Phanteks PH-F120T30_BG T30-120 High Performance PWM Fan - Black/Grey - Premium Cooling for PC Gaming, Workstations & Server Builds

Short recommendation:This is probably the best fan on the market right now (as of 2021-09). Be sure to measure the available space in your chassis (or beside your radiator) to ensure the extra depth of a 30 mm thick fan won't be an issue, and buy this fan if it will fit. Unless noise levels are absolutely critical for your work, nothing else seems to beat the T30-120's versatility at the moment, and the fan would likely do well regardless of whether you need better performance (at higher noise) or better acoustics (lower volume) with still decent performance.Review:The T30-120 is a 120x120x30 mm fan, which is 5 mm thicker than your average 120 mm fan (at 120x120x25 mm). This extra depth in the frame naturally allows it to have wider blades which can generally be expected to push air more efficiently. This fan's blades and frame are all made of a liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) material, providing more rigidity compared to standard plastic materials used in fans (and thus stricter tolerances between blade and frame due to less concern over blade flexion at high rotational speeds) and overall a more durable fan, assuming the motor and bearings are also well constructed.Before discussing anything else, the main issue users may run into with the T30-120 is the non-standard 30 mm depth that limits the fan's ability to fit in more space-restricted mounting positions on a chassis (perhaps highly limiting in small-form-factor systems), but it wasn't an issue for me below the PSU shroud of the Fractal Define R6 chassis, aside from having to slightly push the PSU cables upwards a bit further. The T30-120 also seem to fit without issue in the intake and exhaust positions of this chassis. I believe most mid-tower and full-tower chassis would be able to fit the T30-120, but if you're unsure about a tight fit, it may be best to measure the clearance around the fan mounting position (perhaps with a spare 25 mm thick fan installed to see whether an extra 5 mm would cause problems) before you purchase the T30-120 sight unseen.For a brief history on LCP fans, Noctua introduced the A12x25 with highly swept LCP blades (possibly inspired by the older, but still highly-regarded Nidec Gentle Typhoon) in 2018, and the A12x25 quickly became Noctua's premier general-purpose fan. Reviewers with quantitative testing equipment found the fan to be superior to their less LCP-containing competitors in most situations, assuming the relatively high price wasn't an issue. No other manufacturers seemed interested in making competing LCP fans until Thermaltake released 120 mm LCP fans at the end of 2020, with 140 mm versions coming shortly after. Thermaltake's cheaper but similarly performing Toughfan 12 was essentially just an A12x25 with slightly different aesthetics (and possibly weaker quality control), but the Toughfan 14 brought something new to the market because Noctua had not made a 140 mm variant of their LCP fans yet.Earlier this year I purchased the Toughfan 14 (to replace some Noctua fans in my system) and found them to be decent chassis fans because they provided a somewhat scaled-up version of the A12x25's already industry-leading performance. There was the obvious trade-off of higher noise for higher performance that comes with larger diameter fans rotating at roughly the same speed, but the Toughfan 14 seemed like a good option given the increased peak performance and slightly lower price.However, after trying the T30-120, there seems to be no reason to recommend the Toughfan 14 in any situation where the T30-120 would fit. The T30-120 running at 3000 RPM seems to do better pulling air through high resistance (the restrictive bottom dust filter on the Define R6) than the Toughfan 14 running at its maximum 2000 RPM. At 3000 RPM, the noise of the T30-120 is still comparable to the Toughfan 14 at 2000 RPM, so the T30-120 is providing superior performance at similar noise volume for my use case. (Of course, both the Toughfan 14 and T30-120 can outperform the A12x25 if disregarding noise output.)The T30-120 supports three modes of operation as mentioned in the specifications: a low power 1200 RPM mode, a standard 2000 RPM mode, and a high-performance 3000 RPM mode. Only the 1200 RPM mode is specified to have an idle-stop feature below 50% PWM signal, but I've found the fans in my three-pack to stop at 3% PWM signal or lower in both the 2000 RPM and 3000 RPM modes for semi-passive cooling controllable entirely by PWM fan curves in any of the three operation modes. My T30-120 fans spin at around 280 RPM before they stop at 3% PWM signal, so going off official specifications alone, they appear to have a wider range of operation in the 3000 RPM mode than Noctua's industrialPPC line (which have a stated minimum speed of 750 RPM for the 3000 RPM version). While I don't know whether this feature is intentional, having strong fans that can stop at idle makes the T30-120 outclass the A12x25 for me. (The Toughfan 14, despite already being outclassed in performance by the T30-120 at 3000 RPM as mentioned above, is also unable to completely stop at a low PWM signal so this is another area where it's losing out compared to the A12x25 and T30-120.)But speed is not the only consideration for most people looking into new fans for their system, and there are differences between the noise of the T30-120 and the A12x25 outside of the obvious volume differences from spinning at higher speeds. The T30-120 exhibits more of a hum than the A12x25 at most rotational speeds, though audibility depends on the noise floor in the environment and each user's hearing ability. (For me, this hum starts to become noticeable above 1200 RPM.) It's unclear whether this is a result of the magnetic levitation bearing or the blade and frame geometry, but it's immediately apparent on comparison and may be an issue for people that prefer the A12x25's noise profile (more of a broadband blowing wind sound than a hum). This hum also creates an audible beat when running fans close together at the same PWM signal, with the beat most noticeable at just under maximum speed around 80-95% PWM signal (about 2400-2800 RPM). (To be fair, running any set of identical fans in close proximity would likely create an audible beat, but the beat produced by two T30-120 fans sounds like it has significantly greater peaks and troughs compared to three A12x25 running on the front intake.) I personally find the T30-120 to have an acceptable noise quality (though not as pleasant compared to the A12x25), but if near-silent or perceptually inconspicuous operation is required from your system, you would likely be better off using the A12x25 and accepting the reduction in maximum performance.(Both 120 mm fans create higher pitched noise than the Toughfan 14 due to the diameter differences, but the Toughfan 14 is louder at any given RPM. For further comparison, the Toughfan 14 is still quieter and more pleasant sounding than Noctua's current non-LCP 140 mm fans at identical RPM, so the extra stability of LCP blades likely has a noticeable impact on fan noise.)While the T30-120's longevity is not known yet (having been released just over a month ago, and excluding an anecdote at the end of this review), this fan seems like the clear top choice for anybody looking for a high-performing LCP fan. The price is competitive with Noctua's and Thermaltake's offerings and the T30-120 can serve more versatile roles with its three modes of operation. Excluding situations where the non-standard 30 mm thickness simply won't fit, the only situations where I'd see Noctua or Thermaltake winning out would be if you really need Noctua's noise profile, or if you have mounting holes that fit 140 mm fans but not 120 mm fans.(One other area where Noctua still has an advantage over competitors is in the included accessories with each fan. Noctua includes rubber anti-vibration mounts, splitters, and extension cables with all their fans, along with the standard set of mounting screws. The T30-120 comes with an extension cable and approximately M3 screws in lengths of 36 and 39 mm to accommodate the unusual depth, but no rubber mounting kits like what Noctua provides. My full recommendation would be to purchase the T30-120 if they fit your needs, and also buy some of Noctua's nice anti-vibration mounts if you prefer them to standard screws. Regardless of whether rubber fan mounts actually reduce transmission of vibrations to the chassis, they make it easier to swap fans in different configurations for testing without having to use a screwdriver. I'm currently using Noctua's rubber mounting kits with all of my chassis fans despite most of them not being Noctua fans.)As a final minor note, one of the fans in my three-pack started exhibiting strange behavior after less than a week (on September 9, with the fans received on September 3), oscillating between 0 and the maximum RPM when attempting to run above 1200 RPM (meaning above the low power mode) and never fully reaching top speed at 2000 or 3000 RPM for more than a split-second. Penalising the fan's review score for a defective item is unnecessary, but the presence of an unexpected issue seemed worth noting. I briefly searched for information about this unusual behavior online and found a post where a user that purchased the fans before I did seems to have experienced the same issue with one of his fans (likely of a three-pack) at the end of of August 2021. No link is provided because that goes against the rules of user reviews, but the post is titled "T30 fan stopped working and I have no clue why" on Reddit.The Fans itself are pretty good. Impressive as many have mentioned before. I used it on my new Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360, initially intending for Push-Pull configuration with my first foreray into AIOs, though it turned out all I could do is use a push or pull configuration because the 90 mm clearance on my Lian Li O11 Dynamic was not only over by a bit when having 2 sets of these, the cooler itself was 38 mm depth, thus needing 98 mm to clear. For me, that wasn't so bad until realizing that I had both the thick CPU Power cords and the I/O Shield in the way of slotting the back part. Thus, I COULD do 5 fans, though I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make having 1 section getting only pull.The fans come default in Performance (2000 RPM max) and maxing the performance, you do hear it, but it isn't like how the Deep Cool 120RM fans' max performance where it isn't a nice sound to hear (depending on location, 50-70% is solid, but more than that becomes noticable). In other words, its not uncomfortable (in my opinion) to have at max, though I'm not sure how they would sound if extreme setting was used for 3000 RPM Max.With the AIO, I've so far let it run for a while, but I have noticed that with these fans, the GPU seems to have dropped 4 degrees on idle, though I am unsure to attribute that to not having the blocking Scythe FUMA 2 cooler thats fins came close to it or that there is more openness so the exhaust setup of these fans are doing a better job with clearing the heat dissipation.Part of me wants to replace all the fans on my case with these and maybe get some of those phanteks lux addons to replace the remaining Deep Cool fans and still have some RGB to personalize my setup. Or I guess I could just get RGB Strips and be done with it.I'd say the only minor downside at time of this writing is that I had to buy it from someplace in the EU to get it here so they cost slightly more than the MSRP pricing, almost making them slightly more expensive than the Noctua A12x25 Chroma Black x3 setup.Update 1: I added another picture as I managed to get 1 more set (though from Phanteks USA instead of overseas) and swap the fans from DeepCool to these with extra improvements (added a back shroud for the side Fans to get direct outside air in). For the same percentage settings when ramping up, I get much better cooling. I tested with 100% and to be honest, I don't ever see the need at 100% for all fans and the sound is still tolerable. Unfortunately, I cannot test 3000 RPM as the Amps is just too much unless I get a fan controller that could handle 3 fans at 0.36 Amps each.If anyone knows something about how crucial air flow is, ask the homies with the tiny computers.In my own experience, I have a FormD T1 running an i9-10900K and 3090Ti. Stripping the heat from the CPU is a Corsair 240mm AIO. In my situation, the case only allows for a 25-30mm fan on one end and a slim fan on the other. Not only is it cramped, there's also a 3090Ti dumping exhaust heat that needs to be removed from the case. The two fans on the radiator are responsible for overall case airflow while keeping the CPU coolant and other components cool (RAM, M.2, etc).I found that the OEM AIO fans were in adequate. 120x25mm fan market leaves much to be desired, especially for costs vs gains. This is where the Phantek T30 shines.It moves air. It has pressure. It has volume.If you can afford to fit the 30mm thick fan, it'll be worth it. Some say that 70% (~2000rpm) is comfortable to them, noise wise. Personally, I want the power so when the coolant temps need to be controlled, I'm not afraid of 100% fan speed.During extended gaming, I've seen the coolant temp stay at 42°C ambient. That's freaking impressive considering the TDP of the CPU and exhaust of the GPU. Previous fan setup was ~45°C or more.Ive had 3 of these fans and they all make a slight noise in the motor at any rpm i compared side by side with a noctua both at 1200rpm the noctua sounds really nice and quiet this one is a bit louder and has that weird noise you wont notice it at all if your case has glass doors.But the airflow on the fan is WAYY BETTER than the noctua.So you have to make a choice when buying this fan or the noctua nf a12Phanteks t30:more airflow at the cost of slightly louder motorNoctua:Or super silence at the cost of reduced airflow.Its still a quiet fan so if you dont have a Noctua to compare it to you wont be disappointed.If you have a pc case that will reduce noise or just don't care about super silence and want the best possible performance get the phanteks its worth it.At first i was a bit annoyed but you wont hear the nose from 50cm away.Well, sorry noctua but I will be changing all my fans to this new phanteks fan.Not only it cools much better but it is also quiet like it should be, it is thicker yes but it wont matter in my case, as I have plenty of space. I can see a trend where manufacturers will start to make more 30mm thick fans.Option to make it max 1200/2000/3000 RPM with a switch is just A VERY NICE TO HAVE toofor more detailed tests look up gamers nexus on youtube, I can confirm all temps are down by at least 3-4 degrees on a 360m radiator cooling 5900x and this is vs nctua NF-F12PWMOverall quality is rly good,I use 2 of this Phanteks T30 on my noctua NH-U12A along with a i7 12700k,if the fans are set to advanced they will be noisy when you run Cinebench R20 or R23(they spin at 3000RPM in advanced mode)but the temps are not going higher than 74 degrees. You can also set the fans to Hybrid mode(up to 1200RPM)Performance mode(up to 2000RPM) rly quiet on this 2 modes,or Advanced mode(3000RPM)you don't have to use any software to switch in between modes,each fan have a small switch on the back side that's allows you to switch in between every mode you think is going to suit you.my only complaining is that are a bit too expensive. At the end of the day are just fans.No idea why I looked on YouTube for second choice yeah air flow good but not as good noctua fans Very expensive for what they are for case fans yes you can daisy chain the fans but very bulky just hope for cost they last a long time otherwise in future will stick to noctua who have never failed me.Great fans if a bit expensive.Loud at full tilt in Performance mode but amazing cooling on my AIO.