Review by: Philip and Jennifer Griffiths
Introduction:
When it comes to fans, most manufacturers think in terms of case fans. But, Akasa have thought of versatility in the Apache. Not only can I see it as a great case fan, but also as a great one for a water cooling unit. With the airflow it delivers, it is not hard to see it being a wise choice on the radiator as it would push the air needed for cooling through the tiny holes of a radiator but still have minimum noise.
In terms of the fan, its design is on par with some of its rival competitors and even surpasses a few that come to mind.
At first, the Apache looks just looks like another standard black case fan. It reminds me of the ones included in any normal case. They dont glow up like Vegas fans that Akasa make. So, what's the big deal you ask? Well, these fans come with 9 blades compared to the usual 7 you would get on most fans. This will allow them to be able to shift more air at a lower rotation speed and, in turn, making them quieter. But, are they worth the £16.74 RRP?
Features:
Super silent 12cm fan with S-FLOW blades supplying 30% more airflow than a standard fan at the same speed. The greater performance combined with PWM automatic speed control allows the fan noise to be kept to a minimum.
The Apache fan creates more focused airflow providing blind-spot cooling, which makes it an ideal solution for a case or heatsink fan. HDB (Hydro Dynamic) bearings extend fan life and further enhance noise reduction. It’s powerful and quiet!
• Super silent APACHE BLACK 14cm fan
• S-FLOW fan blade design delivers 30% higher airflow
• Super silent with PWM speed control
• Hydro Dynamic Bearing extends fan life
Technical specs
Fan Size
120mm
Fan Speed
600 - 1300RPM
Fan Colour
Black
Connector
4-pin PWM
Air Flow
57.53 CFM (97.74 m3/h)
Air Pressure
2.64mm H2O
Noise Level
6.9 - 16.05 dB(A)
Bearing Type
HDB (Hydro Dynamic)
Fan Life Expectancy
50,000 hours
Voltage Rating
12V DC
Current Rating
0.33A
Dimensions (W x H x D)
120 X 120 X 25 mm
Availability and Price
Available from: Target Components.
RRP: £16.74 inc Vat
This product is available at Target Components (at time of writing) at £11.15 inc Vat, That means if you sell the product at the RRP you would make around 33% profit (£5.59). That is a good margin for any product.
Unfortunately, this product is available from Amazon for £10.99 (on offer from £13.95). Having a quick look around, I also find Overclockers selling it at £10.99 and Scan selling it for £10.49. Which I find very unsettling. So, either all three of these companies are selling the items as a loss (unlikely) or Akasa is selling the product to online retailers for a lower price than the distributors. There is one more scenario, bear in mind, the distributors are selling it for way too high of a price. We can't tell you who to purchase from. However, if you intend to buy the product, keep these factors in mind.
We are awaiting a Reply from the Akasa Sales Team regarding the pricing
Packaging:
The box is attractive and tells you and your customer what you need to know about the product clearly. All the Jargon on the front of the box has what it means to a normal person just under it. This is good because a lot of time products come with all sorts of logos on them saying PWM, IP54 and S-Flow and the average customer will have no idea what that means. The Packaging looks good and It will be easy to display as well as look great in your shop.
Unboxing:
Inside, you will find it comes with anti-vibration rubber fan mounts. They could possibly work on a water cooling system.
Look closely and see the blade design. This will ensure the air flows evenly and quietly. The cable leading from it connects with a 4 pin connection and is braided unlike some of its competitors that use a plastic coating. Nicely done there, Akasa. The cord is an adequate length for most builds, you should not have a problem with it. It is 30 cm in length.
Testing:
The fans also have 9 blades, rather than the usual 7, so can move more air at lower speeds.
Now for the best bit. These fans have a noise level of between 6.9dB (600RPM) and 16dB (1300RPM) so they are really quiet and in an average computer, they will run at around 800rpm at idle.
These fans also come with anti-vibration rubber fan peg mounts which you use instead of screws to mount them in the case. Great if you have problems with the fans causing case vibration. you dont have to use them, but they could be good to use to ensure vibration is at a minimum.
Result.
The fan runs very quietly, possibly one of the quietest I have come across. They only produced around 18dB(A) in our tests (little higher than the spec sheet says) and when they are running flat out they are able to push out nearly 58CFM compared to a
cheaper Phanteks PH-F120SP fan. The Phanteks fan has 9 blades like the Akasa and is able to push through 54CFM but, is a lot louder at 25dB(A).
The Conclusion:
This is a hard one to call. This is a premium fan and performs very well. It has no lights at all. What it has going for it is its performance and quietness. The problem we have with this product is it's expensive. Would an average person want to spend the premium price over the price of a normal fan? The only time I would see this fan as an advantage would be in an environment where you need a really quiet computer like a recording studio.
Scoring :
Value For Money: 0 (if you can buy them at Amazon or other online stores why use a distributor?)
Performance: 4
Quietness: 5
Looks: 4
Total Points: 13
As these Reviews are for Techs we cant recommend this product with it been available cheaper to the general public than we can buy it from a distributor. If the price was right, we would have awarded this a GOLD award. But, because of the price issue, we will not be giving this product an award. Akasa you have a good product, please sort the price issue out!