Okay, since the roundup is already in swing, I decided to make this thread.
I'll post some pictures eventually I guess....not in a picture taking mood right now, besides, if I throw all my work up on the first post, it wouldn't be much of a log, eh?
I'll be posting initial impressions of new fans in this thread, as well as explain some details of the process, and of course post results to this thread early
Anyway, CFM testing is a lot of fun suprisingly....with my airflow meter, it's just a simple calculation to get from FPM (feet per minute [velocity]) to CFM (cubic feet per minute [volume, which we want]), best of all my airflow meter can do it internally, no need for me to calculate anything
As many of you also know, I'm testing a restricted CFM value, where I take a medium-restriction radiator (Swiftech MCR120) and mount it flush against the exhaust of the fan, and also mount it to the CFM meter. This is one measurement that will aid us in determining which fans will be good for cooling on a HSF or radiator. How? If a fan loses a lot of its air-pushing capabilities when faced with some sort of restriction, especially to the point where it does worse (at the same noise level) than other fans, why use it? Now, due to other factors, like hub size, that won't tell the whole picture for how it actually cools on a radiator or HSF.
That's why real-world testing will also be performed. I've chosen a ThermalTake Big Typhoon as my HSF, due to it's ability to cool well with low CFM, yet also scale with high CFM. On top of that, it can mount any thickness of fans
Why not ONLY do real-world testing? Well, there are many instances where thickness is a non-issue for a user, in instances like this, hub size means very, very little because a shroud may be used, meaning that only CFM w/ restriction is the measurement they need.
I'll be testing on a yet-to-be-determined motherboard and CPU, but it will be Intel based, maybe C2D based....just have to decide which board I like better for 24/7, my P5B Deluxe, or the XBX2 Intel is finally sending to me from an ancient RMA. And whether or not my Celly D can produce that 'ideal' amount of heat where it shows improvement at better cooling, but also run at 90C with a no-CFM fan
Testing will be conducted at various voltage levels (12V, 9V, 7V, 5V, minimum) and I will report all RPMs (when possible, not all fans have RPM reads), CFM readings, dB readings, CPU temp readings, and considering reverse-CFM.
Reverse-CFM would be: how much noise/volts/RPMs do I have to make in order to get a certain CFM level? The 'goal' CFM level would vary per fan class, and I could also include a restricted CFM level.
For instance, for high speed fans, say you only want 100CFM free-air, well, I would test to see what kind of voltage/noise/RPMs would be needed, helping you decide which fan is best for your goals. Likewise, I could determine what fan is best for ~66CFM on the radiator.
Speaking of fan classes, here are the 7 categories, the names are just titles, if you don't like them, please ignore
Silent: <801RPM
Quieter: 801-1199RPM
Quiet: 1200-1599RPM
Medium: 1600-1999RPM
Loud: 2000-2399RPM
Very loud: 2400-2799RPM
Xtreme: >2799RPM
When I test fans, I'll also list, based on voltage response, which categories they 'spread' over, for quick reference.
For sound measurements, I've played with the idea of recording, but I'm just not into it (to be honest, I'm more into how fans PERFORM, not how their sound intricacies vary)....due to the fact all fan types will be tested, not just quiet fans. As such, I'll only be doing dB readings and subjective noise. If there's grinding, you'll know about it, if it's inaudible from more than a foot or two away, you'll know about it. I won't let the silent guys down much, but fwiw, this is for a whole-market roundup....something that's yet to be done anywhere, and with various techniques that have yet to be done anywhere.
I do plan to review as many fans as possible, but I'll be honest, everything's come out of my own pocket so far: 9 fans, multiple hundreds of dollars in CFM/dB equipment, passive fan powersupply, HSF for real world testing, etc., so if things slow down for awhile, you'll know why....a combination of me not able to get review/test samples and not being able to pay my own way (I am a student after all, lol).
Anyway, as always, any and all input is appreciated.
(oh, and I'll be copying and pasting results over from the other thread and locking that one down)
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....factoring in droop that way 
Originally Posted by Bbq
). Considering that, the laser and reader, if more $10, are just not worth the money or time to research/use them. I'm trusting that all 'new' fans will have RPM reads.
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