Comparative review: 67 casefans

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Types of fans

When discussing casefans, there are three standard sizes: 10, 92 and 120 mm, the value describing the total width of the fan. Larger sizes exist, and some space-saving cases can only accomodate the smaller 60 mm models. For this review we concentrated on the aforementioned three sizes, with one 140 mm fan as a stand-out that Sharkoon sent us.

80 mm

92 mm

120 mm

Aside from the visual differences and the difference in performance there is another point at which the fans differ from one another, and that is their inner mechanisms. The fan's rotor obviously turns on an axle and this connection can be realised in several ways. The cheapest way is the sleeve bearing method. Using this method, the axle is in direct contact with the inside of the rotor and grease minimises any friction. A drawback to sleeve bearing fans is that they only have a limited lifespan, and that they start making more noise as they wear out. Sleeve bearing fans also have trouble working upside down. A better, but more dear way of working fans is with ball bearings. Ball bearings create a lasting solution that wears out less and is more resistant to dust and dirt. A third method is fluid bearing, which is similar to sleeve bearing. A thin layer of fluid is inserted between the two parts, which acts as a barrier and creates a very low resistance. A good fluid bearing is silent, precise and very long-lasting. In practice fluid and ball bearing systems perform very similarly.