Introduction

EK Water Blocks may be most known for its water blocks such as the recently reviewed EK-Quantum Vector² GPU block but the Slovenian company has made a mark for itself in other product categories too, at least anything related to PC cooling. These include fans, of which the original EK-Vardar fans were among my favorite, released before I even started writing here on TechPowerUp. An updated EK-Vardar EVO then carried the high performance tradition before we took a stroll down the RGB road, first gently with the Vardar EVO RGB that had centrally mounted LEDs which weren't individually addressable either and then more recently with the EK-Quantum Impulse that was more about a light show than it was performance oriented. To its credit, EK had mentioned that the Quantum Impulse fans were not going to break any records for anyone looking purely at cooling potential and there were other options under the EK label which did that job better. These other fans have been used on EKWB AIO coolers and today we examine them separately.


The EK-Loop Fan FPT 120 D-RGB continues an unwelcome tradition of having a long and complicated product name from the brand, with the various words somehow managing to still convey it is a 120 mm fan with individually addressable RGB LEDs. As the photo above suggests, these fans come in black or white color options and there are equivalent 140 mm sizes too for anyone wanting to deck out an entire PC with the same style of fan. Things are simpler on the RGB front with centrally mounted LEDs only and a square frame design promises better performance. In fact, the FPT in the name stands for Full Pressure Technology with the goal being to optimize the fans for use on radiators. Let's put these bold claims to the test today in this review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below. Thanks to EK for providing review samples to TechPowerUp!

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

EK sent over three individual units of the EK-Loop Fan FPT 120 D-RGB fans as seen above. At the time of this review, these are available in black or white colors and I have the former here as depicted by the render on the front of the product box. The company logo and product name are also seen here in addition to the rated RPM range, with EK going for a white and orange color scheme on the packaging. On the back is a marketing blurb as well as fan specs and a QR code that leads you to a downloadable user manual—the file does not appear to be available to view online. Seals on the top and bottom help keep the contents in place on their way to you and opening either one helps extract the inner box as seen above.


The inner box is a thick cardboard container with the fan seen right away and the attached cable along with other accessories are seen in a folded compartment below, including a set of four metal self-tapping screws inside a plastic zip-lock bag. There is also a 50 cm long extender cable making use of the EK-OmniLink connector system. We see an 8-pin microfit male connector on one end and two standard connectors on the other—a 4-pin PWM connector for the fan motor and a 3-pin 5 VDC connector for the fan LEDs. This allows for the EK-Loop Fan FPT 120 D-RGB to be easily powered and controlled by your motherboard without needing any proprietary controller/software.