4
NF-S12B redux-1200
NOCTUA $14
If you care at all about
case fans, chances are
you know Noctua. It’s a
trusted favorite among many DIY
builders, and for good reason.
Noctua builds fans that last a long
time, move a lot of air, and do it
quietly. The problem—until
recently, buying Noctua fans
meant committing yourself to an
ugly khaki-and-mud color
scheme straight out of the 1970s.
Noctua was the definition of
function-over-form, an
engineering wonder that would
impress any enthusiast who
looked at your PC but disgust
everyone else.
Noctua’s recent redux line
finally rectifies this issue though,
recasting time-tested designs in amodern gray-and-black look that
won’t detract from the rest of
your PC build. And of the two
redux models Noctua sent over,
the NF-S12B became a quick
favorite. It’s not as quiet nor as
efficient as another blacked out
Noctua model, the NF-S12A, but
it is cheap. Time was, Noctua fans
meant shelling out a lot of money
on your build, but the NF-S12B
redux balances great
performance with a budget-
friendly price tag, and looks great
in the process.Inexpensive but performs great
Less ugly than the old Noctua models
No RGB
Less powerful than other modelsVERDICTSPECS BEARING TYPE: SELF-STABILIZING OIL PRESSURE BEARING / RPM RANGE: 400 - 1200 / LISTED CFM: 59.2 /
LISTED DBA: 18.1 / RGB: NO / 140MM MODEL NO.: NF-P14S REDUX—1200 PWM3
Aer RGB 2 120mm
NZXT $130
The NZXT Aer RGB 2
won’t win any prizes for
its performance in my
tests. At its top speed of 1500
RPMs the Aer RGB 2 moves a
surprising amount of air, but it’s
also louder than nearly every
other fan I tested. Even in my
low-speed tests, the Aer RGB 2
proved a hair noisier than the rest.
Look at it, though. It’s really a
sight to behold, especially in
person. Unlike Corsair, NZXT
limits the Aer RGB 2’s LEDs to the
outer ring, casting a slight glow on
the spinning fan blades without
directly illuminating them—and
shining a lot of light outwards into
the case. It’s a really clean look,
objectively as gaudy as any other
RGB setup, but seeming a bit
more sleek and refined somehow.
The Hue 2 controller is also more
attractive than any of the other
boxes we looked at, meaning you
won’t mind having to include it
alongside the fans in your
all-glass case.
Like Corsair, NZXT struggles
with price though. A three-pack of
120mm fans plus controller lists
for $130, even more than
Corsair’s LL120 starter kit, and
additional fans list for $29,
making them among the most
expensive in this test.Just really pretty
Plenty of accessories included
Expensive
Louder than averageVERDICTSPECS BEARING TYPE: FLUID DYNAMIC BEARING / RPM RANGE: 500 - 1500 / LISTED CFM: 52.4 | LISTED DBA: 22.0 /
RGB: YES, WITH NZXT HUE 2 / 140MM MODEL NO.: AER RGB 2 140MM
GROUP TEST
3NZXT LIMITS THE
AER RGB 2’S LEDS
TO THE OUTER RING