Each fan has a flat cable with a 4-pin PWM connector to power these fans. PWM range is quite good on these fans. But I understand the increase in motor power. I would say the original P12 is quite significantly underpowered, with small headroom. Here is a table showing the RPM range and corresponding airflow and speed measurements of the ARCTIC P12 SLIM PWM PST fan: PWM Duty Cycle (%age) Starting out, it’s still worth noting that the Arctic P12 compares with the previously tested BioniX P120 A-RGB, although it has seemingly the same rotor – it doesn’t. And there are more than enough differences, including a shorter tunnel (P12) with less rotor clearance from an obstacle, but let’s start the analysis as usual from the top. The anemometer was placed close to the fan. Since we measure all 120mm fans the same way, the error of margin would apply to all. Acoustic

The cable is “ordinary” but solid – flat, with the wires holding together nicely. There are two connectors at the end. One to connect the fan to the motherboard or hub/controllers, and the other to daisy-chain another fan. The cable is 40–45 cm in length. ARCTIC with their P12 PWM fans has been at an advantage when it comes to noise performance and we have seen that P12 MAX fans at roughly 50% of their speed are now doing what regular P12 PWM fans are doing at their full speed (100% PWM cycle). This has provided P12 MAX a thermal headroom of 3°C (as per our testing) coming from going above 50% PWM cycle. This is one way of doing it. We did not see any benefit of going below 43 B(A) as fans are silent at this range. This tells us that the thermal performance of P12 MAX fans is quite good albeit at a high noise output. We are reporting the absolute temperature on the graph. The testing is done on an open-air bench system. Once inside the chassis, the temperatures are expected to rise and would largely depend upon the optimal airflow inside the chassis. Not every run of the stress test may yield the same result. This could well be due to many factors like mounting pressure, thermal paste application, and varying ambient temperature. Not to mention the silicon differences even among the same category of chips. Hence, it is pertinent to mention the testing methodology along with the specifics. One of the differences from the BioniX P120 A-RGB that is also good to notice when judging the results is the smaller offset of the rotor from the frame. The P12 has a half centimeter narrower tunnel, so the rotor is closer to the obstacle, which changes the airflow velocity in addition to the noise. So there is actually a similar effect that the Noctua NA-IS1 frame is supposed to provide.For being only a 6-euro fan, the precision of production is extremely high. It’s only at the level of really fine detail that you’ll find that the P12 has slightly looser manufacturing tolerances than Arctic fans with a similar rotor. There will be a tiny unevenness here and there on the P12, but it will have virtually no impact on the performance. And at this price range, it’s also a bit unfair to point it out, as similarly priced fans often fare considerably worse.

Let’s start by measuring the loudness, the aspect that can worry us the most in a fan as fast as this one. To measure the noise it emits, we have used a Protmex PPM-SM001 sound level meter at an exact distance of 50 centimeters, since by doing it this way the data we obtain is measured in dBA. As always, we have made two measurements: one letting the fan work by PWM, and another forcing it to work at maximum speed with a rehobús. This is the result.

Recommended Products

I do not claim that NF-A12x25 PWM is at 787 rpm (i.e. the speed in our “31 dBA” mode) a noiseless or soundless fan, I am just trying to balance it a bit. At this speed you write about industrial noise or use in noisy technical rooms, which is misleading. I respect that in your idea of quiet operation the NF-A12x25 PWM has an even lower speed. As accessories, in this case only a small plastic bag with 4 screws is included to install these fans in a PC case.

It is literally impossible for a human being to “hear” absolute silence, but this is the threshold of hearing. The fans at 100% of their speed were doing approximately 53 dB(A) at an ambient of 32 dBA. One of the fans was making 76 dB(A) due to bad bearing. We have to mention this since we are testing these fans. Conclusion As we have noted many times, Arctic is a manufacturer that focuses on the performance of its products above the rest of the frills, offering excellent performance at a low noise level, and above all at very competitive prices; All this has made it one of the manufacturers that sells the most refrigeration products in Europe, and for a reason.

Here is a table showing RPM range and corresponding airflow and speed measurements of the ARCTIC P12 MAX fan: These fans feature 0dB mode as these would stop spinning at or below 5% PWM cycle. Please note that you would need a supporting motherboard and would also need to enable the Auto Stop or what settings your motherboard’s UEFI BIOS provides. This would come in handy when the system is idling or at no load. However, these fans don’t have ARCTIC PST technology. Simply put you can’t daisy-chain these fans. This is what PST is all about – a fancy name. These fans are powered by a 4-pin PWM connector cable. These cables are flat in design. CINEBENCH R23 is used to stress the CPU for 20 minutes. The system is left idle for 5 minutes to record the idle temperature. The average of all P-Cores maximum temperature is taken and reported in the graph. For comparison, we have the RAIJINTEK EOS 12 ADD RBW 120mm fans and SilverStone SF120 fans. Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste is used. ARCTIC has provided long and short screws which would help the user in convenient installation in the case or on the radiator as the case may be. Testing

Each mounting corner has a gray color anti-vibration pad that minimizes the vibrational noise coming from the surface on which the fans are installed.

Unfortunately, I cannot agree with this statement even now. The extra details that Noctua has often stand out more with relatively higher speeds. Whether it’s Flow Acceleration Channels, Stepped Inlet Design, a significant narrowing of the gap between the blade tips and the frame or Inner Surface Microstructures. These elements counteract the shortcomings that become stronger with increasing pressure. The fact that the NF-A12x25 gives excellent results at low speeds is largely due to the fact that the operation of the motor and blades does not create any noise, so at this level there are no such pronounced limitations as with other fans, and the NF-A12x25 fits into the same noise level at higher speeds.