PC Components

Lian Li Uni Fan SL140 – Convincing design!

Lian Li is a brand that lives up to its name. Again and again newly announced products convince with their high quality standard, whereby a more and more growing hype around the brand arises. With the latest announcements about the O11D EVO, O11D Mini and the UNI FAN AL120/AL140, more and more gamers are looking forward to what is yet to come.

But now we first want to take a look at how it currently looks like in the house of Lian Li. For this, we brought along the Lian Li Uni Fan SL140, for which there is a big rush – and not without reason. Why the hype arises and whether it is justified, you will now learn in our test!

Specifications

Model UNI FAN SL140
Fan dimensions 140 x 140 x 25 mm
Nominal voltage DC 12V (FAN) & 5V (LED)
Fan speed 500 ~1500 RPM
Static pressure 1.67 mm H2O
Airflow 70.5 CFM
Noise level max. 30 dB (A)
storage Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB)
Power 3.6 W
Guarantee 2 years
Price € 61.47 *

Scope of delivery

Delivered the Uni Fan SL140 in a visually appropriate and good-looking packaging. In doing so, they are advertised on the front as new, revolutionary daisy-chain ARGB fans. You can see a total of three white fans as the product image. However, in the top right corner, there is then information that there are only two fans of the 140 variant in the packaging. On the back, we find the specifications and features of the fans briefly and succinctly summarized.

Now let’s take a look inside the packaging. The first thing you see after opening it are three components – two fans, which are wrapped in bubble wrap, and another small black box. This box then contains the rest of the materials. More precisely, it is two clip PWM cables of the fans, a Lian Li RGB controller with the associated cables, an instruction manual and screws. The whole packaging and securing the fans Lian Li has done very well.

Total package contents

Workmanship

Now let’s take a closer look at the fans. As already mentioned, Lian Li always processes its products at a high quality level, this is also reflected in the Uni fans. The rotor blades are very stable, can not be bent far as a result. The surface of the white plastic comes along optically noble. The same applies here to the center of the rotor blades – At this point there is a chrome sticker with a ribbed structure of the Lian Li logo. These sit perfectly in the center. On the back, there is a circle in the middle with another sticker with fan specifications, from which then X-shaped struts go to the outside.

First impressions

The case of the Uni Fans is probably the most unusual thing about the fans. Around the rotor blade, a hexagonal shape descends inward. The resulting triangular corners are the bolting points, which are equipped with anti-vibration pads. These are quite thick and thus cushion almost all vibrations to the case. Whereas newer fans don’t vibrate that much these days. On the sides, from one corner to the other, there is an RGB strip on two sides. Unlike usual, this one still takes the shape of the corners.

Exciting are the pages of Uni Fans. Not only do these have a great looking chrome strip that matches the sticker in the center of the fans, but they bring something special to the table. The sides of the fans are designed so that there is a rail with contacts here. On this rail of the one fan, the other fan can be inserted or fold the cable for the power supply. Thus, in a row of 2 to a maximum of 4 fans, you only need to connect a single PWM cable to the motherboard. A nicely thought out system that works flawlessly. At the same time, the fans hold each other very strongly and cannot be easily bent or even broken that you have to be afraid when installing them.

Practice

In order to be able to address the lighting of the Uni Fans, Lian Li provides us with an RGB controller. This has a USB port, which is simply connected to the motherboard. The RGB controller now only has to be connected to a SATA port. The RGB controller offers a total of four connection options – but that doesn’t just mean four fans. A total of four fans, which are connected in a row, can be addressed simultaneously at every single free port. The maximum number of fans that can be controlled is thus 16, for which Lian Li provides the appropriate extensions in the scope of delivery. Each fan can then be connected in series with a PWM connector and 4-pin RGB connector as standard. Finally, only the appropriate software called L-Connect has to be downloaded and the fun can start.

The software is modern and clearly laid out. Each of the four ports on the RGB controller is visually represented with four fans in a row. If you set an RGB mode, not only do the fans light up, but the software also displays the lighting in real time. However, it is a bit confusing that when only two fans are connected, four fans are still shown in the software when they light up in a mode. So it can happen that the fans are faster finished with a routine than is shown in the software – Here one could still rework a bit in the software. In the software interface, the fan speed of each individual fan can also be adjusted. On the upper right side, there is also a small hook that allows you to control the lighting via the mainboard with the mainboard software.

L-Connect

The whole thing is important for the following reason: the fans, apart from the usual RGB modes of fans, offer fan overflow lighting modes. If a red streak starts on the left side of one fan and actually ends on the right side, the next Uni Fan in the row takes over the lighting and continues it until there is no more fan in the row. This feature is especially nice to look at and can get you hooked very quickly. It is desirable that we find such a mode on other fans in the near future. In addition, the colors of the RGB lighting are strong and bright, no matter how bright the environment is.

Finally, let’s say a few words about the performance. With their 500 to 1500 RPM, the fans are suitable for radiators and as case fans. At the same time, they are almost inaudible in the low RPM range. At around 900 RPM, you can hear a noticeable airflow, which is quite pleasant to the ears though. Furthermore, the noise level is bearable at maximum load, with no weird background noise. With their high static pressure, the Uni Fans attach well to radiators.

Conclusion

Lian Li has loudly proven what they want their brand to stand for with the Uni Fan SL140 – by “loudly” we don’t mean volume, of course. The Uni Fans impress with their smart and modular design, good-looking and far-reaching lighting and solid performance. Especially the RGB controller with the software and the overflowing RGB effects convinced us a lot. With a price of ~€70 (as of 03/31/2021) for two Uni Fans, they rank in the upper mid-range of 140mm RGB fans in terms of price, which is a reasonable price for what you get. Thus, the Uni Fans have earned a Platinum Award from us. With that, we can look forward to the UNI FAN AL120/AL140 coming soon!

Lian Li Uni Fan SL140

Workmanship
Features
Volume
Value for money

95/100

The Lian Li Uni Fan SL140 are exceptional fans that are very convincing. Their design not only looks good, but also the chaining of several fans is fun!

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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Lian Li is a brand that lives up to its name. Again and again newly announced products convince with their high quality standard, whereby a more and more growing hype around the brand arises. With the latest announcements about the O11D EVO, O11D Mini and the UNI FAN AL120/AL140, more and more gamers are looking … (Weiterlesen...)

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