Review Request: Battle of the Performance RGB/LED Fans

[Kindachi]

I enjoy looking through fan reviews, with the comparison of airflow through radiators at a given RPM. However, what I’d like to request is a comparison review of “high performance” RGB/LED fans that includes performance (through radiators) at higher RPM ranges (2000+) and full throttle. This type of comparison seems missing from the Interwebs, or I’m just terrible at searching!

Here’s some examples (not all-inclusive) of fans I’d want to throw into that battle:

EK Vardar EVO 120ER D-RGB
EK Phase (if they’re out by then)
Corsair ML120 Pro LED (any color)
Geometric Future Squama 2505 (I haven’t seen any independent reviews of this, but they make bold claims)
BeQuiet Light Wings 120 PWM high-speed
Generally any ARGB/LED fans with claimed static pressure above 2.5mmH2O

For kicks:
Noctua Industrial PPC-3000 with Phanteks Halos
AIO-exclusive high-speed tuned ARGB fans from ASUS and Corsair

 

[ir_cow]

Are you looking for best static pressure fan? Testing this outside a lab might be a challenge. Radiators have different fin density as well. Testing all these fans on 6 different fin types/stacks will be a enormous undertaking.

Honestly I think Noctua data sheets are honest. If you are looking for the "best" static fan. It is probably one of the Noctua series.

 

[Kindachi]

In my case, it’s a search for the top performing RGB fan, where I’m more tolerant of noise. I could slap Halos on a Noctua Industrial-PPC 3000 and call it a day, but that does add some thickness, and the RGB effect is not quite the same as something like a fan built for lighting.

For this purpose, I think VSG’s methodology would work, measuring airflow through a radiator, rather than static pressure directly. Pick just one that’s relatively thick, like a Hardwarelabs GTR 360 or EK Surface X360M.

The existing reviews here seemed to cap out at the 1500 RPM comparison, but didn’t compare noise and performance at Max RPM. On paper, the Geometric Future RGB fans might compete with the old Corsair ML120 LEDs for airflow through a radiator, but I’ve seen no reviews for them outside of Amazon Vine users. The only independent reviews I’ve seen for that company are for their computer cases.

My ideal fans would probably be the ROG AIO RGB fans if they were made available at retail outside of the AIOs, but ASUS’s retail fans are tuned to lower RPMs. The next best thing that I know of at retail (for my tastes) are the Vardar Evo RGB fans.

 

[thesmokingman]

Paging martinsliquidlab....

 

[W1zzard]

@VSG

 

[INSTG8R]

I mean it’s still not ready yet by GN bought 60K fan testing rig