Miscelleneous by stefan @ 2011-07-12
The Breeze Pro USB fan from ARCTIC is a solid built product, comes with a low noise 92mm fan which produces a gentle breeze during hot Summer time, a knob from which we can set its speed and a 4-port USB 2.0 hub on the base; in case we need to connect devices to the hub which need more power, we need to connect to the base an additional power adapter, which is not included.
At first I would like to thank ARCTIC for offering me their Breeze Pro USB fan for reviewing.
"ARCTIC is now a leading manufacturer of CPU coolers, GPU coolers and case fans. In recent years they acquired a far-ranging expertise in the field of consumer electronics. The company’s product range has been further enhanced by new lines unrelated to PC cooling which was the reason behind the 2010 change in their brand name and logo: ARCTIC COOLING became the ARCTIC brand umbrella."
Feel the breeze
The ARCTIC Breeze Pro is your stylish desktop fan that keeps you cool on hot summer days. The flexible neck can be turned in any direction. Via the LED-illuminated knob, the fan speed can be adjusted from 800 to 1800 RPM to fit your needs.
Convenient Design and functionality
The ARCTIC Breeze Pro brings modern style right on your desktop. The breeze is not only a design product. Besides its fan function, it also comes with a 4-port USB 2.0 hub integrated in its base. With the 1.8m cable, the ARCTIC Breeze Pro can also be connected to your PC standing under your table. Excess cable can be rolled up and stored inside the base of the fan.
Silent Operation
As the fan and the motor are adapted from ARCTIC's successful case fans, ARCTIC Breeze Pro works virtually silent, while offering a high airflow as well.
The Breeze Pro fan from ARCTIC comes packed inside a transparent plastic casing, with some product details written in-between; the frontal side of the casing holds some information regarding the speed of the fan along with the speed of the USB hub:
On the back, we can find written the main product highlights, in 6 different languages, along with a table with product specifications:
The Breeze Pro fan design preserves the ARCTIC products colors and is an upgraded version over the ARCTIC Breeze Mobile:
On the base we can find a knob from where we can regulate the fan speed:
On each side we can find two USB 2.0 ports:
The back of the device has an extra DC-IN port, for plugging in an extra power adapter in case the devices we have connected are more power hungry:
On the bottom, we can find 6 small circular rubber feet, along with the space for routing the 1.8m long USB cable:
The fan body has a futuristic design; on each lateral we can locate a sticker with the product logo:
Here is a view from the back:
As the other fans available from ARCTIC, the 7 blades are white and in center we can find the ARCTIC logo:
The neck is flexible, for easy positioning:
When powered on, the ring around the control knob lights up blue:
The USB Breeze Pro fan from ARCTIC can be used successfully during hot Summer time, bringing us a breeze of warm air when needed. The installation can be done in a snap and the provided knob lets us set the desired fan speed.
The 4 port USB hub located at the base helps us connect multiple devices at once; however, it is recommended to plug in the fan at a fully powered USB port, not another hub, because you may experience the issue of not being able to use the base hub ports successfully (USB Flash drives errors, disconnects and so on); when the fan was connected to a fully powered USB 2.0 port, I was able to use 4 Flash Drives at once without problems, with the fan turned up to maximum speed. However, in case we need to connect devices which need even more power, we have to use an external power adapter (not supplied with the Breeze Pro).
The Breeze Pro fan can be used also for cooling other electronics during Summer; by installing the fan at the left side of the Shuttle X35GT, I was able to bring the temperatures down quite a bit:
After the measurement with the sound meter, half a meter away from the device, it is proven that ARCTIC do not lie when they tell us that the fan is silent (ambient noise, with the fan turned off was 29.6 dBA):
The Breeze Pro USB fan can be found in stores for about 9 Euros, not a very high price to pay considering its advantages. The power adapter could have been included along with the main product, but would have raised its price considerably.
I would like to thank again to ARCTIC for making this review possible!