3DCool's Super
Duper Slot
Fan
Slot coolers are basically thin squirrel fans that
mount in an empty ISA/PCI bay and work to expel hot air from inside the
case. While meant primarily to cool adjacent cards, they also help to
keep the case temp down as well. We took a look at one from 3Dcool and tested just how well it did
at these two jobs - cooling an adjacent video card, and cooling overall
case temp.
Benefits
One advantage slot fans have when used as a case fan is that no
modifications to the case are necessary to install them. The fan simply fits
into any free bay (assuming you have one) and plugs into the motherboard or
power supply. We've talked about installing case fans in different parts
of a case before on Pcstats, and they all involved cutting or drilling
in some way. For those not interested in that kinna thing, slot fans can
easily be used as a case fan.
Slot fans are often seen cooling
adjacent cards, especially video cards with their hot BGA chipsets. The idea being the slot fan
can be installed in the next bay, and help to draw the hot air from the video
card (AGP or PCI only) directly out of the case before it has much of a chance to raise
case temperature.
The Specs:
The slot fan we tested was well made, and had the benefit of not taking
up an entire power cord, or spot on the mother board. It
plugged into the power supply, but had a Y-connector so another male jack was available. If it didn't have this
feature we probably wouldn't have been able to test it as our computer had no spare power
connectors.
The fan uses sleeve bearings which while properly lubricated offer long life and quiet performance. While sleeve bearings are a bit cheaper to use then ballbearings (typically on the order of $1.50 - $2.00 less), the price of this
unit is reasonable at $17, and should last quietly for quite a
while.
 |
3200RPM, very quiet
Fits into any empty slot
Expels air to outside
case
Pass-Thru power cable
LIFETIME Warranty
Sleeve bearing motor
12VDC 0.15A brushless
Dimensions: 110 x 90 x 20mm
Cost: $17
USwww.3dcool.com |
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