IN WIN AURORA Addressable RGB PWM Case Fan Review

TweakTown's Rating: 95%

The Bottom Line

The Aurora fans from In Win are spectacular to look at, and the additional RGB LED strips takes the amount of lighting over the top! The 3-pack kits are affordable with dual options of control, but when ran in Turbo Mode, the noise level is likely too much for most to be comfortable with.

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It appears that one new set of RGB fans was not enough for In Win, as they have also released the Aurora RGB Fans at the same time as the Polaris RGB Fans. That being said, we are looking at a set of fans which can be controlled via motherboard RGB headers, albeit just ASUS and MSI motherboards at this time, or you can connect a hub and address the colors and patterns via software this time around. The fans are entirely different, but connectivity is similar, just with more parts to address now. If RGB fans with various modes and an additional pair of RGB LED strips are what you are looking for, you may want to look to In Win to help dress up your next build.

The Aurora fans are to be sold much like the Polaris fans, where you need to initially buy the AURORAFAN-3PK in black and red or black and white, and then add onto it with the AURORA-1PK fans. The single-pack fans will not work fully without the 3-pack parts. These fans are 120mm in size, and only draw 0.84W at 0.5A per fan. The Aurora fans will spin in a range of 800 to 1400 RPM, but with software, there is a Turbo Mode, which pushes the fans to 2000 RPM. In normal situations, these fans will top out at 40.26 CFM and 1.50 mmH2) of pressure, but using Turbo Mode raises the CFM to 57.64 and 2.77 mmH2O, which is impressive. Although, in normal operation, the sleeve bearing fans will deliver 23.7 dB(A) into the room, in Turbo Mode, the noise level jumps to 39.2 dB(A). The Aurora fans are rated to spin for 36,000 hours, and are fully covered by a two-year warranty.

Much like when we addressed the pricing for the Polaris fans, and how we appreciated the price being kept low, we find the same thing with the Aurora Fans. On the In Win eStore, the MSRP is set to $89.99 for three fans, the hub, all the wiring you will need, as well as an additional pair of RGB LED strips to accent not just where the cooling is, but the entire chassis. Looking at large retailers for a price, we do see that Amazon is carrying the 3-pack Aurora Fans for $79.99, but there are no signs of the single-pack fans on the In Win eStore or retail outlets. We can only assume that the cost is similar to the Polaris fans at $20 for each additional fan, but it could be slightly more. However, one thing is for sure, if you are looking for RGB fans with software control and do not have a ton of cash to spend, In Win has delivered the goods, and are well worth a look.

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In Win sends the Aurora 3-pack kit in a huge box, one that could fit a keyboard inside of it. On the front of the packaging we see the name of the fans and three fans, to the left, but the fans are displayed in a way which is not possible. TO the right we can see a pair of 120mm fans, but they are used to show the black and white fans versus the black and red fans. Below them, we find notations to RGB LED effects, modular connection design, Turbo Speed control, and the shockproof rubber pads on the fans.

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The back of the packaging explains to you what can be found inside initially. The next in line are the four features we saw on the front, but this time with descriptions too. To round off the information provided on this panel, we see the full specifications of the fans at the right end of it.

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Inside of the box, under the fans, you will locate all of the literature, accessories, and extra components, and we are going to start with them. On the left, we see the multilingual manual which shows how to connect the Aurora fans with the hub, delivering all the bells and whistles. We also see five zip-ties, four screws for the hub, and twelve fan screws. On the right are the instructions for connectivity directly to an ASUS or MSI motherboard, using the RGB 4-pin connection from the motherboard to drive the colors to the fans and LED strips.

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All of the included wires are black, and all but two of them are covered in black braided plastic material. From the left, we see the USB cable to connect the hub to the motherboard for software control, and next to it are a pair of 60mm 6-pin to 6-pin cables, with a 1000mm 6-pin to 6-pin cable to the right of those. Next is the 4-pin fan to 6-pin hub connection, two long 3-pin to 3-pin cables for connectivity of the LED strips, a 4-pin to 4-pin fan extension cable. The RGB and fan power cable if using the motherboard to control the fans and LED strips, and the SATA power to 6-pin cable to give power to the hub.

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As many would wish to deliver the same color to the inside of the chassis, but maybe not where the fans are mounted, In Win provides the solution for you. Along with a trio of fans, In Win offers up a pair of 300mm RGB LED cables with 3M adhesive on them to add lighting where you need more.

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The hub which controls everything is a sleek looking brushed metal box, which is black to make the natural metal In Win AURORA stand right out. Conveniently, the hub is the same size as an SSD so that it can be mounted inside of a drive cage, or in a hidden tray behind the motherboard.

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In Win made sure that all of the connectivity happens on one end of the hub too, and this will help a lot when it comes to wire management. On the left is the output 6-pin, which is where the fans are connected. Next to it is another 6-pin connection, but this is where the SATA to 6-pin cable is plugged in. The next port is where you connect the USB cable from the motherboard to the hub, and at the right is where the 4-pin fan lead connects to offer voltage and RPM signals.

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With square frames and seven slightly tinted blades, the Aurora Fan are attractive to add to any PC. In this instance, we have the black and red fans, which only the rubber grommets take on the red color. Notice too, that currently there are no wires attached, and the way in which connectivity is done, is much cleaner than most other fans on the market.

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Where the Polaris fans used 8-pin connectors, to help ensure that the Aurora fans are not mixed with them, In Win changed to 6-pin connections on the Aurora Fans. Also note that one side is marked in, and the other side marked out, so when it comes time to connect the fans, it ensures the predefined patterns work correctly.

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Many may not consider the fact that the back of the Aurora fans looking so high-end would matter, with so much tempered glass used in cases, all views of the Aurora fans are brilliant. The metal sticker and bold In Win AURORA naming on it are much nicer than almost any other fan.

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Of course, this is only one of the twenty-two LED lighting modes which the hub and software provide. It is also just one of eight light speed levels, one of seven fan speed levels, and the most intense of the six LED brightness levels. Each fan has only four LEDs, which curve with the blades to add color, but the additional RGB LED strips to add a whole other level of flooding the chassis with light.

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Once downloaded and installed, with the possibility of needing the latest NetFramework so it can function correctly, we can start the software and see what we can do. This is the only window in which you can do anything to the Aurora fans. Modes can be selected at the top, and below, on the left, is where the fans can be addressed. At the top, you can change the fan speed in steps, or select Turbo Mode to get the most out of the fans. On the right, we can adjust the LED (brightness) lightness, and below that, you can speed up or slow down the speed of the modes. The power switch at the bottom allows the option to tune off the LEDs, but the fans still spin.

We will say that the Polaris fans are easier to connect, but as long as you follow the instructions provided in the manual, getting the Aurora fans up and running is not that much of a hassle. We love that the hub can sit in any 2.5" bay securely, we appreciate the attention to detail with all of the wires, and while the fans may appear ordinary, once powered the Aurora fans show their true colors. We do feel that In Win could have taken the software a bit further in development for additional options, but we do realize time is money, and it would drive the price up to do this. What we do like about it is that for those that do need finite control of the colors, and like the options you can see in the video below, the adjustments offered keep it simple, yet offers enough to customize speed, sound, intensity, fan speed, and delivers twenty-two predefined modes to use.

In testing, we found a few things worth mentioning. The airflow offered is capable of cooling a chassis sufficiently, without a bunch of noise involved either. With the fans at their top speed, in Turbo mode, the noise is much higher, where our meter was showing 52 dB for the increased airflow. We also slid a dust filter in front of them, and we expected the airflow to be reduced, but we also noticed a noise increase depending on the type of filer used. In the standard settings for fan speed, we took it up to the top speed, and at this time, the fans are only delivering 32 dB of noise into the room. Of course, fan filter will again reduce the airflow by roughly a third of what we had without the filter.

InWin delivers an affordable solution for those looking to add a big splash of color to their chassis. The Aurora Fan 3-pack kit we have just seen is quite impressive. There are many LED modes to keep many happy, the intensity of the brightness is better than most fans we see, and you have the option to forgo the software altogether, and use an ASUS or MASI motherboard to drive the fans and RGB LED strips to match what the motherboard is doing. The software may have limited color customizations for those looking for a specific shade or pattern, but we like the simplicity of it all, and that fact that for just $79.99, you can add brilliance to any chassis in both cooling potential as well as illumination. In Win has impressed, and with the Aurora RGB Case Fans and RGB LED strips, we have yet to see a set more capable, with what is delivered all-in-one complete package.

Chad's Fan Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus VIII HERO (Intel Z170) - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Memory: Patriot Viper 4 3000MHz 4X4GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 6GB OC - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Storage: Corsair Neutron XTi 480GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Case: INWIN D-Frame - Read our review
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower DPS 1050W - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit - Buy from Amazon
• Software: RealTemp 3.70, AIDA64 Engineer 5.75.3900, and CPU-z 1.77.0 x64