Pushing your PC to maximum performance inevitably goes through cooling, and there’s no better way to bring temperatures down than liquid cooling. An integral part of liquid cooling consists of the usage of radiator fans.
We’ll help you find the best radiator fans for PC in 2024 to keep your machine cool at all times.
What are radiator fans used for in a PC?
To understand what radiator fans are, we have to talk about radiators first. Radiators are an integral part of liquid cooling systems, alongside the liquid pump. The radiator is where the hot liquid provided by the pump dissipates, releasing hot air into the computer case. This is where radiator fans step in, making sure that hot air never settles in your case and keeping the whole system cool.
Best budget-friendly radiator fans
Arctic P12 Max
| Key specs | • Size – 120mm • RPM – 3,300 • Air pressure – 4.35 mmH2O • Airflow – 137.7 m3/h • Noise – 50 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • High and variable RPM • Great price to performance ratio • Proven record on the budget fan market |
| What we don’t like about it | • Can be noisy at high RPM • Very minimalistic presentation, can be considered a plus by some users |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon |
The Arctic P12 Max is the undisputed champion in the budget PC fan category. The P12 series has a proven track record, and the Max variant provides the best performance yet. Its exceptional airflow and air pressure capabilities make it suitable for every type of PC cooling, including a radiator. The one downside is its relative loudness, but that’s usually where the sacrifice comes with cheaper fans. At the end of the day, it’s better to be a little loud than ineffective.
ASUS TF120
| Key specs | • Size – 120mm • RPM – 1,900 • Air pressure – 2.5 mmH2O • Airflow – 129.1 m3/h • Noise – 29 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • Good balance between performance and noise • Premium look at budget price • ARGB lighting |
| What we don’t like about it | • There are better performers for the price |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon • View at Walmart |
On the opposite end of the budget-friendly spectrum, we have the ASUS TF120. It dials down the performance to achieve much lower noise levels. Bear in mind that less performance doesn’t equate to bad performance. This ASUS fan is more capable than a lot more expensive units, and it only really trails the P12 Max in its air pressure capabilities. To compensate for that, the TF120 comes with a nice set of ARGB lighting. The budget range presents a choice—higher static pressure or less noise and ARGB. It’s up to you.
Best 120mm radiator fans
be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 120mm PWM
| Key specs | • Size – 120mm • RPM – 3,000 • Air pressure – 5.31 mmH2O • Airflow – 142.5 m3/h • Noise – 36.9 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • High RPM with low noise • Exceptional airflow and air pressure • Perfectly balanced, as all things should be |
| What we don’t like about it | • No RGB • Premium performance is matched by premium price |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon • View at Walmart |
This was our pick for best static pressure fan of 2024, so it was a given it would make an appearance here. You can’t find a better combination of airflow, static pressure, noise level, build quality, and even price, relatively speaking. The best part is that the be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 comes in 140mm too, if that’s what your radiator needs. The larger size nerfs the static pressure a bit, but it’s still a great fan through and through at all sizes, and our champion at the 120mm level.
Noctua NF-A12x25
| Key specs | • Size – 120mm • RPM – 2,000 • Air pressure – 2.34 mmH2O • Airflow – 102.1 m3/h • Noise – 22.6 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • Very quiet even at high RPM • High air pressure • Proven record among consumers |
| What we don’t like about it | • High price • Airflow could be better |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon |
We’re almost surprised it took this long to reach our first Noctua proposal, but we did start with the budget-friendly options, and this is not it. This is an expensive fan, yet it’s selling like warm bread. Why? Because it’s quiet and efficient, and it’s also a Noctua fan, which is as close to a stamp of quality as it gets. It’s not the best 120mm radiator fan, that title goes to the Silent Wings Pro 4 in our book, but if you’re drawn to the Noctua brand, this is an easy purchase.
Best 140mm radiator fans
Thermaltake Toughfan 14 Pro
| Key specs | • Size – 140mm • RPM – 2,000 • Air pressure – 3.57 mmH2O • Airflow – 203.2 m3/h • Noise – 31.6 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • Exceptional airflow • High air pressure • Decent noise-to-performance ratio |
| What we don’t like about it | • Upgrade over the Toughfan 14 isn’t great considering the price difference |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon • View at Walmart |
Thermaltake’s Pro update of the original Toughfan doesn’t blow us away, pun intended, but it had a very solid foundation to step on, so it’s good enough to earn our recommendation. The Toughfan 14 Pro is slightly more efficient and less noisy than the regular Toughfan, and there’s no denying it’s a better radiator fan all around. It is also nearly double the price. Looking at it as a glass half-full, you can get either the Pro or the base version according to your budget and end up with a very capable 140mm PC radiator fan.
Corsair ML140 Pro
| Key specs | • Size – 140mm • RPM – 1,800 • Air pressure – 2.06 mmH2O • Airflow – 140.8 m3/h • Noise – 31.8 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • Well balanced performance • LED lighting • Proven record among consumers |
| What we don’t like about it | • Not terribly loud, but not silent either • High price |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon |
An oldie but goldie, the Corsair ML140 has been the go-to 140mm radiator fan for over half a decade thanks to its unparalleled airflow, good static pressure, and respectable noise level. Even now, these fans are not cheap by any means, but many years of consumer feedback has made it clear that you’re getting value for your money. You can choose from several colors with LED lighting for some style points.
Best radiator fans for optimal airflow
Corsair iCUE AF140 RGB Elite
| Key specs | • Size – 140mm • RPM – 1,700 • Air pressure – 2.00 mmH2O • Airflow – 151.2 m3/h • Noise – 33.8 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • High airflow • Customizable RGB lighting |
| What we don’t like about it | • Air pressure is good, not great • Rather noisy relative to performance |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon • View at Walmart |
We haven’t forgotten about you, RGB enthusiasts. The Corsair iCUE AF140 RGB Elite is exactly for you. It’s a fan with solid air pressure and exceptional airflow that reaps all the benefits of the iCUE software to light up your PC with beautiful LED lights. If you want aesthetics as well as high-tier performance, the Corsair AF140 will deliver both. The only potential downside is iCUE itself, as getting the full set of RGB features out of the AF140 requires additional investment into an iCUE controller.
Phanteks M25
| Key specs | • Size – 120mm • RPM – 2,000 • Air pressure – 2.67 mmH2O • Airflow – 143.2 m3/h • Noise – 35.7 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • Exceptional airflow • Good air pressure • Low price |
| What we don’t like about it | • Decently loud at full load • Low projected lifespan (30,000 hours) |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon • View at Walmart |
The Phanteks M25 has no right to be as good as it is at a price that challenges even the budget king—the Arctic P12 Max. Phanteks sells the M25 in 120mm and 140mm sizes, with or without RGB, so you can customize your setup to your liking. The airflow on these is outstanding whichever way you go, though naturally the larger fan will provide better airflow. These aren’t terribly loud given the performance and are a good choice even if you aren’t on a tight budget.
Best radiator fans for optimal static pressure
Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000 PWM
| Key specs | • Size – 120mm • RPM – 3,000 • Air pressure – 7.63 mmH2O • Airflow – 186.7 m3/h • Noise – 43.5 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • Outstanding airflow and air pressure • High and variable RPM • The quintessential high-end cooling fan |
| What we don’t like about it | • Can get rather noisy at high RPM • High price |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon |
The “i” in iPPC stands for industrial, and that’s because the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000 PWM can cool off a NASA computer with its immense power. This fan would be overkill for most consumer PCs, but if you’re aiming for the best static pressure on the open market, this is it. The fan can get noisy at high RPM, but it’s unlikely your liquid cooling will push it that far that often, so it shouldn’t be much of a bother.
Thermalright TL-B12 Extrem
| Key specs | • Size – 120mm • RPM – 3,150 • Air pressure – 5.00 mmH2O • Airflow – 190.2 m3/h • Noise – 40.5 db(A) |
| What we like about it | • Outstanding airflow and air pressure • High RPM • Low price |
| What we don’t like about it | • Can get rather noisy at high RPM |
| Today’s Best Deals | • View at Amazon |
The Thermalright TL-B12 Extrem is another industrial fan, just not as efficient or as pricey as the Noctua fan. The vastly reduced price only comes with moderately reduced performance, so this fan is a good bang for your buck. Once again, the noise will get noticeable at high RPM, but you shouldn’t get there all too often unless you’re cooling three Threadrippers and a car engine simultaneously. It’s just a bonus to have the higher cooling capabilities of 3000 RPM should your radiator happen to need it.
How we created this list of radiator fans
Cooling a PC is no joke, so we took our list seriously. As liquid cooling enjoyers, we used our own knowledge and experience as pillars, then upgraded with the help of professional fan reviews and the feedback of general users from popular outlets like Amazon. The mix of all three formed our final list of the best radiator fans for PC in 2024.
We wanted our recommendations to meet the most important criteria, that being high air pressure, and combined that with other specifications, such as size and airflow, to match different recommendation categories. With this method, we strived to cover the needs of every PC liquid cooling enthusiast.
Top buying factors when purchasing radiator fans for PC
The most important spec for a radiator fan is air pressure, also known as static pressure. Instead of measuring the maximum volume of air pulled by the fan, air pressure indicates the intensity at which the fan can push air into a concentrated smaller area that might be more difficult to reach and/or offers more resistance. One such area is a radiator. The measuring unit is millimeter of water, or mmH2O—the higher it is, the better the fan’s air pressure.
Every other spec is significantly less important, with size being the only other real concern. Even usually important stuff like total airflow or rotations per minute (RPM) aren’t as crucial as they would be on a regular case fan. Airflow is always nice to have, but you’d want your radiator fan to excel at air pressure before worrying too much about airflow.
Basically, if you have a high air pressure fan of the correct size to match your radiator, you’re good to go, everything else is a plus. You can see our list of the best static pressure fans in 2024 for further reference.
Final thoughts
Nowadays, you can buy perfectly good radiator fans that will help cool your PC for years without breaking the bank. That being said, if you want the absolute best performance possible, or some lighting effects to please the eye, you can get that too, at an adjusted price.
The market offers something for everyone, you just have to choose the radiator fans that match your personal needs and preferences.
Published: Mar 16, 2024 12:06 am