Introduction
We have tested the STELLA 120mm A-RGB fan from GELID Solutions recently. This time we are taking a look at their STELLA Daisy-Chain A-RGB White edition fans. This is a 3-fans pack. Salient features include:
- Individually Addressable RGB Daisy-Chain
- Icy Frame Assembly & All-White Color
- 24 ARGB LEDs
- Dual Ring Lighting
- Airflow Optimized Impeller
- Noiseless Motor Drive IC
- Ultra-Durable Double Ball Bearing
This pack comes at an MSRP of USD 28.00.
Specifications
Packing and Unboxing
The fans are shipped inside a cardboard packing box.
The salient features of the fan are highlighted at the bottom. The Icy Frame assembly looks like a diamond-cut design. This trend is peaking these days on the fans.
The specifications of the fan are printed here.
The Daisy-Chain theme is highlighted. The fans can be inter-connected to be controlled using a single source. The solution is compatible with various motherboard manufacturers’ products as the fans are using standard 3-pin 5V connectors.
A single-page printout is provided to help the user set up the A-RGB lighting.
Each fan is provided in a white color paperboard box.
Each box has a 120mm A-RGB STELLA white fan and 4x self-tapping screws.
Closer Look
Let’s start with GELID has to say about this fan, “STELLA Daisy-Chain features the innovative concept of Individually Addressable RGB Daisy-Chain that supports independent controls of each fan in your RGB setup. Thanks to the carefully designed daisy-chain electronics and dual-cabling, you can connect STELLA Daisy-Chain serially one to another and get all ARGB LEDs individually controllable via your favorite RGB software.”
Let’s take a closer look at the design.
The dimension of the fan is 120x120x25mm. Each fan weighs 142gm. The fan has 9 3D optimized transparent blades. This particular design helps in generating more airflow on the leading edges which is sustained by the cutouts in the same design on the trailing edges. This design also reduces turbulence. The central hub has a large diameter than the standard 120mm fans. This is due to the fact that 8 A-RGB LEDs are housed inside the center. There is no branding on the center.
The frame of the fan is made of plastic and finished in white color. GELID is calling this frame as Icy Frame Assembly. The frame is rugged and sturdy. The frame is distinguished by housing two backlit transparent diamond-cut shape rings on it. There are 16 A-RGB LEDs on the frame under these rings. The sides of the frame give an impression that these are sandwiched between the rings. There are no arrow symbols on any side. These symbols help the user in identifying the direction of the airflow and the direction in which the blades would spin.
The above picture shows a close-up look on the transparent portion of the ring on the Icy frame assembly. We have a scintillating design on the rings.
There is an anti-vibration pad on each mounting corner. These are there to reduce the noise coming from the vibration of the surface to which the fan is attached. These pads are cut-to-size and have a rubber grip feeling.
The backside of the fan shows a 4-arms assembly holding and securing the fan blades and motor to the frame. There is a sticker pasted here showing the power rating of the fans. The fans are made in China. One of the arms has catchers through which the cables are routed. These fans are using double-ball bearings coupled with a noiseless motor drive IC. These are rated for 100,000 MTTF at 40°C. The same Icy frame design is on the backside.
The 4-pin PWM cable is flat and is also in the white color with the connector being in the white color as well.
The A-RGB cable is using a dual connector for ease of connectivity and daisy-chaining. The fan has a standard ARGB connector using 5V, D, NP, G pin format. The 3-pin connector is in white color whereas the by-pass cable and its connector are in the black color.
Here is the detailed specification table for these fans:
| Dimension (mm) | 120x120x25 |
| Airflow (CFM) | 70 max |
| Fan Speed (RPM) | 500~1600 |
| Noise Level (dBA) | 35 max |
| Static Pressure (mmAq) | 1.3 |
| Power Draw (W) | 5 |
| DC Voltage (V) | 12 |
| Bearing | Double-Ball |
| Number of LEDs | 24 |
| Fan Connector | 4-pin PWM |
| LED Connector | 3-pin Digital 5V |
| Warranty (Years) | 3 |
| Weight (g) | 142 |
| MTTF (at 40°C) | 100,000 hours |
ARGB Lighting
The fans were connected to the MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK motherboard’s 3-pin 5V header. The fan has responded seamlessly to the dynamic lighting modes of the MSI Mystic Sync app.
The fans are compatible with ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, ASRock motherboards.
The above picture shows the connectivity option for the fans.
Here are some pictures of the lighting effect.
Testing
Following test benches have been used: –
- Intel i7 10700k
- MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK
- T-Force NightHawk RGB 16GB @ 3200MHz
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
- addlink S70 256GB NVMe SSD
- bequiet! Straight Power 11 850W Platinum PSU
- Open-air test bench
Here is the settings table for testing:
| Clock (MHz) | 4700 All Cores |
| Voltage (V) | 1.255 |
| Turbo Boost | Disabled |
| C-States | Disabled |
| Speed Step | Disabled |
| Thermal Paste | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Thermal Paste Application | Dot Method in the center. |
| Test Run Time | 30 minutes |
| Idling Time | 10 minutes |
| Fan Speed | 100% PWM Duty Cycle and Auto PWM |
| Header | CPU_Fan header for the fans |
| Software | AIDA64 6.3 Extreme [FPU] |
Before we could test the fan, we needed to establish reference data against which the results could be compared. For this purpose, we have used the be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 White single tower cooler. The stock fan is rated for up to 1600 RPM speed.
Result
4.7GHz All Cores
The STELLA fan is leading the be quiet! fan by over 1.6°C with both fans set to run at their full speed.
| PWM Cycle %age | Speed in RPM | Airflow in CFM |
| 20 | 459 | 16 |
| 30 | 696 | 26 |
| 40 | 891 | 36 |
| 50 | 1056 | 44 |
| 60 | 1190 | 51 |
| 70 | 1315 | 58 |
| 80 | 1454 | 63 |
| 90 | 1520 | 68 |
| 100 | 1662 | 74 |
The fan was connected to the PWM Fan header of the motherboard. The lowest this fan can go is 20% PWM Duty cycle. The speed on each duty cycle (with an increment of 10) was observed for 5 minutes before recording the reading. The airflow of the fan was also checked using PerfectPrime Anemometer. We have measured the airflow on each PWM duty cycle set from the UEFI/BIOS.
Noise
The ambient noise level is high at my place due to the construction work going on in the adjacent area which is why I am not measuring the noise level these days. The STELLA fan is almost in the range of the be quiet! shadow wings 2 fan based on my subjective hearing. Both fans were not making loud noise.
Conclusion
We have taken a spin on the GELID Solutions STELLA Daisy-Chain A-RGB Fan. This is a 3-fans pack with an icy frame design in white color. The fans feature backlit dual rings on the frame which are in the diamond-cut design. We have 9 transparent blades with a bit wider hub of the fan as it houses 8 A-RGB LEDs in it. The fan’s blades are designed to make it optimized for increased airflow and reducing noise turbulence. There are 16x A-RGB LEDs on the frame under the rings. Each mounting corner has a cut-to-size anti-slip anti-vibration pad. The fan features a noiseless motor drive IC. The fan is using double-ball bearings and is rated for 100,000 MTFF at 40°C.
The dimension of a fan is 120x120x25mm. The fans pack stunning and vivid lighting effects. A fan is rated for 500~1600 RPM at 12VDC using a 1.3mmAq static pressure rating and 70CFM airflow. The noise level is rated at 35 dB(A) max. The power draw of the fan is 5W at 12VDC. There are three cables per fan. One is a 4-pin PWM cable to power the fan’s motor. The other two are 3-pin, 5V A-RGB LED standard connectors and by-pass connector cables. All cables are flat in design and except the by-pass cable, the other is in white color.
Since the STELLA Daisy-Chain has a standard 3-pin (5V, D, NP, G) format, it is compatible with ASUS AURA SYNC, ASRock RGB LED, MSI MYSTIC LIGHT SYNC, and GIGABYTE RGB FUSION READY. There is no dedicated lighting controller provided in the box. We have tested these fans on the MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK motherboard and the A-RGB lighting was found to respond well to the MSI Mystic light sync app.
The 3-fans pack of GELID Solutions STELLA Daisy-Chain A-RGB White has an MSRP of USD 28 at the time of the review. The fans pack a decent thermal performance and are suitable for the case ventilation as well as use on the cooler. GELID is offering 3 years warranty on these fans. The white color, icy frame design, daisy-chaining, and good thermal performance made these fans quite an attractive proposal. They are a good buy for your case fans and will definitely light your chassis with some vibrant colors and decent ventilation.
We are thankful to GELID Solutions for giving us the opportunity to review their STELLA Daisy-Chain A-RGB White fans.
