Testing

Once I had that all done, I booted up my PC to see what we had.  Immediately, I noticed that I couldn't hear the fan at all over the sound of my other PC fans.  So I unscrewed it and moved it away from the computer to get better readings with my sound level meter.  I used a NZXT Fan Controller (reviewed here) to control the fan's RPMs.  Noise values were measured using a handy-dandy noise level meter, and here are the values I got at different speeds offered by the controller.

	RPM Noise 500RPM 9.5dB 800RPM 11dB 1000RPM 12dB 1200RPM 14dB

At least they keep their promises about keeping things quiet.  But what about the airflow?  Rather than stick my hand behind the fan, I am going to check internal temperatures of the case while running both standard inflow fan and then replacing it with this one to see if there is any definitive change in temperature over the span of half an hour.

Using the standard case fan for inflow, I got a temperature of 24.8 degrees Celsius after one half hour test run.  This was running Vista only, with no programs running and no CPU load.  I then loaded up Gears of War for PC to get a pretty good pull on my internal components and played for half an hour more to see if there was a drastic change in internal temperature.  The final score after thirty minutes under full load was 31.4 degrees Celsius.  So I shut my computer down and left the side of the case off to cool down quickly.  I replaced the inflow fan with the Enermax Cluster and put the side back on, then booted up for an idle temperature.  After another half an hour at idle, I was getting an internal temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius.  Two degrees may not seem like much, but the toll that temperature can have on an internal PC component is drastic, and a two-degree drop is pretty sweet.  So I did another round of full load for another thirty minutes.  At the end I was getting an internal temp of 28.9 degrees Celsius. 

To be honest, I really could not believe that a single fan could do such a phenomenal job of cooling a case as jam-packed with crap as mine is.  Even in my muggy garage.  I have to give props to the Enermax ladies and gents for coming up with such an awesome design for the fans, they obviously provide a much quieter ride with more airflow than any I've tried so far.  So hats off to you, my friends.  I can't wait to review the next ones.  But since you've already done the Batwing thing, could you maybe try out the platypus foot for your next design.  That would be pretty sweet.  You could call it the Twister-Pus.  Also, the Batwing thing has been thought of before.  Remember that movie, Waiting...?

	REPORT CARD : Enermax Twister Case Fans category rating comments Quality 5 Durable plastic, aluminum ring, and nylon-wrapped wires.  This thing is built like a tank.  Strong and stable. Innovation 5 Looks cool, light, has LEDs, and does its job.  What more could we want? Performance 5 Much better airflow than I expected, and you can barely hear the thing running at all. Installation 5 Very easy to install.  Most fans are, however, so it's hard not to give something like that a high score. Value 3 Are typically about $15-$17 around the net, a little pricey for a fan, but compared to better cooling for your internal components, it's probably worth it.   FINAL VERDICT: 5 out of 5 stars

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