Closer Examination

The iCUE SP120 RGB ELITE fans are not new in that CORSAIR has used them as stock fans with recent RGB versions of cases, including the excellent 4000X RGB and 5000X RGB that have propelled CORSAIR case sales through the roof. CORSAIR had made a big deal about these new fans with their AirGuide technology that uses those stator vanes on the back to minimize Eddy currents and vortexes in the airflow field through the fans. Indeed, my first look at the fans was one of "Huh! These look like they have had more thought put into the design than the usual (insert Asian OEM here) rebrand", which was closely followed by "Ouch, those fan blades are sharp." The fan blades are also optimized for a good balance between airflow and static pressure, which is interesting in our case as there are radiator tests coming up.

The SP120 RGB ELITE pictured above is otherwise a standard 120 x 120 x 25 mm fan with a squarish frame that is more of an octagon to aid in performance. The corners don't have rubber pads for vibration dampening and are black as with the rest of the frame for contrast with the frosted white loops and rotor, although there will be white versions as well. There are seven sweeping blades on the rotor to push air through, and overall build quality is solid. The corners are open, and arrows on one side indicate the direction of airflow through the fan as well as the blade rotation, should you need it. The RGB in the name comes in the form of eight individually addressable RGB LEDs in the central hub, which does result in a larger-than-average hub to accommodate the lighting elements.


A closer look at the back of the fan hub reveals another sticker to complement the one on the front with just the CORSAIR logo. This one has the logo as well, but also the specifications we usually see. Each SP120 RGB ELITE fan is rated for 0.3 A (3.6 W) in total on the 12 VDC rail, which corresponds to the peak draw with startup boost and is a combined rating for the fan and the LEDs. I noticed a maximum operating current draw of 0.058 A (0.7 W on the 12 V rail) for the fan motor alone, so you should be able to operate a good number of these fans off a single 1 A header if start-up boost can be accounted for since the LEDs are separately powered via the Lighting Node CORE (or similar). Alternatively, you can also get a powered PWM splitter and leave nothing to chance by powering the fans directly through the PSU. These fans use hydraulic bearings, which should help mitigate bearing noise at low speeds.

The fan has a power cable for the PWM motor that runs it and a second cable for the LEDs. Both cables have individual wires with black insulation in a flat ribbon style, with the fan cable terminating in a 4-pin fan connector that is plugged into any standard 4-pin PWM header on your motherboard or similar fan controller. The cables are 60 cm (~23.5") long, which is longer than average for most fans and works well with large cases that support watercooling. A sticker on the LED cable mentions that it goes to the Lighting Node CORE.


Here's a look at the three fans together as they come with the SP120 RGB ELITE triple pack. This results in a total of six wires to manage, and three go to the RGB hub, which allows you to add three more such 8-LED fans.


Here is a look at the SP120 and SP140 RGB Elite Fans next to each other. Nothing more to say except that the two complement each other well, and you can go about using both in a PC build with the same controller, including all five if you go with a triple pack of the 120 mm fans and a double pack of the 140 mm fans.