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.


I have a big smile on my face as I type this, and, more importantly, as I look at that graph. I tested the RPM response curves, or should I say lines, of all four samples in the three operating modes. There are error bars in there, but they are so small you can't really see them at all! This means all four samples, which appear to be randomly selected retail units, are the most consistent units ever tested, with minimal sample-to-sample variation. Then there are those excellent profiles with basically a single line for the two higher-speed modes going to a maximum of 2000 and 3000 RPM for the Performance and Advanced modes respectively. You also get an extremely long range of control, all the way down to ~8% PWM before the common point of 0% PWM that of course turns off the fans. This results in a very easily made custom fan curve for those wanting to use these fans on heatsinks or radiators, or even high-restriction case filters. Hybrid mode is quite relevant for those who simply want a quiet solution as case fans, wherein they turn off under 50% PWM duty cycle (48% on my samples, with them turning back on at 50%). This makes the Phanteks T30-120 extremely flexible—you could fill an entire case with these without, say, getting different speed versions of the same for different applications.


So we saw that there was not a lot of variation between the three samples, which is nice to see, and I used the default Performance mode for further testing, including installation on a mini wind tunnel and mapping the noise and airflow profiles as a function of fan RPM. These too follow the linear curve as much as possible, with the airflow measurement limited by the range of the anemometer, which I am confident about reporting anyway. Phanteks also provided the P-Q curves for the fan in its three modes, but context is needed to talk more about the fan's relative 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 with the introduction of an updated version. In addition, I have removed two 140 mm fans that had 120 mm fan-hole spacings since those are not really suitable for watercooling on radiators. The CORSAIR QL120 RGB also didn't register airflow on my anemometer at 750 RPM, so that's the missing entry in that chart above. The specific RPM values chosen reflect usage scenarios most popular with watercooling even though some fans, including this very one, 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.

At this point, I would further compare the Phanteks T-30 to other fans, including the Noctua NF-A12x25 and CORSAIR ML120 PRO, but then a suggestion from a few TPU readers had me add some form of noise-normalized graphs. Given this page is already quite long because of the separate test of the three operating modes, I have decided to create a new page for these noise-normalized graphs and their discussion this time around.