EKWB has been on a product refresh train this year, and they found time to also add on new SKUs to accompany existing ones. One such case is the topic of this review, the EK-Vardar EVO 120ER RGB fan. The name may be a mouthful, and EKWB will have to find a way to get around it since this is the third update to the original 2200 RPM EK-Vardar 120 mm fan, but that does not change the fact that they have listened to the market and brought out an RGB-lit version of their popular fan. Indeed, with this and the non-RGB Vardar EVO 120ER, EKWB has an excellent fan portfolio for 120 mm size radiators and heatsinks alike.

At $25, this is not an inexpensive fan and costs $5 more than the already good Vardar EVO 120ER. One of the things that kept coming up over the years was how larger companies, such as Thermaltake and CORSAIR, were putting out RGB fans galore, including some that were also excellent performers and quiet for radiator fans. Joining the club now is EKWB, and they have retained nearly all the features of the non-RGB version, including the 0 dB mode with the reworked PWM motor that allows the fans to stop completely for an idle system, say, which allows for as quiet a PC as can be with these fans. They have also managed to retain most of the performance/noise balance despite the addition of nine RGB LEDs in the center, which will help assuage fears that this fan went too far down the RGB road for those who want, well, everything. You will have to pay for that, however, and I think the additional cost is justified relative to the current competition. Noctua is now all the more alone when it comes to providing performance-oriented fans without aesthetics as a high priority, and I am not even talking about LEDs here.

The EK-Vardar EVO 120ER RGB fan does plenty enough in my books to merit a high score, and a recommendation to go along with it.