WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.880 We all need to cool our computers and since you can't just chuck them into an ice bath, 00:00:04.880 --> 00:00:10.320 we use fans to move hot air away from vital components. But fans have issues of their own. 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:16.320 They're loud and they wear out over time. But there's actually a type of fan out there 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:22.000 that's super quiet and will probably last longer than the rest of your PC. They're called magnetic 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:28.080 levitation or maglev fans and yes, they operate on the same principle as those ultra-fast trains 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:33.680 in Japan and stuff. You see, every fan needs a bearing near its center to hold the fan shaft in 00:00:33.680 --> 00:00:39.280 place and allow it to spin in the proper direction and the way that magnetic bearings work is really 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:44.800 cool. Maglev bearings do not require any physical contact between the fan shaft and the bearing 00:00:44.800 --> 00:00:50.960 itself. Instead, magnets both keep the fan balanced and calibrated in midair so it doesn't go off 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:56.560 axis and also make the fan spin with differences in magnetic polarity. Very similar to how a 00:00:56.560 --> 00:01:01.520 maglev train is suspended off the tracks by magnetic repulsion and polarity differences on 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:06.800 the rail both push and pull the train forward. But unlike a train, the big advantage of maglev 00:01:06.800 --> 00:01:13.040 fans isn't about going at crazy speeds. Instead, the fact that the shaft doesn't make any physical 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:18.240 contact with the bearing means there's almost no friction. Most bearing types commonly found in 00:01:18.240 --> 00:01:23.120 computers involve contact between the shaft and the bearing itself, which creates both unwanted 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:28.960 noise as well as wear and tear. Common sleeve bearing and ball bearing fans try to cut down on 00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:34.720 these issues by using an oil lubricant, but ultimately friction and lubricant loss will 00:01:34.720 --> 00:01:39.520 get the better of these fans and they'll need to be replaced at some point. But since maglev fans 00:01:39.520 --> 00:01:45.040 don't really have these issues, they can last a really long time. Corsair, one of the big manufacturers 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:51.520 of maglev fans, claims a 200,000 hour mean time before failure. Yes, that's nearly 23 years of 00:01:51.520 --> 00:01:56.800 continuous operation, continuous. And I'm guessing you probably won't be using your next computer 00:01:56.800 --> 00:02:03.120 for quite that long. Of course, the lack of friction doesn't mean it'll last forever. Dust and dirt 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:08.720 can still damage the fan, and the underlying electronics that make the fan blades turn can also 00:02:08.720 --> 00:02:13.520 wear out over time. But at the end of the day, most users won't have to worry about searching for a 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:18.720 replacement fan within the lifespan of the computer, so that's just one less thing. 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:25.360 The other big advantage of a maglev fan is the reduced noise output. Because the moving parts 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:29.840 of the fan aren't actually touching anything, the only noise you'll hear is the sound of the air 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:35.760 moving through the fan blades, meaning maglev fans can be nearly silent at lower RPMs and quieter 00:02:35.760 --> 00:02:40.080 than competing fan types once you crank them up during a gaming session or editing session. 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:45.280 So maglev fans are fantastic, we all get it, but are there any disadvantages? It turns out there 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:51.440 actually are not, really, any trade-offs versus other fan types in terms of performance and features. 00:02:51.440 --> 00:02:56.160 But as you might imagine, they are among the most expensive computer fans available. 00:02:56.160 --> 00:03:01.040 If you're looking for the cheapest fans, check out our video on the other bearing types, but 00:03:01.040 --> 00:03:06.480 be careful, as one common type is not suitable for being mounted horizontally. Do you have this 00:03:06.480 --> 00:03:10.800 fan in your PC? I don't know. Couple of other caveats that don't involve price. Since maglev 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:15.360 fans are less common than the other fan types, it may be more difficult to find them in exactly 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:20.080 the aesthetic that you want for your build. And also remember that maglev fans typically don't 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:24.960 give you a big increase in cooling performance above the other fan types, so while the long life 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:29.920 and low noise are nice, don't expect them to magically make your temperatures plummet. But, 00:03:29.920 --> 00:03:35.360 hey, their other features still make them a cool addition to your PC, huh? Right? Sorry. 00:03:36.160 --> 00:03:39.840 Okay, that joke blows. Thanks for watching guys, if you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, 00:03:39.920 --> 00:03:43.920 and hit me up in the comments section for your suggestions for topics that we should cover 00:03:43.920 --> 00:03:44.800 in the future.