GELID Wing 12 120mm UV Case Fan

A Closer Look
So let’s take a look at the fan itself. The UV Blue impeller is very attractive and pleasing to the eye with its nine sweeping blades. There are a higher number of blades than in many 120mm fans, although an increase in surface area can’t really be called a bad thing. Each of the blades features a winglet on its end, which should if they work in the same way as wingtip devices on aircraft help improve the efficiency, although this is hard to test without a wind tunnel. The only slight point of concern on first glance, is the use of semi-clear plastics in the impellers construction. Normally the use of clear plastics in fan construction is a concern as the missing component that turns clear plastics black or another solid card usually results in plastic that is weaker, brittle and more prone to vibration and resonance, certainly not something you want in a fan marketed as quiet. However the blades are of good quality and aside from their appearance I would be hard pressed to tell them apart from any other solid coloured example. When using the fan during testing I found no evidence of the plastic used in the impellers construction causing any negative effects, so it is possible production of such clear plastics has improved over the years, so at least with this product it appears to be a non-issue.

One feature of which the results of which can be seen below is the ability to remove the impeller of the case fan from the bearing and frame with a simple and easy motion. When pushed from the rear the impeller just clicks out and can be completely removed. This feature makes cleaning the fan a pain free job rather than the chore it can be with a standard case fan. For me this is one of the best features that this particular fan offers and it is something I’d like to see on more fans. The impeller fixes back in place with a reassuring loud click and stays solidly into place being held by a strong magnet. So there is no risk of the fan coming apart during use as long as it is properly reinstalled after cleaning. The only slight problem with this setup is that it does require some force to remove the impeller, which on one hand is a good thing keeping it in place but means that removable is best done from the rear of the fan rather than tugging on the blades. This may mean the fan will need removing from the case or heatsink before you can take the impeller off. Maybe an included tool would be the answer that you could clip over the front of the fan to safely remove the impeller without putting pressure on the blades individually, especially in some computer cases where access to the back isn’t possible. This is however a minor point when allowing you to doing so makes cleaning so much easier, perfect for an attractive UV fan which should be kept as dust free as possible to maintain its great appearance!

The construction of the frame is a little less reassuring than the impeller as it is made of a shiny plastic which is rarely a good sign. There is plenty of flex is the frame, especially when compared to Noctua or Zalman fans with the former being the most solid. This flex does however go for the most part once the fan is installed in so it shouldn’t be a huge issue. This type of shiny plastic does tend to look a bit on the brittle side and the frame of this product is no different here. Maybe this is part of the reason silicone mounts were included and not self-tapping screws? I can see proper fan screws having problems and even breaking or cracking the plastic but as we will be using this fan as intended, with the included mounting hardware it is hard to be certain. It is however worth bearing this in mind if you have an application that means you can’t use the included silicone fan mounts and requires you to use regular fan screws.

The power cable is the standard three wire affair with a 3 pin motherboard fan connector on the end as you would expect for a non-PWM fan. The cable very long at 500mm which can be seen as both a good and bad thing but it is is nicely sheathed in a good quality glossy fine black braid. The heat shrink that holds the braid in place is nicely done although the Noctua is done to a higher standard with slightly better braid in my option. Comparing a £10 to one that is over £5 more is a little unfair here but worth mentioning I feel.

Overall the fan is about right for something that costs £10, you can’t expect perfection for that sort of money but it is well made and should last you a good number of years.