD Drive
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 8G Gaming OC Edition
      • PSU:
      • OCZ 750 Watt
      • Case:
      • NZXT Noctis 450
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG 34UM65-P Ultrawide
      • Internet:
      • 72mb Down 19mb up - Vodafone
    The only difference I could think of is that the LED ones might draw more power and I mean around 0.1 watt more.

    The difference will be tiny.

    As for build quality and airflow, most probably identical.

    I would ignore that review. .
    Better to Burn out than Fade Away
    Check out my Youtube channel - Crispy Crisperson

  6. #6
    Seriously casual gamer KeyboardDemon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    London
    Posts
    3,013
    Thanks
    774
    Thanked
    280 times in 242 posts
    • KeyboardDemon's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Sabretooth Z77
      • CPU:
      • i7 3770k + Corsair H80 (Refurbed)
      • Memory:
      • 16gb (4x4gb) Corsair Vengence Red (1866mhz) - (Because it looks good in a black mobo)
      • Storage:
      • Crucial M550 SSD 1TB + 2x 500GB Seagate HDDs
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0 (Warranty replacement for 780Ti SC ACX)
      • PSU:
      • EVGA 750 watt SuperNova G2
      • Case:
      • Silverstone RV03
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Asus Swift PG278Q
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity (40mbs dl/10mbs ul)

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    Silverstone has recently released LED versions of their AP121's and these have the same CFM, static pressure, RPM and more importantly for you noise levels as the original non-LED versions.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    The land of Brum
    Posts
    10,128
    Thanks
    605
    Thanked
    1,220 times in 1,121 posts
    • Pob255's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus M5A99X EVO
      • CPU:
      • FX8350 & CM Hyper 212+
      • Memory:
      • 4 x 2gb Corsair Vengence 1600mhz cas9
      • Storage:
      • 512gb samsung SSD +1tb Samsung HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EGVA GTX970
      • PSU:
      • Seasonic GX 650W
      • Case:
      • HAF 912+
      • Operating System:
      • W7 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • iiyama XB3270QS-B1 32" IPS 1440p

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    It's from back in 2009 when most of the led fans where cheap fans and the ultra bright LED's had a higher cost.
    Most of the better brands and manufactures where not producing led fans only the cheaper ones where making led fan and they where often sold for a premium because they where a new thing.
    However some of it is true to an extent and some of it is untrue, a cheap non-led fan can still be made of thinner softer plastic than a good led fan.
    A lot of it is down to the plastic used most of the early led fans where made out of a lower density low temperature plastic where as a lot of the higher end non-led fans where made out of a higher density higher temperature plastic, which made them more rigid.
    The other issue here is the quality of the casting, this can greatly effect the balance of the blades, unbalanced blade generate a lot of wobble when spinning this puts twisting forces on the struts that anchor the hub to the frame if these are too soft, if these in turn are too soft it allows the fan to twist in the frame and causes all sorts of issues.
    I had some cheap Xcilo led fans from scan ages back that still hold my record for bad, if you just hold them in your had they don't sound too bad but you can feel the vibrations, stand them on a table and they vibrate so bad they "walk", screw them into a case and they cause a real racket and put a lot of vibration into the area they are screwed into.
    Although a couple of years later I got some more Xcilo fans from scan, they where a different design and at the time the only amber led fans I could find (this was before bitfenix) however they've turned out to be far better, the plastic is still a bit light weight but the balance is far far better and they don't have any major vibration issues.
    The very best fans are still not made from clear plastic because the plastics are still not quite as dense so are softer and more flexible, but the molding processes has improved and you can get good quality clear fans.
    some companies get around this by using white fan blades rather than clear (NZXT is a good example here) also saves costs because they can use the same blades in both the led and non-led versions.

    Funny thing is that the highest density stuff to use would be high temperature resins (the stuff used for carbonfiber) but the problem here would be trying to get the highly accurate moldings needed.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    By the sea
    Posts
    312
    Thanks
    27
    Thanked
    114 times in 72 posts
    • matts-uk's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Apple iMac
      • CPU:
      • Core i7 3.4Ghz
      • Memory:
      • 12GB DDR3
      • Storage:
      • RAID5 on the twin Xeon server I keep in the airing cupboard
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ATI 7970M
      • Case:
      • A lurvely slimline, all in one aluminium number.
      • Operating System:
      • OSX, Centos, Windows.
      • Monitor(s):
      • 27" LED (Apple), 24" LED (Apple), 2 x 20" TFT Dell
      • Internet:
      • ADSL rubbish

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    Quote Originally Posted by MagR View Post
    I’ve looked at recent customer reviews of these Aerocool fans on online retail sites and the comments regarding noise and airflow/pressure seemed consistent whether the reviewer owned the plain black or coloured LED version.
    An attribute of fans and propellors is, all other things being equal, the force generated is proportional to the speed of rotation and the pitch (angle) of the blades. So two fans of the same design, spinning at the same RPM, will produce the same airflow irrespective of one of them being fitted with LEDs.

    Where the presence of the LEDs increases the rotational mass (weight), the fan will be slightly less efficient, especially during spin up. The balance of the blades is far more important though. Differences in weight around the circumference, will cause the blade assembly to oscillate (wobble), reducing electrical efficiency and increasing load on bearings. The higher the RPM and the longer the fan runs, the more significant the impact of even the tiniest amount of oscillation.

    Can anyone shed any light on this.
    Component and manufacturing quality are king. With the exception of brand name premiums, you pretty much get what you pay for. A 'cheap' poorly manufactured fan without LEDs, will be relatively rubbish when compared to an 'expensive' LED fan, well manufactured from quality components. With LED fans costing the same as the non-LED version of the same fan, you are left with the subjective question of aesthetic choice.

    I prefer my computers to be understated myself.

  9. #9
    Gentoo Ricer
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Galway
    Posts
    11,048
    Thanks
    1,016
    Thanked
    944 times in 704 posts
    • aidanjt's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Strix Z370-G
      • CPU:
      • Intel i7-8700K
      • Memory:
      • 2x8GB Corsiar LPX 3000C15
      • Storage:
      • 500GB Samsung 960 EVO
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0
      • PSU:
      • EVGA G3 750W
      • Case:
      • Fractal Design Define C Mini
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Asus MG279Q
      • Internet:
      • 240mbps Virgin Cable

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    Quote Originally Posted by scaryjim View Post
    I'd be utterly staggered if they had significantly different performance!
    Indeed. The only real difference between them will be a mA difference in current to power the LEDs.
    Quote Originally Posted by Agent View Post
    ...every time Creative bring out a new card range their advertising makes it sound like they have discovered a way to insert a thousand Chuck Norris super dwarfs in your ears...

  10. #10
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    48
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Re: Are LED fans worse than non LED fans?

    Thanks for your all your replies everyone. From all the replies I have received on this forum and others it seems this claim is outdated. LED fans from good manufacturers now seem to perform the same as their non LED versions. No need to worry myself further.

    Mag

    Regards

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •