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When SilverStone told us that they had a new 120mm case fan that they wanted us to try, we were more than a bit curious especially after seeing a picture of the new Air Penetrator AP121. We were in the process of reviewing the new PS05 enclosure and tested it first with the single stock fan. We ran numbers again after adding a few of SilverStone's golf bladed fans which we pulled from the GD05 HTPC case. The temps were respectable, but SilverStone said that their AP121's would be a better fit for this type of cooling task.

The AP121 is designed with an air channeling grille permanently attached to the front. The resulting focused air column is said to be able to push through typical case obstacles to provide better cooling performance. The unique fan design is also a good match for use as a radiator cooling solution as well. The AP121 is clearly designed to function as an intake fan and goes along with their positive air pressure philosophy being used on all of their recent cases. Let's see if the AP121's can measure up.

Specs

SilverStone Air Penetrator

AP121 Fan

The AP121 is one of many innovative items from SilverStone and it is easy to see how they have built their reputation over the years. You really have to build a PC using these fans to appreciate the brilliant design. Now that we have seen what they can do, we can only hope to see these become the stock fan of choice for all of SilverStone's future enclosures. The AP121 receives our top award for innovation, value, and performance. The MSRP for the AP121 is $16.99.

6/22/10 -Keith Soreghen-

Packaging and Accessories

Conclusion

The AP121 comes in attractive packaging with the fan well protected inside of the box. The fan includes four case screws, four rubber anti-vibration mounting pieces, and a molex to fan plug adapter capable of powering three fans.

Fan Design

The front grille is permanently attached to the fan. The wide fan blades are meant to reduce air resistance. The AP121 is rated at 22.4 dB(A) and was nearly silent during operation. The fan design is definitely unlike anything we have ever tested before. We found that the grille was very rigid and did not flex when handled. The AP121 is a very solid and high quality part. The power cable comes sleeved to present a more finished look.

Performance

Below are the temperatures we recorded after adding the AP121 fans to our PS05 test case. Idle CPU temperatures didn't see much of a change which mainly speaks for the stock AMD CPU cooler. The temps to notice are the CPU and GPU load numbers. Eight degrees off of the video card due only to the addition of the AP121 fans. The temps of the golf bladed SilverStone fans (not shown) dropped temps by only a couple degrees overall. You really need the right tool for the right job.

Check out the SilverStone demonstration below to see the AP121 in action!

Air Penetrator AP121 demonstration