Review and testing of a set of case fans AeroCool Spectro 12 FRGB

Introduction

I looked at several case fan kits that had three fans and a control controller. This is a very popular modern all-in-one solution. Initially, it may seem that it is expensive, but in fact, for the price, the controller is often given simply as a gift for three fans.

However, this is not always convenient. For example, the case may already have its own hub controller and therefore there is no point in overpaying. Controlling the speed of rotation and backlighting also does not always make sense. It happens to me that once I set up some mode and so it can work for a year, until it seems that it is working too noisy or the backlight does not get bored at all. Sometimes you don’t want to bother with settings, wires at all. It’s just too lazy to connect, install, install software, configure. I just want to put on the fans and forget. Even before the RGB era, I did just that. I put the fan at 7 V and simply forgot about its existence. He began to remind himself of himself when he got clogged with dust or the bearing began to crack.

It gets hot very soon in the building without ventilation. Throttling starts and the noise from coolers increases. Manufacturers very often equip cases with only one fan in the back, and do not install anything in front with the expectation of using LSS. However, not everyone uses these systems. Someone prefers the old-fashioned way to do with air cooling. Sometimes you need some kind of simple device that would operate at a constant speed and provide a normal airflow with a moderate noise level. In order not to bother with backlighting and modes, it would be better if it was already static. It’s easier, cheaper, and fewer compatibility issues.

Today we will just look at such a fan, or rather three identical fans at once, to equip the ThunderX3 Cronus case with them.

The model is called AeroCool Spectro 12 FRGB. Let’s see how effective such a solution will be for upgrading the case.

Packaging and equipment

The box is very small. It is comparable in size to the fan itself. It is made of thick colored paper. The design is already a little familiar from the fan kits.

Directly from the front, the device itself is represented by a face. We see the fan in operation with RGB lighting. On the back there is a white abstract background and a blue insert on the right with the AeroCool company logo at the top. In the upper left corner there is an insert with the inscription RGB Fixed LED. This means that the backlight is static and does not change. Model name is indicated below the image.

Basic information about the device is on the back. The model name is again indicated at the top. The following information is provided below in several languages:

• Fixed RGB LED lighting
• Curved fan blades
• Anti-vibration pads

Below is a table with characteristics and a schematic representation of the MOLEX connector. The table is the most common, but I will give a comparison with other devices.

As you can see, some of the characteristics coincide with the fans that are supplied in kits with a control hub. The main difference is that here the backlight is not addressable and does not use a separate 5V channel, but is powered directly from 12V, so the power consumption has increased.

The delivery set consists of the fan itself, mounting screws and rubber anti-vibration pads.

Not a lot, but in general, nothing else is needed to use.

Fan design and features

The fans are somewhat similar to the Duo model, namely the impeller. The blades are slightly twisted and the color is the same matte white. At first it seems that this is generally a copy, but then it becomes noticeable that the body is very different. He’s completely different here.

The design is more compact and smoother. In the ears there are special recesses for the rubber rings of the anti-vibration pads. They are on an adhesive base, so they stick once and no longer fall out. The design of each ear is symmetrical on both sides. Inside there is a hole for a standard self-tapping screw. Twisting is not difficult at all. The stroke is easy, the fixation is reliable. The fact is that the inner sleeve is quite elastic and it is not monolithic with the body, but rests on five membranes. The impeller is absolutely similar to the Duo. There are also eleven blades here, and they are slightly twisted. There are also LEDs in the engine area. Here they are of a fixed color, which coincides in shade with their partner, which is located opposite in the case.

The chassis is not monolithic, but consists of several elements. First of all, it is a black ABS main frame. There are ears on it and an engine is attached to it, and inside there is also a white ring. It is attached to the frame with several latches.

They are located in the area of ​​the ears in front. Behind the white translucent ring is the LED strip. The colors correspond to the rainbow formula and come in turns. Red and purple border together and also smoothly merge into each other. In general, this applies to all colors. The transitions are noticeable, but not abrupt. There is only one two-core wire from the engine with a MOLEX connector at the end. This is not an ordinary connector, but a double one. On the one hand, dad, on the other, mom. Therefore, they can easily be connected in series, or rather the connection diagram itself turns out to be parallel.

You can think for a long time why the cooler is called Spectro, but most likely because of the static rainbow ring, like a ray of light refracted through a prism, it decomposes into a spectrum of different wavelengths – dispersion. I think that everything is clear with the fan, so it’s time to move on to assembly, and then to testing.

Test stand

The set of three AeroCool Spectro 12 FRGB fans was tested with the following components:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (3800/4700 MHz base / turbo);
• Кулер: Deepcool Gammax 400EX;
• Thermointerface: Noctua NT-H1;
• Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS, BIOS version – 1801;
• Память: 2 x 8 Гб G.Skill Royal DDR4 F4-4000C17D (Samsung B-die);
• Video card: ASUS ROG STRIX GTX1660Ti (1500/1860/12002 MHz (core / boost / memory));
• SSD M.2: Samsung 981 1TB;
• Power supply: AeroCool AERO BRONZE 750 W;
• Корпус: AeroCool ThunderX3 Cronus.

System assembly

In the case of the ThunderX3 Cronus, the fans can be installed in an already assembled case. There is a lot of free space in the case, the devices are installed inside, and are mounted outside right under the panel. There are many holes and the installation can be adjusted.

You can put it higher, you can lower it, but I started the installation so that the cables from the case connectors did not interfere.

By the way, a Duo 14 fan is already installed in the case itself, so they look similar in appearance. The fans are easy to attach and, thanks to the rubber washers, they are pressed gently. There is no vibration.

Connecting power is simple, the wires themselves are thin and flexible. They practically do not interfere.

After the system is assembled, you can start and see how it works. In fact, everything turns out very well.

It’s time to move on to testing.

Test results

For tests, I decided to use several different packages that will evenly warm up the processor and video card separately: to warm up the Prime95 processor and the Fur Mark utility for the video card. It was also decided to test several options for using the fans and compare them with an open stand.

• Open stand (OS);
• All fans are on (ON);
• All case fans are OFF.

Noise level

Temperature

The results show that the cooling has improved slightly. The results would be better, if the speed was higher, then there would be more noise (even without load), so the dilemma.

Conclusion

With the fans installed in the front, the picture has improved markedly. It is clear that the noise floor has increased. The noise background of the hull has increased. This is noticeable, but tolerable. My unit was on the table and therefore the turntables were almost under my ear, so I could hear it. At a distance, the picture changes, and the noise is no longer so perceptible. He is, but not annoying.

But the picture in the load has changed noticeably. Now the fans of the processor cooler and video card spin up noticeably less. In the load, their speed dropped, which means that the noise decreased. This is especially noticeable in the case of a video card. Now playing has become much more comfortable, and now warm air is blowing from behind, and ventilation inside the case has improved.

Of course, I would like to adjust, but this is the simplest and most affordable option. In any case, this is just one of the options, not a guide to action. And, of course, even three barely blowing fans are better than nothing. And the speed is no longer needed because it is not regulated. In this case, everything is on the verge of comfort.

There are no questions about the backlight either, it looks good. In addition, in my case, there was already a panel in front with its own backlight and the static one did not interfere with it in any way, on the contrary, it created the feeling that there was also a backlight inside and it was even unclear that it was static if the dynamic panel was turned on. The fans are also not whimsical in terms of power supply and 12 V is enough for them.

In short, Spectro 12 FRGB fans are more suitable for systems where there is no ventilation at all. Then you really get good functionality for a reasonable price.