Fans are so important if you're an enthusiast, IMO. It boggles my mind when enthusiast PC builders use the stock fans that come with their case and then complain about noise or temperatures. 🤔
I really appreciate your subjective take on fan tonal quality. IMO, when you're down to 1°F or 2°F difference, tonal quality is more important, anyways. This is something I rarely see reviews talk about. A spectrogram of a recording of the fan noise (easily viewed in Audacity) might help to describe *why* it has better tonal quality, as well.
Thanks for that tip. I might throw a few of my audio samples into Audacity to see what it can show me. Very intriguing in concept! By the way, potentially my most important fan review of the year is dropping tomorrow, don't miss it!
Just found your channel as there's so many fans on the market and it's hard to know what to pick. To my ear the Toughfan and P12 ARGB fans sound the most pleasant.
Thanks as always for watching! Honestly, the more I do this, the more questions it presents for me, so I'm not surprised if it leaves you wondering about a few things too!
For the honorable mentions I would like to add some important information: the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 only comes with a 2 year warranty, and with their less-than-stellar reputation I would take that into consideration. The P12 ARGB comes with a full 6 year warranty and the non-ARGB a full 10 years, so you can most likely expect a much longer lifespan from them.
Very valid point. I haven't had trouble with Thermaltake fans I've personally run in my system 8-10 hours a day for 3 years, so I'm not too worried, but a long warranty is a good extra. I've mentioned that about Arctic in previous videos, hard to mention it every time!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yeah, I think the Toughfan 12 will probably last long regardless with the quality of it, with the higher quality components I'd definitely expect it to last longer. There is of course always going to be that one fan who breaks regardless and that's where I find just a 2 year warranty to be insufficient for such an expensive fan. But just like you I wouldn't be too worried. Also can't describe how much I appreciate your replies here on the RUclips comment section, always makes my day :)
Love all these fans... haven't tried the Wonder Snails but I'm keeping my eye out. I completely agree with you on the tone of the Toughfans. That was the determining factor for me between them and the Noctuas. Now the Toughfan 14 model is out and those are great too! Recently built my first custom loop with dual rads on the CPU. One 280 rad using Toughfan 14s and a 240 using Toughfan 12s. They really are nice sounding fans and the performance is great. I wouldn't mind some extra headroom and am considering getting the Toughfan 12 Turbos for some extra oomph when running a stress test on an overclock.
Sounds like a sweet setup, literally and figuratively! Yeah, the Turbo model might be a good bet if it can stay smooth at low RPMs, which may not be the case. Might use a different motor spec'd for durability, not low noise. I of course want to try it, but I've got way too much on my list already, including the entire fleet of ToughFan air and liquid coolers sitting here right now.
Thank you for your work. Great as always. Such a great feeling knowing my choice of fan is the best overall. I use the NF-A12x25 as a case fan and heatsink fan on the NH-U12A. Not the best heatsink fan but near the top. Definitely not the best case fan, but the performance at a given noise level is top notch. Allows me to run them faster.
Good choice! Don't worry about it not being "the best" heatsink fan, it is right at the top. And yes, while it's definitely not the best case fan, it has a good sound quality, and that is probably just as important as dropping one more degree via different case fans.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru some days ago I swapped my A12x15 fans for some EK Vardar ones to run a benchmark. The Noctuas are basically like: oh, there's a fan. The EKs are more like: Wtf is that turbine, that's horrible!
@Paul Jung, that is what I've heard about the EK Vardar, which is why I don't feel too bad about not including them (I've asked for samples and been summarily ignored!).
@John Raphael Bandoja - good question. You know, it's pretty close, in fact I'd often see peak temp at around the 7th run, and my 3900X can do 8 runs in 5 minutes. If I did it for 30 minutes, would temps peak even higher? Probably, but I'd have a lot less data for you if I did that, and furthermore, whatever problem it causes for soaking the radiator is going to affect all the fans the same. It's more of an issue when testing different rads.
This is the one I was waiting for! Its true, that radiator size is way more impactful than most fan upgrades, but SFF is a whole other story. If the limit is a case volume, every centimeters count and so do the fans.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru the most overlooked part is, that most SFF cases already create circumstances similar to a radiator, so your radiator shoutout is especially usefull for basically all SFF cases.
This is true, but I would just point out that a limited airflow environment is not the same thing as a radiator. So blowing through a 20L case is hard, and blowing through a 10L case is harder, but it's still a different task then blowing through a tightly-packed radiator fin array. I've considered an ITX case fan roundup, but honestly, it's a bit too case specific, and I just don't think I could draw any general conclusions.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I wouldn't request such a roundup. It's just too specific. SFF is mostly enthusiasts space, so everyone will do their own customization, so going with set shout outs is basically pointless. Steering people in the direction of good fans and with a healthy amount of brain power, your videos are insanely valuable for everyone building a PC.
Speaking of air gaps, Alphacool started including gaskets with some of their radiator/fan combos, they say closing the airgap improves airflow and noise performance measurably. Turns out there's always another wrinkle to mess with your testing ;)
Solid performance, as per usual. My favourite part being the intro, specifically the Notes on Test Methodology, establishing those variables and how they may or may not have impacted the visual results. Unfortunately, I've had a H150i RGB PRO XT here in the box that I hastily purchased for what I thought was a good deal a month or two ago. Seeing as I already had the iCue software active from my PSU, I thought great; until shortly after I saw your video on it. I was p*ssed off that RUclips hadn't recommended the video sooner as I had notifications for your channel on, but it was set to "personalized"...
Are you referring to my review of the H150i? It's not a bad cooler, really, just held back by the very ML120 fans I tested in this video. It's a step or two behind at every decibel level. But that is pretty typical of any AIO you buy, unless its an Arctic model, which already has very decent rad fans, as shown in my shootout. Actually, a new product coming out, which I already have a sample of here, is the Thermaltake Toughliquid 360. Now that could be a killer product, but I don't even know the price of it yet. Comes with the Toughfan 12s, which are excellent as I've shown, and probably the best rad fans you'll get stock on any AIO.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru The H150i Pro's performance difference is minimal for me not to worry when generalized, but the increase of 10db at max RPM won't be ignorable. I don't think I could justify buying a set of additional fans to put on the radiator. I still have some budget fans in the box I could try, but if I had planned to go that route, I believe I would have been better off buying the radiator separately. I should have gone with the Arctic 360 or 420 for a similar price. I'll be interested to see the Toughliquid. I'm currently waiting on an AMD CPU bootkit before I'll be able to try out the AIO at hand.
After watching your previous vids I've put Arctic P14s all over the place in my rig (3900X), they're cheap, silent and works well, thx ! This vid says mostly the same :) Only issue is that they have some resonance noise at certain rpm, which are hard to get rid off because it's multiple frequencies, and I have 5 fans on 2 profiles tho... What I've also noticed is that fans that go over 2000rpm are always noisy, so going for bigger and slower 140mm fans is better (P14s are up to 1700rpm vs 1875 for P12s, for +25% CFM on the P14)
Thanks for the subjective take. That is one of the reasons to watch a review. I have run across many reviews of various things where they just give you some numbers and then act like if they gave you an opinion they would be committing a sin. IMO the subjective take is just as important as the raw numbers.
Yes, exactly this! I know it is probably seen as a negative to some people when a reviewer gives their subjective opinion, but especially after an epic series of roundups like you have given us, I feel like your opinion is more valuable than anything the numbers could tell us. As an aside, I really love this lineup of fans. It’s almost like you read my mind in choosing these for comparison. And the little nod to the ToughFan 12 at the end gives me the peace of mind I needed to finally stop watching reviews. 😉
Aye, the video's out. Really surprised by how close they all are, but happy with that fact. If changing not just one, but two fans from Arctic to Noctua only gives such a little difference, then it's not worth it.
Really good video... My Noctua fans have been running for a good 8 years now. Still run as well and quietly as on the first day. The competitors are getting closer. But!!! We'll see if the quality of the others is as good as Noctua's....
Your reviews are very thorough and you're one of the few RUclipsrs I feel like I can trust. Currently building my first PC with a tempered glass panel and thinking about RGB. There is an RGB fan that seems to be internet famous, labeled a "Noctua Killer" by RUclipsr Bitwit - the PCCooler Moonlight (formerly Corona). It's known all over reddit, forums, and Amazon reviews as "Bitwit fans" due to his glowing review. Thing is, he only compared it to the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC. That seemed to be all that was necessary in giving these fans their glowing reputation that has withstood 3-years following that video. The only other comparison I could find was another RUclipsr who compared them to NZXT Aer P fans and found NZXT to be better - but I was under the impression Aer Ps weren't that great. Anyway, I like their look, so if you have another fan shootout coming up, would you please consider throwing these into the mix?
Thanks for your informed post. Those fan reviews were pretty questionable, but another issue you need to consider is whether you're using the fan for case cooling or mounted on a radiator or heatsink. The best ARGB fans I've tested are the P12 A-RGB from Arctic, in this video. They are great on either, which is very, very rare. Here's the link: amzn.to/3kfC8Ic The best ARGB case fan may be different, but while I planned to do a thorough test at one point, I no longer have time to do tests like that for RUclips.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks, the P12 A-RGB and P14 A-RGB (since I need both sizes) would be a definite obvious choice - if it weren't for the fact I'm rather drawn to the aesthetic of having just an outer ring that lights up instead of the whole fan blade. More subtle, perhaps. The Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB is supposed to have similar performance to the P12, and Arctic themselves have been selling B-stock 3-packs on eBay for just under $41. Perfect, if only they had a matching 140mm! I'm thinking I'm after static pressure fans for both my AIO radiator and case, since it has a very fine mesh front that might benefit from static pressure too (Cooler Master NR400). Be Quiet Light Wings High-Speed do come in both sizes, but cost as much as Noctuas. Anyway, I understand the lack of time. What you've done so far is by far the most comprehensive fan review/comparison I've seen and is greatly appreciated.
I don't like the P120 A-RGB. It really isn't the same fan. Due to using an outer light ring, the fan blades are shorter than the P12 A-RGB. It won't perform the same. With that said, if you like the aesthetics (which it sounds like you do), the trade off may be worth it to you. But then you have the need for 140mm fans, and that makes the P14 A-RGB come into consideration. So... yeah, you have some options, but I'd go with the P12/P14 setup unless you really don't like the look! By the way, the P12 A-RGB 3-pack is out of stock right now, but the 1-pack is still available: amzn.to/3ko1jbN #ad And here's the P14 A-RGB: amzn.to/3F8nfBi #ad
@@TheTechBuyersGuru True. Two RUclipsrs, STS and Tech Lens, had decent reviews of the P120 A-RGB and it's both 5mm thicker and runs at higher RPM to compensate for the shorter blades. However, both found that at a given PWM, it slightly outperforms the P12 due to higher RPM, yet isn't significantly louder. Based on those two reviews, it seems pretty decent. I do prefer matching, so lack of a 140mm version does make me lean more towards a combo of P12/P14 A-RGB fans. I've also considered RGB-less fans like the Toughfan 12/14 and add Phanteks Halos RGB frames. The really low cost option is just to get a couple NZXT Aer P fans to match the 2 I've already got ($7.99 at Amazon), and see just how loud they are for myself, though I've read several redditors say they're so loud they're not even worth the $7.99.
Ml120 are extremely loud compared to toughfan and p12. I had all of them) p12 are bad for horizontal installation, they started to produce some weird noise after 3 months of usage, but everything were ok with ml120 and toughfan. I sold my p12s and ml120s))
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I have 3 on the front on a 360 rad, one in the back, and one P14 on the top near the back. I tested with 2 fans on top but the front top fan wasn't doing anything for my temperatures. I also tested with a fan directly under my gpu and that didn't do anything either.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I was surprised as well. I purchased a small fan(Arctic F8) to go under my GPU as an exhaust because I saw a post on reddit that this helps GPU temps. I will report back on if it helps or not.
People have asked me about these trend, and frankly, I don't think it will work, but I could be wrong. I don't plan on testing it, but please feel free to report back.
I can't recommend the P12's for clean, hobbyist or quiet builds. They have an impressively quiet fan blade, but also groan and vibrate like crazy at certain rpms. The disparity between having a computer than is often quiet, but occasionally sounds like it's broken, gets irritating.
I switched to a smaller form factor case, and so the system isn't as muffled as a midtower, and unfortunately the "growl" from the P12 is much more noticeable in that system, it really bums me out, but at least the Liquid Freezer II is still really good
@@slywolf_ you might manage with wonky fan curves and minor vibrations just fine. I'm warning people that P12s won't be good enough for those trying to build clean PCs. Fan curves wont get rid of the vibrations when your fans are ramping up or slowing down. And you're limited to a stepped fan curve, which is just as distracting and the vibrations. Not for clean builds.
Thanks for watching. What I should have mentioned is that these results are directly comparable to the ones on the Noctua heatsink: ruclips.net/video/ERN61VyqDGA/видео.html With same test setup and test conditions, the spread between the fans on the heatsink was much greater (and temps much higher). This suggests that fan upgrades can do more good on a heatsink than on a radiator.
Great video as always my guy and appreciate all the hard work that you put into these videos. I am surprised that the Scythe Wonder Snail did not come out on top in this shootout sense it did so well in your heatsink video. Looks like the Noctua is the radiator king when it comes to rad fans, great benchmarks, especially when it comes down to your noise normalized charts. Had a question though, how well would the classic Gentle Typhoon fair against all these pressurized fans? It was something I was thinking about for a while since a lot of fans take inspiration from it's tried and true design. Great take on the quality of the rad and heatsink that must also be considered besides the fan quality. Awesome video and keep up the great content @TBG.
My guess on the the OG gentle typhoon is that while it could perform similarly to the newer fans that look the same, the bearing and motor design would not be as good. So noise quality would be worse and noise normalized results might not be as good. But I haven't tested it, so this is just a guess.
Thanks for all your effort, your CPU cooler and fan reviews and shootouts are one of the best! I am curious about the thing you mentioned at the end of the video - upgrading fans vs upgrading cooler or case. I would be really interested in seeing this in action - if I had the parts, I would take a cheaper cooler like Be Quiet Pure Rock 2 and put on the Noctua NF-A12x25 fan (or two) and test how it changes performance, what If the fans on NH-U12A would be exchanged for cheap Pure Wings fan(or 2 ) - would it get a lot worse? What if you had a bad case airflow and had Pure Rock 2, what would make more improvement - better case/adding good case fans vs upgrading the cooler to something better like NH-U12s/a and keeping the bad case?
That would be interesting... but I don't plan on testing it. The problem is that it would just be too specific to the parts used. I'll stick to tests where there is just one variable, thanks 😊
If we assume that you have bad case airflow and your Pure Rock 2 has problems with keeping your CPU cool, the best thing you can do is to change the cooler for stronger. Summary cost of weak cooler and it's fan upgrade will give worse result then the same money spent on better cooler. The more you overkill cooling solutions of individual components, the lower is impact of case airflow and it doesn't work opposite. Case airflow doesn't cool components, it only removes heat their coolers earlier removed, but inadequate case airflow makes coolers job harder (dicreases mentioned overkill) or shitty coolers won't be saved by amazing case airflow.
Good point on case cooling - it's not really there to cool components, although it arguably is the only active cooling for RAM, SSDs, some chipsets, and VRMs when used with most AIOs...
@@TheTechBuyersGuru You're right, but to my taste with these components case role more then cooling is preventing them from overheating. Generally case airflow doesn't cool components, it dicreases temperature inside the case, which can affect temperatures of components or not.
Big fan of your videos. Am curious if you clean the fans you review with something? I have some of the same fans and yours often look better. They have kind of a wet look im wondering if you do that yourself or maybe the camera has that effect? Thanks for all your incredible content and look forward to your future videos!
Great to see another beefy video from you! To be honest I don't like your idea of decoupling rubber mounts from fans. They serve their purpose, most people rather use them and if you have suspicions about something like this affecting cooling or noise, please test it first and even better show us the results ;) / About mentioned turbulent sound of ML fans, it may be connected to overal tendency of fans as any create to some point turbulence/resonance on various rpm, just because working in closed space as case, even mesh one is. With various speeds they their sound hit frequencies, which combined with closed space create this turbulence/resonance and after removing side panel it dissapears. Arctic P are ofc different story as they whistle even being outside the case. Btw great that you introduced your opinions about quality of sound. It's relative, but well sounding fans are not only quiet ones, but also just well sounding :]
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I understood that you mentioned it behaving like that ~40 dBA, but there are fans, which just have turbulent noise profile. It's great that talk about such aspects as people tend to look only at dBA when to my taste or I should say ears, sound characteristic is way more important.
The 40dBA sample was where I thought it stood out most, as the decibel level was obviously 40, like others, but the sound quality was totally different, and unfortunately worse.
That's why I so much appreciate your audio samples :] When you get into world of quiet computers, what matters the most is how nice it all sounds together. I have my own tricks like having my case fans set in bios to run constant (0-99C) inaudible speed to keep my pc all the time just silent as off during webbrowsing and I switch them with mobo's software to high constant speed before load - changes of speeds are percieved by us as worse then even higher constant one, so it works best when case fans cover anything else. With GPU I apply temperature limit connected to power limit in terms of running it always with the same speed and temperature - way to make even not the best non-reference cool and damn quiet for unnoticeable boost price like
Interesting that the performance of all these fans is within the range of measurement error. Bottom line, go for the best price or the one you like most. Also worth mentioning is that at the same db levels, different sounds can be percepted as louder or more annoying depending on the dominating sound frequency.
These are all excellent fans. That is why they were close. I did many videos on this topic previously where the results were not close. I didn't bother testing the losers again.
Nice work, Ari. No issue with you testing the ToughFan - I want to see more of that Noctua design & at cheaper prices, with better colours & the option of ARGB. It's not like they're breaking any laws right? Agree that Noctua needs to lift their game - pricing is too loco.
At the end of the day, a 1 or 2 degree difference is probably close enough that people can decide based on other factors like aesthetics, tone quality, warranty, etc
@@swizzler8053 if there was just one non-a12x25 that was black and didn’t have some sort of dumb quirk. Normal p12 had the resonance issue, tough fan 12 seems to have abysmal QC and a 2 year warranty, wondersnail hasn’t been out long enough to really know Sigh, brown noctua it is
@@hameed I was in the same boat as you and ended up buying two of the Noctua NF-A12x25. Too many of these flavor of the month fans (Arctic P series, Kaze Flex) had dumb quirks from my experience with them.
Ok thanks for this results ! The NF A12X25 is for sure an excellent fan. If I have to pick a rival it would be Thermalright... but man their marketing and availability are disastrous in Europe and US... and there is no good review of their fan or their new coolers :')
Did you test the Noctua with the rubber gasket for comparison? I suspect the same performance but quieter. May allow for higher RPM when noise normalized.
I can't test that, as it's below the threshold for any standard dB meter. I'd need much more expensive gear, and it would likely be below the noise floor of the room.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I see, thanks. By the way, I am using SCZP-1000 (replaced with NF-A14) on 4650G, and it is 34 degrees (650rpm) at idle and 65 degrees (1,000rpm) at cbR23 in summer. It drops to about 25 degrees (500 rpm) at idle in winter.
I made everything right with my 5600x paired with the Noctua NH-D15s @2xNoctua A12x25 ULN fans running between 700rpm in windows and 800-1000 rpm in games with nearly no noise at max 60-64°C
If you had the Be Quiet! Light Wings ARGB 120mm High Speed fans in your round up would they be preferred over the P12 ARGBs? In some of STS fan reviews, they were just under the Noctua and above the Arctic P14 ARGB.
Hi there! Thx for the great fan tests, they're really helpful! But how come you never reviewed Noiseblocker, Nanoxia or NZXT fans? Lol, I picked up three brands all starting with N. )
I tested noiseblockers in my case fan roundup last year: ruclips.net/video/PUdsTiRmuuU/видео.html Excellent fans, but not designed for coolers. ARGB version will be featured later this year in another roundup. As for those other brands, they aren't on my recommended list, Nanoxia being very scarce and NZXT not being a leader in fan design.
I've only tested them on a few coolers, like the TY-147 on the Macho and the TY-100 on the AXP-100. My impression is that they are cost-effective, but not stellar. A little rough sounding, and I had one fail during testing. Thermalright is all about value, but it is not a leader in fan design.
Hey man, i´m srry to be late with this, but i just noticed.... The corsair fan results are a bit fishy, compared to what we´ve seen from you and other ppl testing these fans. I guess is common knowledge by now that the type of fan like the corsair ml120, usually at above 1k RPM spins like 300rpm lower than the nf a12x25 type of fans for the same noise level. Usually that difference in fan RPM for the same noise level, widens as you go higher, but it happened the other way around with the ML120. Considering the noise difference happens because there is more gap between the blades and they're fewer, and the noise mostly come from air resistance, that type of behavior should not be possible. Not to mention that ml120s are usually known to be loud. Might wanna look into it.
Nothing fishy about it, my results are spot on. The ML120 is far slower than every other fan when dB-normalized, just as expected. I showed this again and again: 07:58 10:24 The blade design is radically different from all the other fans in the test, so it should operate at a different RPM. But just because it's far slower doesn't mean it's doing far less work. Thus it is only about 1 degree behind. Is the ML120 "loud"? Well, when dB-normalized, it's exactly as loud as the decibel meter says it is, i.e., the same as all the other fans. That is the wonder of dB-normalization, which is something I have pushed very hard on this channel. I dispel myths and tell truths by showing how fans work at specific noise levels. RPM is irrelevant. Would I recommend the ML120 for radiator use? No. But it by no means the worst rad fan out there, and probably better than many outdated Noctua fans people have used on rads for years.
Any chance of doing a 3rd part of these excellent review, adding the new Phanteks T30-120 (PH-F120T30_BG_3P) available on Amazon and the old Scythe Gentle Typhoon in the form of DarkSide Gentle Typhoon PWM (D1225C12B5ZPA-65) available on Perfomance-PC.
Great video again! I may go for the Noctua NF-A12. I saw in Amazon the Noctua NF-A12x15 Black edition, which is 7€ cheaper than the x25. Would they also work and deliver the same ratio performance / silence? Thanks!
Subbed, Just watched your top vs front mounted AIO. Now i decided to go for top because of your reasoning the GPU can throttle easier with front mounting. Now im just looking which one to buy. I have space for a 240mm maybe(have to measure 280mm). What recommendations do you have? Edit 280mm wont fit And do you recommend having a strong rear exhaust to get rid of the gpu heat?
Thanks for the sub! In terms of a 240mm AIO, I'm going to recommend the new Toughliquid 240 from Thermaltake: amzn.to/3wPDgX1 It's expensive, but it has the best fans you'll find on any AIO. They are far superior to the fans on most other brands. The only AIO that can compete is the Arctic Liquid Freezer II: amzn.to/3kxIrs2 This is much cheaper, and an amazing value, but it is very thick and will cause fitment issues in almost any mid-size case. And yes, a strong exhaust is great, and I recommend the Scythe Kaze Flex 140 (if that fits): amzn.to/3extVfZ Or the Scythe Kaze Flex 120: amzn.to/2VWCMS8
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks for the reply. I was looking into the Arctic Liquid Freezer ll. But was still thinking about maybe going for a new case that will fit 360 on top. This will be the case Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 ARGB. I have the same now but the RGB version that only fit 240 on top. Do you think that is worth it? Im running a ryzen 5 3600 and planning to upgrade it next year to something like a AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. Will a 240mm be enough or is it better to go for 360mm?
The MB511 will not work with rads on top. Requires motherboards with super-short onboard heatsinks. Wait until you're ready to get the 5800X and then upgrade the whole system with a bigger case that has proper radiator support, along with a 240mm or 360mm liquid cooler.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru i received my new case cooler master mb511 argb and the arctic liquid freezer ll 360. And i have gigabyte aorus elite motherboard and it fits. Only have to screw it down 😀
The LFII 360 fits on top in the MB511? The LFII is particularly problematic due to its thickness, 11mm more than standard. Please let me know if it all fits together, as I will be *very* impressed!
Could you try out the SilenX brand IXP-76-18? It's one of the few 38mm thick 120mm fans that you can still get which isn't a delta fan. There used to be a market for extra deep fans and I wonder if there was a reason for that outside of compatibility. It would be so interesting if you could ever acquire an old Triebwerk 120mm x 55mm fan.
There is the EK Meltemi, but that one isn't very good. Also Delta isn't the only one who make powerful fans, there's also Nidec, Sanyo Denki, Sunon, Foxconn, etc, they all make fans just as good as deltas.
@@ydihtty Couldn't you call those server fans? I know Delta is a brand but it also seems to be an umbrella term for computer fans made for an environment where noise is not an issue.
Hi Ari, I have an Air cube 540, I have now Noctua NF F12 working in take air in frontal panel... I want to choose a good fans caring the noise. What do you recommend me? Thanks in advance.
Did all these fans work with ICUE? im wanting to get the h100i pro xt and replace the ml120 fans with noctua nf a-12's and im worried they wont work with ICUE setting the RPM/curve
I feel like you are biased toward the Noctua. On any of the non-normalized tests, the Arctics were within a degree which could arguably be within the error margin of your testing, but they were almost 2 decibels quieter which is fairly noticeable. All for 1/3 the price with a much better warranty. Why would using a radiator mean you'd want more expensive fans? I'd have been more inclined to say that those buying AIO's are more inclined to care about RGB in which case the Noctua isn't in the running. You left out Phanteks and Lian Li fans entirely which are very popular because they look so good as well as moving the air.
It suckd to me how you put so much effort into the topics on hand. Yet your views are so low. Even on hot topics like your small sff and low profile cooler shootouts. Wishing the best for you because alot of the big channels generally gloss over topics like these
I appreciate that! It is a bit hard for me, as these shootouts take a lot of time, but I just can't seem to gain a lot of traction on RUclips. Big channels have sorted out what gets the views, and it's not epic shootouts.
The artic p12 argb was only 1c off the noctua. For the price of one noctua fan I could buy 3 of the p12's . That noctua fan is way overpriced. Anyway I am stuck between the Cool Master Sickleflow 120 vs Artic P12 ARGB 0db. Looking at specs of both the CM has 62 cfm & 2.5 mmh20 whereas the P12 has 48cfm & 1.85 mmh20. Which would you recommend ? I was about to buy the CM but confused as to why so many recommend the p12 over the Sickleflow......
@@TheTechBuyersGuru But it's written Q1 - 2022 on their roadmap (same timecode as up). Well, that's not a problem. As said, I will try to paint one and if I can do it sucessfully, I'll buy more for my white PC case. Maybe I will consider the Scythe Kaze Flex 120 for my case fans, as they're cheaper
Be careful... the roadmap says white fans, not white NF-A12x25. I guarantee it's not going to be that fan. It's far too hard for them to change the color of the plastic used on that fan. It's not the standard plastic used in other fans and cannot simply be dyed.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Oh ok. So they lied to me when they told me they're still planned for early 2021? Or maybe they are just not telling the whole truth ;) I asked them, mentioning I'm waiting for the NF-A12x25 new colors. Here's their answer : >
Read the message carefully and you'll see they don't say "white NF-A12x25" will take longer, they say white fans. I wouldn't call it lying, I'd call it not answering your question.
Why not put the radiator as an intake? This is usually the preferred spot if you have the space for it and if the AIO has long enough tubes for it. GPU is usually not bothered by the lukewarm air CPU radiator (as intake) pushes inside the case. GPUs on the other hand are very hot and if the CPU radiator is on the exhaust you will get clearly elevated temperatures during gaming.
Because I published a whole video on the topic right here: ruclips.net/video/bL5IsxzpiCA/видео.html GPUs get wrecked by having radiators mounted in front of them. Testing on the front to "juice" the CPU results isn't something I'll do even when I'm not measuring GPU performance.
would you say that the P12 and P12 ARGB sound identical when compared at roughly the same RP? Apart from the resonance tone being slightly higher in the ARGB one
It is pretty hard to judge from your video, but do you think the Arctic P12 RGB (or ARGB) sound better than the regular P12? From my understanding it uses a different motor with less hum and buzz. I have Arctic 360mm RGB AIO and the fans sound perfect without hum or buzz. But they perform worse on paper (specs) compared to the regular ver, and the regular ver is cheaper but I can't stand motor hum or buzz and I never had the regular P12 so I can't know if it has motor hum. What do you think?
If your case is big enough to fit either, P14 has advantage of more overall airflow, but P12 is more focused through center of chassis where components are. I'd get 5-pack of whatever you'll be using on top and back. So probably P14: amzn.to/3x2ucy8
After several tests from you I had chosen several ARCTIC P12 and P14. I have no experience with fans myself, but those things make a lot of noise. The fans already started noise when they are on the lowest setting. I have now ordered other brands, see if that is better. What am I doing wrong?
The P12 and P14 are very quiet at low RPMs based on my extensive testing. I doubt other brands will be any quieter. Maybe you just have unusual expectations?
First off, I'm sorry I didn't thank you for all the research you've done. Indeed, I have too high expectations. It is very difficult to set it up properly. My motherboard can't change it so I use a program in Windows. But in Ubuntu I can't change them. So I bought a Fan Hub Power Adapter. Unfortunately, that doesn't work at all. Maybe it's my case, they vibrate the case or something. In the long run, I'll get it right. Maybe a tutorial to install and set it up (maybe you already have one...). And again, thanks for research.
Sorry, that's not going to work! You need round-frame fans for 140mm-class coolers, and the best is the NF-A15. It's a tiny market, and essentially no one makes fans like this anymore. But if you're interested in how these fans would in theory perform, you can see this video testing on a 280mm rad (before the Toughfan 14 was released): ruclips.net/video/cQ6W-b45wZ0/видео.html
In the nhd-15 faq, there is a this section: Can I install a 140mm fan with a square frame (e.g. NF-A14)? Yes, fan clips for installing square frame 140mm fans (such as the NF-A14) are available on request via our customer support.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Free of charge. Now, I can see having a little trouble, I have arctic p14 5-pack will test next time too see how it works. Thanks for taking the time to help, love your videos.
Well, I actually was very intentional about that title, because while this video is a rad fan shootout, it's the second in a two-part series. At the end of the video I name the best cooler fan based on the entire range of testing I've done.
Subbed. Only guy on RUclips that has such attention to the simple item as a fan.
Thank you! Yes, most other reviewers think fans are boring!
Fans are so important if you're an enthusiast, IMO. It boggles my mind when enthusiast PC builders use the stock fans that come with their case and then complain about noise or temperatures. 🤔
Agreed.. the only video on youtube.. now im gonna decide which one to buy
Great video and think the quick comment on upgrading cooler/case vs fans is a very helpful piece of color for the audience.
Glad you appreciated that. Just figured I'd put all this fan testing into perspective!
Your channel gets way too few views for the work you put in. I really hope it can continue to grow. Your effort is amazing.
Thank you for being a loyal viewer! I need more like you!
I really appreciate your subjective take on fan tonal quality. IMO, when you're down to 1°F or 2°F difference, tonal quality is more important, anyways. This is something I rarely see reviews talk about. A spectrogram of a recording of the fan noise (easily viewed in Audacity) might help to describe *why* it has better tonal quality, as well.
Thanks for that tip. I might throw a few of my audio samples into Audacity to see what it can show me. Very intriguing in concept!
By the way, potentially my most important fan review of the year is dropping tomorrow, don't miss it!
I got my arctic p12 argb 2x3pack and I love them
Thank you for doing this test for us all
Just found your channel as there's so many fans on the market and it's hard to know what to pick. To my ear the Toughfan and P12 ARGB fans sound the most pleasant.
Wow that's a lot to digest. Another good content video, greatly appreciated it.
Thanks as always for watching! Honestly, the more I do this, the more questions it presents for me, so I'm not surprised if it leaves you wondering about a few things too!
Doing a new custom watercooled build in a O11 Dyanamic. Those Arctic ARGB fans are perfect for my needs. Thanks for the review mate!
Glad I could help! Don't forget to go for the 3-pack if you need a bunch! - amzn.to/31TXkOg #ad
For the honorable mentions I would like to add some important information: the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 only comes with a 2 year warranty, and with their less-than-stellar reputation I would take that into consideration. The P12 ARGB comes with a full 6 year warranty and the non-ARGB a full 10 years, so you can most likely expect a much longer lifespan from them.
Very valid point. I haven't had trouble with Thermaltake fans I've personally run in my system 8-10 hours a day for 3 years, so I'm not too worried, but a long warranty is a good extra. I've mentioned that about Arctic in previous videos, hard to mention it every time!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Yeah, I think the Toughfan 12 will probably last long regardless with the quality of it, with the higher quality components I'd definitely expect it to last longer. There is of course always going to be that one fan who breaks regardless and that's where I find just a 2 year warranty to be insufficient for such an expensive fan. But just like you I wouldn't be too worried.
Also can't describe how much I appreciate your replies here on the RUclips comment section, always makes my day :)
And all your positive contributions to the channel makes my day!
Love all these fans... haven't tried the Wonder Snails but I'm keeping my eye out. I completely agree with you on the tone of the Toughfans. That was the determining factor for me between them and the Noctuas. Now the Toughfan 14 model is out and those are great too! Recently built my first custom loop with dual rads on the CPU. One 280 rad using Toughfan 14s and a 240 using Toughfan 12s. They really are nice sounding fans and the performance is great. I wouldn't mind some extra headroom and am considering getting the Toughfan 12 Turbos for some extra oomph when running a stress test on an overclock.
Sounds like a sweet setup, literally and figuratively! Yeah, the Turbo model might be a good bet if it can stay smooth at low RPMs, which may not be the case. Might use a different motor spec'd for durability, not low noise. I of course want to try it, but I've got way too much on my list already, including the entire fleet of ToughFan air and liquid coolers sitting here right now.
Thank you for your work. Great as always. Such a great feeling knowing my choice of fan is the best overall. I use the NF-A12x25 as a case fan and heatsink fan on the NH-U12A. Not the best heatsink fan but near the top. Definitely not the best case fan, but the performance at a given noise level is top notch. Allows me to run them faster.
Good choice! Don't worry about it not being "the best" heatsink fan, it is right at the top. And yes, while it's definitely not the best case fan, it has a good sound quality, and that is probably just as important as dropping one more degree via different case fans.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru some days ago I swapped my A12x15 fans for some EK Vardar ones to run a benchmark. The Noctuas are basically like: oh, there's a fan. The EKs are more like: Wtf is that turbine, that's horrible!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru and quick question: Is the 5 minute blender render enough to saturate the radiator with heat and reach thermal equilibrium?
@Paul Jung, that is what I've heard about the EK Vardar, which is why I don't feel too bad about not including them (I've asked for samples and been summarily ignored!).
@John Raphael Bandoja - good question. You know, it's pretty close, in fact I'd often see peak temp at around the 7th run, and my 3900X can do 8 runs in 5 minutes. If I did it for 30 minutes, would temps peak even higher? Probably, but I'd have a lot less data for you if I did that, and furthermore, whatever problem it causes for soaking the radiator is going to affect all the fans the same. It's more of an issue when testing different rads.
Thanks for all the work in putting these roundup vids together!
Thanks for watching! This is my last one for a while, got to take a break!
Absolutely loved the video man, I appreciate all the effort you put in!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Really interesting to hear your opinion on the TT Noctua copy fans. You’ve made me consider them now.
Great video!
Original was gentle typhoon)
This is the one I was waiting for! Its true, that radiator size is way more impactful than most fan upgrades, but SFF is a whole other story. If the limit is a case volume, every centimeters count and so do the fans.
Good point, I wasn't really targeting that audience this time around. Where cooler space is limited, fans could be the biggest upgrade available!
@@TheTechBuyersGuru the most overlooked part is, that most SFF cases already create circumstances similar to a radiator, so your radiator shoutout is especially usefull for basically all SFF cases.
This is true, but I would just point out that a limited airflow environment is not the same thing as a radiator. So blowing through a 20L case is hard, and blowing through a 10L case is harder, but it's still a different task then blowing through a tightly-packed radiator fin array. I've considered an ITX case fan roundup, but honestly, it's a bit too case specific, and I just don't think I could draw any general conclusions.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I wouldn't request such a roundup. It's just too specific. SFF is mostly enthusiasts space, so everyone will do their own customization, so going with set shout outs is basically pointless. Steering people in the direction of good fans and with a healthy amount of brain power, your videos are insanely valuable for everyone building a PC.
That feedback is much appreciated, as always!
Really appreciate the work you put into this!!!
Speaking of air gaps, Alphacool started including gaskets with some of their radiator/fan combos, they say closing the airgap improves airflow and noise performance measurably. Turns out there's always another wrinkle to mess with your testing ;)
Ha, ha, right... I had already tested a few fans when I thought of this little wrinkle... luckily, they were the ones without removable dampers!!!
Solid performance, as per usual. My favourite part being the intro, specifically the Notes on Test Methodology, establishing those variables and how they may or may not have impacted the visual results.
Unfortunately, I've had a H150i RGB PRO XT here in the box that I hastily purchased for what I thought was a good deal a month or two ago. Seeing as I already had the iCue software active from my PSU, I thought great; until shortly after I saw your video on it.
I was p*ssed off that RUclips hadn't recommended the video sooner as I had notifications for your channel on, but it was set to "personalized"...
Are you referring to my review of the H150i? It's not a bad cooler, really, just held back by the very ML120 fans I tested in this video. It's a step or two behind at every decibel level. But that is pretty typical of any AIO you buy, unless its an Arctic model, which already has very decent rad fans, as shown in my shootout. Actually, a new product coming out, which I already have a sample of here, is the Thermaltake Toughliquid 360. Now that could be a killer product, but I don't even know the price of it yet. Comes with the Toughfan 12s, which are excellent as I've shown, and probably the best rad fans you'll get stock on any AIO.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru The H150i Pro's performance difference is minimal for me not to worry when generalized, but the increase of 10db at max RPM won't be ignorable. I don't think I could justify buying a set of additional fans to put on the radiator. I still have some budget fans in the box I could try, but if I had planned to go that route, I believe I would have been better off buying the radiator separately. I should have gone with the Arctic 360 or 420 for a similar price. I'll be interested to see the Toughliquid. I'm currently waiting on an AMD CPU bootkit before I'll be able to try out the AIO at hand.
Great review, great comparison! Thank you!
After watching your previous vids I've put Arctic P14s all over the place in my rig (3900X), they're cheap, silent and works well, thx ! This vid says mostly the same :)
Only issue is that they have some resonance noise at certain rpm, which are hard to get rid off because it's multiple frequencies, and I have 5 fans on 2 profiles tho...
What I've also noticed is that fans that go over 2000rpm are always noisy, so going for bigger and slower 140mm fans is better (P14s are up to 1700rpm vs 1875 for P12s, for +25% CFM on the P14)
Nice set up, but yeah, it does take a bit of work to get around the resonance, especially when you run the fans at different speeds in your system.
Thanks for the subjective take. That is one of the reasons to watch a review. I have run across many reviews of various things where they just give you some numbers and then act like if they gave you an opinion they would be committing a sin. IMO the subjective take is just as important as the raw numbers.
I'm probably guilty of that more than once, but because I've tested these fans so many times in so many ways, I decided to tell it like it is!
Yes, exactly this! I know it is probably seen as a negative to some people when a reviewer gives their subjective opinion, but especially after an epic series of roundups like you have given us, I feel like your opinion is more valuable than anything the numbers could tell us.
As an aside, I really love this lineup of fans. It’s almost like you read my mind in choosing these for comparison. And the little nod to the ToughFan 12 at the end gives me the peace of mind I needed to finally stop watching reviews. 😉
Aye, the video's out. Really surprised by how close they all are, but happy with that fact. If changing not just one, but two fans from Arctic to Noctua only gives such a little difference, then it's not worth it.
Could you test the following fans:
XPG VENTO PRO 120
Thermaltake Toughfan 14 (140mm)
Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Turbo
Also could you test the CO version of Arctic's PWM fan
Really good video...
My Noctua fans have been running for a good 8 years now.
Still run as well and quietly as on the first day. The competitors are getting closer. But!!! We'll see if the quality of the others is as good as Noctua's....
Wondersnails are still available here in Indonesia, great fan indeed. I have 6 of them, and used 3 for my 360 aio rad.
Your reviews are very thorough and you're one of the few RUclipsrs I feel like I can trust. Currently building my first PC with a tempered glass panel and thinking about RGB. There is an RGB fan that seems to be internet famous, labeled a "Noctua Killer" by RUclipsr Bitwit - the PCCooler Moonlight (formerly Corona). It's known all over reddit, forums, and Amazon reviews as "Bitwit fans" due to his glowing review. Thing is, he only compared it to the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC. That seemed to be all that was necessary in giving these fans their glowing reputation that has withstood 3-years following that video. The only other comparison I could find was another RUclipsr who compared them to NZXT Aer P fans and found NZXT to be better - but I was under the impression Aer Ps weren't that great. Anyway, I like their look, so if you have another fan shootout coming up, would you please consider throwing these into the mix?
Thanks for your informed post. Those fan reviews were pretty questionable, but another issue you need to consider is whether you're using the fan for case cooling or mounted on a radiator or heatsink. The best ARGB fans I've tested are the P12 A-RGB from Arctic, in this video. They are great on either, which is very, very rare. Here's the link: amzn.to/3kfC8Ic
The best ARGB case fan may be different, but while I planned to do a thorough test at one point, I no longer have time to do tests like that for RUclips.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks, the P12 A-RGB and P14 A-RGB (since I need both sizes) would be a definite obvious choice - if it weren't for the fact I'm rather drawn to the aesthetic of having just an outer ring that lights up instead of the whole fan blade. More subtle, perhaps. The Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB is supposed to have similar performance to the P12, and Arctic themselves have been selling B-stock 3-packs on eBay for just under $41. Perfect, if only they had a matching 140mm! I'm thinking I'm after static pressure fans for both my AIO radiator and case, since it has a very fine mesh front that might benefit from static pressure too (Cooler Master NR400). Be Quiet Light Wings High-Speed do come in both sizes, but cost as much as Noctuas. Anyway, I understand the lack of time. What you've done so far is by far the most comprehensive fan review/comparison I've seen and is greatly appreciated.
I don't like the P120 A-RGB. It really isn't the same fan. Due to using an outer light ring, the fan blades are shorter than the P12 A-RGB. It won't perform the same. With that said, if you like the aesthetics (which it sounds like you do), the trade off may be worth it to you. But then you have the need for 140mm fans, and that makes the P14 A-RGB come into consideration. So... yeah, you have some options, but I'd go with the P12/P14 setup unless you really don't like the look!
By the way, the P12 A-RGB 3-pack is out of stock right now, but the 1-pack is still available: amzn.to/3ko1jbN #ad
And here's the P14 A-RGB: amzn.to/3F8nfBi #ad
@@TheTechBuyersGuru True. Two RUclipsrs, STS and Tech Lens, had decent reviews of the P120 A-RGB and it's both 5mm thicker and runs at higher RPM to compensate for the shorter blades. However, both found that at a given PWM, it slightly outperforms the P12 due to higher RPM, yet isn't significantly louder. Based on those two reviews, it seems pretty decent. I do prefer matching, so lack of a 140mm version does make me lean more towards a combo of P12/P14 A-RGB fans. I've also considered RGB-less fans like the Toughfan 12/14 and add Phanteks Halos RGB frames. The really low cost option is just to get a couple NZXT Aer P fans to match the 2 I've already got ($7.99 at Amazon), and see just how loud they are for myself, though I've read several redditors say they're so loud they're not even worth the $7.99.
Great work!!, thanks for th video, love the care and work you pu into this!!
great review as always, i only suprised that in my country toughfan 12 cost the same as 2 noctuas
These are all really close, I'm surprised the ML120 did as well as it did.
Ml120 are extremely loud compared to toughfan and p12. I had all of them) p12 are bad for horizontal installation, they started to produce some weird noise after 3 months of usage, but everything were ok with ml120 and toughfan. I sold my p12s and ml120s))
@@effect4545 Yeah ML120 has more performance headroom than a lot of other fans.
@@ydihtty I bought toughfan turbo instead of ml120
@@effect4545 Yeah that's fair, the toughfan turbo is pretty good.
I've had ml120 fans and yes they do a great job cooling, but anything above 1k rpm and they are annoying af noise wise
Amazing channel. A lot of true reviews. Thank you so Much Sir
Thanks for your impressive work!!!!
Recently upgraded to a Corsair 4000D and bought Arctic P12 fans to go in it. I absolutely love these fans and this case, definately a great combo.
Glad that's working out for you. The standard fans in the 4000D aren't bad, but the P12s are a bit better. How many did you go with?
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I have 3 on the front on a 360 rad, one in the back, and one P14 on the top near the back. I tested with 2 fans on top but the front top fan wasn't doing anything for my temperatures. I also tested with a fan directly under my gpu and that didn't do anything either.
Thanks for that info, sounds well optimized. Surprising a fan under GPU didn't help. That's something I want to test eventually.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I was surprised as well. I purchased a small fan(Arctic F8) to go under my GPU as an exhaust because I saw a post on reddit that this helps GPU temps. I will report back on if it helps or not.
People have asked me about these trend, and frankly, I don't think it will work, but I could be wrong. I don't plan on testing it, but please feel free to report back.
Amazing work
I just bought 5 x P14s and the Arctic Liquaid Freezer II 360 ARGB, I wonder if these 8 arctic fans will hum like a church choir
That would sound nice. Free soundtrack, LOL!
Great testing again!
Thank you! Cheers!
Thank you for your work ! Now let's watch this new video :)
Love the fan round ups you've done. Helped me pick the fans for my next build. But wonder how a radiator with 140mm fans?
This is my most recent video on the topic: ruclips.net/video/cQ6W-b45wZ0/видео.html
I can't recommend the P12's for clean, hobbyist or quiet builds.
They have an impressively quiet fan blade, but also groan and vibrate like crazy at certain rpms.
The disparity between having a computer than is often quiet, but occasionally sounds like it's broken, gets irritating.
I switched to a smaller form factor case, and so the system isn't as muffled as a midtower, and unfortunately the "growl" from the P12 is much more noticeable in that system, it really bums me out, but at least the Liquid Freezer II is still really good
A custom fancurve solves this issue easily
@@slywolf_ you might manage with wonky fan curves and minor vibrations just fine. I'm warning people that P12s won't be good enough for those trying to build clean PCs.
Fan curves wont get rid of the vibrations when your fans are ramping up or slowing down. And you're limited to a stepped fan curve, which is just as distracting and the vibrations.
Not for clean builds.
One of the best content maker , thank you
I have question. Why you are not using be quite fans in bencmarks??
They are not competitive in high static pressure tests. They are really case fans.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru understand, thank you
Great video. Differences are surprisingly small in noise normalized graphs, I wonder if price per performance graphs would be helpful in the future
Thanks for watching. What I should have mentioned is that these results are directly comparable to the ones on the Noctua heatsink: ruclips.net/video/ERN61VyqDGA/видео.html
With same test setup and test conditions, the spread between the fans on the heatsink was much greater (and temps much higher). This suggests that fan upgrades can do more good on a heatsink than on a radiator.
Great video as always my guy and appreciate all the hard work that you put into these videos. I am surprised that the Scythe Wonder Snail did not come out on top in this shootout sense it did so well in your heatsink video. Looks like the Noctua is the radiator king when it comes to rad fans, great benchmarks, especially when it comes down to your noise normalized charts. Had a question though, how well would the classic Gentle Typhoon fair against all these pressurized fans? It was something I was thinking about for a while since a lot of fans take inspiration from it's tried and true design. Great take on the quality of the rad and heatsink that must also be considered besides the fan quality. Awesome video and keep up the great content @TBG.
My guess on the the OG gentle typhoon is that while it could perform similarly to the newer fans that look the same, the bearing and motor design would not be as good. So noise quality would be worse and noise normalized results might not be as good. But I haven't tested it, so this is just a guess.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru There is a new Gentle Typhhon, it's called XPG VENTO PRO look it up www.xpg.com/us/xpg/691
Great now I have to watch all his videos
That made me laugh!
Thanks for all your effort, your CPU cooler and fan reviews and shootouts are one of the best! I am curious about the thing you mentioned at the end of the video - upgrading fans vs upgrading cooler or case. I would be really interested in seeing this in action - if I had the parts, I would take a cheaper cooler like Be Quiet Pure Rock 2 and put on the Noctua NF-A12x25 fan (or two) and test how it changes performance, what If the fans on NH-U12A would be exchanged for cheap Pure Wings fan(or 2 ) - would it get a lot worse? What if you had a bad case airflow and had Pure Rock 2, what would make more improvement - better case/adding good case fans vs upgrading the cooler to something better like NH-U12s/a and keeping the bad case?
That would be interesting... but I don't plan on testing it. The problem is that it would just be too specific to the parts used. I'll stick to tests where there is just one variable, thanks 😊
If we assume that you have bad case airflow and your Pure Rock 2 has problems with keeping your CPU cool, the best thing you can do is to change the cooler for stronger. Summary cost of weak cooler and it's fan upgrade will give worse result then the same money spent on better cooler. The more you overkill cooling solutions of individual components, the lower is impact of case airflow and it doesn't work opposite. Case airflow doesn't cool components, it only removes heat their coolers earlier removed, but inadequate case airflow makes coolers job harder (dicreases mentioned overkill) or shitty coolers won't be saved by amazing case airflow.
Good point on case cooling - it's not really there to cool components, although it arguably is the only active cooling for RAM, SSDs, some chipsets, and VRMs when used with most AIOs...
@@TheTechBuyersGuru You're right, but to my taste with these components case role more then cooling is preventing them from overheating. Generally case airflow doesn't cool components, it dicreases temperature inside the case, which can affect temperatures of components or not.
Big fan of your videos. Am curious if you clean the fans you review with something? I have some of the same fans and yours often look better. They have kind of a wet look im wondering if you do that yourself or maybe the camera has that effect?
Thanks for all your incredible content and look forward to your future videos!
LOL, that's probably just the lighting! No cleaning involved.
Next, which fan is best for deshrouded gpu!!
Yes absolutely
Great to see another beefy video from you! To be honest I don't like your idea of decoupling rubber mounts from fans. They serve their purpose, most people rather use them and if you have suspicions about something like this affecting cooling or noise, please test it first and even better show us the results ;) / About mentioned turbulent sound of ML fans, it may be connected to overal tendency of fans as any create to some point turbulence/resonance on various rpm, just because working in closed space as case, even mesh one is. With various speeds they their sound hit frequencies, which combined with closed space create this turbulence/resonance and after removing side panel it dissapears. Arctic P are ofc different story as they whistle even being outside the case. Btw great that you introduced your opinions about quality of sound. It's relative, but well sounding fans are not only quiet ones, but also just well sounding :]
The ML120s have turbulence at all RPMs. They are different than the other fans.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I understood that you mentioned it behaving like that ~40 dBA, but there are fans, which just have turbulent noise profile. It's great that talk about such aspects as people tend to look only at dBA when to my taste or I should say ears, sound characteristic is way more important.
The 40dBA sample was where I thought it stood out most, as the decibel level was obviously 40, like others, but the sound quality was totally different, and unfortunately worse.
That's why I so much appreciate your audio samples :] When you get into world of quiet computers, what matters the most is how nice it all sounds together. I have my own tricks like having my case fans set in bios to run constant (0-99C) inaudible speed to keep my pc all the time just silent as off during webbrowsing and I switch them with mobo's software to high constant speed before load - changes of speeds are percieved by us as worse then even higher constant one, so it works best when case fans cover anything else. With GPU I apply temperature limit connected to power limit in terms of running it always with the same speed and temperature - way to make even not the best non-reference cool and damn quiet for unnoticeable boost price like
LOL, most of the things I say are pretty important to me! ;)
Interesting that the performance of all these fans is within the range of measurement error. Bottom line, go for the best price or the one you like most. Also worth mentioning is that at the same db levels, different sounds can be percepted as louder or more annoying depending on the dominating sound frequency.
These are all excellent fans. That is why they were close. I did many videos on this topic previously where the results were not close. I didn't bother testing the losers again.
Nice work, Ari. No issue with you testing the ToughFan - I want to see more of that Noctua design & at cheaper prices, with better colours & the option of ARGB. It's not like they're breaking any laws right?
Agree that Noctua needs to lift their game - pricing is too loco.
I haven't seen RGB models yet, maybe it's difficult to integrate with the blade and hub design.
At the end of the day, a 1 or 2 degree difference is probably close enough that people can decide based on other factors like aesthetics, tone quality, warranty, etc
What if the difference is 5C? - ruclips.net/video/beeDPXJybu8/видео.html
Maybe I got unlucky with my p12 ARGB because it had that whistling issue from about 1000 to 1600 RPM :/
Same problem over here with the bionix RGB.
@@swizzler8053 if there was just one non-a12x25 that was black and didn’t have some sort of dumb quirk. Normal p12 had the resonance issue, tough fan 12 seems to have abysmal QC and a 2 year warranty, wondersnail hasn’t been out long enough to really know
Sigh, brown noctua it is
@@hameed I was in the same boat as you and ended up buying two of the Noctua NF-A12x25. Too many of these flavor of the month fans (Arctic P series, Kaze Flex) had dumb quirks from my experience with them.
I would love to see one of these for 280mm radiators!
Here you go: ruclips.net/video/cQ6W-b45wZ0/видео.html
Great content i am big fan arctic. next video test can you test asus strix xf 120 fan?
I wish that you had added be quiet silent wings and shadow wings
Simply put, those are inferior radiator fans. No reason to test them again: ruclips.net/video/W2Zis8RjcX8/видео.html
5 minutes loops aren't too short to test an AIO, because of the water inside the loop reachs equilibrium slower than metal heatsink?
This is a fan test, so even if that's an issue, better fans will still work better. And I saw temps stabilize around the 4min mark.
Great Video !!!
great shootout video as usual! i really need to save up money to buy the best fan, noctua fan A12x25. at least one to use in my big shuriken 3
Thanks! That is a nice setup... the BS3 would perform well with the A12x25, as long as you have the headroom for a full-size fan.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru tryin to fit it with in meshlicious when it's available in my region. On related note, any chance you'll review meshlicious?
Not planning on reviewing, as I have no relationship with Lian Li. Also, it's been reviewed a lot.
the P12 has great static pressure but one thing i noticed is that if you chain 3 together I cant get the max rpm
Interesting video, thanks.
have you ever tryed fractal design's venturi fan lineup?
Ok thanks for this results ! The NF A12X25 is for sure an excellent fan. If I have to pick a rival it would be Thermalright... but man their marketing and availability are disastrous in Europe and US... and there is no good review of their fan or their new coolers :')
There's a new Gentle Typhoon that is worth attention www.xpg.com/us/xpg/691
Did you test the Noctua with the rubber gasket for comparison? I suspect the same performance but quieter. May allow for higher RPM when noise normalized.
Great review for me.
And I want to know 30dBA Noise-Normalized too.
I can't test that, as it's below the threshold for any standard dB meter. I'd need much more expensive gear, and it would likely be below the noise floor of the room.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru
I see, thanks.
By the way, I am using SCZP-1000 (replaced with NF-A14) on 4650G, and it is 34 degrees (650rpm) at idle and 65 degrees (1,000rpm) at cbR23 in summer.
It drops to about 25 degrees (500 rpm) at idle in winter.
I made everything right with my 5600x paired with the Noctua NH-D15s @2xNoctua A12x25 ULN fans running between 700rpm in windows and 800-1000 rpm in games with nearly no noise at max 60-64°C
Interesting fan choice for that cooler. You might want to see this video: ruclips.net/video/o-bRE1Wo97Y/видео.html
Epic. Subbed. Thank you.
Thanks, and don't miss the follow up! - ruclips.net/video/beeDPXJybu8/видео.html
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thank you!
Hi buddy amazing video what'd you say about the lian li unifans ?
Everyone's been asking me this, but Lian Li doesn't like their fans actually being reviewed, so I can't get any samples.
If you had the Be Quiet! Light Wings ARGB 120mm High Speed fans in your round up would they be preferred over the P12 ARGBs? In some of STS fan reviews, they were just under the Noctua and above the Arctic P14 ARGB.
nice video
Hi there! Thx for the great fan tests, they're really helpful! But how come you never reviewed Noiseblocker, Nanoxia or NZXT fans? Lol, I picked up three brands all starting with N. )
I tested noiseblockers in my case fan roundup last year:
ruclips.net/video/PUdsTiRmuuU/видео.html
Excellent fans, but not designed for coolers. ARGB version will be featured later this year in another roundup. As for those other brands, they aren't on my recommended list, Nanoxia being very scarce and NZXT not being a leader in fan design.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thx a lot! And what can you say about Thermalright fans in general?
I've only tested them on a few coolers, like the TY-147 on the Macho and the TY-100 on the AXP-100. My impression is that they are cost-effective, but not stellar. A little rough sounding, and I had one fail during testing. Thermalright is all about value, but it is not a leader in fan design.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru thx again!
Hey man, i´m srry to be late with this, but i just noticed....
The corsair fan results are a bit fishy, compared to what we´ve seen from you and other ppl testing these fans.
I guess is common knowledge by now that the type of fan like the corsair ml120, usually at above 1k RPM spins like 300rpm lower than the nf a12x25 type of fans for the same noise level.
Usually that difference in fan RPM for the same noise level, widens as you go higher, but it happened the other way around with the ML120. Considering the noise difference happens because there is more gap between the blades and they're fewer, and the noise mostly come from air resistance, that type of behavior should not be possible.
Not to mention that ml120s are usually known to be loud.
Might wanna look into it.
Nothing fishy about it, my results are spot on. The ML120 is far slower than every other fan when dB-normalized, just as expected. I showed this again and again:
07:58
10:24
The blade design is radically different from all the other fans in the test, so it should operate at a different RPM. But just because it's far slower doesn't mean it's doing far less work. Thus it is only about 1 degree behind.
Is the ML120 "loud"? Well, when dB-normalized, it's exactly as loud as the decibel meter says it is, i.e., the same as all the other fans. That is the wonder of dB-normalization, which is something I have pushed very hard on this channel. I dispel myths and tell truths by showing how fans work at specific noise levels. RPM is irrelevant.
Would I recommend the ML120 for radiator use? No. But it by no means the worst rad fan out there, and probably better than many outdated Noctua fans people have used on rads for years.
Any chance of doing a 3rd part of these excellent review, adding the new Phanteks T30-120 (PH-F120T30_BG_3P) available on Amazon and the old Scythe Gentle Typhoon in the form of DarkSide Gentle Typhoon PWM (D1225C12B5ZPA-65) available on Perfomance-PC.
Interesting you mention that. The T30 launches at 8am Pacific today, 8/12. It was listed on Amazon pre-launch.
All I have to say is stay tuned...
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I just saw you releaed your video of the phanteks =).
Was the Pupm of the AIO running at 100% all the time or was in a specific profile (standaar, performance, etc) ? Regards
Great video again! I may go for the Noctua NF-A12. I saw in Amazon the Noctua NF-A12x15 Black edition, which is 7€ cheaper than the x25. Would they also work and deliver the same ratio performance / silence? Thanks!
See this video for an unboxing: ruclips.net/video/j4K0gmvJJaE/видео.html
Subbed, Just watched your top vs front mounted AIO. Now i decided to go for top because of your reasoning the GPU can throttle easier with front mounting.
Now im just looking which one to buy. I have space for a 240mm maybe(have to measure 280mm). What recommendations do you have? Edit 280mm wont fit
And do you recommend having a strong rear exhaust to get rid of the gpu heat?
Thanks for the sub! In terms of a 240mm AIO, I'm going to recommend the new Toughliquid 240 from Thermaltake: amzn.to/3wPDgX1
It's expensive, but it has the best fans you'll find on any AIO. They are far superior to the fans on most other brands. The only AIO that can compete is the Arctic Liquid Freezer II: amzn.to/3kxIrs2
This is much cheaper, and an amazing value, but it is very thick and will cause fitment issues in almost any mid-size case.
And yes, a strong exhaust is great, and I recommend the Scythe Kaze Flex 140 (if that fits): amzn.to/3extVfZ
Or the Scythe Kaze Flex 120: amzn.to/2VWCMS8
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thanks for the reply. I was looking into the Arctic Liquid Freezer ll. But was still thinking about maybe going for a new case that will fit 360 on top. This will be the case Cooler Master MasterBox MB511 ARGB. I have the same now but the RGB version that only fit 240 on top. Do you think that is worth it? Im running a ryzen 5 3600 and planning to upgrade it next year to something like a AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. Will a 240mm be enough or is it better to go for 360mm?
The MB511 will not work with rads on top. Requires motherboards with super-short onboard heatsinks. Wait until you're ready to get the 5800X and then upgrade the whole system with a bigger case that has proper radiator support, along with a 240mm or 360mm liquid cooler.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru i received my new case cooler master mb511 argb and the arctic liquid freezer ll 360. And i have gigabyte aorus elite motherboard and it fits.
Only have to screw it down 😀
The LFII 360 fits on top in the MB511? The LFII is particularly problematic due to its thickness, 11mm more than standard. Please let me know if it all fits together, as I will be *very* impressed!
140mm fans on a 280mm rad next!
Well, oddly enough, I did that one first! - ruclips.net/video/cQ6W-b45wZ0/видео.html
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I must of missed that! Thanks!!!
Could you try out the SilenX brand IXP-76-18? It's one of the few 38mm thick 120mm fans that you can still get which isn't a delta fan.
There used to be a market for extra deep fans and I wonder if there was a reason for that outside of compatibility.
It would be so interesting if you could ever acquire an old Triebwerk 120mm x 55mm fan.
There is the EK Meltemi, but that one isn't very good. Also Delta isn't the only one who make powerful fans, there's also Nidec, Sanyo Denki, Sunon, Foxconn, etc, they all make fans just as good as deltas.
@@ydihtty Couldn't you call those server fans? I know Delta is a brand but it also seems to be an umbrella term for computer fans made for an environment where noise is not an issue.
Hi Ari, I have an Air cube 540, I have now Noctua NF F12 working in take air in frontal panel... I want to choose a good fans caring the noise. What do you recommend me? Thanks in advance.
Did all these fans work with ICUE? im wanting to get the h100i pro xt and replace the ml120 fans with noctua nf a-12's and im worried they wont work with ICUE setting the RPM/curve
Dear sir, now you have to redo the test including the Phanteks T30 120mm fan :D
Cause that beats the Noctua ;)
Cool.
ruclips.net/video/beeDPXJybu8/видео.html
I feel like you are biased toward the Noctua. On any of the non-normalized tests, the Arctics were within a degree which could arguably be within the error margin of your testing, but they were almost 2 decibels quieter which is fairly noticeable. All for 1/3 the price with a much better warranty. Why would using a radiator mean you'd want more expensive fans? I'd have been more inclined to say that those buying AIO's are more inclined to care about RGB in which case the Noctua isn't in the running. You left out Phanteks and Lian Li fans entirely which are very popular because they look so good as well as moving the air.
Still waiting for a 120mm slim fan shootout.
Unlikely to happen before the end of the year. I have the fans, but I do not have the time to produce so many fan shootouts.
It suckd to me how you put so much effort into the topics on hand. Yet your views are so low. Even on hot topics like your small sff and low profile cooler shootouts. Wishing the best for you because alot of the big channels generally gloss over topics like these
I appreciate that! It is a bit hard for me, as these shootouts take a lot of time, but I just can't seem to gain a lot of traction on RUclips. Big channels have sorted out what gets the views, and it's not epic shootouts.
so noctua can compete for reasonable pricing, why don't they at least give multi purchase discount? I will go with artic or TT for pc fans
Value is not their thing. Being the performance king is. They have made that clear to me.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru fair call, at least they bumped the standard in the pc fan area
The artic p12 argb was only 1c off the noctua. For the price of one noctua fan I could buy 3 of the p12's . That noctua fan is way overpriced. Anyway I am stuck between the Cool Master Sickleflow 120 vs Artic P12 ARGB 0db. Looking at specs of both the CM has 62 cfm & 2.5 mmh20 whereas the P12 has 48cfm & 1.85 mmh20. Which would you recommend ? I was about to buy the CM but confused as to why so many recommend the p12 over the Sickleflow......
Don't look at the specs... I'd get the P12 ARGB: amzn.to/3NCzVEh
The Sickleflow 120 is decent, but overall not as good.
14:29 Ok I have my answer...
Still waiting for those white ones.
Maybe I'll buy some beige ones and try to (disassemble and) paint them black/white
White NF-A12x25 is unlikely to arrive for several years.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru But it's written Q1 - 2022 on their roadmap (same timecode as up).
Well, that's not a problem. As said, I will try to paint one and if I can do it sucessfully, I'll buy more for my white PC case.
Maybe I will consider the Scythe Kaze Flex 120 for my case fans, as they're cheaper
Be careful... the roadmap says white fans, not white NF-A12x25. I guarantee it's not going to be that fan. It's far too hard for them to change the color of the plastic used on that fan. It's not the standard plastic used in other fans and cannot simply be dyed.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Oh ok.
So they lied to me when they told me they're still planned for early 2021?
Or maybe they are just not telling the whole truth ;)
I asked them, mentioning I'm waiting for the NF-A12x25 new colors.
Here's their answer :
>
Read the message carefully and you'll see they don't say "white NF-A12x25" will take longer, they say white fans. I wouldn't call it lying, I'd call it not answering your question.
Why not put the radiator as an intake? This is usually the preferred spot if you have the space for it and if the AIO has long enough tubes for it. GPU is usually not bothered by the lukewarm air CPU radiator (as intake) pushes inside the case. GPUs on the other hand are very hot and if the CPU radiator is on the exhaust you will get clearly elevated temperatures during gaming.
Because I published a whole video on the topic right here: ruclips.net/video/bL5IsxzpiCA/видео.html
GPUs get wrecked by having radiators mounted in front of them. Testing on the front to "juice" the CPU results isn't something I'll do even when I'm not measuring GPU performance.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Honestly, those are very strange results that do not mirror my experience. A problem with the case perhaps? 🤔
would you say that the P12 and P12 ARGB sound identical when compared at roughly the same RP? Apart from the resonance tone being slightly higher in the ARGB one
I think they are pretty similar, certainly more similar to each other than to others, but the P12 ARGB does seem a bit smoother overall.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Thank you for the reply!
Did you ever tried Thermalright B12 or C12 Pro?
It’s sad that you didn’t try bionix p120 - this cooler is much better than regular p12
Is it really? He did had it in one shotout and it wasn't great.
Not to mention cheaper than all others in the test. For me Arctic is the winner here, by far.
@@ares23dc Yep, I use both bionix p120 and p140. I can assure that p120 performs on the same level with noctua a12-25.
The Bionix P120 looks the same as the regular P12, just a different frame, and the ARGB version is worse than the regular P12.
@@ydihtty bionix doesn't have this humming noise at all and has higher maximum rpm
It is pretty hard to judge from your video, but do you think the Arctic P12 RGB (or ARGB) sound better than the regular P12?
From my understanding it uses a different motor with less hum and buzz. I have Arctic 360mm RGB AIO and the fans sound perfect without hum or buzz.
But they perform worse on paper (specs) compared to the regular ver, and the regular ver is cheaper but I can't stand motor hum or buzz and I never had the regular P12 so I can't know if it has motor hum.
What do you think?
As you saw, the ARGB fans performed better in my test. That should answer your question. The specs as always are irrelevant. That's why I test fans.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Cheers! Love your channel!
Thanks! You're definitely all set with that cooler, best of the best!
should i get 3 p12 or p14 for front intake fans?
If your case is big enough to fit either, P14 has advantage of more overall airflow, but P12 is more focused through center of chassis where components are. I'd get 5-pack of whatever you'll be using on top and back. So probably P14: amzn.to/3x2ucy8
P12 4LIFE
Do you know if there’s any difference between the arctic p12 pwm vs the arctic p12 pwm pst? I’m asking because there’s no 5 pack for the non pst.
PST has the built in splitter, which you definitely want with 5 fans. That's why Arctic bundles only PST models. Here's the link: amzn.to/3HnscW8
@@TheTechBuyersGuru thanks you’ve been really helpful. Appreciate the videos keep it up man
After several tests from you I had chosen several ARCTIC P12 and P14. I have no experience with fans myself, but those things make a lot of noise. The fans already started noise when they are on the lowest setting. I have now ordered other brands, see if that is better. What am I doing wrong?
The P12 and P14 are very quiet at low RPMs based on my extensive testing. I doubt other brands will be any quieter. Maybe you just have unusual expectations?
First off, I'm sorry I didn't thank you for all the research you've done. Indeed, I have too high expectations. It is very difficult to set it up properly. My motherboard can't change it so I use a program in Windows. But in Ubuntu I can't change them. So I bought a Fan Hub Power Adapter. Unfortunately, that doesn't work at all. Maybe it's my case, they vibrate the case or something. In the long run, I'll get it right. Maybe a tutorial to install and set it up (maybe you already have one...). And again, thanks for research.
I guess fans matter more for the noise, but less for the performance
I'm thinking about changing the nh-d15 fans to TOUGHFAN 14 or ARCTIC P14, or another fan, any opinion or help?
Sorry, that's not going to work! You need round-frame fans for 140mm-class coolers, and the best is the NF-A15. It's a tiny market, and essentially no one makes fans like this anymore. But if you're interested in how these fans would in theory perform, you can see this video testing on a 280mm rad (before the Toughfan 14 was released): ruclips.net/video/cQ6W-b45wZ0/видео.html
@@TheTechBuyersGuru I ask noctua for 140mm fan clips and they send them to me, now I can use any 140mm fan with the nh-d15
In the nhd-15 faq, there is a this section: Can I install a 140mm fan with a square frame (e.g. NF-A14)?
Yes, fan clips for installing square frame 140mm fans (such as the NF-A14) are available on request via our customer support.
Interesting, I didn't know Noctua provided those. But be forewarned that you may have clearance issues with motherboard components.
@@TheTechBuyersGuru Free of charge. Now, I can see having a little trouble, I have arctic p14 5-pack will test next time too see how it works. Thanks for taking the time to help, love your videos.
The RUclips title should be “Radiator” not “Cooler”
Well, I actually was very intentional about that title, because while this video is a rad fan shootout, it's the second in a two-part series. At the end of the video I name the best cooler fan based on the entire range of testing I've done.
Cool
That's right noctua color is the worst I wonder why they can't change it
With all of the tested fans here being so close, performance wise there is absolutely no point paying $10+ over p12 for 1-2 degrees improvement.
Facts.