Picking out new fans for a build is a process you either love or hate. You’ve come to terms with the fact that your PC needs fans – after all, air has to be moved to cool it. For today’s comparison, let’s take RGB out of the equation – assuming all you care about is that your PC gets cooling, nothing more.
We quickly run into the triangle of cooling:
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
Now, you have a choice to make: do you prioritize cooling performance, cost, or noise? You only get to pick two.
Say you want the best cooling fan: It has to have the absolute best cooling performance, run absolutely quiet, and cost is no object. There is one clear winner there: the Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 — at least by reputation. We’ll only know for sure whether that’s true when we’ve tested a lot more fans. But let’s take it as a given for now.
In comes an option on the other end of the spectrum: You just need some fans to move air, and please do so without adding much more cost to the already-expensive build. Since I’m deciding which fans to spend time on based on their reputation, I’m picking the Arctic P12 Pro as the competitor in today’s head-to-head, in what may be the most unfair fan comparison in history – or at least in PC fan history.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
However, there is a reason behind this madness: The Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 is a brilliant fan, but it costs a mighty $35 on Amazon for a single spinner. If you need five fans for your PC, that’s $175, spent on just fans.
On the other side of the spectrum sits Arctic, with the recently released P12 Pro. A single P12 Pro costs $8.50. Want a 5-pack? Sure thing, that’ll be $27.50, please. Do you see where I’m going with this?
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