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It's clear that Arctic have put a lot of time and effort into designing the F12 Pro PWM fan as it is quite unique. The fan housing is like nothing we've seen before from any manufacturer and it seems to do a great job of minimising vibrations.
In our tests, the F12 performed very well, achieving a significant lead over the Be Quiet Shadow Wings 120 mm fan when paired with the Cooler Master TPC 800 heatsink. With the system idling it was completely inaudible and even when running at full load it was whisper quiet.
There are only two slightly negative aspects of the fan we noticed. Firstly, it's significantly fatter than most fans which could cause compatibility issues. Secondly, the unusual enclosure doesn't have screw holes on both sides which means it can only be used as an exhaust fan and wont be compatible with many CPU coolers.
The F12 Pro PWM doesn't disappoint when it comes to value for money. It can be yours for the reasonable sum of £4 from Overclockers UK. At this price it's well worth considering as it performs well and runs very quietly indeed. We would definitely recommend it to users looking for an ultra quiet exhaust fan for their system.
Pros
- Very quiet.
- Great value.
- Performs well.
Cons
- Only one set of screw holes.
- Fatter than standard fans.
KitGuru says: A whisper quiet fan from Arctic that would be ideal for an HTPC environment.
that is really good value for money! under £4 for that? ordering a handful of them now….
Love that fan. But dont do what i did and stick my hand near that fan while it was on, the fins are so sharp that it dug into my wrist and left a scar 😀
I’ve had quite a few Arctic Fans over the years, and have found them mostly very quiet and long lived (you get the odd bad one with a slight buzz when you put your ear close like any fan). If you drill holes in the side of the mounting towers you can use cable ties to fit them to any heatsink where the fins are not too closely spaced – they are not high pressure fans! The only real problem as a case fan is that they react badly if the panel they are fixed to is not rigid enough – Dedshete from Wilmslow Audio or Falcon usually provides a cure but is not cheap.