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Arctic Cooling F12 PWM, 120mm – Composed

Jan 26, 2016

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A simple and cheap casefan solution for the people with a tight budget, for those who want or have room for a fan controller, especially for people with little PWM connectors on their motherboard. All you have to learn to live with a hope not to be too nice cables.

Pros

Cheap
Easy to install
Up to 5 fans on 1 connector

Cons

A lot of ugly cables
Cables may be on the short side

Final conclusion

Score: 4Per criterion

Sound (min)

Score: 4

What?

This is a review of the Arctic F12 PWM fan PST. This is so not the version in the Pricewatch but I find that it some attention.

Why have I bought?

I was at the end of last year looking for a better (especially quieter) cooling solution for my two Cooler Master SickleFlow fans and the fan that already in the case was when I bought it, to replace it. All of these fans were 3-pin variants, and therefore could not be controlled by the motherboard and turned as always to 100%. They are, therefore, very well but my PC is due to lack of space on my desk and then a lot of sound, especially undesirable.

Back to the drawing board… My motherboard I wanted for something so small is not replaced, for an internal fan controller was no space, an external I found it but nothing. I had my sights set on a small circuitbordje that could serve as a PWM splitter when I got the F12 from Arctic met. At first sight, the F12 is not very much special, a black-and-white 120mm fan as there are so many. As I read on I saw that this fan has an interesting feature: PST either, PWM Sharing Technology.

How does it look?

In the simple cardboard box containing some technical information, we find next to the fan itself and a very short instructions (there is very little you error can do), and a bag with screws. No rubber mounts, no low noise adapters but for the price I had definitely not expected.

The fan itself feels for my inexperienced hands well, he weighs 91 grams according to the box, and I have no reason to doubt. It feels very sturdy and has a fairly matte finish with a little texture makes the premium feeling almost.

Why almost? Almost as the cables that hang down, they are very thin and have a black-yellow-green-blue colour scheme that really does not look like. Though I must also admit that the price to, I paid no 22 euros for four of these fans, brand new and delivered free of charge. It is not hard to get more than that for a single Noctua or Be Quiet fan. I am happy, but I had definitely paid more for something of a sleeve as the stock fan from my case funny enough to be had.

What does it do?

These fans can be parallel to each other, to be hung by means of a male 4-pin connector that just like a female 4-pin from the housing of the fan. The female connector, to connect to the motherboard, or an other F12 already to the system board and the male connector to the PWM signal. Arctic recommend, or make more than 5 fans on a single connector on the system board. I have at this moment 4 to each other in my cabinet.

It is also convenient that at the end of a series of fans just a regular fan can be connected, a 4 pin and also a fan on a processor fan assembly. With a single PWM or CPU cooler connector on the motherboard you can get 5 case fans or 4 case fans and a processor fan assembly supplied with power.

I Had not first looked at what the best way was to have the fans in my case, I was perhaps not managed to get all the cables together and to the system board. The Versa H15 from Thermaltake is a micro ATX case, so in a large enclosure, I can imagine that the use of one or a few verlengstukjes or pulling cables on the system board is inevitable. My cables go on this time of the two fans in the top of my case, behind the processor fan assembly along and about the video card back and all the way to the front of the enclosure where the other two fans sitting. A very limiting factor for me is that my PWM connectors directly under the processor, this makes it impossible to the fans through the front of the case to connect with each other.

How did they do it?

I have at the time of writing something longer than a month, four Arctic F12’s in my case, as I no intensive things on the to do am the temperature is not noticeably higher than in the rest of the room.

When I played some games went to play, the temperature, however, what is up, but only when I a for this review borrowed HD7950 overclockte and had the tracks gave out the temperature felt up. The temperature of both the processor and the video card has doubled to about 65 degrees Celsius, according to Afterburner. Very acceptable for a system that is not under full load was but it was tested. All this with the fans reacting to the temperature of the processor about 40 inches from my head.

I have no equipment to determine the exact noise levels to measure, but even in the 65-degree scenario would be I would make a good phone call can run with the computer so close to my head. Whisper to someone on the other end of the room (4 metres) is possible for 2D applications. I have decided to use the maximum noise level not to test the system on my desk is not made for such virtual violence and the fans will no doubt be a lot more noise than the true high-end case fans.

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised by the Arctic F12 PWM PST, for a little more than twenty euros, I have four beautiful and sturdy fans which I from 1 PWM connector to control. At the writing of this review, but also when playing graphic intense games was the noise at no point disturbing, all the fans at very high engine speeds fixed pass against more expensive models.

The only real downside are the cables, they are not nice, not very long and look quite fragile. I would certainly be willing to have two euros to pay more, for a simple, black sleeve around the cables. The eye also wants what, especially when you have a piece of plexiglass in your housing. But everything taken into consideration I am very impressed with the quality-to-price ratio, assuming that they are not next week, there suddenly stop.

I am very satisfied with my purchase and would have no problem again the same fans order. Would I recommend them? Yes, but not in all cases, a large enclosure or one with a window can quickly become a spanner in the works throw a few verlengstukjes I would also recommend.

I give the Arctic F12 PWM PST four stars as a final result, the cables can have, on multiple planes a bit better, I would have no difficulty to pay a little more for something longer, firmer, and better-looking cables. The price-quality ratio is in my opinion great, all the group of people that this buy might not be as great. The group of people that much and a good cooling system like but not about the moederbordfeatures have to be this simple where to make or the money or don’t have the space for a fan controller. Maybe a niche product, but a very good one.

Specifications

Rotation speed: 600 – 1350 RPM
Air displacement: 126 m3/h
Noise Level: 0.3 Sone
Current: 0.25 A, +12V DC
Thickness: 25mm
Weight 109 grams

With great interest I am certainly willing to take some pictures, but that would be a shame if no one ever reads this. Do you want some photos? Let me know!

* 25-01-2016, photos added. Sorry for the last picture, what I do, it stays sideways.

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