Opinions on the Cougar CF-D14HB LED Case Fans?

[Agrajag]

So I've been looking into premium case fans and I've narrowed my search down to these sexy spinners. However I have had little "hands on" experience with these specific case fans or their specific competition. 

 

What I know... have read about them:

 

RPM ~ 1000 rpm (middle range compared to similarly priced fans)

CFM ~ 74 (equal to or higher than similarly priced fans)

Noise ~ 18db (equal to or lower than similarly priced fans)

 

And they look as good or, IMNSHO, far better than other similarly priced fans.

 

 

This is not an advertisement. Does anyone know how they perform in real life. I'm cautions of the marketing spin and when one spends premium price on a fan it would be nice to get a premium fan.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Agra. 

 

[Manny Calavera]

Spectre Pros cost also $19 on pccasegear

 

let me check how dualx compare to spectre pro

 

EDIT: Apparently cougars are way better, especially for rads. They go as low as 600rpm, being quiet.

[Kc7vwc]

I haven't used those specifically, but I do have some of their Vortex PWM fans, both 120 & 140mm. Both of those are amazingly quiet. My GPU is louder by a long shot. The 140's run about 900RPM on Standard BIOS settings as case intakes. (700RPM Silent mode) The 120s are in push/pull on my Xigmatec cooler, and are spinning about 1200RPM on Standard.

The rubber foot pads are very nice, but most quality fans come with those now. The sleeving is good, and the build quality seems pretty solid. 

Cable length is about 8" on the Vortex's so make sure you have a well-placed header.

If these are anything like the Vortex, you won't regret it.  

Some people on Newegg complained of noise in the Vortex when in a certain orientation, but I haven't run across that at all. Thats both in the case & holding them in hand to test before mounting. (I've had all 4 fans for over a year.)

 

Hope that helps.

[MourningSouls]

I've had the Vortex PWM's too, roommate still has them on his H105. Wants to get more. Build quality is for sure better than my Enermax TB Vegas', sleeving is pretty nice too. Noise level is great.

 

While box stats can't be trusted due to a severe lack of standardization, they move a nice amount of air, and I'm quite happy with the noise level. For sure quieter than my Enermax fans.

 

 

Now the frames on the LED fans are translucent, which tends to result in a cheaper feeling plastic being used. But so long as it doesn't break screwing it in, the plastic is strong enough. I think you'll be fine as I haven't heard any complaints like that. About the complaints from users who mounted them horizontally, I don't have any horizontal fan mounts, and I haven't heard anything like the complaints say from my roommates machine.

 

 

Now unless someone wants a cool LED pattern visible through their front panel (I recommend Enermax here), I don't like recommending LED fans. Partly because many of them are very low quality, and any LED's that die result in a need to self repair, or send in an entire fan. LED strips on the other hand can be swapped really easy, and don't cause issues when sent away for RMA.

 

I would prefer the non-LED fans and LED strips, but that increases cost significantly. If that cost increase is an issue, then I would say go for it.

[Agrajag]

Cheers for the responses!

 

Very encouraging assessment of their qualities. 

 

 

 

If these are anything like the Vortex, you won't regret it.  

 

 

The parts all seem similar to the vortex apart from the inclusion of led(s) and the associated transparent bits. I'm thinking of getting a Vortex for the rear fan as I don't want direct led light in the corner of my eye while gaming. 

 

 

 

Now unless someone wants a cool LED pattern visible through their front panel (I recommend Enermax here), I don't like recommending LED fans. Partly because many of them are very low quality, and any LED's that die result in a need to self repair, or send in an entire fan. LED strips on the other hand can be swapped really easy, and don't cause issues when sent away for RMA.

 

I would prefer the non-LED fans and LED strips, but that increases cost significantly. If that cost increase is an issue, then I would say go for it.

 

 

Cheers for the advise. There is not much point to them being LED if the led fails. I liked the idea of the light inside the case being tied to an element of the system itself and not purely modding but I see your point. 

 

Maybe I'll go for just vortex fans. 

[Agrajag]

lol.

 

I have no idea what happened to the formatting of that post!  :wacko:

[Kc7vwc]

One thing to add, most 3pin LED fans' lights adjust bright or dim, based on the voltage being sent to the fan. Not sure if PWM fans work this way, and the Cougars you linked to don't seem to be PWM. While it's usually not noticable unless you manually crank a fan, it is an interesting design element to know your case is getting brighter the more you work it & the fans have to ramp up.

Side note for lighting, I've got some NZXT led strips in my case & they're perfect. The cable is braided, is black, and the direction of the LEDs can be tweaked to point generally where you want. Only downside is it does take up an expansion slot in the back of your case, unless you mod the control unit a bit.