Epilogue
The Arctic S12038-4K performs well even at low speeds. The only downside is its increased width of 38mm, which minimizes its compatibility. After all, this fan is not for desktop systems but workstations and servers, hence its high speed and insane static pressure. However, with the proper mods, you can use it in a desktop system, but it will surely be overkill.
Let’s now look at 25 dBA noise normalized performance. I chose 25 dBA because it is low enough not to annoy most users and high enough to allow for speeds that offer decent airflow and static pressure performance.
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The airflow is not high at low speeds and 25 dBA noise output, but the static pressure is insane, exceeding 2.5 mmAq.
For reference, at the time of the review, the following prices applied in the US market (Amazon):
- Thermalright TL-C12C: $4.3
- Arctic P12 Max: $10
- Arctic P12 Max 5-bundle: $36
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm High-Speed: $19.9
- Endorfy Fluctus 120 PWM: $19.9
- Phanteks T30-120: $34
- Thermaltake Toughfan Pro 12: $25
- Scythe Grand Tornado 120mm: $20
- XPG Vento Pro 120mm: $25
Below, you will find several 120mm fan reviews to get more insights about this product category.
- Arctic P12 Max Showdown – Black (DBB) vs White (FDB)
- Arctic P12 Max (Black – Double Ball Bearing) Fan Review
- Corsair iCUE Link LX RGB 120mm Fan Review
- Phanteks T30-120 Cooling Fan Review – ReCheck!
- XPG Nidec Vento Pro 120 PWM Fan Review
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Pro Fan Review
- Thermalright TL-C12B V2 120mm Fan Review
- Scythe Grand Tornado 120mm Fan Review
- Hyte THICC FP12 120mm Fan Review – The NEW Performance King!
Before investing in new cooling solutions, read my Best Cooling Fans article to check all alternative fan offerings. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the product’s price. I get a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a difference for me, especially now that I am on my own, working exclusively for my media and not for someone else.
- Good price (for its specs)
- Top static pressure
- Good airflow performance
- Low enough power consumption, given its speed and performance
- Decent build quality
- Can spin at low speeds, offering high-performance
- Double ball bearing
- PWM control
- Increased thickness (38mm)
Buy Thermalright TL-C12C X3
Buy be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm
Buy Scythe Grand Tornado 120mm
Buy Phanteks (PH-F120T30_BG) T30-120
Buy Cooler Master MasterFan MF120 Halo²
Buy Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black
Buy Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM
Buy Noctua NF-F12 PWM
Buy Cooler Master Mobius 120 OC
Is that secondary impeller noticeably adding harmonics, particularly that major 3rd? I’m actually curious if this thing has sound design characteristics I might want to experiment with.
please check the frequency analysis I conducted for that.
Hi @crmaris can you please tell me what size screws I would need to mount this fan on an AIO radiator?
It is 38mm thick so 45mm long I would say.
Besides the thickness, is there any reason the home enthusiast should not consider these the best watercooling radiator fans for low noise? Less optimal noise frequencies than its competitors?
The thickness is the major issue for most cases, with limited internal space.
That mechanical clicking in the low speed recording sounds like it could get *pretty* irritating.
As someone who tried using these (8K variant) fans for home PC cooling, I can confirm that clicking noise is VERY irritating already at ~1K RPM. I bought pack of 3, and each of them sounded like this – mounted, not mounted, held by hand, etc. Clicking becomes tolerable around 400-500 RPM, but listening closely they’re still pretty noisy compared to others, and at this point there’s no advantage in using these fans over anything that came pre-installed with case. Too bad, because overall they’re really cool and with such static pressure would be perfect for a crowded PC.