Silverstone FM Series Case Fan Review

     Lets face it, everyone needs quality cooling.  Only with the amazing amount of fans available on the market, it takes an extraordinary amount of innovation to stand out from the crowd.  With the FM series fans, Silverstone doesn't just innovate; they make a round peg fit in a square hole.  Take a close look.

     Silverstone sure knows how to make a good impression.  Each of the FM Series fans arrives in attractive packaging that shows off both the product and features.  The FM series promises high performance without sacrificing noise levels.

     The back of the packaging provides all the information you might need to make your purchasing decision.  Why other manufacturers don't disclose this much info is a mystery.  What do they have to hide?

     For the bulk of the review I will be examining the more common 80 mm kit, the FM 82.  Each fan kit contains the fan, mounting hardware, a stainless steel grill and an Aluminum fan controller.  The Mounting hardware contains traditional screws and two additional sizes for additional compatibility.  Notice the beveled shape of the fan.  This shape allows Silverstone to mount a 92 mm fan in a 80mm mounting.   That's thinking outside the 80 mm box.  The same beveled shape is carried out in the FM 92.

     A closer look at the fan controller shows the quality of construction and the Silverstone logo along with some stylized flourishes of black accents.  The FM series only comes in this color scheme.  A black fan series is also available from Silverstone in the FN Series.  This Aluminum look would go great with a Lian-Li style case.

     Lets take a closer look at the Fan its-self.  This picture is taken from the 92 mm side.  Power leads for both a 12 Volt power lead and a 3 pin fan plug are both available.  The short plug is used for the controller.  Choosing this short a lead keeps the clutter down when the controller is not installed.  Nice touch.

Specifications:

FM 82

     The FM82 is an advanced 80mm fan package with manual adjustable fan controller. Equipped with 92mm fan blades housed in an 80mm fan frame, it offers quietness and performance levels greater than any 80mm fans. Coupled with the included aluminum fan controller, a multitude of fan speed configurations is possible. Constructed out of high strength white colored plastic and polished to a smooth shine, the FM82 is an excellent upgrade for any PC and HTPC enthusiasts.

FM 92

     The FM92 is a brand new 92mm fan package equipped with 110mm fan blades housed in a 92mm frame, it offers quietness and performance potential greater than any 92mm fans in existence. Coupled with the included aluminum fan controller, a multitude of fan speed configurations is possible. Constructed out of high strength white colored plastic and tuned for perfect balance, the FM92 is an excellent upgrade for any PC and HTPC enthusiasts.

FM121

     The FM121 is a superb 120mm fan package with manual adjustable fan controller. Equipped with 9 fan blades, it offers elevated quietness and performance levels beyond traditional 7 bladed fans. Finding a perfect speed for this fan in any given application is simple on the included aluminum fan controller. Constructed out of high strength white colored plastic and polished to a smooth shine, the FM121 is the ultimate solution for any PC and HTPC enthusiasts looking to upgrade their 120mm fan.

     Only the FM121 fan does not come with the unique beveled design.  Instead Silverstone has chosen to go with a 9 blade fan to increase airflow.  More blades means more airflow without additional speed requirements.  Additional speed means additional noise. 

The install:

     I installed the FM 82 into my Superflower case to replace the top 80 mm exhaust fan.  The case is normally cooled by 5 80 mm fans and houses heat offending NVIDIA 7800 SLI cards and 9 cold cathodes.

     The old fan has definitely seen better days.  This UV reactive fan comes from Logisys and looks pretty good but performs about average.  For reference it pushes 31.7 CFM at 2700 RPM and produces about 28 dBA.  Yours for about $6 everywhere.

     A quick swap puts our FM 82 into the factory location.  I placed a book over the top window to block the excess sunshine for this picture.  Believe me the white looks much better in person.  Also note the vented sides of the fan to improve fan efficiency.

     Here is the top view through the window.  The white makes a nice contrast against the many blue components.  I wonder how it will look in the UV?

     To round out the install, I placed the controller in my empty 3.5" Drive bay.  The knob is much larger than those on my Nexus unit but not too bad.  Its about 3/4 inch out.  The silver is a bit out of place but the black accents help it blend.

     Due to the construction of my Superflower Sf-201 case, the mounting holes don't match in the top location.  Weird.  In every other location we have a match.

     With the install completed I fired things up.  Sadly the beautiful white color has almost no UV reaction.  With the fan on low (about 1800 RPM)  the Silverstone is not only much quieter than my old fan, it seems to push the same amount of air.  Bumping the FM 82 up to max speed (about 3800 RPM) is dramatic.  The airflow increase is awesome.  This increase is accompanied by a dBA increase to ~40.  The noise stands out over the rest of the case but should only be necessary in extreme circumstances.  I am pretty sure you could float a good size ball in the air stream too.  Using the FM 82 without a controller seems to set it at max speed by default.

Conclusion:

     The Silverstone FM series fans have really hit the mark.  The innovative design of each of the beveled fans provides the basis for dramatic cooling increases over traditional fan designs.  In my install the single FM 82 reduced noise and improved performance even at idle.  The fans and controllers are easy on the eyes as well.  Its hard to get excited about a fan but these fans look and perform great.  If you are looking to improve your case cooling without sacrificing performance for noise, the FM Series fans should be at the top of your list.

Lowest Prices found:     FM82 - $14.99, FM 92 - $12.99 and the FM 121 - $15.99