Today almost every PC user has to think about the cooling solution of their system. The most cost efficient form of cooling is by airflow, and to have airflow you need fans. Hardly rocket science. There are tens of companies making thousands of computer fans today. There are simple fans, powerful fans, colored fans, lighted fans, aluminum fans ... the list never ends. We could also say that there is nothing really innovative anymore in this market sector. Revoltec however,  a German based company specialising in "modding" products recently released something entirely different; cooling fans which can project whole images and text on their fins. Sounds pretty cool? well how about if we told you that the fans can even read the temperature of the air moving through them and project the information direct to their fins! Reviewing fans is generally quite a dull experience even if they are extremely important in maintaining a stable system however these prove to be an innovate product and since Listan was kind enough to lend us some samples we can take a close look at them today.

Revoltec Light FX and Lightwriter fans

Both the Light FX and Lightwriter fans are 80mm and this is the only size currently available, however we are sure if the demand is high enough other sizes will appear on the market. The basic specifications of these particular fans are:

Light FX

Rated Voltage:   12V (DC)
Power consumption:   3.6 Watt
Fan speed:   2000 RPM
Airflow:   29 m³/h (17 CFM)
Noise level:   29 dB(A)
Connector:   3-Pin Molex  

Lightwriter

Rated Voltage:   12V (DC)
Power consumption:   3.6 Watt
Fan speed:   2000 RPM
Airflow:   29 m³/h (17 CFM)
Noise level:   29 dB(A)
Connector:   3-Pin Molex  

As you can see from the above specifications, both of the fans are nearly identical. The only difference is the thermal sensor present on the Lightwriter, an aspect we will delve into later.

Both of the fans are supplied in plastic packaging, cleverly designed to give you an idea of the effects they are capable of handling. The packages are sealed, safe and more than enough to keep them safe during transportation.

The Light FX fan is a semi-transparent blue fan, with a nice three spoke grill pre-attached. What betrays their uniqueness is the (visible) small PCB with the several SMD LED lights attached to it. The PCB is not visible while the fan is working, so you should not worry about it looking bad.

The Light FX is a fantastic sight for anyone's eyes while working, although if it is very close for extended periods there is a chance you may get eye strain! The SMD LED lights can create lines of different colors and delver several effects. We are sure you will agree that the pictures speak for themselves.

The Lightwriter is virtually identical to the Light FX fan. One could find it very hard to differentiate the two fans if the model stickers on the fans engine were not present. The Lightwriter fan is different however. It has more SMD LED lights and a thermal sensor. This way, the fan can monitor the temperature of the ambient air and display the reading onto the fins with various other effects.

The Lightwriter creates a blue ring around itself and displays text and effects continuously inside it. As you can see from the above pictures, the room temperature is 22 Celsius degrees at the time the picture was taken. You will also see the companies motto, "Reboot your mind" every now and then. Quite impressive, for a rather simple cooling fan!

Click to play the video (Quicktime Format)

The Lightwriter and Light FX are not flawless however. While their price is very reasonable, their availability is currently rather limited. Also, because of the SMD LED PCB and the design of the fans, the fans do not push much air for the amount of noise they create. They also cannot be speed controlled. Clearly, they are not designed to suti silent systems but clearly will appeal to case modders and those with side panels.

Revoltec does not only create special fans, but normal retail fans as well. They call the series "Air Guard". These fans retail at a very reasonable price and boast superior reliability and performance. They are using Hysint bearings in order to achieve that. Nevertheless, to look at they are nothing more special than ordinary black fans.

The Air Guard series come in plastic retail packaging. After removing the fans from the packaging we instantly noticed that all of the fan cables are sleeved. This is a fantastic touch and will help reduce cable clutter and increase overall air flow inside a system.

The 120mm and 90mm fans are the largest fan of the family. They are simple fans, designed to be reliable and silent. The 120mm fan has 9 blades where the 90mm fan has 7. It is already silent but it also can be speed controlled, slowing it down even more if necessary.

The 80mm fan is the most typical and commonly used fan and we found that the Air Guard 80mm model is actually the most silent in the series, despite its smaller size. The noise level of this fan was barely discernable inside a completely silent room with us standing over it.

The Air Guard family has two small fans also, one 50mm and another 40mm. These fans are not commonly used anymore, but modders and overclockers will certainly find use for them. For example, a 40mm fan meets exactly the size of most common chipset passive heatsinks, thus adding a fan on a warm chipset can considerably aid your overclocking. Unfortunately small fans this size need to spin faster (4500-5000 rpm) to create decent airflow, the main downside of this is the higher level of noise. Notably, the 50mm fan is the only fan which can work with voltage down to 5V. 

The specifications of the fans are:

There is not much to say concerning the Air Guard family. They are very reliable fans, rated for more than 50,000 hours lifetime each. They are cheap and ordinary fans but still come in retail packaging and have sleeved wires. So if you need some normal fans which you can count on, they may be your answer.

The average retail price of the Light FX fan in the EU is 12€ at the time of publication.
The average retail price of the Light Writer fan in the EU is 15€ at the time of publication.
The average retail price of every Air Guard series fan in the EU is 4€ at the time of publication.