Alphacool Announces Apex Stealth Metal Fan

[Waldorf]

@TechLurker
not sure how far back you mean, but even if i go back to 2005-6,
it was much easier: external plastic container with mounted rad/pump/fans/res with 6ft of tubing, and silent case fans and psu.
couldnt hear when it was running low loads.

 

[MarsM4N]

Fans are online now for pre-order: https://shop.alphacool.com/AtsdCustomCategories/index/type/productstream/ps/58

Any plans for a 140mm version? And maybe some custom colored frame kits?

Yeah not just a bit , its very dodgy , for instance at 1250rpm they have the Mobius vastly outperforming the A12 by 10dB while TPU has the Mobius being marginaly outperformed by the A12 ... many values in that chart make no sense ...

You also need to consider the difference between measured and perceived noise level. A high pitch can be measured as less noisy but perceived as way more distracting (f.e. coil whine).

This fan with it's heavy mass looks like to be on the low pitch end and thus way more pleasant to the ear. However, a 140mm version will be even more pleasing thanks to the lower fan speed.

 

[zlobby]

You also need to consider the difference between measured and perceived noise level. A high pitch can be measured as less noisy but perceived as way more distracting (f.e. coil whine).

Do you realize that everyone on this God-forsaken Earth has different hearing? Please don't project it on others if you are tone deaf.

 

[ymdhis]

@ymdhis
what you call whisper quiet, isnt even "silent" to me.

personally, i have yet to see where the increased cost, translates into an actual noticeable difference over what my 6-10$ Arctic fans.
e.g. its not really providing much better flow (rad) when throttled to same lvl (inaudible at 2ft), nor does Noctua offer a 10y warranty,
at least not to the point where im willing to spend 25-30$ per fan.

Well it is whisper quiet to most users, but not you or me. I run the NF-A12s (on cpu) and NF-P12s (on case) at 400rpm usually and they are silent then. With the A12s, if they hit 800rpm I can already hear them and at 1200rpm I consider them loud. That's with a Fractal Define "silent" case (nowhere near as silent as my old Antec P183 but it's the only silent matx case available, the cooler master one is a joke).
I actually prefer the NF-P12s over the A12s, they are much more silent, but I could get the A12s for half the price so I got them to experiment.

There are other fans, like those Arctic ones and the Be Quiet ones which have comparable performance to the Noctuas and maybe they have similar noise levels, but I don't know how long they last. If my current case fans last as long as the first P12 I got (used it as a GPU fan in 2010), then I might not need to buy new ones for several years. There's a reason they put 6 year warranties on them.

Also I should point out that the $30 Noctua fans come with $15 worth of rubber mountings, grommets, low noise adapters, splitters, and whatever else. You can get Redux versions which are fan-only in a paper case for $15-20, but not for the A12, only for the P12 (which I like more) and the S12 (which actually suck).

So on paper these new Alphacool fans seem to be more expensive when you factor in all that. I'll be very interested in seeing them reviewed.

Shipping costs are insane!
If anyone's looking to purchase, here's the link:

Alphacool Apex Stealth Metal Fan 120mm | Alphacool - the cooling company

shop.alphacool.com

Do you live in the EU or outside? For me the shipping cost was minimal when I dealt with Alphacool. Not more than for anywhere else in the area. Also I got good support from them, they sent me spare parts for free whenever something broke (impeller).

 

[FoulOnWhite]

Well it is whisper quiet to most users, but not you or me. I run the NF-A12s (on cpu) and NF-P12s (on case) at 400rpm usually and they are silent then. With the A12s, if they hit 800rpm I can already hear them and at 1200rpm I consider them loud. That's with a Fractal Define "silent" case (nowhere near as silent as my old Antec P183 but it's the only silent matx case available, the cooler master one is a joke).
I actually prefer the NF-P12s over the A12s, they are much more silent, but I could get the A12s for half the price so I got them to experiment.

There are other fans, like those Arctic ones and the Be Quiet ones which have comparable performance to the Noctuas and maybe they have similar noise levels, but I don't know how long they last. If my current case fans last as long as the first P12 I got (used it as a GPU fan in 2010), then I might not need to buy new ones for several years. There's a reason they put 6 year warranties on them.

Also I should point out that the $30 Noctua fans come with $15 worth of rubber mountings, grommets, low noise adapters, splitters, and whatever else. You can get Redux versions which are fan-only in a paper case for $15-20, but not for the A12, only for the P12 (which I like more) and the S12 (which actually suck).

So on paper these new Alphacool fans seem to be more expensive when you factor in all that. I'll be very interested in seeing them reviewed.


Do you live in the EU or outside? For me the shipping cost was minimal when I dealt with Alphacool. Not more than for anywhere else in the area. Also I got good support from them, they sent me spare parts for free whenever something broke (impeller).

I am using near the same fans, NF-a12s on radiator, and NF-p12 1700rpm version on front. Only difference is the Lian li linked fans. Not sure which nocs i prefer, but i do like the A12's. I have a box full of extras that came with all the Noc fans i have.

I am looking forward to a TPU of these Alpha fans if possible. If they are actually this good, i might switch all my case fans to these.

 

[Crackong]

Review is up in Igor's Lab already.

It looks really promising.

Hope they can come up with the 140mm version

 

[EddyAlphacool]

Any plans for a 140mm version? And maybe some custom colored frame kits?

They are in progress and almost finalized. I hope we can deliver the 140mm by March next year, but we won't be stressed. After all, they should be just as good as the 120mm variants.
aRGB variants for both versions are also almost ready.

The frames will not be interchangeable. This was once considered, but it is much more costly in terms of production technology and can lead to users making mistakes.

 

[Vayra86]

Honestly?

When a fan says its 30 bucks, I say fool and money parted. There is no way this is going to be more cost effective than a quality 10 dollar fan. Then again, if you are pixel precise about your fan choices, by all means. Still curious to see how silent these can actually go against a reasonable CFM. If they really break the mold, that might be the USP, but diminishing returns are huge in fan land. The vast majority is simply already in the this is fine category.

They are in progress and almost finalized. I hope we can deliver the 140mm by March next year, but we won't be stressed. After all, they should be just as good as the 120mm variants.
aRGB variants for both versions are also almost ready.

The frames will not be interchangeable. This was once considered, but it is much more costly in terms of production technology and can lead to users making mistakes.

I'll def wait for that 140mm or bust

 

[megaclite]

Revolution in the case fan market: Alphacool Apex Stealth Metal (Power) Fan in an exclusive review | Page 5 | igor´sLAB (igorslab.de)

 

[somedude.]

Well it is whisper quiet to most users, but not you or me. I run the NF-A12s (on cpu) and NF-P12s (on case) at 400rpm usually and they are silent then. With the A12s, if they hit 800rpm I can already hear them and at 1200rpm I consider them loud. That's with a Fractal Define "silent" case (nowhere near as silent as my old Antec P183 but it's the only silent matx case available, the cooler master one is a joke).
I actually prefer the NF-P12s over the A12s, they are much more silent, but I could get the A12s for half the price so I got them to experiment.

There are other fans, like those Arctic ones and the Be Quiet ones which have comparable performance to the Noctuas and maybe they have similar noise levels, but I don't know how long they last. If my current case fans last as long as the first P12 I got (used it as a GPU fan in 2010), then I might not need to buy new ones for several years. There's a reason they put 6 year warranties on them.

Also I should point out that the $30 Noctua fans come with $15 worth of rubber mountings, grommets, low noise adapters, splitters, and whatever else. You can get Redux versions which are fan-only in a paper case for $15-20, but not for the A12, only for the P12 (which I like more) and the S12 (which actually suck).

So on paper these new Alphacool fans seem to be more expensive when you factor in all that. I'll be very interested in seeing them reviewed.


Do you live in the EU or outside? For me the shipping cost was minimal when I dealt with Alphacool. Not more than for anywhere else in the area. Also I got good support from them, they sent me spare parts for free whenever something broke (impeller).

From Australia. Shipping cost is more than 80 Euros.

 

[EddyAlphacool]

@somedude.
Ordinary Cooling Gear will sell the fans. Stay tuned.

Ordinary Cooling Gear Australia | PC Watercooling Store

Ordinary Cooling Gear Australia is your destination for affordable, high quality PC watercooling parts and equipment. Delivery from Sydney to Australia wide

www.ocgear.com.au

 

[somedude.]

@somedude.
Ordinary Cooling Gear will sell the fans. Stay tuned.

Ordinary Cooling Gear Australia | PC Watercooling Store

Ordinary Cooling Gear Australia is your destination for affordable, high quality PC watercooling parts and equipment. Delivery from Sydney to Australia wide

www.ocgear.com.au

This is great news!

 

[TheLostSwede]

Detailed review.

Revolution in the case fan market: Alphacool Apex Stealth Metal (Power) Fan in an exclusive review (Update) | igor´sLAB

Pending a thorough investigation into the circumstances and possible causes of deviations in various tests, I have temporarily suspended the two awards and will later decide based on new measurements…

www.igorslab.de

 

[FoulOnWhite]

i want some, not gonna bother pre ordering, so i will wait for, hopefully, UK stock somewhere.

 

[EddyAlphacool]

@FoulOnWhite
https://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/
They will sell them.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

@FoulOnWhite
https://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/
They will sell them.

Nice i have had quite a few things from there.

I actually got the Core 1 block from there

 

[VSG]

Question for you guys: Alphacool is offering review samples of these fans but they are slightly different from the retail version. In their own words: "In the sample version, the frames are still screwed together. In the final version, the frames are then plugged together and fixed. And the M4 mounting screw for the housing will be 2mm longer, also the screw caps will look slightly different."

I am leaning towards waiting for the final versions next month even if that means not having an earlier review since it's more representative of what the paying customer will experience. What do you guys think?

 

[FoulOnWhite]

Question for you guys: Alphacool is offering review samples of these fans but they are slightly different from the retail version. In their own words: "In the sample version, the frames are still screwed together. In the final version, the frames are then plugged together and fixed. And the M4 mounting screw for the housing will be 2mm longer, also the screw caps will look slightly different."

I am leaning towards waiting for the final versions next month even if that means not having an earlier review since it's more representative of what the paying customer will experience. What do you guys think?

Get them/one and do a preliminary review, stating the fans are not final version. At least it will give you/us a idea of them from a TPU point of view.

 

[EddyAlphacool]

Techpowerup is on our list. If they want one now... nice... if they want to wait for a production sample... also nice. Hopefully we can sent out production samples end of this month.

 

[Chomiq]

Question for you guys: Alphacool is offering review samples of these fans but they are slightly different from the retail version. In their own words: "In the sample version, the frames are still screwed together. In the final version, the frames are then plugged together and fixed. And the M4 mounting screw for the housing will be 2mm longer, also the screw caps will look slightly different."

I am leaning towards waiting for the final versions next month even if that means not having an earlier review since it's more representative of what the paying customer will experience. What do you guys think?

I'd rather have the final retail product reviewed.

 

[TechLurker]

Question for you guys: Alphacool is offering review samples of these fans but they are slightly different from the retail version. In their own words: "In the sample version, the frames are still screwed together. In the final version, the frames are then plugged together and fixed. And the M4 mounting screw for the housing will be 2mm longer, also the screw caps will look slightly different."

I am leaning towards waiting for the final versions next month even if that means not having an earlier review since it's more representative of what the paying customer will experience. What do you guys think?

I'd say to wait and review the final version. Sure, I'd love a prototype review just to get a baseline and idea of the final version's performance, but there's only so many times one can put "This is a pre-production sample and not representative of the final version" and people would still use the prototype's performance as fact of the final version's performance or design without doing due research.

If the option was available and the time available, I'd ask you to review both, and just put on charts how the prototype fared vs the final, and both vs popular competitors; see how much of a difference the minor construction differences made, if any.

Revolution in the case fan market: Alphacool Apex Stealth Metal (Power) Fan in an exclusive review | Page 5 | igor´sLAB (igorslab.de)

I'm a bit sad that they removed customizability, but it makes sense. They're also adding more color choices too.

 

[VSG]

I'd say to wait and review the final version. Sure, I'd love a prototype review just to get a baseline and idea of the final version's performance, but there's only so many times one can put "This is a pre-production sample and not representative of the final version" and people would still use the prototype's performance as fact of the final version's performance or design without doing due research.

If the option was available and the time available, I'd ask you to review both, and just put on charts how the prototype fared vs the final, and both vs popular competitors; see how much of a difference the minor construction differences made, if any.


I'm a bit sad that they removed customizability, but it makes sense. They're also adding more color choices too.

No time to review a fan twice, it takes so long as it is to test multiple times in the anechoic chamber and then again for CFM after having mapped out the fan RPM and ensuring it's the same during all the individual tests. I've told Alphacool I'll wait for the final versions.

 

[zlobby]

Question for you guys: Alphacool is offering review samples of these fans but they are slightly different from the retail version. In their own words: "In the sample version, the frames are still screwed together. In the final version, the frames are then plugged together and fixed. And the M4 mounting screw for the housing will be 2mm longer, also the screw caps will look slightly different."

I am leaning towards waiting for the final versions next month even if that means not having an earlier review since it's more representative of what the paying customer will experience. What do you guys think?

For the sake of science, wait for the final product. Differences might be marginal, but it's your name that's at stake. And also, science. Did I mention science?

No time to review a fan twice, it takes so long as it is to test multiple times in the anechoic chamber and then again for CFM after having mapped out the fan RPM and ensuring it's the same during all the individual tests. I've told Alphacool I'll wait for the final versions.

You're a good squirrely guy!

Techpowerup is on our list. If they want one now... nice... if they want to wait for a production sample... also nice. Hopefully we can sent out production samples end of this month.

You're slacking!

 

[Crackong]

@FoulOnWhite
https://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/
They will sell them.

Hi,
May I ask the cable length of the production model ?
The cable looks very short on the pre-production model that Igor reviewed.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

Hi,
May I ask the cable length of the production model ?
The cable looks very short on the pre-production model that Igor reviewed.

I don't know, ask the Alphacool rep Eddy