What's the best supersize case fan?

Antec 200mm and ichbinleise 225mm Fan Reviews

Antec Big Boy 200

UK price (as reviewed): £20.64 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $16.09 (ex Tax)

Unlike the other supersize fans, the Big Boy 200 doesn’t feel like it’s about to fall apart in your hands, as it’s constructed from sturdy plastic. The Molex power cable includes a triple-selector switch that allows you to set the motor to spin at 400rpm, 600rpm or 900rpm. Antec claims that at 900rpm the Big Boy 200 should produce 134cfm at 30dBA.

In our tests, the 400rpm speed mode proved to be rather pointless; although it was extremely quiet (21.3dBA), it failed to inflate the black sack, and therefore has an effective airflow of 6cfm or less. However, at 600rpm, it was still reasonably quiet (28.5dBA) yet moved 47cfm. At 900rpm, the Big Boy 200 is noisy (37.4dBA), although it moves a whirlwind-like 121cfm.

Although the Big Boy 200 is too noisy for everyday use at 900rpm, it moves a lot of air at 600rpm without making much noise. It’s the only supersize fan we’d recommend.

ichbinleise 225mm/800rpm fan

UK price (as reviewed): £19.70 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): NA

This is the first time we’ve seen an ichbinleise-branded fan, but at 225mm, it’s hard to miss. The manufacturer claims that the floating bearing motor spins the transparent plastic blades at between 300rpm and 800rpm, thanks to the integrated rheostat. There are several blue LEDs clustered around the motor, but they’re so flimsily mounted that they bump into the blades, creating an irritating clicking sound when the motor is switched on. What’s more, the rheostat is a completely pointless inclusion, as the fan won’t spin up or keep spinning when the dial is reduced to anything below 90 per cent.

At 800rpm, the ichbinleise managed to inflate the black sack, resulting in an airflow measurement of 51cfm. However, its sound pressure reading of 38.9dBA is the loudest of any of the supersize fans. As such, it isn’t worth buying this ichbinleise 225mm fan.

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