For many PC builders, a large part of the conversation on components centers around cooling solutions. Whether it is CPU Coolers, GPU Coolers, custom water loops, thermal paste or airflow-focused PC cases, enthusiasts want to get the most out of their components. And to get the most out of your components, you need to keep them cool.

Aside from the CPU cooler and the GPU cooler, the most important part of your cooling will be your case fans. While having 10 case fans may not be necessary, most cases really benefit from having somewhere between 3-5 case fans with a combination of intake and exhaust. The exact configuration will depend on your case mainly, so make sure to look up reviews on how to set up your fans once you pick your chassis. Within the case fan area, there are really two main sizes: 120mm and 140mm case fans. 120mm will fit in almost all cases, but 140mm fans offer better airflow (usually measured in CFM) at lower RPMs, meaning quieter. We have previously given our advice for best 140mm fans, but not everyone has the space, so today we are looking at the best 120mmm case fan options on the market.

When we evaluate case fans, we are essentially talking about two things: performance & noise, and aesthetics (RGB). And we always recommend to not skimp on the cooling budget, but we know that some of these options are expensive and there are some cheaper alternatives, so each category will have our overall recommendation for those fortunate to have a large budget, and our low-budget choice that still offers great value.

With all that in mind, our recommendations for best 120mm case fans are:

Best Performance & Quietest 120mm Case Fans

If you are simply looking for the best 120mm case fan possible, and can’t be bothered with any of that RGB nonsense, there is one producer whose name immediately comes to mind: Noctua. The Austrian-based maker is legendary in the PC Building community for making the absolute best fans possible, in almost any size. They are even used in industrial solutions for data centers/servers, and are just as well respected there. They move more air with less noise, than just about any other maker on the market. The build quality is stellar, the warranty/customer service is top-notch, and the performance you get from any of their fans is as good as it gets. And because they avoid things like RGB or flashy colors (mostly), they are able to offer their fans at reasonable prices.

In terms of 120mm case fans, we have plenty of great choices from Noctua. The basic recommendation is the Noctua NF-F12 PWM. It’s their standard 120mm case fan and is reliable and performant, offering great CFM and low noise levels.

But, as you’ll notice if you click on the link or have heard about Noctua already, the color scheme of the classic Noctua fan is not for everybody. The brown and beige is an acquired taste to say the least. Luckily, there are some other options available, including the slightly less performant (but much cheaper!) Noctua NF-P12 PWM that comes in a much more subtle grey/black design. And if you have a bit more cash and want to keep the performance of the original, the Noctua NF-F12 CHROMAX version is a great option that offers some very cool color choices.

These fans aren’t cheap, but they are also much less expensive than some of the options with a ton of RGB, and offer better performance overall. The classic hovers around $20, the Redux comes in around $13, and the Chromax option is around $22. All-in-all, for the performance you are getting, the Noctua fans are a very fair price that are hard to beat.

Best Budget 120mm Case Fan

The Noctua fans are reasonable for the performance they give, but if you find yourself short on budget and still want to get a no-frills high-performing fan, the Arctic F12 PWM is a good choice. Arctic is known for making good budget fans, and while it won’t move as much air as quietly as the Noctua fans, the F12 will still provide some nice airflow to help keep your case cool. It may not be a major difference in cost when compared to something like the GPU, as the Arctic F12 costs around $9 or ~$10 less than the Noctua classic, but if you are looking at buying five or six fans, that difference can quickly add up.

Best Looking RGB 120mm Case Fan

If the Noctua fans are a bit too plain for you and you see the fans as not only cooling, but as the best way to add some flash to your rig, there are plenty of great options with built-in lighting. In fact, there are some many options, that searching “rgb 120mm case fan” will give you more choices than you could ever read, but pay attention because not all RGB is created equal! Some case fans might look nice, but be difficult to control, or might have pretty poor performance. Luckily, at least one manufacturer has decided to develop not only the most reliable (although still not perfect) software, but also created some brilliant looking 120mm case fans, in both white and black as well. For all of those reasons, our choice for best aesthetic RGB case fan is the Corsair LL120.

The LL120 is not only an RGB fan, it is a bright 120mm RGB fan. It has a beautiful double ring design that shines like the sun inside of even tinted glass cases. And in terms of performance, the LL120 might not be of the same quality as a Noctua fan, but it generates plenty of airflow even with all of its brightness. On top of that, while not perfect, the software used to control the fan speed and lighting of the LL120 is the unified Corsair software, iCue. It may not be 100% reliable, but compared to the hot garbage we see from other manufacturers, it works and offers plenty of options.

But as we mentioned above, adding in RGB comes at a price. A three pack of the fans along with the RGB Lightning hub (but not including the Commander Pro if you want even more control through iCue) runs around $115. At 35-ish dollars a fan, that isn’t cheap. But the quality is great, the lightning is the best, and the fans still move enough air to keep your components working at their best. So if you really want something that will make your case positively glow, but aren’t ready to sacrifice too much performance, the LL120 is the fan for you.

Best Budget RGB 120mm Case Fans

As we said, the LL120’s aren’t cheap, so if you are looking for a less expensive option, the CoolerMaster MF120R are another strong choice and are compatible with most motherboard lighting systems. At around $18 per fan, you’re talking about a fan almost 50% as expensive as the LL140. And in case of concerns about reliability, CoolerMaster is among the best in the business, so rest easy knowing you have well-built fans with good customer service behind them. The LED’s might not be quite as pretty, but if you are on a budget, they will get the job done for cooling while still keeping your rig looking fly.

Best Bi-Directional RGB 120mm Case Fan

One of the only issues with the RGB on the LL120 is that they are directional, making it difficult to mount them in both directions and still get the same amount of light. The back is still plenty bright, but you lose the dual ring definition that makes the front look so nice. Corsair is yet to release a ‘two-way’ fan that looks equally good front the front (when used as exhaust) and from the back (when used as intake). So if you are looking for a fan that is flexibile because you aren’t sure of your fan set-up, or know that you will need to use them as intake, we recommend the Thermaltake RIING 120mm Premium Edition.

Not only does Thermaltake produce really good fans that move plenty of air without being overly noisy, but the Riing Premium Edition fans are the answer to complaints about uni-directional lighting. With both sides of the fan containing a bright LED ring, you get all that flashy goodness no matter which direction your fans are facing. And if you decide to recycle your fans for a future build, you can rest easy knowing that no matter your fan configuration, you’ll have plenty of beautiful lighting.

The only downside: two-way RGB comes at a price. We said the LL120’s weren’t cheap at around $35 each, including the RGB Node but not Commander Pro. Well the three pack of Riing 120mm fans is even more expensive. At $130 for the pack (including the hub), these fans come in at $40+ a piece. They perform well, but not as well as Noctua fans or even as the LL120’s, so you are choosing to sacrifice some performance to get lighting on BOTH sides of the fan. For someone that has hyper efficient components or doesn’t mind setting an aggressive fan curves, and that has the budget, these fans are definitely something special and should keep you happy for many builds to come.

Best Budget Bi-directional RGB 120mm Case Fans

While the Thermaltake Riing might be the best implementation of the two-way fan design, a few of the more ‘budget’ implementers have begun experimenting with similar designs. Of these, UpHere has come up with the UpHere RGB123-5 120mm RGB Wireless fan that is similar in that it offers two-way lighting. Unfortunately, customization is much reduced since lighting is set with the included remote, but UpHere is a relatively reliable brand and at $35 for a five-pack (or $7 a fan), it is hard to complain.

Conclusion

Like all different parts of cooling, case fans are important to get the most out of your PC. They keep your components working at peak performance, and add important flair to your PC if you opt for some RGB options. Depending on the fan you choose, you can customize to fit your favorite color scheme (such as a white-themed PC build) have perfect silent performance, flexibility in direction, or a mixture of all of the above.

140mm case fans are often more efficient, as on average they move more air and are quieter than the smaller 120mm variants (due to lower RPMs), but that often comes at an increased price and require a larger case with bigger mounting points. If you can fit them, check out our guide to 140mm case fans, but if not, these 120mm options will be sure to keep your battlestation cool, in both senses of the word!

The post 8 Best 120mm Case Fans for 2021 Builds appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

When reading enthusiasts talk about PC building, much of the conversation revolves around cooling solutions. Whether it is CPU Coolers, GPU Coolers, custom water loops, or airflow, enthusiasts want to get the most out of their components. And to get the most out of your components, you need to keep them cool.

Aside from the CPU cooler and the GPU cooler, the most important part of your cooling will be your case fans. While having 10 case fans may not be necessary, most cases really benefit from having somewhere between 3-5 case fans with a combination of intake and exhaust. The exact configuration will depend on your case mainly, so make sure to look up reviews on how to set up your fans once you pick your chassis. Within the case fan area, there are really two main sizes: 120mm and 140mm. 120mm will fit in almost all cases, but 140mm fans offer better airflow (usually measured in CFM) at lower RPMs, meaning quieter. Check your compatibility, but if possible, 140mm case fans are a good way to go. And finally, when we evaluate case fans, we are essentially talking about two things: performance & noise, and aesthetics (RGB). So keep those two criteria in mind when looking at the categories and deciding which is more important to you.

And because of how great 140mm case fans are, there are plenty of options on the market. It can be confusing to choose, so based on your priority, this is our guide to the best 140mm case fan in each category.

While we recommend not skimping on the cooling budget, we know that some of these options are expensive and there are some cheaper alternatives, so each category will have our overall recommendation, and our low-budget choice.

With all that in mind, our recommendations for best 140mm case fans in 2020 are:

Best 140mm Case Fans – Our Recommendations

Best 140mm Case Fans	Design	Recommendation
Best Overall (Performance/Noise) 140mm Case Fans		Noctua NF-A14 PWM
Best Budget Noise/Performance 140mm Case Fan		Arctic F14 Standard
Best Looking RGB 140mm Case Fan		Corsair LL140
Best Budget Aesthetic 140mm Case Fan		Cooler Master MasterFan Pro
Best 2-Way 140mm Case Fan		Thermaltake RIING 140mm Premium Edition
Best Budget 2-Way 140mm Case Fans		UpHere 140mm RGB Wireless

Best Overall (Performance/Noise) 140mm Case Fan

If your priority is simply getting the best performance possible out of your case fans, there really only is one manufacturer to consider: Noctua. The Austrian-based maker is legendary in the PC Building community for making the absolute best fans possible. They move more air, at a quieter noise level, than just about any other maker on the market. The build quality is stellar, the warranty/customer service is top-notch, and the performance you get from any of their fans is as good as it gets.

In terms of 140mm case fans, we are somewhat spoiled for choices from Noctua. The classic recommendation is the Noctua NF-A14 PWM. It’s their standard 140mm case fan and is reliable and performant. However, as you’ll notice if you click on the link or are familiar, the color scheme of the classic Noctua fan is…..controversial. The brown and beige is not everyone’s favorite. Luckily, there are some other options available, including the slightly less performant (but much better colored) Noctua Redux NF-P14s. And if you have a bit more cash and want to keep the performance of the original, the Noctua Chromax anti-vibration add-on is a great option that offers some very cool color choices. 

These fans aren’t cheap, but they are also much less expensive than some of the options with a ton of RGB. The classic hovers around $22, the Redux comes in around $15, and the Chromax option is around $25. All-in-all, for the performance you are getting, the Noctua fans are a very fair price that are hard to beat.

Best Budget Noise/Performance 140mm Case Fan

The Noctua fans are reasonable for the performance they give, but if you find yourself short on budget and still want to get a no-frills high-performing fan, the Arctic F14 Standard is a good choice. Arctic is known for making good budget fans, and while it won’t move as much air as quietly as the Noctua fans, the F14 will still provide some nice airflow to help keep your case cool. And if you don’t mind sacrificing some pure performance for a lower noise level, the Arctic F14 Silent is a great option.

Best Looking RGB 140mm Case Fan

If the Noctua fans are a bit too plain for you, you might be looking for a case fan that brings some RGB to your rig. Typically, aside from adding in LED light strips or motherboard RGB, case fans are the best way to bring some lighting and customization to your rig. While searching “RGB 140mm case fan” will give you a ton of options, not all RGB is created equal! Some case fans might look nice, but be difficult to control. Others have great software, but not very catchy lighting. Luckily, one of our big-name trusted manufacturers decided to develop not only the most reliable (although still not perfect) software, but also created some brilliant looking 140mm case fans. Our choice for best aesthetic RGB case fan is the Corsair LL140.

The LL140 is bright. It has 16 LED’s in a double ring design that we know from experience offers plenty of customization options and flash for your gaming rig. The LL140 is no slouch on performance either, generating plenty of airflow even with all of its brightness. On top of that, while not perfect, the software used to control the fan speed and lighting of the LL140 is the unified Corsair software, iCue. It may not be 100% reliable, but compared to the hot garbage we see from other manufacturers, it’s pretty great. 

This type of beauty comes at a price however. A two pack of the fans along with the RGB Lightning hub (but not including the Commander Pro if you want even more control through iCue) runs around $85. At 40-ish dollars a fan, that isn’t cheap. But the quality is great, the lightning is the best, and the fans suck lots of air (sucking is a good thing for fans!). To put it short, if you want good performance, but really want something that will make your case positively glow, the LL140 is the fan for you.

Best Budget Aesthetic 140mm Case Fan

As we said, the LL140’s aren’t cheap, so if you are looking for a less expensive option, the Cooler Master MasterFan Pro 140mm is another strong choice. The three-pack comes with an RGB LED Controller and everything you need to mount them. At $45 for the three-pack and the hub, you’re talking about a fan almost 40% as expensive as the LL140. The LED’s might not be quite as pretty, but if you are on a budget, they will get the job done for cooling while still keeping your rig looking fly.

Best 2-Way 140mm Case Fan

One of the only issues with the RGB on the LL140 is that they are directional, meaning that the front of the fan looks much better than the back of the fan. The back is still plenty bright, but you lose the dual ring definition that makes the front look so nice. Corsair is yet to release a ‘two-way’ fan that looks equally good front the front (when used as exhaust) and from the back (when used as intake). So if you are looking for a fan that goes both ways and looks equally good to give you full flexibility when setting up the fans in your build, we recommend the Thermaltake RIING 140mm Premium Edition.

Not only does Thermaltake produce really good fans that move plenty of air without being overly noisy, but the Riing Premium Edition fans are extra special. These fans hook-up with just about any major software, including Alexa! That might be a gimmick, but it’s a pretty cool one. In terms of aesthetics, as we described above, the major advantage is the fact that both sides of the fan have an LED ring, ensuring you get all that flashy goodness no matter which direction your fans are facing.

The only downside: two-way RGB comes at a price. We said the LL140’s weren’t cheap at around $40 each, not including the RGB Node. Well the three pack of Riing 140mm fans is even more expensive. At $150 for the pack (including the hub), these fans come in at $50 a piece. They perform well, but nowhere near the Noctua fans, so you really are paying a premium to get good looks and great lighting on BOTH sides of the fan. If you aren’t ready for the best version but still want the two-way facing Riing design, there is a non-Premium Edition that comes in at a more reasonable $110 for a three pack, but the lighting is really not the same quality, so make sure you double check which version you are getting before you buy.

Best Budget 2-Way 140mm Case Fans

While the Thermaltake Riing might be the best implementation of the two-way fan design, a few of the more ‘budget’ implementers have begun experimenting with similar designs. Of these, UpHere has come up with the UpHere 140mm RGB Wireless fan that is similar in that it offers two-way lighting. Unfortunately, customization is much reduced since lighting is set with the included remote, but UpHere is a relatively reliable brand and at $40 for a five-pack (or $8 a fan), it is hard to complain.

Conclusion

Best 140mm Case Fans	Design	Recommendation
Best Overall (Performance/Noise) 140mm Case Fans		Noctua NF-A14 PWM
Best Budget Noise/Performance 140mm Case Fan		Arctic F14 Standard
Best Looking RGB 140mm Case Fan		Corsair LL140
Best Budget Aesthetic 140mm Case Fan		Cooler Master MasterFan Pro
Best 2-Way 140mm Case Fan		Thermaltake RIING 140mm Premium Edition
Best Budget 2-Way 140mm Case Fans		UpHere 140mm RGB Wireless

Case fans are important. They keep your computer cool and working at peak performance, and add important flair to your PC. Depending on the fan you choose, you can customize to fit your favorite color scheme, have perfect silent performance, flexibility in direction, or a mixture of all of the above. 140mm case fans are even better, on average they move more air and are quieter than their 120mm smaller cousins, but that often comes at an increased price. While some people think of case fans as add-ons, we recommend always including somewhere between 3-5 in your build, depending on your case and set-up.

So next time you’re putting together a build and looking for either the most performant fan, the best looking RGB, or the most flexible with two-way lighting, follow our recommendations for the high-end or budget options to help your PC look good and work well with great lighting and airflow.

The post 6 Best 140mm Case Fans for 2021 appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

The Fractal Design Node 202 is a fantastic entry level small form factor (SFF) case for PC builders who want to enter the SFF space and try out their hands at an ITX build. Designed in shoebox-style, the Node 202 also makes a great case for those looking to do a console-style or HTPC build – with plenty of room within this SFF enclosure to house even the biggest of graphics cards – with the RTX 2080 Ti being able to fit in the Node 202!

Coming in at a retail price of $80, the Node 202 SFF case has 10.2L of internal volume, supporting graphics cards of up to 310mm and 3 slot in width. CPU coolers officially are supported up to 56mm, but unofficially SFF builders have reported AIO coolers of up to 58mm are supported in the Node 202. SFX and SFX-L form factor power supplies are supported in this SFF case.

In this build planning guide, we will show you the best PC parts for Node 202 builds – including our recommended CPU coolers, Case Fans and power supplies (PSUs) that have been tried and tested by many Node 202 builders – to make sure you get the most performance out of your next Node 202 build. Given this is a budget SFF case, we will focus on components that match this price range and offer great performance for the price, just like the Fractal Design Node 202.

Recommended parts for Node 202 builds

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
Power Supply		Corsair SF450 Gold
CPU Cooler		Scythe Big Shuriken 2
Case Fan		Corsair ML120

Best PSU for Node 202 Builds

In the SFX form factor power supply market, there really is the only brand that is dominating this SFF space – and this is with the Corsairs SF series of PSUs. The PSU we recommend for Node 202 builds is the Corsair SF450 Gold – which will provide enough power for any Node 202 build – and offers best in class performance, excellent power and efficiency. The fans in the SF450 do not spin under low loads – meaning this PSU is super silent in operation and makes a great choice for an SFF or HTPC build.

The SF450 Gold is by far the best SFX PSU for entry-to-mid-level builds. We have seen many SFF builders use the SF450 for RTX 2080 Ti and i9-9900K builds – so that really is a testament to what this SFX power supply can achieve. `

Best CPU Cooler for Node 202 Builds

The Fractal Design Node 202 supports CPU coolers of up to 58mm (unofficially), meaning it’s not possible to fit high-performance CPU coolers such as the Dark Rock Pro 4 or Noctua NH-D15.

The air cooler we recommend for the Node 202 over any other (fitting the 58mm height limit) that has been tried and tested by PC builders and will offer the best thermal performance for the Node 202 is the Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B. This is one of the best CPU coolers for SFF builds, and it is hands down the best-suited CPU cooler for the Node 202.

The Big Shuriken 2 just fits in the Node 202 with a height of 58mm – pushing it very fine – and offers great performance for its small size, as well as impressively low noise levels at load. Often found under $50 – the BS2 Rev.B also offers fantastic value for money – and hence why it gets our top air cooler pick for Fractal Design Node 202 builds. Note that is you do pick the Big Shuriken 2 that you should opt for low-profile RAM to allow for clearance from the CPU cooler.

We recommend not to choose the Noctua NH-L9 or Cryorig C7 for Node 202 builds since the NH-L9 is too low profile for the Node 202 and thus it ends up recycling heat within the case – as well as the Cryorig C7.

Best Case Fan for Node 202 Builds

There are plenty of decent 120mm case fans that will offer near-equal levels of noise and thermal performance for the Node 202 – but one 120mm case fan we recommend time and time again for mid-level builds is the Corsair ML120. This case fan provides great value for its performance, and offers a high RPM range so we would recommend adjusting the fan curve yourself should you pick this case fan.

The ML120 is super silent at low operation and in general, are super quiet if they are running at typical speeds, and rubber corners help noise dampen this 120mm case fan further. It has been noted that this case fan does get quite loud at higher speeds. With the LEDs of the ML120 available in a number of colours, you can really tailor this case fan to the desired look of your next Node 202 build.

Summary

Component	Design	Recommended part	Retailer
Power Supply		Corsair SF450 Gold
CPU Cooler		Scythe Big Shuriken 2
Case Fan		Corsair ML120

The post Best Parts (CPU Cooler, PSU, Case Fans) for Node 202 Builds appeared first on PremiumBuilds.