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Written by Mikhail Ivanenkov
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Sunday, 01 July 2007 |
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Thanks to Antec for the product sample.
There's only so much you can light up when it comes to custom computers. After cases, keyboards, mice, monitors, and mouse pads get the royal treatment there's not a whole lot left. One toy concept that's been circulating through a few companies is the USB powered fan, used to cool you down rather than your rig. A while back we saw a somewhat proprietary model which worked great but didn't present itself as a must have. Today we examine Antec's take on the matter, aka FanPal.
Like similar geek gifts of this genre, the FanPal is essentially an 80mm fan with a fancy desktop mount used to complement your already rainbowed PC. It comes in a shelf-like package though copper inserts prevent resealing after it's been opened. There's only one flavor to choose from: this silver/aluminum red-green-blue lit doohickey with a grill Spiderman fans are sure to appreciate. It also has an adjustable stand.
Out of the package, the front is brushed aluminum so it'll go along nicely with Lian Li cases. The rear is a chunk of grey plastic and a tilting stand. The fan is sandwiched between the two sides and held by four very tightly inserted custom nuts and bolts. Although the fan is a standard 80mm part, the direction of spin is reversed. You'll notice that other fans exhaust air from the motor side while the FanPal blows it out the other direction. I'm assuming the purpose for this is to eliminate the somewhat unsightly view of the motor mount and support bars. Rather, you get to peak at a clear motor while the rest lights up.
There are three positions for the tilting stand: upright, about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees (estimated). This allows the user to adjust the airflow direction based on their height/desk height though the variety isn't that dramatic. The stand snaps into these positions thanks to grooves in the plastic frame. The FanPal runs off any USB port and Antec provides you with a 5 foot clear cable at the end of which resides a pass-through connector so you don't lose any ports.
After removing the front I discovered that the brushed aluminum was only a cover for the steel plate beneath. The only logical purpose for it is weight balancing so the fan remains at any of the preset angled positions without rocking back and forth. The fan itself is removable in case it breaks or you don't like the color combination and wish to use a different one. This would mean rewiring any outside fans, but given that there are only two leads it shouldn't pose a problem.
The FanPal is plug and play: simply hook up the USB cable and as soon as it receives power (even if the computer is asleep) the fan will spin up. Rated at 5V DC, 0.3A, 2600RPM, and 35.1CFM at a clearly audible 31.2dBA, the unit is at about the same noise level as regular desktop fans, though the airflow is significantly lower. While it's not loud per se, you can definitely tell it's there and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone building a quiet PC.
Aesthetically, the FanPal is very amusing. The red/green/blue combination matches the majority of custom lit systems. Using frame mounted LEDs and a clear enclosure/blades ensures a bright glow at night as well as during the day, without any fading like that witnessed with UV dyes. The light is multidirectional so any nearby reflective surfaces will only add to the experience. As for the grill it's all personal preference. Some leeway here would be nice (maybe interchangeable designs).
Functionally it's a bit more limited. Due to its small dimensions and relatively low airflow, setting the FanPal over a foot from any limb is useless. After trying out several spots I ended up placing it next to my mouse pad to keep my hands from sweating while gaming (Doom 3 can get intense at times). In this regard it works perfectly. The only other useful locale was in front of my monitor (so it blows over my hands while I'm typing), but the lights then become too distracting from whatever is on screen.
My only real complaint is the lack of an on/off switch, meaning the fan will be constantly running with the lights on. Unplugging it during the day and reconnecting it at night is too much work. Overall the FanPal brings a bit of innovation to the table, but it's still a far cry from perfection. At the very least there should be some user control in the way of powering it on at will and even regulating the amount of air as well as whether the lights stay on or off. This would undoubtedly raise the price, but anyone purchasing novelties such as this most likely has the means to dish out a little extra.
Pros
- High quality design
- Matches almost any custom system out there
- Pass-through USB connector
- Bright LEDs
- Decent airflow at close range, relatively quiet
- Cheap (about $12)
Cons
- No on/off switch or other user controls
- Fan grill/color schemes may not suit all users
The FanPal's success all depends on its target market. For a beginner who wants a quick way to spice up their PC and get some glances at the next LAN it'll do just fine, but for the "real" enthusiast market a lot more work needs to be done. The custom PC market is just that: highly customizable. If Antec were to add some options to the product in terms of user control and color scheme/fan grill choices even a higher price tag may be justifiable. As it stands, $12 isn't much for a trinket like this assuming you're pleased with the design. You can get one directly from Antec for $20.
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