I'm planning a PC with ten 120 mm case fans: six for intake and four for exhaust. My priorities are low noise, strong airflow, low power consumption, and good value. White fans would be ideal, but I'm open to other colours if they perform better or cost less.
I've been comparing the Noctua NF-P12 redux with the white Arctic P12 Pro PST, but I'm not sure which offers the best balance of noise, cooling, and price. Buying ten premium Noctua fans could cost around €200–300, so I'd prefer not to overspend unless the difference is significant.
My motherboard's CHA_FAN headers are rated for a maximum of 1 A each, so I also need to keep the per-fan current draw reasonable. I previously used a fan hub that made all the fans run at full speed instead of responding to PWM control, possibly because the hub was faulty. I'm considering the powered Arctic PWM Fan Hub for all ten fans and would like to know whether it reliably supports PWM control, including lower speeds.
What fans and hub would you recommend for this kind of setup, and what are you using in your own PC?
3 Answers
The NF-A12x25 G2 is likely better than the NF-P12 redux for both acoustics and performance, but it’s difficult to justify the cost for a ten-fan setup. The Arctic P12 or P12 Pro generally has a much stronger price-to-performance ratio. Noctua’s redux line is still perfectly usable—I run several in a server cooling multiple hard drives and a Core i5 system—but it isn’t necessarily the best value for a new build.
For a sensible budget build, I’d go with Arctic P12 PWM or P12 Pro PST fans rather than spending €200–300 on Noctua. They offer very good airflow and noise performance for the price, especially when you need ten of them. The Arctic PWM hub should be fine as long as it’s powered directly from SATA or Molex rather than drawing all ten fans’ current through the motherboard header. The motherboard header should only provide the PWM control signal and tachometer feedback.
That’s the direction I’m leaning in. My main concern is whether the Arctic hub will actually let me control the fans at low speeds instead of leaving them stuck at 100%, so it’s good to know the hub should be powered separately.
Fan hubs can cause problems if they aren’t powered correctly or if the hub doesn’t properly pass through the PWM signal. A powered hub from Arctic should work normally, but make sure the motherboard header is set to PWM mode rather than DC mode and that the hub has its SATA power connected. Also check the total current rating and fan startup behavior. Mechanical or motor noise can vary between individual fans and may become more noticeable when a case, desk, or cabinet amplifies vibration. Using all four mounting screws and soft anti-vibration mounts can help.
The motor noise I’ve noticed from Arctic fans is more obvious when a desk or cabinet resonates with it than when the fans are simply moving air. Lowering the RPM helps, and tightening the fans evenly or adding vibration isolation may reduce it further.
The NF-A12x25 G2 sounds excellent, but buying ten would be a major expense. I’m mainly trying to work out whether its lower noise is noticeable enough to justify the price compared with the Arctic P12 Pro.