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Each cable is used to control the fan speed. A resistor is soldered into the cable. Unfortunately, neither cable is labeled as to the resistance or speed change that corresponds to it. An RPM cable thatconnect to the motherboard for monitoring is also included with these cables.</p> <p align="center"><a href="atruereview/acoustifan/07.jpg"><img src="atruereview/acoustifan/07th.jpg" width="250" height="167" border="0" alt="AcoustiFan No Dust Quiet Fans and Other Quiet Cooling Products" title="AcoustiFan No Dust Quiet Fans and Other Quiet Cooling Products"></a> <br> <font size="-1">Click on image for larger picture</font> </p> <p align="left">AcoustiFan's No Dust Quiet fan looks like an ordinary fan. The difference is when looking inside at the central hub. With other fans you can see a circuit board; not here though. A black strip of plastic seals off this circuitry, giving the fan its No Dust quality. Too bad the seven fan blades aren't no dust, that would probably be hard, but definitely worth it.</p> <p align="left"><b><strong>Soft Silicone Fan Gasket:</strong></b></p> <p align="left">AcoustiFan's Silicone fan gasket is very basic. It is a soft silicone slip that fits over a fan. The idea is to dampen the vibration of the fan inside the case so it does not create more noise by rattling around.</p> <p align="left">As an added bonus, the fan gasket makes a better seal between the fan and your case. This helps increase airflow by reducing the pressure loss and lessening air flow that would otherwise bounce back when coliding with the case wall. Air is more directly funneled into and out of the case.</p> <p align="center"><a href="atruereview/acoustifan/05.jpg"><img src="atruereview/acoustifan/05th.jpg" width="198" height="250" border="0" alt="AcoustiFan No Dust Quiet Fans and Other Quiet Cooling Products" title="AcoustiFan No Dust Quiet Fans and Other Quiet Cooling Products"></a> <br> <font size="-1">Click on image for larger picture</font> </p> <p align="left">Also included with the soft silicon is a bunch of screws for screwing your fan into the case. Included with the screws are rubber washers to ensure that the other side is dampened as well. </p> <p align="left">Installing these went okay. It was harder for me because I have push pins in my <a href="http://www.atruereview.com/lianli_v2000b/index.php">Lian Li case</a> for the fans. This made keeping the Soft Silicon Gasket over the fan while installing vertically kind of a pain. The installation was better with the 80mm fan when I installed it in my HTPC. Although, you will still have to keep the fan from sliding or the gasket will slip off a bit.</p> <p align="left"><strong> Performance:</strong></p> <p align="left">I was provided with a 120mm and an 80mm fan. Both are incredibly quiet when running in full mode, though, the 120mm does have a light hum to it when running at full speed. You have to be within a couple of feet of it to hear this hum. Using the Soft Silicon inside the case nullified this hum. The 120mm was quieter than my Adda stock fans in my quiet <a href="http://www.atruereview.com/lianli_v2000b/index.php">Lian Li case</a>. </p> <p align="center"><a href="atruereview/acoustifan/08.jpg"><img src="atruereview/acoustifan/08th.jpg" width="250" height="183" border="0" alt="AcoustiFan No Dust Quiet Fans and Other Quiet Cooling Products" title="AcoustiFan No Dust Quiet Fans and Other Quiet Cooling Products"></a> <br> <font size="-1">Click on image for larger picture</font> </p> <p align="left">On the mid and low settings, I could not hear any fan noise. There was very little wind noise as well. Neither fan puts out a lot of volume; therefore, if you need strong airflow, these might not be the fans for you. The Soft Silicon, is a good choice for noisy cases, but only midly helped on any setting other than high with the No Dust Quiet Fans. I would recommend the Soft Silicon if you have a current fan rattling in your case now. As for the air pressure test with the Soft Silicon, I really didn't have a good way to test this. The hand test (putting a hand in front of the fan), didn't seem to show a difference in pressure.</p> <p align="left">I have had the No Dust fans installed for almost 3 weeks. They sound as quiet as the day they were installed. In fact, my hard drives are the loudest part of my case. I will admit three weeks is not enough time to test these fans for noise do to dust; therefore, I will have to write a follow up in a few months. </p> <p align="left"><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p> <p align="left">AcoustiFan's No Dust fans are incredibily quiet. With the ability to protect the motor from dust, they will certainly last longer, possibly making them worth the expense. At $28 and $35 per fan, they are most likely too expensive for all those but the most dedicated seeker of silence. I would like to see the lack of the extra cables to lower the price a bit, for the fans are quiet enough when running at full blast. Plus, who will want to swap cables in and out of their system for some added airflow when playing a game. Finally, the jury is still out on if they stay quiet over time, I will have to get back to you on that one when I have a few months of dust build up.</p> <p align="left">As for the Soft Silicon Gaskets, I would pick these up. These help emensly, especially if you have a rattling fan in your case now. For the $7 they cost, they are well worth it, though a bit tough to install in some instances.</p> <p align="left"><strong>No Dust Fan:</strong></p> <blockquote> <p align="left"><strong>Pros:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Extremely quiet</li> <li>Keeps dust out of motor</li> <li>Long warranty</li> <li>Comes with cables to controll speed</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cons:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Cables are not convenient when wanting to switch speeds</li> <li>Expensive</li> </ul> <p><strong>Ratings:</strong></p> <p>Very Good</p> <p>(Ratings Possible: Terrible, Very Bad, Bad, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent)</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Soft Silicon Gasket:</strong></p> <blockquote> <p align="left"><strong>Pros:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Works with any fan</li> <li>Stops rattling</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cons:</strong></p> <ul> <li>A bit touchy on a difficult install</li> </ul> <p><strong>Ratings:</strong></p> <p>Very Good</p> <p>(Ratings Possible: Terrible, Very Bad, Bad, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent)</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="atruereview/acoustifan/index.php"></a> <a href="acoustifan/index.php">Previous (Introduction & Features)</a></p> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <div id="footer" class="clr"> <div class="rk-1"> <div class="rk-2"> <div id="the-footer">  </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </body> </html>