Introduction

Every single CORSAIR fan reviewed on TechPowerUp to date has been an RGB fan, which makes sense given the company's extensive ecosystem of hardware and software coming together for a light show that now extends not only from the PC tower and desk but also to your living room. Some have been impressive, including the now-old ML120 RGB and the newer iCUE SP120 RGB ELITE although I did think there was an opportunity for CORSAIR to develop a successor to its popular Air Series AF120 and SP120 fans from a few years ago—no LEDs, decent aesthetics, and better performance in a more competitive environment. It appeared that CORSAIR had been listening and last year came out with a relevant fan launch in the form of the AF120 ELITE.


The CORSAIR AF120 ELITE can be considered as an airflow-optimized fan that is analogous to the SP120 ELITE we saw before, and both have been used by CORSAIR with other products including cases. In addition to the older Air Series AF120 which came with the colored rings, there was also the AF120 LED fan and I tested both of these before I joined TechPowerUp. The new AF120 ELITE foregoes LEDs and incorporates CORSAIR's AirGuide technology for the stator vanes on the back, which did help the SP120 ELITE compete favorably as a radiator fan. The AF120 ELITE is also available in two color options and I have the white versions here making it easier to choose the stock photo of the black color fans above for context. Will this supposed airflow-optimized fan be able to keep up? Thanks to CORSAIR for providing review samples to TechPowerUp as we put this fan to the test today in our review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

CORSAIR sent over three individual packs of the AF120 ELITE fan and each such product box comes inside a plastic wrap that I'd personally like to see avoided. The packaging for the fan adopts a predominantly yellow color with the company logo and product name on the front to go with a render of the specific fan color inside. Salient features are also seen here and on the back, in multiple languages. A tech specs table and certification labels help round things off, with the use of a double flap as well as seals on the sides to help secure the contents in place on their way to you.


The CORSAIR AF120 ELITE is simple in its design because it is purely a fan and does not have any LEDs. This also means there are no accessories to be concerned about aside from the usual set of four self-tapping metal screws per fan if you wish to use these as case fans only. I do like the inner packaging with a cardboard sleeve that separates the fan from the accompanying safety information pamphlet and it also makes for a separate compartment to the side that the cable snugly fits into.