Closer Look

The temperature monitor and fan controller in 3.5" package is wired to two temp probes mounted inside the PSU with one near the 80mm fan and the other on the heatsink. A 4-pin power connector and a 3-pin fan connector provide the power and fan speed control.


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Sunbeam incorporates 9-blades and 11-blades to the 120 and 80mm fans respectively. Upon closer visual examination, I found no voltage trim pots inside the PSU.

Note: NUUO comes in 110V for the U.S. and 220V for other countries where it is the norm. Secondly, NUUO is slightly longer in size (similar to OCZ PowerStream), as such certain cases with top blower fan might interfere installation. Another interesting point is that NUUO provides active PFC on EU models only; I wonder the reason behind not providing the same for U.S. market.


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The additional case fan header will run concurrently with the 120mm fan in the PSU.

However, a mystery to me with the two 3-pin headers (12025 & 8015); because there is only ONE 3-pin connector from the fan controller. At a closer look, the "12025" header is sealed with a warning tab stating "Voided Warranty if removed". The tab is small and the words on the label are even smaller making it very difficult to read. It is impossible to take a picture to show you.


Sound Test

As more and more PCs are being used at home, sound level becomes a concern in recent year. This has changed greatly from the days of louder was better for cooling fans and bragging right. Nowadays, 120mm fan is a must for some folks and $30 fan with rating of below 20 dBA rating has begun to surface. Well, my suburban home in the Mid-West U.S.A. has a sound saturation of ~37 dBA with all appliances off and windows closed. I certainly can't enjoy much of the sub 20dBA devices.



With the dial set to low and high, the photos tell the story (despite the microphone is just inches away) for comparison purpose: 46 dBA at low and 61.2 dBA at high. Please bear in mind that the 120mm speed is controlled by the internal temp probe mounted on the PSU heatsink; it is NOT under any stress and running at the lowest speed. The high sound level comes from the 80 mm fan. This is by no means suggesting NUUO is loud. On the contrary, I believe it is rather quiet at the distance measured. More about sound level from PC fans can be found HERE.


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