Zalman has been busy innovating some really interesting and perhaps groundbreaking components for the enthusiast market. One that really surprised us was the ZM DF12 Dual Blade Fan System.
All case fans no matter the design or manufacturer have an inherant dead space radiating from the center of the fan for some distance out. Essentially if you were able to see the air flowing from a fan it would look like a cone. The result is and area immediately in front of the fan that does not recieve any air flow or get cooled. With the ZM DF12 it becomes an issue of the past. Instead of a single set of large blades to do all the pushing Zalman has engineered this fan with a set of smaller blades inset from the larger blades. The result is that the smaller blades have a full profile sweep and push air out directly into the previously flowless cone in the middle. The ZM DF12 is rated at 800-1500rpm with a noise profile ranging from 17.2-30 dBA and is powered via a standard 3 pin connector. Speed changes are done on a built in membrane on the back side of the motor. Additionally there is a lighted X separating the membrane into quarters.
The DF 12 should be available sometime in Q1 of 2014 for no more than $20 USD.
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