Review by: Jennifer Griffiths
Video by: Philip Griffiths
Akasa R7 vs X7
Akasa have really nailed it on offering choices when it comes to which fan is right for your needs. They have given us something that we have seldom had, choices. Now you can look cool and keep cool at the same time. Both the Vegas R7 LED and Vegas X7 provide us with excellent ventilation as well as an all around nice looking piece of kit. However, they are very different.
Upon looking at the Vegas R7, one would probably think “hmmm nice”!!! They would not be wrong. It does look nice. But, when compared against its sister, the X7, it reminds me of the last kid to get picked in gym class. Here’s why:
Dimensions for R7 and X7:
Diameter 120 mm
Depth 25 mm
Where they differ:
Fan Speed Air Flow Air Pressure Sound Level
R7- 1500 RPM R7- 35.2 CFM R7 – 1.04 mm H2O R7- 23.8 dB
X7- 1200 RPM X7 -41.9 CFM X7 – 1.14 mm H2O X7– 23.2 dB
Fan Colour LED Colour
R7 – Frosted Translucent R7 - RGB
X7 – Clear Transparent X7 – RGB
Features:
Damping Pads (both)
Translucent frosted blades – R7
LED frame design (both)
4 Pin RGB LED connector with 4 to 5 pin adapter cable – R7
Supports RGB control devices and motherboard lighting control applications such as ASUS Aura, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and Gigabyte RGB Fusion (both)
Clear Blades – X7
4 Pin RGB LED Connector – X7
4 Pin LED Connector – X7
Millions of colours – X7
For me the X7 is the better product in that it is quieter and at the same time delivers more airflow and pressure made this the proper choice for myself. Also, a contributing factor was the transparent blades which make the colours vibrant, and the millions of them to boot.
Both products are good, and I am not saying I look down my nose at the R7 by any means. But being an enthusiast, the factors stated above made my choice crystal clear as the blades on the X7.
The Controller (AK-RLD-01 Vegas Control Panel)
Does what it says on the tin…..
Vegas control panel allows you to control four RGB LED lights or RGB Fans. You can control the lighting Via the control panel or hook it up to your motherboards RGB connector and allow the motherboard to take control of the lights, Built-in 7 lighting mode manual control. Supports motherboard lighting control applications.
It basically the same as the Vegas control card but fits into a 2.5” bay like a card reader. It has a Manuel control button and a function button. You can set the lights as blue, red, green and white. It also has a 4-colour cycle where it automatically changes between Red, Green, Blue and White. The next mode is also a colour change. The colours change from red, yellow, green, blue, white and purple. There is a breathing mode where a selected colour will slowly get dimmer then lighter. You can also turn all the lights off if you wish. The advantage of this unit is that you don’t need an RGB motherboard like the Gigabyte Fusion to get some nice RGB effects.
THE LED LIGHTS ( AK-LD05-50RB Vegas MBW Magnetic RGBW LED Strip Light)
The Vegas MB is designed to work with motherboards with intergraded RGB headers or RGB controller cards, if you wish you can power it up directly with a Molex connector (included) but you will not be able to control the lights, They are very inexpensive and run at 50cm each, they can be interlinked/daisy chained with each other to make longer cables, this makes it a cheap and cheerful mod for your PC. In the box, all you get is the RGB strip, one of the better things about these is that they are magnetic, so no worrying about the stickers not sticking and having to glue/tape them inside, this also means they can be moved around and reused with ease.
While it won't make you PC go any faster it can make a plain looking case look a little more special. They also work with Support RGB control devices and motherboard lighting control applications like Gigabyte Fusion, MSI mystic Light and Asus Aura.
The band is flexible enough to follow the contours of the support even with 90 ° angles.
We only have one length available but we can connect them together.
Akasa is orienting its LED strip for use in combination with motherboards featuring RGB lighting technology. you still have the opportunity to invest in a third-party controller to take full advantage of the multi-coloured lighting offered by LEDs.
The Conclusion:
All products perform well; and if you like the inside of your computer to look like the Las Vegas Strip then these items are for you. The fans perform well and can’t be heard in normal usage. The options in colures available are impressive and it’s nice to see they will work with most of the RGB motherboards out there. Worst case scenario, if you don’t have a RGB motherboard you can buy a controller like the one reviewed or a PCI-E version that will allow you to light up your computer, so the International Space Station can see it.
Scoring : R7 X7
Value For Money: 4 4
Performance: 4 4
Quietness: 4 5
Looks: 4 5
Total Points: 16 18
Scoring: Controller LED Lights
Value For Money: ` 5 5
Looks: 4 5
Packaging: 4 4
Ease of Use: 4 4
Total: 17 18
This being said, we award a gold star to each Product, well done Akasa
