be quiet! Shadow Wings 2 120mm/140mm Fan Review

Introduction

be quiet! Shadow Wings 2

We have encountered many cooling brands over the years, but in terms of ‘be quiet!’ their main brand focus has often been quite straight forward. As their name would suggest, above all over factors, they place an exceptionally high emphasis on their cooling and fan technology to design a product that runs as near to silent as possible.

In fairness, it isn’t an idle claim either as in the past we have often found their fan technology to be amongst the best out there for low-noise levels.

With the release of the Shadow Wings 2 series of fans, however, be quiet! looks to take this a step further providing a range of fan options (120mm-140mm at different speeds) all while keeping noise levels to a minimum. Although these fans are primarily designed as ‘system/chassis’ fans, they can, of course, be applied to other parts of your system (such as your AIO radiator) presuming you have the same sizes.

Features

• Whisper-quiet operation even at low rpm(14.7-15.9db(A))
• Optimized fan blade surface structure provides excellent airflow capabilities
• Mechanical noise is minimized by the anti-vibration mounting system and rubberized fan frame
• Available with 3-pin or PWM connectors to meet individual requirements
• Push-pins make installation easy and secure without screws
• Low-noise operation due to high-quality rifle bearing
• Pulse width modulation (PWM) allows compatible 4-pin controllers to vary the speed of the fan intelligently
• Expressly recommended for use in very silent PC builds
• High-grade rifle bearing technology contributes to a very long lifespan of up to 80,000 hours
• 3-year manufacturer’s warranty

Aesthetics

The aesthetics of the fan, design their practically near black design, are still to be appreciated. We particularly liked the design in which the mounting brackets have almost individually been set to the design. This allows the ‘circular’ design of the fan itself to really stand out and, of course, minimise any void or spaces where the airflow could be compromised.

In each fan kit, you are provided with both hard and soft attachments. This will, of course, vary on your preference and where you intend to install the fans.

Finally, you may have noted the rippled effect on the fan blades. While many manufacturers do something like this purely for aesthetics or to push an RGB style, the inclusion on the Shadow Wings 2 is entirely to promote air flow. It’s a technology that be quiet! has been developing and improving for many years and the Shadow Wings 2 design sees the latest update in this regard.

What be quiet! has to say!

“The be quiet! Shadow Wings 2 fan series comprises 120mm and 140mm models each available with or without PWM control. All models combine whisper-quiet operation with reliable cooling, making them the perfect solution for all silence enthusiasts. With their anti-vibration mounting system and low revolutions per minute they are ideally suited for very silent PC builds. They also have high-quality rifle bearings that ensure solid cooling for up to 80,000 hours.  For anyone whose focus is maximum silence for their PC case, the Shadow Wings 2 series is certainly the right choice.” ” – be quiet!