The BEST RGB Fans - For Airflow, Radiators & More
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
- Its finally here! These are the best RGB fans for cases, air coolers and water cooling radiators right now in 2023. But what about the best looking RGB fan? Well sometimes you'll need to sacrifice airflow to get that.
Buy these fans from Amazon at the links below:
Lian Li AL120 V2 - COMING SOON (beginning of April)
CM Mobius 120P ARGB - geni.us/MOBIUS120P
Thermalright C12C-S - geni.us/TRC12CS
Phanteks M25 - geni.us/M25ARGB
EK LOOP FPT (from EKWB) - bit.ly/LOOPPFT
Arctic BioniX P120 A-RGB - geni.us/BIONIXARGB
Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB - geni.us/AP12ARGB
be quiet Light Wings PWM HS - geni.us/BQLIGHT
Enermax SQUA 120mm - geni.us/ENERMAXSQUA
Scythe Kaze ARGB - geni.us/KAZEARGB
Check out the Thermaltake Ceres - geni.us/TTCERES500
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - FINALLY RGB FANS!
0:31 - Meet the 120mm RGB Fans
3:08 - Sponsor Spot
3:38 - The RGB RANT!
5:06 - The Best LOOKING RGB Fans
7:18 - A Few Hiccups
8:30 - White Color Issues
8:54 - Cable Management Problems
9:45 - Warranty is IMPORTANT
10:27 - RPM Claims vs Reality
11:30 - Understanding the Results
12:44 - UNRESTRICTED CFM Performance
15:20 - 100% & Noise Normalized CFM - Unrestricted
16:39 - RESTRICTED (Radiator) CFM Performance
19:39 - 100% & Noise Normalized CFM - Restricted
20:40 - RGB Case Fans vs Performance
21:24 - AIO Temperatures
22:40 - Air Cooler Temperatures
23:28 - The Best OVERALL RGB Fans
24:49 - The Best Budget RGB Fan
25:40 - The Losers
Check out the Methodology here: bit.ly/HWCFANMETHOD
GET MERCH ►hwcstore.com
SUBSCRIBE ►bit.ly/SubHWC
Review units purchased by Hardware Canucks. This video is sponsored by Thermaltake. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no review direction was received from manufacturers. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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#hardwarecanucks #bestrgbfans - Наука та технологія
could we have an update for 2024?
Agreed, no one buys EK anymore.
That was such a thorough analysis! I did not expect a video about RGB (fans) to be so engaging! This is a great reference video for lots of prospective buyers.
I really like how thorough this video was to help me get a better view of which fans to pick for building a pc.
Used the thermalright fans for my rig, totaling about 11 fans. They are great! It was $13 for a triple pack. $11 for the non rgb ones. By far one of the bets price to performance fans on the market right now.
How is it when it come to noise? Are the fans really loud? Or quiet?
@@assassinx-rated1440 Very quiet, especially when setting custom fan curve. I have them running at about 1100 rpm most of the time. Obviously it gets louder at full rpm. Keeps my 7950x3D with a 4090 quite cool.
@@deuswulf6193 Did you buy the TL-C12C-S or the TL-C12CW-S ?
@@ShiroMiraie it same product . W mean white
Don't your fans rattle? Just bought 3 of them, can't even use them at 300 RPM because they rattle that loud...
I was so overwhelmed with case fans and all the choices that exist out there. Thank you for making this WAY easier to understand and narrow my choices
I have been incredibly pleased with my Silverstone AB120r's. They perform really well as both case and radiator fans and the ARGB, while not particularly flashy, is very competently done with smooth transitions and very even diffusion. They're so quiet that you forget about them most of the time and when they do ramp up to audible levels, it's at a nice low hum with no whine. And that's with 12 fans in my system.
Great content! Most thorough fan evaluation I've seen. In my most recent build, I chose non-RGB fans. Before seeing this, I had come to the conclusion RGB fans generally didn't perform as well as non-RGB fans, which you have shown. I've used plenty of RGB fans in builds, but decided to focus on performance and go light on the RGB (pun intended). The Silent Wing Pro 4 are good looking fans, just no ARGB. EK has also been one of my go to fans and I'm glad the new Loop fans perform so well. Thanks to the content I also have some new candidates to consider.
Love those cooling reviews! Another great one! Keep them coming! 😍
What a fantastic video! Thank you guys for taking the time to do this. I was having a hard time finding tangible results for an RGB fans setup, and you guys absolutely nailed it. This was incredibly helpful.
How about ICOLER UNI Fan JM-V2RS?
Thank you for testing fans
Even thought they might not have the most impact on performance, it always interesting to have details and choose what is the best especially when on a budget and you care about airflow
First off, excellent video. The production quality, expansive product coverage and reliability of information really make this channel second to none. I’d love to see the Lian Li SL-Infinity in future content as they are the best looking fans in my opinion, however expensive they may be. It would be interesting to see how they compare, especially since they haven’t gotten much technical coverage. Once again though, really appreciate all the great work from the Hardware Canucks Team!
Yes I agree with ALL OF THIS!!! I agree that the Lian Li Uni SL Infinity fans are the best looking fans out there :)
I have an Arctic P12 ARGB on my towercooler and a P14 ARGB in the back of my Lian Li Lancool 216.
Airflow is steady as a rock, low temps and low noise for a fair price, couldnt be happier .
This was one of the best fan reviews, ever! Well done! 👌🏻
The following fans were tested but didn't make the "grade" for this video (ie their performance was worse than what you see here):
Fractal Prisma RGB
NZXT Aer RGB 2
NZXT F120 RGB
Corsair QL series
Thermaltake Pure 12
Montech AX120
ID Cooling Crystal 120 White
DeepCool FC120
The FC120 is so bad? I thought they were decent when looking at LS720 performance.
performace was worse? what does it mean? While Fractal Prisma AL-12 and AL-14 have alot higher CFM/Static pressure/airflow than some of the fans in the video? So those stats are not valid in real world?
I did not expect the NZXT fans to be *that* bad. I have some AER 2's in my case. That said im glad this video exists for that!
@@Crystalblade564 each manufacturer tests the stats differently and at max speeds. They are not comparable.
Was hoping you'd test the silverstone air blazer 120r. Pretty cheap here in Australia, ARGB, decent claimed stats, goes up to 2200 RPM. Also, I saw you tested the SL120s in another comment, but did you test the SL120 infinity by any chance?
Omg, the BEST review on the planet about fans!
This video is coming in clutch for me because I was about to go buy some RGB fans, thank you very much ❤
Thermalright is a goldmine. Hoping for reviews on whatever products you can get your hands on.
Suggestions:
The premium edition of these fans called TL-C12-Pro.
The Peerless Asassin have multilpe upgraded versions: Phantom Spirit SE and Frost Tower.
Been wanting to see a detailed video like this for years! Thanks! one side point, when presenting the line plots, if you're going to the trouble of animating it, could maybe update the legend at the same time with the data being highlighted, only showing the ones already on the figure, just to make the graph easier to read
THIS is exactly what has been missing from fan reviews. Thank you. Suggestions to add the: Fractal Aspect RGB and Prisma ARGB, ID Cooling TF120 ARGB, Corsair SP120 RGB Elite, NZXT AER120 RGB 2, Deepcool FC120 ARGB, CM Sickleflow ARGB and InWin ARGB 120mm fans
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Also fractal design gp-12 X2 pwm if possible. Thanks
Is DeepCool FC120 worth buying? I think it look great but idk their performace...
Awesome review, thanks for also including info about daisy connectivity, which is most often omitted. I was looking for RGB fans for radiators and I was hesitating between LL and EK Loop, but you've helped me to choose EK!
The thermalright tl-b12S are technically pre-release. Thermalright has a tendency to put their products on their website 2-3 months prior to their actual availability on the market. The non-rgb b12's(regular not the extreme) are absolutely fantastic. The B12S (RGB) should be within striking distance of the regulars if thermalright maintains their usual consistency. The c12s are just slightly worse than the c12 likely due to the less rigid plastic RGB fans have to use.
I would LOVE to see how the Phanteks D30-120 fair in this comparison. I seems like they had a lowkey launch last week and almost immediately sold out, but they seem quite promising.
We asked and they only sent for a build to Dmitry. Not to our main lab....red flags right there...
Maybe in a later video when availability is better?
Absolutely.
@@HardwareCanucks That's too bad because I was really curious how they'd compare to the rest of the lineup. I have Lian Li SL120 Infinity fans so I don't need new ones but Phanteks has always been my favorite non-RGB fan.
looks kinda ugly tho, if i am paying that price, i go for lianli fans
Another factor to cover with these fans is how they look from the back. A lot of the time with some of these O11D inspired cases you end up mounting your fans backwards and how the fan looks from the back becomes very important. It's especially the case with ARGB fans since they draw attention towards themselves and sometimes aren't that well designed from the back as you showed with the Squa. The only proper solution here seems to be reverse spinning fans or something like the Deepcool MF120 GT, which has a very unique inverse hub design.
Yeah I did cover it with the be quiet and enermax. The others are pretty plain Jane.
@@HardwareCanucks This is one area where I think the Thermaltake SWA-fan would have been an appropriate addition. But, since they sponsored the video, I can see why you may not want to have their fan included to avoid any percieved bias.
I agree about the SwaFan and I wish I could have some here....but for some reason Thermaltake has been really hesitant to send us samples. And after this video and another one that's coming up, our samples budget is getting pinched pretty tight right now.
For back illumination phanteks has some nice rgb frames. They have the advantage of working with non rgb fans too.
@@HardwareCanucks There exists a reverse spinning version of the Thermalright C12S called the C12R-S, hope you guys would be able to obtain a sample of those as that would probably be the top budget choice for that niche.
Lian Li SL120 V2 would have been interesting as well.
Also the Phanteks D30-120.
Love your background lighting and use of colour across the screen
Holy shit Mike, that's a lot of numbers! Thanks for including the radiator results and real world performance, it would be half a review without them, but many reviewers don't bother.
It would be great to see how the below fans compare to the ones you already tested:
- Coolermaster MASTERFAN SF120M ARGB
- Coolermaster MASTERFAN MF120 HALO²
- LIAN LI UNI FAN SL-Infinity 120/RGB
Why does barely anyone review the MF Halos from Cooler Master? I'd love to know how they actually stack up against others out there...
❤❤
REALLY loved this video. Please do more of these!
Great review! Thanks for the work!
I'd like to see the Inwin Jupiters added to this test. I've been using them for a while now and haven't regretted them (mostly because of the good pricing).
They also have what I call a "glass" look because they fanblades are transparent and not opaque, which really grew on me in the looks department.
Great video, thorough testing as always!
another truly awesome and useful video, thank you so much Mike!
Oh my god I’ve been waiting for this for so long
Good stuff, thanks for covering all this stuff!
I would love to see something on the Razer Chroma RGB Hub. It is really versatile and let's you layout all standard 3 PIN ARG to really incorporate great patterns. Not just duplicating the effect across them.
One of the best videos out there! Thank you :)
Excellent review and methodology, love to see it. Crazy a p12 vs stock fan at the same noise on the AIO is a 10 degree drop
Absolutely amazing video! Great analysis of the RGB fan pile and especially appreciate your review of the use of these with an AIO. I just purchased the Vetroo AIO and know the fans that come with it are trash. I’ve subscribed and appreciate your great vids. Keep up the great work!
Man I love your content on this channel. Hands down the best entertainment here for me :) As a guy who builds a lot of high end computers the info here are priceless. Thank you and I hope to see more :]
Thanks!
I was waiting for this video for forever
Thanks man for the data. You're the best
Just got and installed the Thermalright fans and they perform great for the price.
Lately, Mike is making the most interesting videos by far on HC. Well done sir and give us more!!!
brilliant stuff Mike really really great video 🙂
Thank you guys for the hard work on this video, 9 months later I still refer to this 😁
until the pc working again itll still the one for all to aim
sad should be the 5800x2880 instead, it was noticeably different
oled owners know this
Thank you, you haved saved me so much time
Wow, what a great review. I had just bought the alphacool rise, it had the best specs. Now I picked up the mobius. So much quieter.
Interesting vid, you really put a lot of effort into it and it shows in the quality! I would love to see a comparison for 140mm fans (RGB, non-RGB). (Because I'm on the lookout for such fans ^^) It would also be useful to have a CPU temp vs. noise graph in different scenarios (case, heatsink, radiator).
Awesome information. It'd be great if we could get similar tests for 140mm ARGB fans!
Great video as always, I hope they make a 140mm RGB round test too 👍
Hello! Awesome content, sir! I'm looking forward to see the Phanteks D30-120 results before buying my next fans.
just bought a pack of Thermalright TL-c12c-s x3 for 18€ thank you for the review
Hoping they'll look good with my other fans the Cooler Master Sickleflow 120
thanks, just in time for a new build!
Great video man, I really enjoy your videos
Thanks
Excellent video, very informative
Thank you! I'd be interested in this kind of testing for 92mm RGB fans.
I wrote this in the beginning when you did not introduce the P12 PWM PST A-RGB, but I saw it in the test anyway 😄
Suggestions:
- Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB
- Arctic P14 PWM PST A-RGB
These are PST fans, meaning _"PWM Sharing Technology"_ (not static pressure optimized, like I've seen some reviewers say), so I wonder if they can pass through light stuff too, or just what's needed to run the fan.
tbh the Arctic P12 argb is super decent at such quiet levels. Plenty enough to keep my 12700k (360mm aio) and 3080ti (240mm aio) both under 70 degrees at load. Could my temps be better? Sure, probably by 3-5 degrees - but these fans MAX out at 39db! I know in the low db radiator tests they were mid-pack, and I'm not surprised by that, but I still think they're a steal in the price:performance:noise level:looks race...
As for the looks, one thing you failed to address on any fan here except the weird-ass SQUA, is that the overwhelming majority of argb fans just don't look good when viewed from the back - which most fans running as intakes would be. I honestly think this is super important, almost always overlooked by reviewers and manufacturers alike, and yet is one of the biggest deciding factors in my (and likely others') choice for argb fans. The P12 argb (like very few argb fans) has that continuous ring connecting the outer edges of the blades which I can tell you honestly reallllllly helps it look significantly better and more vibrant from the back - the light spreads all the way out the outer edge so well. Way more so than most typical and popular argb fans. I don't care how bright and diffused the hub lighting is, if the hub is mostly blocked by plastic on the backside.
I tested the thermalright and yes they are amazing for the price!
Missing out the Cooler Master MF120 halo. Here in germany they cost around 12-16 euros which is something like 13-17 dollars
very good video, id like to see the Coolermaster Halo in the comparison
would love to see: Cooler Master MasterFan MF120 Halo White
3 months ago I was looking to fill a new case with fans. I used your last video to make my decision on the Silent wings pro 4. They were almost impossible to find and weren't cheap on Amazon at the time. The new Light wings were out and on sale for a three pack. I like the looks, but it's so hard to compare actual performance which is what I really wanted. They are quiet, and my setup doesn't run that hot so I'm happy with what I got.
BTW you guys made another great video I'll sending out to friends and family! This is another video I'll be coming back to in the future.
Thanks!
Thermal right! Im using their radiator Frozen Prime, 60$ 360mm . all i got to say is that you must try it.
Thank you for this.
Great video thanks. I have nzxt aer 2 fans on my radiators and I love them.
Great video!
Cool video idea
I would like to see the results for theThermaltake SWAFAN EX12 RGB. These come with two sets of fan blades so you can get a consistent look whether you need to bring air into the case or evacuate air out.
Yeah they weren't available when we did this.
There are reviews online. I read one and the conclusion was that they are trash. If you swap the blade it performs worse and gets even louder.
Great video thank you for doing this!
Although I would have liked to see NZXT's and Empire gaming's RGB ring fans. I understand the ladder is not popular but it's what I have so I'm asking anyway 😂
Keep up the good work!
thank you for explaining the charts. yes it might be trivial or a no-brainer but it's still a nice touch! keep it up!
My pleasure!
Really like the be quiet light wings 120 MM high speed in my custom loop. The rgb is beautiful and they are whisper quiet.
Great review! Finally I understood all the graphs :)
One thing you should have done was to review the regular Be Quiet! and not the High Speed version. I read the regular was designed as case fans whilst the HS was designed to be use on radiators and heat sinks.
Also, it would have been nice to understand why when comparing the same fans, one without RGB and one without it, the one with added RGB perform worse....just wondering.
I've seen the thermalright TL-S12 looking so good
From cooler master, theres the MF120 Halo and the second version of then. They look a little like the Rise Aurora, but with no adapter needed.
One fan I don’t see on the list that I’d like to see tested next time (if you’re able to), is the Thermaltake ToughFan 12 RGB fan.
On paper, it looks like a similar/better offering than Be Quiet’s LW HS fan. Seems like a fan that would do okay under noise normalized tests and I think would be interesting to see how the results stacked up.
I think it could be a good fan for people who REALLY care about noise, but still want decent performance.
Thanks for the video
Thanks for doing this, can you add EKWB Quantum Impulse fans on the next round. I really like the way those fans look.
I have 7x Darkflash DR12 pro fans with the controller, they are connected to Aura sync.
These are brilliant fans and keep everything very cool, inside Lian li o11 dynamic evo.
They also cost only £40 for the complete set..
Great, impartial review.
Bro you are awesome 👍 keep it pls up
I love your fan review. Speaking of: I haven't thanked you for bringing the Arctic P12 Max to my attention yet. I ordered them a week ago. They should arrive tomorrow. Can't wait to pair them with the NF-A20PWM Noctuas. That will be some nice noise level and decent airflow. The problem with modding is the airflow. So let's see how well my new modd will do. But I am rather confident. And I like that I haven't had to rob a bank to get there. So thanks guys! Looking forward to the 14 run. So fare it has been rather surprising on who hold up and who didn't.
Awesome! Let me know how it goes!
@@HardwareCanucks Oh I am sure, you will love it. I am building the PC in a Greek hoplite armour and the monitor stand is a life size roman gladiator. The helmet is even a replica of an original one found in Pompeii. Hence the headache about how to cool the thing. So thanks there, you provided some great help! The only down side is that I have to wait for a steel beam that will take another 10 weeks to ship. Well at least time to think about the details of my water cooling. Let's see if I can pull it off. It isn't just a PC but a whole set up. Put I will gladly keep you posted once it's done.
Thank you for given me reliable point of view. Do 140 please. Planning to build all 140 fan built.
Thanks for your hard work! I couldn't pass up the value versus performance of the Thermalright fans. They're a no-brainer at less than $30 for 6 fans. On top of that I grabbed the Thermalright Frozen Notte 360 AIO for just $60! It's beautiful and comes with 3 more fans for the radiator! $100 to cool the entire case AND the CPU? Heck yes!
I just want to thank you and your team again. I ended up ordering the ek loop and the ek nucleus because of their current sale. I originally wanted to buy the lian li ones for my nzxt h6 flow but after watching this a couple of time. I think the ek loop would be a better choice. Thank you.
Wow great choice!
@@HardwareCanucks package arrived! Would it be fine if I use the included drgb 6 way splitter?
I was stress testing a data analysis PC today, I didn't want to use an AIO, gfx weren't important but the mobo & air tower cooler I chose has ARGB features.
So just for adding a little fun to an unassuming Fractal Define compact case, I tried the thermalright as the exhaust fan.
After 45mins of stress testing with NO fan tuning, still had 100% utilisation near the max boost on all cores and < 70C.
The cheap Thermalright was shifting plenty of exhaust air but the box was really pleasantly quiet.
I had non RGB, RGB cooler fan and then the Thermalright in series, yes my AIO offers lower temps, but using a case in solid configuration this was quieter as AIO are then constrained to either 120mm exhaust rad or an inherently non-optimal front mount.
For an office or a study I'd take the Thermalright and just reduce the fan rpm a little
Great Mike!
I had the CM sickleflow rgb and they were really great.. give them a try
Can you update this for early 2024?
And here I thought RGB fans were just regular fans with lights stuck to them! This is eye opening.
I would like to see some testing of the deepcool fc120 and fk120 if you already haven't done it. Thanx and keep up the good work, I really like your fans and cooler reviews.
Should check out the InWin Sirius Loop fans. Unfortunately they only come in 120s, but i crammed 4 of these in my wife’s mATX, and they are insanely effective and quiet. They’re definitely a hidden gem
I bought last week two pack of Thermalright 120 RGB and are amazing , quiet and efficient. I paid 16€ for a pack , great deal .
VERY useful!
Here is Australia, the older SilverStone Blazer is great value compared to the mobius for a rad fan. The cam sicklemaster is worth adding as well.
Please get us a 140mm version of this test? Feels like the choices are smaller there too.
How about the new Antec Fuzion fans? Nice vid btw! keep it up!
Would like to see phanteks d30 to this test.. Great comparison.. Thank you for the hard work
I'm curious about the performance of all the Unifans over time with a comparison to something like the NH12x25 from Noctua. Are Lian Li getting better over time?
My Recommendation for RGB Fans are Silverstone Air Blazer 120R for Case Fans and Silverstone Shark Force 120 for Radiator Fans.
Recently Changed my Case Fans from Lian Li Unifans Infinity 120 to Silverstone Air Blazer 120R and the Stock Fans (EK Loop FPT) of my EK Nucleus 360 to the Silverstone Shark Force 120. Satisfied with the Change.
Amazing video! Did you guys consider adding a fan with a rgb ring add on such as the phanteks halo rgb ring? I think that would complete the round up of options for rgb fans.
Didn't think of it mostly because the Halos has become SO hard to find lately.
I would love to see you review Uphere T7SYC7 RGB. I have used them several time and wonder how they compare to the big names.