What's the best 120mm case fan?

120mm Fans, Page 1

AeroCool V12XT Blue Line

UK price (at time of review): £6.95 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): NA
The AeroCool V12XT Blue Line fan is visually quite distinctive and is claimed to shift just under 30cfm at 17.3dbA. However, although it shifted a very respectable 28cfm in our tests, it emits a slightly annoying tonal noise at 27dBA, so it isn’t as quiet as AeroCool makes out.

Akasa AK-174CB-4BLB

UK price (at time of review): £7.46 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): NA
Akasa produces a huge variety of cooling kit, but the AK-174CB-4BLB is a traditional blue LED 120mm fan. Akasa claims that it should produce 59.05cfm at 29.75dBA, but we measured its airflow rather higher at 76cfm, and its sound pressure as an unpleasantly loud 38.9dBA. If your heart is set on a blue illuminated PC you’d be better off buying a fan and separate lights rather than investing in this noisy fan.

Akasa AK-274CR-4RDS

UK price (at time of review): £5.51 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): NA
The red-LED Akasa AK-274CR-4RDS spins slower than the AK-174CB-4BLB – 1,200rpm compared 1,700rpm – so it moved a lot less air in our test, 51cfm compared to 76cfm. It’s considerably quieter, with a sound pressure reading of 30.3dBA. This means that while it’s audible, it isn’t particularly loud or annoying.

Asus FAN 1225S1

UK price (at time of review): £5.99 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): NA
The Asus 1225S1 spins at 1,200rpm and is claimed to shift 60cfm at 23dBA, which is a bold claim indeed. As such, it should come as no surprise that, while our tests proved it can shift a respectable 55cfm, it’s far noisier than claimed, emitting a rowdy 33dBA. Given that other 120mm fans produce greater airflow at a lower noise level, the Asus A1225S1 isn’t anything special.

Be Quiet! Silent Wings 120mm

UK price (at time of review): £11.37 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): NA
The Silent Wings 120mm is Be Quiet!’s first foray outside the PSU market and features several advanced features, such as integrated rubber anti-vibration mounts and fluid dynamic bearings. In our tests, the Silent Wings 120mm shifted 47cfm and measured 27dbA, making it one of the best 120mm fans on test.

Delta FFB1212EHE

UK price (at time of review): £17.54 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): $30.99 (ex tax)
Unlike most of the fans in this Labs test, the Delta FFB1212EHE isn’t designed to shift a small amount of air quietly; instead, it’s designed to move a hurricane-like 190cfm, which is nearly double that of any other 120mm fan. To achieve this incredible airflow, the blades spin at 4,000rpm, necessitating a huge motor and therefore a larger-than-average 38mm deep frame. The Delta didn’t disappoint, shifting an incredible 202cfm in our test, but at the expense of a 67.6dBA racket that was more reminiscent of a hairdryer than a PC. Although the Delta will be far too loud for most people, it’s worth considering if you need to cool a hot-running PC such as a server or folding supercomputer in a remote location.

Feser Triebwerk TK-121

UK price (at time of review): £23.58 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): $34.95 (ex tax)
Feser manufactures a huge range of water-cooling accessories and has just added two fans to its line-up – the TK-121 and TK-122. Both are marketed as ‘the ultimate radiator fan’ due to their 55mm depth; this should produce lots of static pressure, which helps to push air through a radiator. Both models include rubber anti-vibration mounts and a pass-through cable for daisy-chaining multiple fans on one power cable. The TK-121 shifted just 34cfm but was a rather noisy 34.5dBA, so it isn’t really worth buying.

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