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Lian Li UNI FAN P28 120 mm Fan

VSG

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Lian Li wants to take on the high performance fan crown with its UNI FAN P28 series. It comes in two colors and has an optional lighting kit accessory for those wanting RGB, but otherwise prioritizes performance with three operating modes, neat daisy-chaining and a clean installation, while also costing less than the direct competition.

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My squirrely guy, are these the PR numbers in your first table? At what RPM is this noise level recorded?
 
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Many cases have mounting mechanisms designed for 25mm thick fans, but then again a million cases has simple mounting holes that could easily accomodate 35mm plus fans..

I see thickness to be a way for manufacturers to differentiate themselves instead of having a choice of a million 25mm thick fans with minimal differences.

i'd love to install for ex 35mm thick intake / output fans in a case and be able to improve airflow without needing to increase RPM and noise.
 
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Many cases have mounting mechanisms designed for 25mm thick fans, but then again a million cases has simple mounting holes that could easily accomodate 35mm plus fans..

I see thickness to be a way for manufacturers to differentiate themselves instead of having a choice of a million 25mm thick fans with minimal differences.

i'd love to install for ex 35mm thick intake / output fans in a case and be able to improve airflow without needing to increase RPM and noise.

In this case, fans.
 

VSG

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My squirrely guy, are these the PR numbers in your first table? At what RPM is this noise level recorded?
Specifications are always from the manufacturer.

$25.99 good value for money? you need to stop smoking crack
Look at the cost of enthusiast fans these days and you'll see why this is relatively good value.
 
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While whole current LL fan line-up is very good in terms of performance (I have stacks of SLs) I don't understand why LL push such weird thickness like 28mm. 3mm on a 120mm frame that's rounding error in better performance, but always more noise because of how air in such limited stream behaves. At least Phanteks went with 30mm which actually is more sensible plus getting universal mounting screws is much easier at 5mm increments than at 3mm.

Back in the day there were 120x38 fans which were quite popular and 38mm is still considered as a standard in server segment. 28mm not so much. At 38mm yes you can move a ton of air more than in 28mm.
 

VSG

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While whole current LL fan line-up is very good in terms of performance (I have stacks of SLs) I don't understand why LL push such weird thickness like 28mm. 3mm on a 120mm frame that's rounding error in better performance, but always more noise because of how air in such limited stream behaves. At least Phanteks went with 30mm which actually is more sensible plus getting universal mounting screws is much easier at 5mm increments than at 3mm.

Back in the day there were 120x38 fans which were quite popular and 38mm is still considered as a standard in server segment. 28mm not so much. At 38mm yes you can move a ton of air more than in 28mm.
These fans accommodate most screws meant for 25 mm fans as mentioned in the review.
 
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I know these will be great fans, but you are dead wrong on that "Good Value" tag because it is not a good value.
 
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That pricetag on innovation is rather steep, i wont call them "Good value" per se.
 
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$25.99 good value for money? you need to stop smoking crack
I have to agree with this comment. Smoking that tech plastic crack fumes will rot your brain.

Now for the article. Thank you for the time it took you to do this sort of thing as I am fully aware of testing procedures that it takes to create an article. The data provide could be useful.
 

VSG

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Re-worded that point to clarify my particular stance. Of course I understand why others disagree too!
 
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Seems like a good price in comparison to the competition. That said users reviews seem to indicate QC and durability isn't quite up to part with the Phanteks T30. Makes sense given the price, inclusion of ARGB, and the link feature of these. These seem to be the best if you want both performance, bling, and minimal amount of wires. Is there a non-RGB version of these? I think I would vastly prefer that myself.
 
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Seems like a good price in comparison to the competition. That said users reviews seem to indicate QC and durability isn't quite up to part with the Phanteks T30. Makes sense given the price, inclusion of ARGB, and the link feature of these. These seem to be the best if you want both performance, bling, and minimal amount of wires. Is there a non-RGB version of these? I think I would vastly prefer that myself.
The fans are non-RGB by default.
RGB is an optional add on kit
 
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Thanks for the cfm/dba graph in your review I appreciate it. Looking at it, the P28 does seem to get close to the T30 but your conclusion states "the Lian Li offering competes favorably with the T30-120 and bests it the faster they both spin" which isn't entirely correct. The T30 has an airflow advantage all the way upto its max speed in your graph (2000 rpm for the T30 but that can go upto 3000) after which its too loud anyway.

It is better than the A12 and Toughfan though.
 

VSG

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Thanks for the cfm/dba graph in your review I appreciate it. Looking at it, the P28 does seem to get close to the T30 but your conclusion states "the Lian Li offering competes favorably with the T30-120 and bests it the faster they both spin" which isn't entirely correct. The T30 has an airflow advantage all the way upto its max speed in your graph (2000 rpm for the T30 but that can go upto 3000) after which its too loud anyway.

It is better than the A12 and Toughfan though.
I meant that, at the same RPM, the P28 gets relatively better the faster that RPM is.
 
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Hopefully they are an improvement on the old Lian Li SL120 fan bearings which had a reputation of a short life when horizontal.
 
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These blades are hilarious and very hypnotic at low speed. Maybe if they last for 15 years it would justify the price. But isn't 120 too small for a case fan these days.
 
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These blades are hilarious and very hypnotic at low speed. Maybe if they last for 15 years it would justify the price. But isn't 120 too small for a case fan these days.

Depends on what you're cooling with them. 120s are plenty for a system with <200W in graphics and <150W of processor.
 
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I think people overestimate the benefits of 140mm fans, especially on a radiator or heatsink but for case fans as well
 
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Bang for the buck?
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VSG said:
Do not simply assume this is based off the Gentle Typhoon/NF-A12x25 or any other such similar looking fan though as it takes a lot more than just a similar rotor to get the overall fan performance to a high level.

One more time for the people in the back!
 
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