According to the manufacturer, this fan is optimized to deliver high static pressure, and while it’s true that the value we see in the specs isn’t particularly high, it’s for a slim-format fan, since that value conforms to other “normal” fans.
Finally, note that we are dealing with a PWM model whose speed is controlled automatically, but which can spin up to 1,800 RPM, emitting only 24.5 dBA of noise and moving an airflow of 52 CFM. In addition, this fan has a hybrid operation since it is able to stop completely when the PWM voltage that reaches it is less than 5%.
By the way, unlike many other fans, this Arctic P14 Slim PWM PST is capable of running at only 4V, which is one volt less than normal.
Unboxing and external analysis
For this analysis, the manufacturer sent us a single fan, but remember that it is also sold in packs of 3 units. The unit is packaged in a soft cardboard box on the main side of which an image of the device can be seen, leaving its technical specifications for the back. As usual with Arctic, a few QR codes on the packaging invite us to access the instruction manual and the product page, as well as the Arctic technical support site.
As accessories, this fan only comes with two sets of screws, some short and some long, which allows us to easily install it both in boxes and in radiators. The long screws thing is very interesting, because although radiators usually come with screws, these are for 25-27mm fans and not 16mm thick, so the ones included by Arctic are “tailor-made” , a little shorter.
Here we have the Arctic P14 Slim PWM PST ready to go. As you can see, it does not have rubber inserts in the corners to reduce vibrations.
The cable is completely unshielded and terminates in a 4-pin PWM connector. As this is an Arctic PST series fan, it also has a female connector so you can daisy chain multiple fans.
This Arctic P14 Slim PWM PST is designed with a total of 7 blades, quite narrow and with plenty of angle to generate good static pressure.
At the rear, we can see that the engine is supported by four plastic supports. In the center, Arctic shows us the model and its logo, accompanied by electrical data: in this case, 12V and 0.19A, which gives us a consumption of 2.28 watts.
The fan is really, really narrow, and saying it’s 16mm might not mean anything to you, but it really is between 0.9 and 1.1 centimeters narrower than regular fans.
Of course and as we said at the beginning, we are facing a 140 mm model.
After seeing the fan, we will proceed to test it.
This is how the Arctic P14 Slim PWM PST works
As always when we review fans, we test them in the air to measure their efficiency without the restrictions you’d have with a case grill or heatsink. In addition, we can thus compare its performance with that of other fans that have passed through our laboratory.
We start with the volume, an aspect that will be interesting since the fans in the slim format are generally relatively noisy. To measure noise, we used a Protmex PPM-SM001 sound level meter at a distance of exactly 50 centimeters from the fan, so the measured decibels are dBA. We made two measurements as always: one with the speed in PWM so that it works automatically, and another at its maximum speed. Here is the result :
According to what Arctic says in the technical specifications, this fan emits a maximum of 0.3 sone, which corresponds to 24.5 dBA of noise, and this is almost the measurement obtained, which remained at 23.8 dBA at maximum speed. With the fan in PWM mode, it’s virtually inaudible at just 16.5 dBA, which is basically the ambient noise we get in the lab.
To give you an idea of what this means, the following table shows examples of noise values in dBA.
| 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 10 meters | 90 | 4 times more intensity than 70 dBA. It can damage the eardrums if exposed for more than 8 hours. |
| Dishwasher. Factory (average). | 80 | Twice the intensity of 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 too 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. |
Now on to airflow, surely the weak point of slim fans because physics is physics, and having a smaller surface area to push air over the blades, it displaces much less airflow than normal fans. To measure this, we used a Holdpeak HP-866A anemometer, and again we made two measurements: one at 1,000 rpm and another at maximum.
As expected, the result was lower than that obtained with “full size” fans, but still very good data and more if we take into account its static pressure of 1.55 mm/H2O, so it will be quite good even installed behind a grid.
Conclusion and judgment
As usual, Arctic has done a great job with this slim version of their P14 PWM PST fans. They managed to maintain pretty decent performance but cut the thickness of the fan almost in half, which will allow us to use them in situations where a normal fan won’t fit.
In addition, with a price of only 12 dollars per unit, these fans are quite cheap and, without a doubt, an excellent option for those looking for a slim fan with good performance, quiet and not too expensive.
For all these reasons, we think these fans deserve our gold medal, as well as our recommendation for their excellent performance/price ratio.
