CORSAIR adds to their ever-growing fan family with the much-requested SP RGB ELITE fans. Previously only sold with RGB variants of their cases, these new fans offer excellent PWM control over a relatively long RPM range for case fans, coupled with low noise, directed-airflow performance, and the now-customary RGB lighting with iCUE software control.
After testing Bitspower's value-oriented Touchaqua NJORD fans, we shift over to the more featured Njord Dual Fin fans. These come in two color options, offer niftier RGB lighting via the dual-fin rotor design, and have daisy-chained cable management that suits radiator fan placement, too.
Bitspower's value-oriented brand, Touchaqua, makes a splashing debut on TechPowerUp with the NJORD 120 fan. Available as a triple pack with included PWM and LED control hubs, the Touchaqua NJORD is an RGB fan that aims to offer good performance without breaking any banks.
Cooler Master wants to leverage their factory and design capabilities to bring out highly addressable RGB LED fans without breaking the bank. The MasterFan MF120 Halo has 24 LEDs per fan and supports all mainstream motherboard lighting solutions while aiming to offer a hybrid balance of static pressure and airflow.
Scythe attempts to maintain their product philosophy of offering good cooling products of value with the Kaze Flex 120 RGB PWM fan. An iteration of the existing Kaze Flex, the addition of RGB lighting comes to attract a large market that increasingly wants color customization for custom PC builds.
One fan. 34 addressable RGB LEDs. That alone will be enough for many to decide if the new CORSAIR iCUE QL RGB fan is for you. Coming in both 120 and 140 mm sizes, CORSAIR's latest fans can do double duty and light up your house for the holiday season, in addition to your new PC build.
EK Water Blocks adds to their fan portfolio with the massive 38 mm thick Meltemi. Available in their -ER (extended range) version, the EK-Meltemi aims to take their popular Vardar fan as a base and build upon it with a bigger, badder motor, and promises high static pressure optimization for PC DIY water cooling.
Alphacool adds to their ever-increasing Aurora lineup of RGB products with the Eiszyklon Aurora RGB LT fans. Available in 1100 or 1300 RPM options, these fans feature 16 RGB LEDs to make for a noise-optimized light-show on your new watercooled PC.
The chromax series from Noctua is their answer to the many requests from customers wanting more color options beyond tan and brown, while retaining all the new technology from their R&D department. The NF-F12 PWM chromax is an all-black version of their NF-F12 fan thus, with six color options to choose from for corner pads and compatibility with other chromax accessories as well.
Noctua's recent addition to their budget-friendly redux series is the NF-P12 series, which introduces a pressure-optimized fan design at an affordable price point. It delivers good performance at more-than-acceptable noise levels and aims to encourage Noctua adoption in the PC DIY watercooling market.
EKWB has listened to market demands and came out with an RGB-lit version of their already-excellent Vardar EVO 120ER fan. With bold claims of no performance reduction in spite of 9 RGB LEDs added and a re-worked fan design with a different impeller/hub and bearings to before, the fan merits a detailed look in more ways than one.
Noctua's long awaited NF-A12x25 fan hits the market with a bang in more ways than one. With more features than I can count with my fingers, all of which have been used to optimize performance and acoustics, it is a fan that makes no excuses about the lack of RGB lighting as it puts up a great showing against the competition.
The Silverstone FHP141 is a 38 mm thick, 140 x 140 mm fan that can be mounted to a single 120 mm fan slot. By virtue of the added space to the motor and rotor, and some other tricks up its sleeve, it aims to provide an excellent balance of performance and noise for those low on radiator space.
EKWB takes their high static pressure optimized Vardar fans and improves upon them by adding a zero RPM mode to PWM-controlled fans. The dual ball bearings also get replaced to reduce bearing noise, and at $20, these aim to be the best-performing radiator fans for PC DIY watercooling around.
Corsair finally added RGB lighting to their excellent ML fans, and with it added, we possibly have the best balance of performance, noise, and aesthetics. Featuring a magnetic levitation bearing, a fine-tuned rotor for high static pressure applications, and four addressable RGB LEDs.
Corsair decided that having 12 RGB LEDs on a fan was not enough, and with the LL RGB fans, we get 16 addressable ones split into two light loops. Featuring software control via the Lighting Node PRO, these are all about maxing out on the bling factor.
The Gentle Typhoon made a comeback recently under the DarkSide brand, and in an all-black color scheme too. It was the fan of choice for PC DIY enthusiasts only a few years ago, and in this review, we will see how it holds up against newer fans and features alike.
