NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review

The company has sent us their portfolio of highly reputable IT series fans intended for the PC enthusiasts and users. Today, I will be taking a look at NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review. The fan is designed in Germany and with these fans, the Backnoise has focused on the budget users who would want silent operations with good performance. With UV Active blades the NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review has definitely focused on the form of their fans in addition to the functionality.

Related: NB-BlackSilentPro PL-PS Fans Review

Blacknoise Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentFan XL-P Review

The BlackSilentFan is available in multiple sizes of 40x40x10mm, 50x050x10mm, 60x60x25mm, 80x80x25mm, 92x92x25mm, 120x120x25mm, and 140x140x25mm. Within each size there are more versions like in our case, the 120x120x25mm has XL-1, XL-2, and XL-P versions. We are reviewing the XL-P version.

• Item:                             NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review
• Manufacturer:                 BlackNoise
• Brand:                            NoiseBlocker
• Price:                             Check Price on Amazon

 BlackSlinetFan XL-P 120x120x25mm Specifications

Size	120x120x25mm
Weight	125g
Rated Voltage	12V
Start Voltage	4.5V
Input Power	2.64W
Input Current	0.22A
Rated Speed (12V)	1000-2000 RPM
Static Pressure (12V)	2.790 mmH₂O
Air Flow	40.6 ~ 75.3 CFM / 69.0 ~128.0 m³/h
Sound Pressure (100CM)	13.1 ~ 31.7 dB/A
Loudness (100CM)	1.565 Sone (N)
MTBF (25°C/77°F)	75000 Std./hours
Operating Temperature	-10°C  ~ +65°C
Frame Material	PBT 20%GF
Impeller	Bayer Makrolon (PC)
Connector	4-Pin PWM

Blacknoise Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentFan Packaging and Unboxing

The fan comes in a cardboard box of white and blue colors. The front side has a picture of the fan on the main section. NB-BlackSilentFan is printed in the vertical layout on the right side. Salient specifications like Sound Loudness, static pressure, airflow, speed and sound level are printed on the bottom right side. The fan is designed in Germany. The size of the fan is printed on the far bottom right side.

The backside of the packing box has BSF printed on the top left side. BSF stands for BlackSilentFan. Noisblocker brand name and logo are printed on the top right side. This is their Ultra-Silent and reliable fan with the UV-active impellers. Specifications of the fan are printed in the main section. PWM curve is printed under the specification. Manufacturer’s contact info is printed on the bottom left side.

The left side of the packing box has the Noiseblocker brand name and logo printed on the top side. BSF is printed under that logo. The fan has 3 years warranty which speaks for the confidence that the manufacturer has in their fans. Original SLICS are their vibration-free mounting. The fans have NANO-SLI Bearing and P1 Drive. The fans are designed in Germany and made in China. The model and size of the fan are printed at the bottom.

The right side of the packing box has the Noiseblocker brand name and logo printed on the top side. BSF is printed under that logo. The blades are UV-Active Makrolon based. The fans are designed in Germany and made in China. The model and size of the fan are printed at the bottom.

The top side has the opening cover of the packing box. The size of the fan is printed in the main section. High quality 12V IT Fan is printed on the right side. XL-P PWM is printed on the raised part of the cover. Noiseblocker brand name and logo are printed on the right side.

XL-P Fan Review Accessories

The contents are:

• 4x NB Silicon Slics for vibration free installation
• 1x Fan

NB-BlackSilentFan XL-P Closer Look

The NB-BlackSilentFan is an Ultra-Silent-Classic-Design fan from the BlackNoise. It has been their quite popular and high selling fan ever since 2005. The fan comes in multiple sizes. Within each category, there are more versions with varying specifications. Here is the listing of their entire BlackSilentFan series of the fans:

• 40x40x10mm
  • XM-1
  • XM-2
• 50x50x10mm
  • XS-1
  • XS-2
• 60x60x25mm
  • XR-1
  • XR-2
• 80x80x25mm
  • X-1
  • X-2
• 92x92x25mm
  • XE-1
  • XE-2
• 120x120x25mm
  • XL-1
  • XL-2
  • XL-P
• 140x140x25mm
  • XK-1
  • XK-2

These fans don’t fall under their Industrial Cooling Solutions and belong to the IT series of fans which are marketed for the PC users and the enthusiasts. We are reviewing the XL-P version of the BlackSilentFan in 120mm category. The XL-P fans are rated at 12V DC with an input power of 2.64W using the 0.22Amperes. The starting voltage for these fans is 4.5V. The fans are rated at 1000 to 2000 RPM at 12V. The static pressure is rated at 2.790 mmH₂O at 12V.

The air flow is rated at 40.6 to 75.3CFM equivalent to 69.0 ~ 128 m³/h. The sound pressure is rated at 13.1 to 31.7 dB(A) at 100CM. The loudness level is 1.565 Sone (N) at 100CM. We have found contradictory info on the MTBF value. The specification on the fan’s packing box is showing it to be 75000 Std./hours rated at 25°C / 77°F whereas the data sheet on their website is showing this value to be 80000 Std./hours rated at 40°C. Operating temperature for the fans is -10°C to +65°C.

Let’s take a look at the fan itself. We have a black color frame of the fan in a classic or traditional design. The frame is made of the reinforced fiberglass PBT material and build quality is top notch. There are no anti-vibration pads on the corners of the frame. It has a standard 120mm mounting clearance. The mounting holes have raised surface whereas there are insets on their left and right sides. The inner side around the corners has more inset than the middle.

There are no arrow indicators showing the spin direction of the fan blades and airflow direction through the fan. The middle portion of the outer frame has a 14mm straight surface followed by the curvature design on both sides. The frame has a cutout on its right edge on the top side from where the 4-pin power cable is routed. Note that the opposite side of the frame also has the same cutout design. It seems like it is done to have a symmetrical design on the frame.

The fan has Makrolon 7 transparent blades in the blue color. They are made of the high-quality synthetic material by Bayer with the anti-dust surface. Build quality is good and there is no flex in the blades. The motor hub has a black color sticker pasted on it. Ultra quiet is printed on the top in the white color. Noiseblocker brand name and logo are printed in the middle. The company’s website address is printed at the bottom.

The backside of the fan has a large sticker in black color covering the motor hub. Ultra quiet is printed on the top of the sticker. XLP is printed under it. The Noiseblocker brand name and logo are printed in the middle along with the company’s website address. DC 12V and RoHS conform are printed under them. There is a 4 arm assembly holding the motor hub and connecting it with the frame.

The 4 wires are nicely routed on one of the arms which has an inset for that purpose. Overall build quality is very good and rock solid. The NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review are using NB-Nano SLI bearings. I was not able to find specific information on these bearings. They are using NB-EKA P2 motor. Each fan has nicely sleeved power cable of length 50cm.

They have provided NB Slics which are anti-vibration mounts. There are no screws provided with the fans. This does indicate that the fans are intended for the airflow fans inside the PC Chassis. Though they can be mounted on the heatsinks should the heatsinks have fan mounts provision using the NB-Slics.

XL-P Fan Review Testing

Much thanks to the Blacknoise for sending us 3 fans in each category which has enabled us to test them on the Alphacool Eisbaer 360 which is a 360mm CLC. It is a standard on my test bench that I do check the fan for the thermal performance even if they are rated for high airflow than static pressure ones. The NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review have high airflow and good static pressure values. These were tested against the Alphacool Eiswind 12 fans.

The Eiswind 12 fans operate on the 12V DC. They are 4-Pin PWM fans with the rated speed of the 55-1700 RPM with ±10%. Airflow rating is 63.85 CFM with the static pressure rating of the 1.66mmH₂O. Sound rating is 29 dBA per fan.

My testing consists of the three areas. I have checked the airflow on each of the profiles. Next, PWM range of the fan along with air flow reading against each point of the speed was checked. Next, thermal performance of the fans on 50% and 100% of their rated speeds were checked along with the acoustics. I have used Reeven Polariz fan controller for the testing.

Airflow Testing

In our first testing, we try to validate the stated/rated airflow value by the manufacturer. The rated airflow value is 75.3 CFM at full speed. In my testing, the airflow value comes to the 78.3 CFM validating the rated airflow value.

PWM Range

Next up, is the PWM range of the fan and the corresponding airflow values.

810 is the lowest RPM achieved on this fan which is below the rated minimum RPM of 1000. The maximum speed of the fan comes to 2100 RPM. Rated maximum speed is 2000 RPM. The fan stops spinning below 4.5V and starts spinning at 4.5V validating the rated starting voltage.

Thermal Testing

Thermal performance of the fan was tested on this test bench:

• Intel i7 6850k
• Asus Rampage V Edition 10
• Ballistix Elite 4x4GB @ 3000MHz
• Alphacool Eisbaer 360
• Samsung 840 EVO 250GB
• Corsair AX 1200i

Testing was performed on the Microsoft Windows 10 x64 Professional edition build version 1709. Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste was used. The fans were put on 50% and 100% of their speed. PThe pump of the CLC was put on 100% of the speed. Asus RealBench v1.44 was used to stress test the CPU. RealTemp was used to monitor the temperatures.

First, the stress test was run on the stock clocks of 3.6GHz with turbo boost of 38GHz and Turbo Boost II of 4.0GHz at 1.16V VCore. XMP was loaded all the times. Reported temps are delta ones which are calculated by subtracting the average of each core’s maximum temps from the ambient temp. The benefit of using delta temps is that it covers the variation in the temperatures under uncontrolled environment.

Next, the Chip is overclocked to 4.3GHz at 1.350V VCore. XMP is loaded as well. Stress test is run again using the same methodology as described above and delta temps are noted.

Here are the results.

We are strictly comparing only two fans in this graph. More will be added in the same graph. The fans were tested at their 50% and 100% of the rated speeds. Both fans at 50% speed are neck to neck. The difference if any comes at the 100% speed where the NB-BlackSilentFan XL-P took a lead by 1.07°C.

Next, we overclocked the i7 6850k to the 4.3GHz. On 50% of the rated speeds, both fans were again neck to neck. At 100% speed, the NB-BlackSilentFan XL-P took the lead by 1.1°C.

Acoustics

Both fans almost deliver the same acoustic performance.

Conclusion

The NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review is an Ultra-Silent-Classic-Design fan from the BlackNoise. It has been their quite popular and high selling fan ever since 2005. The fan comes in multiple sizes. Within each category there are more versions with varying specifications.

These fans fall under their IT series of fans which are marketed for the PC users and the enthusiasts. The XL-P fans are rated at 12V DC with input power of 2.64W using the 0.22Amperes. The starting voltage for these fans is 4.5V. The fans are rated at 1000 to 2000 RPM at 12V. The static pressure is rated at 2.790 mmH₂O at 12V.

The air flow is rated at 40.6 to 75.3CFM equivalent to 69.0 ~ 128 m³/h. The sound pressure is rated at 13.1 to 31.7 dB(A) at 100CM. The loudness level is 1.565 Sone (N) at 100CM. We have found contradictory info on the MTBF value. The specification on the fan’s packing box is showing it to be 75000 Std./hours rated at 25°C / 77°F whereas the data sheet on their website is showing this value to be 80000 Std./hours rated at 40°C. Operating temperature for the fans is -10°C to +65°C.

The frame is made of the reinforced fiberglass PBT material and build quality is top notch. There are no anti-vibration pads on the corners of the frame. It has a standard 120mm mounting clearance. The fan has Makrolon 7 transparent blades in the blue color. They are made of high quality synthetic material by Bayer with anti-dust surface. Build quality is good and there is no flex in the blades.

The Blacknoise are using NB-Nano SLI bearings. I was not able to find specific information on these bearings. They are using NB-EKA P2 motor. Each fan has nicely sleeved power cable of length 50cm. They have provided NB Slics which are anti-vibration mounts. The NB BlackSilentFan XL-P Review is providing 3 years of warranty on these fans which shows the manufacturer’s confidence in their fans.

These fans offer perfect blend of performance with value. In our testing these fans were neck to neck against the likes of the Alphacool Eiswind 12 fans, even taking the lead by 1.1°C under stress test with full load on the overclocked i7 6850k at 4.3GHz. The acoustic performance is right on the money though everyone has different standing with respect to the sound level.

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