Asus Triton 77 CPU Cooler Review

Fan Design


For the Triton 77's fan ASUS went for a Sunon KDE1209PTV3 92x92x25mm 7 bladed, variable speed Magnetic levitation VAPO bearing fan. This fan is a variable speed fan that at is rated for a peak output of 39 CFM @ 2300rpm (though ASUS takes the more conservative approach and rates this unit for only a little over 36CFM, most likely due to increase static pressure of the heatsink vs open bench testing). Even more impressive is that this 39CFM is produced at whisper quiet hum.

The fan exhibited very little shaft “slop” or forwards and backwards motion to the fan blade assembly and felt very tight. More importantly the fan displayed no angular slop what so ever when pushed/tapped on only one side of the fan. The Sunon was also very quiet and didn’t create much felt vibrations especially when one considers that it is running at 23000rpms. When installed in a CoolerMaster CM 690 case this fan was not audible over any of the Scythe E’s and sounded and acted more like a 120mm fan than any other 92mm fan that we have seen in awhile.

What is most interesting about this fan, and the reason it can spin so fast yet be so quiet, is that it bearing is based on a proprietary SUNON design. In a nutshell this design is a modified sleeve bearing that uses magnetic fields to help keep the impeller rotating in a perfectly circular orbit that does not touch the bearing anywhere. Since the there is no contact there needs to be nothing but air between the shaft and bearing. This decreases friction which in turn significantly reduces noise. As an added bonus because no real lubrication is needed the life of the bearing is markedly increased.

Now when many enthusiasts think of maglev fans the first thing that pops into mind is those little buzz-saw 40mm fans that used to adorn many a beloved DFI board. In the past maglev fans died early, died nosily and above all else died often. I'm happy to report that this Maglev fan is nothing like the old one; this fan is a very tight fan that is as whisper quiet as one could want, especially considering the speed at which it rotates.

For more detailed specs on how it works you should visit: http://www.sunon.com.tw/english/wealth/tech/tech-05.htm"]SUNON's website[/url] as it is an interesting tech brief on the maglev technology.


Another interesting thing about this fan is that fact that it uses the newer 4 pin PWM header. This means that you can control this fan either by voltage or PWM. This is great if your motherboard supports this and if it doesn’t, and uses the older 3 pin header style you can simply let the extra pin out hang over the edge of the motherboard fan header without worry. The only annoyance was that this fan is not sheathed, and these unkempt and very non-sleek looking wires stand out on an otherwise great looking unit.

Rather that rely on MTBF numbers, an easier and better way to get a “feel” for what the manufacturer thinks is the real length of time a product should last is too simply look at the length of warranty provided. The length of warranty has been calculated to be long enough so that customers feel secure in purchasing it BUT still short enough that it will be “out of warranty” when most fail. Taken for what its worth, (and is common ASUS practice) the Triton comes with a 1 year warranty.

Overall the Triton fan is a classic example of ASUS’s high quality products. These fans are very quiet and it is not done at the cost of RPMs; this unique combination makes the Sunon Maglev the perfect fan the Triton models. It is quiet, efficient and looks nice while doing it, what more could you ask for? Well, later in the review we will test ASUS claims of and see if it can cool the motherboard better than a stock heatsink. If it can do all this then it really is a wunderkind!