Photos and Features
So Lian Li was kind enough to send over both the black and white versions of the Uni Fan SL 120 and as far as the packaging goes they were both the same with just the photo on the front being different along with the label down in the bottom right corner. The 3 packs have three fans in the picture and Lian Li didn’t go crazy with their branding, keeping their logo smaller than the model name even. They highlight the 2-year warranty up in the top right corner along with the number of fans in the pack which is 3. Around on the back, the fan colors are different again and I love the information they provide. You get a full specification listing as well as a list of everything included inside. The photos have the fan as well as the fan and LED controller. They also have a feature list and the link to the software is written out there as well.
Inside the box on both boxes, all three fans come wrapped in bubble wrap. Ours came with three small bags of fan mounting screws as well as the main connection adapter/wire in the box. Then with everything else in an accessories box. I did later get a new set of accessory boxes for both kits due to a potential issue with that cable on pre-production samples and it shipped later in the accessories box so I think normally everything will come boxed up. The connection cable or as they call it on the box, the Uni Fan adapter cable is the only wiring that comes from the fans and you can see that both cables are sleeved with the adapter end having a color-matched slide on clip with six connections on the back for the push pins on the fans. As for the cables, one is a traditional PWM fan header and the other is a three-pin addressable LED plug. Which if you are following is 7 total cables but we know the fan adapter only touches with 6. I’m guessing ground is shared.
Now for the rest of the accessories which all came in the box. The main controller comes sealed up in a static protective bag that you will have to rip open to get at. There are two double-sided sticky tape mounts giving you a backup if you need to remount or move it later. Then for cables, you get a SATA power cable, a USB cable, a long addressable RGB adapter cable, and a splitter for the RGB. Basically, you can use a USB connection with Lian Li’s software or you can tie into your motherboard or other lighting controller using the standard RGB connections. The splitter is there in case you only have one motherboard header and it is in use.
As for the controller, it is a relatively small black box with the Lian Li branding in it. On top, I initially thought it had four buttons but they are clips where you can hook up four sets of fans. You can see on both sides there are two sets of connections per side. This gets you a fan plug and a 3 pin addressable LED header which is the one that requires the clip seen on top. Then at the top end, this is where you hook up the three main connections. You have one SATA power plug, one USB plug, and then the three-pin is the addressable LED cable to tie in with your motherboard lighting. The back of the controller also has an indent that fits the included mounting tape perfectly. I have the highlight what stands out about this controller though, with Corsairs QL fans their controller has six plugs total, but they are only the LED plugs. You are left to deal with the fan connections when running a lot of fans, which some may like but others will have trouble finding enough connections on their motherboard. The other big thing is that with Corsair each plug was for one fan, each of these can be tied in with a set of fans.
As for the fans, remember Lian Li did send both black and white models. But I am going to focus on the white fans when looking at features. The light color makes things easier to see. So like I said earlier, the Uni Fans are available in a single pack or a triple pack which is what I have here. All three of the fans are exactly the same and none of them come with any cabling. It’s amazing for taking pictures, wires are always a pain.
So they have a 7 blade fan design and with both the black and white fans they went with solid color blades matching the rest of the fan. Not a translucent design like a lot of other fans have been going with. In the center is a machined center with the Lian Li logo which goes perfectly with the machined accents which are at the top and bottom of the fan. The white fan has light grey rubber feet on each corner where the black fans have black feet. The overall shape is a traditional square but the housing does have a nice angled area that helps feed air into the fan on the sides. At the top and bottom, they used that space to put the brow like translucent strips in that help diffuse the addressable RGB lighting behind them. The front and back both have these same lighting strips and like what Corsair did with their QL series the diffusers are also visible from the top and bottom of the fan so you can see them even when installed against a radiator or case. Speaking of which, they have the fans listed at 58.54 CFM at full speed with 2.54 mm H2O of pressure making them viable with water cooling. The Corsair QL series fans do have more static pressure at 3.0 mm and 63 CFM but this is still enough to get the job done.
The edge view going around the Uni Fans tells us a lot. The top and bottom have those real aluminum machined accents which I like. But with those, you can also see how they made room to see the lighting on both sides of the fan. This is important because with addressable LEDs you can change both sides to do different things. Then the side edges are where the fans get their unique cableless design which has a 6 pin spring-loaded connection on one side and on the other a small PCB for the pins to contact. Then one side has grooves cut into it and the other has T shaped pins that slide in the groves locking the fans together.
Speaking of together, here is what they look like when linked. You get a three-pack but according to Lian Li, you can run up to four together in a series that covers just about any case on the market. The all-white with the light grey is a great look as well. I wish we had these back when I did our Fridge build.
Here is a look at how the adapter cables hooks on to the fans. Just like how you lock the fans together, you slide and latch the adapter on to one half of the side. It is a small detail but white cables would have looked amazing with the white fans.
Now with the black Uni Fan, the RGB brow is a lot more visible. Overall the contrast between the two fans is cool and if you ended up doing a black and white build you could even mix them up doing every other fan for a unique look.
