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Product:
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Xoxide UV LED 80mm Case Fans |
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Price:
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$13-$16 (CAN) / $9.99-11.99 US (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Xoxide Modifications
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Author:
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BigDaddy
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Date:
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June 16th, 2003
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Unlike other LED fan designs whose wiring for the LEDs runs along the outer perimeter of the fan, these fans
have only the bare minimum amount of wiring from the arms of the housing to the LED itself. Surprisingly,
though, a piece of clear tape runs along the circumference of the housing. Since the LEDs are secured in
position with a small application of hot glue, I’m not sure why the extra step of applying tape is necessary.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Unfortunately, pictures of any UV reactive product never do the product justice, and these fans are no exception.
The units are extraordinarily bright, and the colours are vivid. I found the orange tended to lean more to a pink
under the UV light, but otherwise the blues and greens were dazzling to look at. The fans are available in two
solid colours, blue and green. Additionally, you can order theses fans in orange and green (or vice versa), and
blue and orange (or vice versa). I tended to lean more towards the fans whose blades were blue, since the blue
tended to allow the beam of UV light to blend better, instead of having a bright purple arch breaking up the colour
scheme. Check out some live, low light video of the 80mm UV Fans in action:
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To really show the brightness of these units in near-dark conditions, I pulled out one of my quad LED green
80mm fans as a comparison. While the sound levels from the quad LED where a little lower, either fan would
be drowned out by even a moderately loud heatsink fan. The richness of the colour, as well as the area of
effect, clearly make the UV LED fan the winner, even with one less LED. Three UV LEDs produce more light
than four green ones.
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Conclusion:
For users who have already started implementing a UV themed case, the question is not if these fans should be included,
it should be how many. The units are much less bulky than other models with UV cathodes mounted, and are far brighter
than traditional LED fans. With the LEDs wired directly to the 12-volt source, the units will not dim when connected
to a fan control device. As well, the colours are vibrant and rich, and are available in schemes that should suit most
users. The only downside to these fans is the lack of a 3 to 4-pin power adapter, and that users with 92 or 120mm fan
requirements are left wanting. Overall, I’m rating these fans an 8 out of 10,
and would recommend them to users looking for a unique supplement to their case lighting requirements. If you have any
questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Xoxide Modifications
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Very bright
- Self contained UV source
- LEDs will not dim with fan adjustments
- Adds great aesthetics
- Price
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Cons:
- No 3 to 4-pin adapter included
- Only available in 80mm sizes
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