Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB

[testman78]

Introduction

The P series fans from ARCTIC are famous all around for their silent operations and good performance. ARCTIC has released several iterations of their P12 series fans. We have earlier taken a spin on BioniX P 120 A-RGB fans and this time we are taking a look at Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB fans. These are 120mm fans with 12V based A-RGB lighting. They are also available in the RGB version. In light of the continuing demand for white cooling products, the cooling specialist is adding this appearance to its range. Their most salient feature is the low noise operation which is highlighted by 0dB in the model of the fan. These fans feature the same design concept as is on the original P12 series fans with 5 specially designed blades. The difference is these fans boast translucent blades with a translucent ring for vivid and dynamic light effects as we have 12 A-RGB LEDs in the central housing of the fan.



For this Test, the manufacturer has sent us a "Value Pack" that consists of a package in which three units of this fan come, and which can also be purchased at a slightly lower price than if we bought three units individually. ARCTIC has mentioned that these fans can be used as case ventilation as well as on the heatsink and radiator though we found the 1.85 mmH₂O rating a mediocre one.




Packaging & Contents

The Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB fans come in a simple-looking cardboard box. A blue sticker informing about the model, barcodes and its main technical characteristics.



The right side, includes a QR code that leads us to the product's website where we can find all its technical specifications and the instruction manual. This is a Value pack and fans are in white color which is giving a hint that other colors (black) may also be available.



Inside the box, the fans are inserted almost close to each other and are separated by cardboard partitions, and on top there is a small bag with twelve screws for fastening the fans. These screws are necessary for installing the fans on your chassis. There is no lighting controller provided with it.




A Closer Look

The P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB fans have a dimension of 120x120x25mm. The difference between any two mounting holes is a standard 105mm. the thickness of the frame on the mounting holes is 3.50mm. The mounting hole has a diameter of 4.50mm. It weigh 131 grams each with 163 grams declared in the specifications. The impeller diameter is 108,5 mm and its height is 18 mm. According to the specifications, the fan should consume 1,32 watts, we got an uncritically more – 1,44 watts.



Externally, the new Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB looks neat and aesthetically pleasing. White and gray, always go well, here, too.



There are two arrow symbols on the side frame. These indicate the direction of airflow and the direction of blades movement. These arrow symbols provide a visual aid to novice users in identifying the directions before the installation.



The center has ARCTIC branding on it. The blades are translucent and their tips are connected to the translucent ring running across the diameter of the outer frame. The blades are made in the best traditions of the original Arctic P12 – sickle, aggressive and with sharp leading edges. The Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB fans use twelve A-RGB LEDs to completely illuminate the rotor. The backlighting of the fans can be controlled through applications for motherboards from four major manufacturers: ASUS Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock Polichrome Sync.



Manufactured on a white plastic frame , each mounting corner of the fan has a gray color cut-to-size anti-vibration pad pasted.



Another additional feature that Arctic included in this new Set of Fans is something called 0db Mode. Usually, when controlling a Fan over a PWM connection, it is possible to let a Fan spin between 0 and 100% of its Fan speed. (Though there are a couple of Motherboard Softwares that come with a Minimum-Limit). When letting a Fan spin beneath a certain percentage, it can happen that the Fan is not spinning long enough to keep its momentum until the next PWM cycle (See PWM Wiki Page for more information). This behavior can result in repetitive Clicking or Motor Ramping noises for each cycle, making it impossible to sit next to it. Therefore Arctic Implemented its own version of a Stop-Limit, which forces the Fan to stop rotating once the Fan speed reaches below 10%. They have a speed rating of 0 ~ 2000 RPM with a maximum airflow rating of 48.8 CFM and a static pressure rating of 1.85 mmH₂O. Their sound level is rated at 0.30 Sone.



These fans are using Fluid Dynamic Bearings. ARCTIC has mentioned that they have used a combination of alloy/lubricant developed in Germany to reduce the friction within the bearing. This in turn would generate less heat and improves efficiency. This will increase the service life of the fans.



On the opposite side we can see that the rotor is held with four quite thin plastic anchors and in the shape of the blades so as not to hinder the air flow. The fan stator diameter is 42 mm. It is closed with a plastic cap with stamped markings and electrical characteristics.



Each fan has two sets of cables routing out of the center. One is the 4-pin PWM cable with the socket and the other is 4-pin 12V RGB female connector with an extended length on the male connector. This would allow for daisy-chaining the fans for a synchronous operation and uniform effect. The starting voltage of the fan is 5V. The fan is rated for 12V using 0.11A. The below picture shows the 4-pin PWM connector with the 3-pin socket connector.



The below picture shows the standard 12V RGB female and male connectors. Both connectors, both power and lighting, have a good length of 40 cm.




Performance

Installing the Arctic P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB was easy, and it’s just like with all other Arctic products. We installed and secured it using the provided screws, then attached the PWM and addressable connections to it. To test the performance as a case fan, I put them in direct comparison to other fans. The test system consisted of a Ryzen 5 3600 , which is installed on a MSI X570-A Pro. This was cooled by a Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure. Together with a GIGABYTE RX 5600 XT Gaming OC this was installed in a Fractal Design Define 7. To obtain comparable results, the CPU and GPU cooling were set to constant values. As a basis for the comparison, all fans were set to 900 RPM. This was the limit at which the P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB became audible from the closed case, from a distance of about 50 cm. In this case a slight airflow is audible, but I personally do not perceive it as disturbing. In order to warm up the case properly, 20 minutes of Prime95 ran with the settings “Smallest FFT” and Furmark. After 20 minutes load, CPU and GPU temperature were measured.



It is noticeable that in this small test round, the P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB were the most efficient. The performance is positively noticeable.



If we now want to replace a CPU fan, a similar picture emerges. To test this, I first put the standard fan of the Matterhorn Pure under load for 20 minutes with Prime95 and measured the temperature and then repeated the test with the P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB. Here the fan shows its not only suitable as a case fan, but also as a fan replacement for the CPU cooler, or even on a radiator.



At 20% PWM cycle, the blades of the fan were hardly spinning and the anemometer registers 0 airflow confirming the specification. Another good feature is the low noise operation of these fans even at full speed.



In our Testings, the used LED's were strong enough to make their light protrude over the complete Fan Wing reaching the outer edge. The additional ring has an extra RGB benefit due to its white see-through color. Having the LED's shine strong enough makes the Ring around the Fan shine too, creating the illusion of an additional RGB Ring around the Fan.


Final Thoughts

Housed in a white case, the ARCTIC P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB White fan is equipped with ARGB lighting and stops completely at low system load. This ensures silent standby while at the same time ensuring maximum performance when needed — for example, for gaming, video editing, or running graphics software. At maximum operation, the fan reaches 2,000 rpm, but remains pleasantly quiet even at full speed thanks to the hydrodynamic bearing and its vibration-damping rubberized contact surfaces. We love that the blades of the P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB are translucent. Plus, their tips are linked to the translucent ring that runs across the diameter of the external frame. The A-RGB lighting, in addition to providing a very bright and attractive color in any exterior lighting circumstance, is fully configurable from any motherboard on the market with an ARGB connector. In addition, all this lighting can be configured simultaneously thanks to its serial connection between the 3 fans of the kit. However, do remember that the company does not offer an external controller with the P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB. The only thing that we would love to see improved is the place where the wires come out of the Fans. The RGB and PWM Connection are coming out on separate sides of the Fan.



Generally, the fans delivered excellently and provided what we expected from Arctic products. It’s undeniably silent and comes with stunning A-RGB lights. ARCTIC P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB fans are budget-friendly offer from the manufacturer without much compromising the performance. Arctic’s P12 PWM PST A-RGB 0dB in white is now available for EUR 15.99. Value pack of 3 A-RGB fans cost EUR 41.99. These fans come with 6 years warranty which is an added advantage with the pocket-friendly pricing.