120mm Radiator Fan Roundup Part 2: Fan Harder
by Dustin Sklavos on October 22, 2012 12:01 AM EST(For a look at parts one and two of the fans we're testing (or actually have tested) you'll want to go back and check here.)
Enermax Magma
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| Airflow (in CFM) | Static Pressure (in mm/H2O) | RPM | Rated dBA |
| 69.15 | 1.4 | 1500 | 18 |
The Enermax Magma has pretty generous ratings, but it's also been one of the fans I've seen repeatedly pop up on forums as a solid choice for a 120mm radiator fan. Enermax's advertising materials promote the fact that it can run silently even at exceedingly high temperatures, but it'll be interesting to see if this fan is really all it's cracked up to be.
CoolerMaster Excalibur
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| Airflow (in CFM) | Static Pressure (in mm/H2O) | RPM | Rated dBA |
| 26.4-85.6 | 0.75-3.53 | 600-2000 | 13-30 |
The first of CoolerMaster's two entrants, the Excalibur is also one of the only PWM fans we have on hand for testing. Interestingly, both of CoolerMaster's fans look to have placed an emphasis on blingy design, but the Excalibur at least doesn't seem to have the same grossly exaggerated "miracle fan" ratings than the Sickle Flow from the last review had. And while the Sickle Flow was just grabbed off the shelf at a Fry's Electronics, the Excalibur and Turbine Master were both handpicked by CoolerMaster for this roundup.
CoolerMaster Turbine Master MACH 1.8
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| Airflow (in CFM) | Static Pressure (in mm/H2O) | RPM | Rated dBA |
| 80.3 | 1.96 | 1800 | 30.5 |
There are actually two models of Turbine Master; the MACH 1.8 is the faster of the two and designed for high performance rather than silence (in much the same way that Corsair has both silent and performance models of their 120mm fans). I'll say this for CoolerMaster; they can produce an interesting looking fan. The Turbine Master has more blades than any other fan in either roundup and comes with a nifty little removable dome for the fan hub.
Noctua NF-F12
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| Airflow (in CFM) | Static Pressure (in mm/H2O) | RPM | Rated dBA |
| 55 | 2.61 | 1500 | 22.4 |
I'll admit this is the fan I was most interested in checking out. The ratings listed on the packaging aren't particularly exciting, but Noctua has seen fit to equip the NF-F12 with a PWM connector as well as boxing it with a low noise adaptor. The whole package was actually pretty fancy, and while I'm not sure I'm a fan of the "chai latte" coloring I definitely got the impression that this was going to be a strong contender. Of course, for the price, it had better be.
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landerf - Monday, October 22, 2012 - link
Look at enermax 120mm fans on newegg. Plenty of batwing fans and some pwm options. I'd look too at the non-batwing TB fans. Their noise-performance ratio seems even better. I replaced my gentle typhoons with them because I've decided I can't take the ball bearing noise.Speaking of still no GTs? Surprised you don't have them laying around. Seems like everybody has one by now.
Udit - Monday, October 22, 2012 - link
Could you add the Gentle Typhoon 1850rpm to the test please?Naviblue - Monday, October 22, 2012 - link
I second this, where is the REAL King of the hill at on the charts? At least let us make a comparison to these other fans... Everyone knows Gentle Typhoons are benchmark!Earthmonger - Monday, October 22, 2012 - link
You two are kidding, right? That wouldn't be fair at all. This article is intended for tourists, not enthusiasts. Including an enthusiast fan like the GTs in this.. test.. would be plain silly. If you want real testing, this isn't the place for it. Hell, this test doesn't even mention bearing types.DarkStryke - Monday, October 22, 2012 - link
Yeah, don't include one of the best performers when you can hawk a load of mediocre overpriced junk instead!Good reasoning there bud.
lbeyak - Monday, October 22, 2012 - link
I must third this. From my research the Gentle Typhoons are basically the best 120 mm fans on the market. They are the ones I bought for my personal build.Sea Shadow - Monday, October 22, 2012 - link
Amateurs, the Gentle Typhoon is child's play. If you want to see a real enthusiast fan go look up Delta or Panaflo. 100-250CFM+ with pressures ranging from 10-30mm+. I use a set of 3 Delta AFB 1212VHE fans for my watercooling loop (which readily double the specs of the "best" gentle typhoon). At 5 volts they are livable and have no trouble forcing the air through the entirety of my case, heatercore and all! Ahh, makes me miss the old days of overclocking my opty 165....Anyways, I enjoyed the review. It is nice to see what the rest of the market is doing.
iamkyle - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
This man speaks the truth.Panasonic and Delta Electronics have been putting fans in computers since all before most of you were born.
If they're good enough for IBM XT's, YOU CAN BET they are good enough for a modern rig.
Earthmonger - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
When I think of the "best balance between thermal performance and acoustics", neither Panasonic nor Delta come to mind. Those are fans with an exclusive focus on performance, and a blatant disregard for acoustics.This test may lack a lot of relevant data, but at least the GTs are in proper context here.
lyeoh - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Whaaat? Sorry I can't hear you!