[SOLVED] What case fans would be good?

[microwavedfriedchicken]

I am in need of case fans for better airflow, but I need 120mm 12v 4 pin rgb fans that actually have a good amount of airflow for a decent price. I really want the rgb to match the rgb on the gpu and ram. All the options are either 3 pin or are 4 pin but don't have the best airflow. Any recommendations would help.

 

[Aeacus]

Out of all fans that i know of, best 120mm fan by performance and which also supports MoBo RGB solutions (Asus Aura Sync, MSI Mystic light etc) is EK-Vardar EVO 120ER RGB (77 CFM, 3.16 mmH2O),
specs: https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-vardar-evo-120er-rgb-500-2200-rpm
review: https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EKWB/Vardar_EVO_120ER_RGB/
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/EKWB-EK-Vardar-120ER-120mm-Digital/dp/B08D349LNM

It does have 4-pin 12V RGB connector.

 

[scout_03]

look at these vortex https://cougargaming.com/products/cooling/

 

[Eximo]

Corsair ML120 are a popular choice, though quite expensive. On the cheaper side would be something like the Cooler Master MasterFan MF120R.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3c...-rgb-473-cfm-120-mm-fans-3-pack-co-9050076-ww

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Gb...rgb-59-cfm-120-mm-fans-3-pack-r4-120r-203c-r1

The cheapest I could find. I wonder if they are any good. I have lots of Phantek fans, but this seems suspiciously cheap:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rn...-cfm-120-mm-fans-3-pack-ph-f120sk_drgb_pwm_3p

 

[microwavedfriedchicken]

Thanks everyone for you recommendations I will take a look

 

[Aeacus]

look at these vortex https://cougargaming.com/products/cooling/

If you would've read what OP said, then you'd know that OP asked for 4-pin RGB fans. But for some reason, you linked 3-pin ARGB fans. How come?

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Gb...rgb-59-cfm-120-mm-fans-3-pack-r4-120r-203c-r1

And here's another 3-pin ARGB fan.

Do you people do not read what OP is actually asking for? Or is it where when you read "RGB fan" in the topic title, you randomly throw some ARGB fans to OP? 🤔

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3c...-rgb-473-cfm-120-mm-fans-3-pack-co-9050076-ww

The cheapest I could find. I wonder if they are any good. I have lots of Phantek fans, but this seems suspiciously cheap:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/rn...-cfm-120-mm-fans-3-pack-ph-f120sk_drgb_pwm_3p

While both Corsair ML120 RGB and Phanteks PH-F120SK work with 12V RGB, they both also require additional hardware to operate them.

Corsair fans need Lighting Node Pro, that uses SATA power and internal USB 2.0 header. Where fans are controlled only by iCUE. No luck controlling Corsair fans with MoBo RGB software.
And with Phanteks fans, OP would either need to buy the adapter cable separately (to connect to MoBo), or buy the 3x pack, where the adapter cable comes with.

And i'm not even going to compare these fans performance to EK-Vardar i linked above. Corsair and Phanteks fans, at best, are capable of only half, what EK-Vardar can do.

 

[scout_03]

these are 4 pins https://cougargaming.com/products/cooling/vortex_rgb_spb120/

 

[microwavedfriedchicken]

What does everyone think of Antec fans? I shouldn't have left out I'm trying to find fans that have a rainbow effect that aren't just one solid color, I'd also like to be able control fan speed.

 

[Aeacus]

I shouldn't have left out I'm trying to find fans that have a rainbow effect that aren't just one solid color

What you have, is 4-pin +12V RGB header. But what you're looking for (rainbow effect) is only possible on 3-pin +5V ARGB.

Here's the difference between the two:

On the regular +12V RGB header (4-pin), all LEDs of a primary color (R, G, B) are chained together and act simultaneously depending on the input signal. This makes individual LED addressing impossible.

Pinout:
pin #1 - +12V
pin #2 - G (green color)
pin #3 - R (red color)
pin #4 - B (blue color)

On the +5V RGB header (3-pin), there is LED driver control for each RGB LED package that translates the serial information coming in through the data pin into a specific output for that LED package it is attached to. That method makes single LED addressing possible.

Pinout:
pin #1 - +5V
pin #2 - data
pin #3 - empty (no pin)
pin #4 - ground

Now, you can't combine them, by e.g plugging the 3-pin ARGB fan to 4-pin RGB header, since plugging the 3-pin RGB connector to the 4-pin RGB header fries the LEDs, because you'd be feeding more than twice the voltage to them (12V vs 5V). And even if the addressable LEDs somehow survive the initial power up, there's no data pin in the 4-pin RGB header to control the LEDs.

I'd also like to be able control fan speed.

All fans, that have either small 2-pin, 3-pin or 4-pin header for power, that connects to MoBo, can be controlled speed wise. Now, a fan that only has big Molex connector and connects directly to the PSU, can't be controlled. That fan will run 100% all the time.

---

If you want ARGB fans, with rainbow effect, your best bet would be looking towards kit, that comes with dedicated control for RGB.

E.g Corsair HD120 3-pack, with controller, is one such fan set,
specs: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Fans/hd-series-rgb-led-config/p/CO-9050067-WW

Fans are 4-pin PWM and connect directly to your MoBo, where you can control the fan speed by BIOS. And for LEDs, it has dedicated controller with buttons. Also, Corsair HD120 RGB fans, performance wise, are one of the best out there. 54.4 CFM airflow and 2.25 mmH2O static pressure. Out of the RGB fans, that i know of, only the EK-Vardar (that i linked above) outperforms Corsair HD120 RGB fans.