Performance Testing

Please refer to the dedicated test setup page here as it applies to this review as well and I did not want to go over it separately to save on review space. As mentioned before, I am only testing the CORSAIR SP120 RGB ELITE fan here.


Let's remind ourselves that the fan is rated for 550–1500 RPM (+/- 10%). CORSAIR sent over three fans in total via the triple pack, and they hit an average of 1445 RPM at 100% PWM duty cycle and went down to an average of just 311 RPM at 21% PWM duty cycle, which was then the case until 1% PWM duty cycle. The top value is within the rated range, but the lower value is below their rating, which makes for a nice and long RPM response curve that is also fairly linear, and all three fans also tested nearly identical to each other, which is equally nice to see.

Context is needed to talk more about the fan's performance and noise, so I have below comparison charts for some fans tested so far at set RPM values (or as near as they can get to those).



I have included fans in charts where the rated RPM is within 50 RPM of the chart cutoff point, and have also removed fans either too old or simply redundant because an updated version has been introduced. I did keep the older CORSAIR HD120 RGB simply because I no longer have the older SP120 RGB, or the SP120 LED and SP120 QE which were tested elsewhere. In addition, I have removed fans that only appear once or twice in these charts since they are not good for comparison as more entries are added to the test database. The specific RPM values chosen reflect usage scenarios most popular with watercooling even though some fans (the Noctua NF-A12x25, for instance) go higher. The charts are to be considered for comparison within this result set only and are not to be compared with results from another test elsewhere owing to different testing conditions.

In general, we can split the CORSAIR fan portfolio into performance (ML120) and bling (pretty much everything else). The SP120 RGB ELITE fan is a hybrid in that it is first and foremost a case fan in purpose and not necessarily the best for watercooling even though it does watercooling very well. Indeed, the AirGuide technology CORSAIR markets here results in pretty good flow straightening, which radiators do themselves, but with a thinner radiator as tested here, it ends up helping nonetheless. It is by no means purely a well-performing fan, but in terms of performance to noise, the SP120 RGB ELITE does better than most fans. When you consider the added airflow against lower airflow restriction, such as a case filter, this relative metric should be even more in favor of these fans. As it is, the stator vanes direct airflow through a dust filter in front of the fans and into the radiator core, for instance (or drive cage/case innards), which may result in better case airflow and, subsequently, improved ambient temperatures compared to a fan purely optimized for higher static pressure.