EK Releases Updated Vardar “EVO” fans with 0dB Technology

EK have released an updated fan called the Vardar EVO:

We have previously reviewed the Vardar ER and Vardar Vanilla and found it to be not quite as good as EK’s marketing hoped when compared to the Gentle Typhoon.  However they were still great performing fans and are easier to get and in a wider variety of colors than the Typhoons.  They’ve also since been updated/recalled to solve some of the low RPM noise problems.  The new Vardar EVO adds 0dB technology aka a start/stop function that ensure the user a true 0dB noise environment if desired. If the PWM curve is set so that the PWM duty cycle is below 25-30% PWM (depending on the motherboard model) the fan will simply stop spinning. If the PWM duty cycle is raised by the fan control software, the fan will spin up once again. EK-Vardar EVO ER models also feature Hydro-Dynamic bearing which EK claims is superior to double-ball bearing due to less friction, wear and vibration and consequently less noise.  Here’s our editor’s personal take on this:

“Personally I love the 0dB start/stop tech on my EVGA GPUs with air cooling – in low power modes (everything but gaming) the cards are truly silent and there is zero dust build up.  However I’ve never had much luck when turning off fans with a water cooling loop because the coolant gets quite warm quite quickly and so the fans constantly need to cycle on and off.  Now that is partly how I run my CPU overclock, but it’s also because a CPU doesn’t usually power down when you’re doing light tasks as much as a powerful GPU could.  I much prefer to run my water cooling loop fans at a minimum of ~500rpm which can keep temps reasonably low and in check while still providing a ‘pseudo silent’ behaviour i.e. the noise is so far below ambient noise that you can’t hear it anyway.  These Vardar EVO fans therefore would be mostly suited to low power builds e.g. a quad core without hyperthreading that still has all the power saving features turned on.” – Stren

Other key marketing characteristics of EK-Vardar EVO fans are:

• High-static pressure / low noise profile – unlike other general-purpose computer cooling fans, the EK-Vardar EVO family of fans is built specifically for computer liquid cooling systems, namely radiator cooling. The 7 fan blade design is optimized for high-pressure operation while maintaining the low noise profile throughout the whole operation range of the fan. Vardar’s design and construction are also very suitable for high-performance air coolers or as case fans for restrictive cases with dust filters.
• High-quality motor and bearing assembly – New electrical design, actively cooled motor windings and Hydro-Dynamic bearing (only with ER models) with 50.000 hours life span (MTBF) ensures uninterrupted operation for years to come. Precise Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) for fan speed adjustment allows performance on demand.
• Sealed-edge fan casing – The classic, yet effective square shape of the fan casing provides optimal performance in either pull- (suction) or push (pressure) regime without hydraulic losses thus ensuring the optimal cooling capacity of your liquid cooling radiators. The classic shape of the fan frame also allows easy cable routing while grouping more fans on one radiator.
• Timeless design – the EK-Vardar EVO fan fits subtly into any liquid cooling computer without drawing too much attention. Fans are available in a single (all black or all white) and two-tone (black with gray blades) color variations.

Pricing and availability.

Black EK-Vardar EVO ER fans are already available for purchase through EK Webshop and Partner Reseller Network. EK-Furious Vardar EVO and white EK-Vardar EVO fans are going to be available in the next few weeks. 

Here is the table of pricing and 0db Technology inclusion.

Source: EKWB