Arctic Introduces Quiet Calm RGB Case Fans with Passive Mode

[Uskompuf]

ARCTIC, today introduces two new semi-passive case fans. A special 0-decibel mode enables completely silent operation when power is not needed. The P12 PWM PST 0 dB fans are available in two different variants, with analog RGB lighting as well as digital A-RGB. Clever feature for silence lovers: The new semi-passive case fans switch to passive mode when the PWM signal falls below 10 %. This allows silent operation at low load while guaranteeing the highest performance when needed.

At full speed, the hydrodynamic sleeve bearing and the new, rubberized contact surfaces reduce noise levels to a minimum. Plus, form has been considered as well as function: twelve RGB LEDs and a transparent rotor provide even, rich illumination. Thanks to high static pressure, the P12 PWM PST 0 dB fans guarantee efficient cooling, even with increased air resistance. An integrated Y-splitter for fan and RGB connection also make them easy to combine.





Pricing & Availability

• The P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB is available now at Amazon and at the ARCTIC Webshop starting at a price of € 11,99 MSRP.
• The P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB is available now at Amazon and at the ARCTIC Webshop starting at a price of € 12,99 MSRP.
• In addition to the classic single fan, the P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB is also available in a convenient 3-pack.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[katzi]

Oooo those are nice, pity I can't get 'em here in New Zealand -_-

 

[Mussels]

Could make really good case fans for a lot of situations

 

[LocutusH]

Yeah, i mean in an O11D you can have half of your fans passive, and still cool the same

 

[watzupken]

I am not a big fan of 0 RPM fans. While it helps with reducing noise, but its at the expense of heat buildup. For example, I rather have the fan spin at a slower RPM to keep temps at 40 deg or lower at idle, and not have it run higher. So even for GPU, I tend to disable 0 RPM fan.

 

[Deleted member 205776]

Do they still make those awful motor noises?

 

[Nordiga]

Do they still make those awful motor noises?

I have 2 P140 and 2 P120 on my system. Also i installed and checked around 10 more on client systems, not a single noise whatsoever.
They are the only fans i work with now, best VFM fans in the market by a longshot.

 

[Deleted member 205776]

I have 2 P140 and 2 P120 on my system. Also i installed and checked around 10 more on client systems, not a single noise whatsoever.
They are the only fans i work with now, best VFM fans in the market by a longshot.

I wish I could say the same, installed two P14s at the front and they made the worst motor resonance noise I've ever heard out of a fan. Wanted to rip them out without unscrewing them. I'm not the only one with this issue when it comes to Arctic fans. They said they're looking into it, I'll wait until they do so

 

[GeorgeMan]

I have 2 P140 and 2 P120 on my system. Also i installed and checked around 10 more on client systems, not a single noise whatsoever.
They are the only fans i work with now, best VFM fans in the market by a longshot.

Exactly this. By far the best VFM fans (and coolers and AIOs) in market.

 

[Caring1]

I wish I could say the same, installed two P14s at the front and they made the worst motor resonance noise I've ever heard out of a fan. Wanted to rip them out without unscrewing them. I'm not the only one with this issue when it comes to Arctic fans. They said they're looking into it, I'll wait until they do so

That can be caused by the case material too, especially if it is too flimsy.

 

[Deleted member 205776]

That can be caused by the case material too, especially if it is too flimsy.

No other fan I tried makes this noise.

 

[Airisom]

I had about 10 or 12 of the P12s at one time. All of them made that noise even with 120mm square rubber isolators installed on them all. Returned and picked up a12x25s. Wallet wasn't happy, but my ears were.

 

[Chrispy_]

Passive is such a gimmick unless you REQUIRE it for an industrial environment that's dust-sealed, use in explosive environment or some other exceptionally niche one-off situation.

If you can hear a 400rpm fan, then you're probably sitting with your ear a couple inches away from it in a sub-10dBA anechoic chamber. At that point, things like your heartbeat and the sound of blood flowing through vessels in your head are louder, which begs the question: What the f*** is the point? The quietest room in your house is probably somewhere close to 30dBA when there's no wind blowing tree leaves around outside. 33dBA is a more realistic noise floor. So why should anyone care about the 28dBA that a 400rpm fan makes?

400RPM cooling is vastly superior, like order-of-magnitude better at dissipating heat than passive cooling. There's no reason for passive cooling in consumer units and the elevated temperatures that passively-cooled parts run at reduces their lifespan - probably bringing their lifespan down to the lifespan of 400RPM fan bearings. Well done, you no longer have to replace your fans, but you've dried out all the electrolytic caps on your motherboard and PSU so they need replacing instead.

Yet another PC industry marketing gimmick for gullible people who haven't thought it through, or just want it for novelty reasons.

 

[Caring1]

Would be better if the frame was white too, some people want all white fans (RGB doesn't have to be plugged in).

 

[Mussels]

Passive is such a gimmick unless you REQUIRE it for an industrial environment that's dust-sealed, use in explosive environment or some other exceptionally niche one-off situation.

If you can hear a 400rpm fan, then you're probably sitting with your ear a couple inches away from it in a sub-10dBA anechoic chamber. At that point, things like your heartbeat and the sound of blood flowing through vessels in your head are louder, which begs the question: What the f*** is the point? The quietest room in your house is probably somewhere close to 30dBA when there's no wind blowing tree leaves around outside. 33dBA is a more realistic noise floor. So why should anyone care about the 28dBA that a 400rpm fan makes?

400RPM cooling is vastly superior, like order-of-magnitude better at dissipating heat than passive cooling. There's no reason for passive cooling in consumer units and the elevated temperatures that passively-cooled parts run at reduces their lifespan - probably bringing their lifespan down to the lifespan of 400RPM fan bearings. Well done, you no longer have to replace your fans, but you've dried out all the electrolytic caps on your motherboard and PSU so they need replacing instead.

Yet another PC industry marketing gimmick for gullible people who haven't thought it through, or just want it for novelty reasons.

passive is great for stopping dust build up, my PSU (and pre mining, GPU) are/were completely dust free after years of use

 

[Deleted member 205776]

Dust buildup can be easily dealt with by pressing the Speed 2 button on my dust blower for a minute or so (and keeping my room clean). I'd rather have constant airflow over my components, especially PSU. My room is completely silent, and it gets uncomfortably silent if every fan is off.

Now I don't mind fan off on GPU -- they don't usually have the best fans and a completely silent GPU at idle is a blessing. Everything else tho, I run at a very low RPM, turned off hybrid mode on my PSU. It had issues anyway, kept ramping up for no reason.

 

[Mussels]

yeah but... that's you. with a dust blower, time and motivation to do so.

Overall, systems with less to no dust build up is the better general experience.

 

[Chrispy_]

passive is great for stopping dust build up, my PSU (and pre mining, GPU) are/were completely dust free after years of use

Huh, that's something I didn't consider. I figured unfiltered cases were the sole domain of ultra-budget builds that have no place buying €12 individual fans over €20 5-packs.
And then I looked at my open-frame rigs and counted zero filters.

I guess I'm not used to living in a dusty environment, but don't open frames need more cleaning by default? Mine aren't old enough to warrant it yet.

 

[claes]

I’ve run my (closed and filtered) HTPC passively for a decade now; i3 rarely hits 50C, 645 doesn’t break 50C, receiver sitting on top of the chassis. :shrug:

And yeah, I don’t have to clean it but agreed that it takes no time at all... I let my FT02, beneath my desk, go without a cleaning for two years once and it couldn’t have taken more than 5 minutes to clean.

Mostly I’m here because I don’t understand how Arctic is doing aRGB for $1 more than the non RGB version while everyone else charges double

 

[WeeRab]

Love the Arctic fans. I replaced the LianLi fans on my Lancool 2 with 140mm Arctic fans and now enjoy a virtually silent rig.
Best VFM money cooling in the market. Bar none.
Don't think i could take these ones though....Hate RGB.

 

[Franzen4Real]

I have 2 P140 and 2 P120 on my system. Also i installed and checked around 10 more on client systems, not a single noise whatsoever.
They are the only fans i work with now, best VFM fans in the market by a longshot.

you can get an idea of what some of us hear from Optimum Tech's review of the fans on YouTube. He has a brief clip of the sound in the video. My work around has just been adjusting the fan curve slightly lower than the point that it starts making the noise.

I wish I could say the same, installed two P14s at the front and they made the worst motor resonance noise I've ever heard out of a fan. Wanted to rip them out without unscrewing them. I'm not the only one with this issue when it comes to Arctic fans. They said they're looking into it, I'll wait until they do so

I wonder if orientation is a factor with these fans. I have (6) P12's horizontally as case fans, and (2) P14's vertically on the AIO. Though both models make the noise slightly above 1000 rpm up to about 1100 rpm, the two P14's are louder than the six P12's. I have not taken the P14's out and tried them horizontally, but perhaps when the day comes that I remove them for a quick radiator vacuuming I'll give it a try.