Even the best computer cases can be improved in some fashion. We’ve reviewed several cases recently that have had great cooling abilities due to their use of 120mm fans. Though the fans worked well, there’s always room to improve. Even if you don’t have a top end case, as long as your lacklustre enclosure has 120mm fan mounts the product we’re reviewing will have something to offer. Manufactured by GELID Solutions, these 120mm fans give you a quieter way to keep your case cool while adding a bit of green glow action with a UV light.
Features and Specifications
The GELID Wing 12 Gamer 120mm case fan are a new addition to GELID’s line of cooling products. These UV reactive fans offer features either not seen on their contemporaries, or only seen on more expensive case fans. The main features of the Wing 12 fans are as follows.
- Nanoflux Bearing (NFB)
- Optimized Winglet Fan Blades
- Waterproof & Dustproof
- Long Lifetime (100,000h MTTF at 40°C)
- Silicone Fan Mounts
- Fan Speed Control
A whole lot more information can be found on the product home page. Basically these are quiet mounted, fully adjustable, high quality fans that come in at a reasonable price.
When it comes to pricing we turn to our friends at NCIX.com, as they are the major dealer selling GELID products in North America. When searching through their catalogue for other speed adjustable 120mm fans we found that the GELID Wing 12 came at $18.99 CDN, which is $3 CDN cheaper then the competing product from Silverstone. If these fans perform as well as one would expect, this could make for a very interesting review. First let’s take a look at what makes these fans work.
The Fan Glows Green.
The GELID Wing 12 Gamer 120mm case fan is a fairly typical looking 120mm fan, with a few minor differences. The fan impeller has a total of 9 blades, which are oriented in such a way to reduce noise while still moving a decent volume of air. The blades and impeller are all a colour that can only be described as “radioactive” green, lending to the fact the they are UV reactive and will glow in the same green tone when exposed to a UV cold cathode.
The tips of the fan blades have little wings on them; another little tweak that should reduce or eliminate noise generated from wind turbulence between the blade tips and the frame. The centre hub of the fan is completely visible, allowing you to see what drives the fan. Rather than using a standard ball bearing or fluid bearing setup, the GELID Wing 12 uses what they call a nanoflux bearing. This is essentially a single bearing driven by several magnets. Due to this design the impeller is also easily removed, allowing you to . . . clean it I guess . . . or just show off that you can remove your fan blade.