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Introduction

Noiseblocker are a company known for listening to the media and improving their products. Today we’ll be trying out the revision 3 of their fans from their BlackSilent range. These fans have been improved extensively and after the reports from revision 2 of this model, can these fans actually get much better? Well, read on and you’ll find out…

About Noiseblocker

Noiseblocker are a German company who specialize in computer hardware which aims to silence your PC. They are a fairly new company with a small line-up of products, however many of their case fans and CPU coolers have received a lot of praise by computer enthusiasts and have won a number of awards at top review websites.

The actual models of fans from the BlackSilent series that Noiseblocker have sent us are the following:

• 120mm XL 1
• 120mm XL 2
• 92mm XE 1
• 80mm X 1
• 80mm X2

Features

• Original (((Noiseblocker))) quality: Also with this series we use only high-quality units and long life bearings
• Ultra silent: coordinated fan revolutions for almost noiseless operation
• High reliability: with long life sleeve bearings and most modern design
• Economically priced

Specifications

Fan model	Specifications
NB-BlackSilent Fan XL1	Size: 120x120x25mm Loudness: 16 dB/A Airflow: 58 m3/h Connection: 3 Pin Molex
NB-BlackSilent Fan XL2	Size: 120x120x25mm Loudness: 21dB/A Airflow: 98 m3/h Connection: 3 Pin Molex
NB-BlackSilent Fan XE1	Size: 92x92x25mm Loudness: 17 dB/A Airflow: 50 m3/h Connection: 3 Pin Molex
NB-BlackSilent Fan X1	Size: 80x80x25mm Loudness: 10 dB/A Airflow: 28 m3/h Connection: 3 Pin Molex
NB-BlackSilent Fan X2	Size: 80x80x25mm Loudness: 18 dB/A Airflow: 45 m3/h Connection: 3 Pin Molex

The Package

All five of our Noiseblocker fans arrived in the same packaging, but different sized packaging depending on the size of fan. The front of the package is vacuum formed plastic which moulds well over the fan and its accessories. Backing this vacuum formed plastic is a piece of card – which is stapled at the top.

On the front, some brief information about the fan is listed at the bottom (size, volts, airflow and noise). When buying a fan, this is really all the information you need before deciding if to purchase or not. As there are three different revisions of the BlackSilent series, the revision and model number is shown at the top of the package – to avoid any confusion.

The back of the package is a piece of card which is stapled and slid into the vacuum formed plastic. Here there are many specifications about the fan listed in table format in two languages: German and English.

Included with each of the fans are four blue anti-vibration pegs. It’s nice for Noiseblocker to include these as they further help to reduce the noise levels of the fans.

Noiseblocker’s BlackSilent Fans

The fans themselves look pretty sleek with standard black frames and translucent blue blades. This is a look which is unique to the BlackSilent fans – no other fan features this styling. Hunting around the frame of the fan, I couldn’t spot any LED’s – a bit of a shame as some LED’s would make the fans look even better whilst spinning.

The translucent blue fan blades are very smooth – unlike earlier revisions of these fans – this should help to cut through air particles quietly and reduce air turbulence. Its been proven that smooth fan blades don’t collect dust as easily as rough ones, so Noiseblocker have made the correct decision by replacing the bumpy fan blades shown on the earlier revisions of the BlackSilent fans.

At the centre of the fan blades/ frame there is a centralized glossy sticker showing Noiseblocker’s logo, the fan model number and revision.

Attached to the BlackSilent’s are the standard red (12v), black (ground) and yellow (tacho signal) wires which connect to a 3 pin connector. The third wire (tacho) enables your motherboard to monitor the speed of the fan. Unfortunately, if you don’t have any spare 3-pin connectors on your motherboard, there’s no other alternative as the Noiseblocker’s don’t include a 3-pin to Molex adapter.

Installation

As the Noiseblocker’s use Anti-Vibration pegs, no tools are needed for the installation.

I installed a BlackSilent XL 1 (120mm) in the rear of an Antec Sonata 550 Plus.  I’ve always found the easiest way to install a fan in the rear of a chassis using Anti-Vibration pegs is to install the pegs to the fan first – otherwise it gets really fiddly.

Once the pegs were installed on the fan, I slotted them through the fan holes on my Antec case. Luckily, the pegs lined up perfectly with the holes on the Sonata 550, which meant all that was needed was to give a little tug on the pegs so that the fan secured to the chassis.

That’s the installation. Now all that was needed was to plug the 3-pin fan lead into an available connector. Pretty simple huh?

When removing the fans after the review, one of the anti-vibration pegs snapped – even without much force. After looking at the pegs a little closer, they do break very easily, so be careful.

Testing

For the testing phase, I’ll be comparing the 120mm fans to Coolink’s SWiF-1201 and the 92mm XE-1 fan to the SWiF-921.

As we don’t have funds at this stage to afford expensive sound equipment, we’ll be going Van Gogh style and getting right up close to the fans.

Results

With the XL 1 running at full speed, I could hear a slight humming when right up close to the fan, but when 3 foot or so away from it, it was indeed…inaudible. In comparison to the Coolink SWiF-1201, Noiseblocker’s offering is definitely much quieter.

However, when doing the same test with the XL 2, the Coolink was a clear winner. The XL 2 is slightly louder, but not my much and it does push a lot more air than the other fans. In terms of cooling, the XL2 is the winner out of both of the fans with still being pretty damn quiet.

Out of the 92mm fans – the Coolink SWiF-921 and BlackSilent XE-1 – the Coolink was a clear winner. Not only was it quieter, but it also pushed a lot more air. So in terms of performance and audibility, the Coolink whooped Noiseblocker’s arse in the 92mm sector.

I have to admit though, whilst spinning, the Noiseblocker BlackSilent’s look very cool aesthetically – much cooler than the Coolink’s. However, like I said earlier, some LED’s would make the fans look even sexier – especially with the translucent blue blades.

Cost

In terms of cost, the Noiseblocker fans average at ~ £7-10. The Coolink’s are about the same price but also include a fan controller. So in terms of what your money buys you, the Coolink’s are better.

Conclusion

The Noiseblocker BlackSilent series of fans are definitely something special. They look very cool and the XL1 actually managed to whoop the Coolink’s SWiF fan in terms of noise level and airflow. The other 120mm fan we tested (XL 2) wasn’t so good in the noise department; however its airflow was better than both the SWiF 1201 and XL1.

Now down to the negatives, firstly the XE1 wasn’t an as good performer as the Coolink with it being slightly louder and producing less airflow. Also, the anti-vibration pegs break easily on the fans and as there’s no standard fan screws included, if you do manage to break the pegs and don’t have spares, you’re a little screwed.

In essence though, the Noiseblocker Black Silent fans are very impressive with good solid performance and nice aesthetics.