For the rest, it should be noted that they have a total of 12 A-RGB LEDs in each of the fans, which means that we can control their colors and effects to our liking, in this case using any compatible RGB software such as motherboards.
External analysis
Arctic is a manufacturer recognized for the quality and performance, but also for the price of its products, which are generally quite affordable and with a performance / price ratio that is hard to beat. That means they skimp where they have to skimp, in the packaging, and in this case we have the three-fan kit in a simple neutral-colored cardboard box with a simple sticker that tells us which product is inside. ‘inside and a QR code that takes us to the web page to see specifications, instructions, etc.
They are just fans, we don’t need any props or decorations, so we think it’s a hit.
Inside we have the three fans with a small bag with their corresponding screws, and there are only a few sheets of cardboard to separate the fans so that they do not rub against each other. It’s not that more is needed.
Out of the box, here we have the three Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB units, which as we mentioned at the start in this case are the white color variant.
Let’s take a single unit to take a closer look: on the front side we can see that the blades are translucent, so the lighting will spread evenly over them and have a more impressive effect. In total, there are only 5 blades, quite wide and angled, which will help generate great static pressure.
Of course, Arctic doesn’t skimp on quality and in every corner we have rubber inserts to absorb vibrations and reduce noise.
There is also no paraphernalia on the back and in fact no label at all as the logo and features are embossed on the rotor cover itself.
Here you can see it a bit closer, although you have to admit that since the fans are white it doesn’t look too good.
Two cables exit from each of the fans, and here we find a bad part from our perspective, as each cable exits from a different area. This can help keep things more organized, with the power cables on one side and the A-RGB cables on the other, but for many users (including us) it can make cable routing more difficult when the fans are on. installed.
In the A-RGB cable we have a male connector and a female connector… what for? Simple: because you can connect the fans in series and thus occupy a single connector on the motherboard.
Exactly the same happens with the 4 pin PWM power connectors, we have a male and a female to be able to connect them in series. It has its logic, since the most normal thing is that whoever buys this kit of three units uses them together, right?
A little more to see in the external analysis, so we will proceed to connect them and see how they work.
Test Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB
As always when we test fans, we do it “in the air”, that is to say without installing them in a box or on a radiator. The reason is very simple: we can thus compare its performance with other fans without having to use the same case or the same radiator indefinitely. In addition, we measure their performance in this way without any restrictions.
We start by measuring their sound volume, an aspect that Arctic boasts of because, according to the manufacturer, they only emit a maximum of 24.5 dBA of noise. To measure noise, we used a Protmex PPM-SM001 sound level meter at a distance of exactly 50 centimeters from the fan, because that’s how noise is measured in dBA. We performed two measurements: one with the fans in automatic mode (PWM) and another manually by setting them to maximum; Here is the result :
We are not facing the quietest fans on the market… but almost. Indeed, in PWM mode you can hardly hear anything, and even when turning at a tiny speed of 2,000 RPM, the noise emitted is only 25 dBA. To put this into perspective, take a look at the following table:
| sound source | dB | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Airplane taking off at 25 meters | 150 | ruptured eardrums |
| Airport take-off runway | 140 | pain threshold |
| Takeoff of a military fighter at 20 meters | 130 | Pain. That’s 32 times more intensity than 70 dBA. |
| Horn of a truck at 1 meter. Live concerts. | 110 | Average human pain. 16 times more intensity than 70 dBA. |
| Electric lawn mower. Helicopter 30 meters. | 100 | Eight times louder than 70 dBA. Maintaining this level for 8 hours damages the eardrums. |
| Motorcycle at 10 meters | 90 | 4 times more intensity than 70 dBA. It can damage eardrums if exposed for more than 8 hours. |
| Dishwasher. Factory (average). | 80 | Twice as loud as 70 dBA. Threshold of what is usually bothersome. |
| TV sound | 70 | Of this intensity, it is already embarrassing for many people. |
| Conversation in a restaurant | 60 | Half the intensity of 70 dBA. |
| Normal conversation in a house. | 50 | Four times less intense than 70 dBA. |
| Library | 40 | One-eighth the intensity of 70 dBA. |
| Country | 30 | Sixteen times less intense than 70 dBA. |
| Whisper | 20 | Barely audible if you’re not very close. |
| Breathing | ten | Inaudible to most. Human beings do not normally listen to their own breathing. |
| absolute silence | 0 | It is literally impossible for a human being to “hear” absolute silence, but it is the threshold of hearing. |
As you can see the noise they emit at a distance of 50 cm (a distance, by the way, quite common in small tables but in the case of larger tables we will normally be further away and perceive less of noise) is a little more than a whisper.
Let’s see how they behave in terms of airflow below, and for this we used a Holdpeak HP-866A anemometer, again measuring the airflow both in PWM mode and at maximum speed.
Here we see that these Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGBs don’t move too much airflow, not even at top speed. How can this be? Very simple: before we saw that they only have 5 blades (compared to 9 or even 13 that many fans have) but that they are very wide, and that means that they are more oriented to have static pressure higher than the airflow. In other words: these are ideal fans to use where there are many restrictions, such as on CPU coolers or liquid cooling radiators, where they will really shine.
And, of course, we can’t finish testing without first showing you what these fans look like with their A-RGB lighting, which in this case we configured using ASUS Aura Sync, since we have connected in series directly to the motherboard of the PC. .
As can be seen in the previous image, obviously in the dark, the lighting is very homogeneous and covers the entire circumference of the blades, thanks to the fact that they are translucent.
Here we can see, on an image taken closer and with a certain inclination, that the A-RGB LEDs are in fact only in the area of the rotor, so that the light propagates through the blades precisely because they are translucent.
Conclusion and judgment
As we are used to, Arctic has brought to the market a product of excellent quality and performance, and in this case also with more than remarkable lighting with these 12 configurable A-RGB LEDs. Remember that the pack of 3 fans is priced at $ 39.99 in the manufacturer’s official store, a price that we consider more than fair for these fans.
Designed to deliver excellent performance (especially in liquid cooling radiators and CPU heatsinks) combined with aesthetics that grab a lot of attention, especially in this model in white, these fans from Arctic have quiet operation which is very welcome, as well as a very neat quality of materials which guarantees that we will have fans for many, many years.
For all these reasons, we believe that these Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB deserve our Platinum award, as well as our recommendation for both their quality/price ratio and their design.
