The impeller is oriented so that, in the installed position, nothing visually obstructs the view. This refers to the stator struts, which can otherwise “spoil” the appearance. But this is not just about looks—it is about combining them with the efficient geometry of the proven five-blade design with a stabilizing ring (familiar from the P12 A-RGB). It is not exactly the same design, though, if only because what used to be behind the impeller is now in front of it.
Evaluation
Even among regular fans, the Arctic P12 Pro Reverse A-RGB (White) stands out—in the best possible light. Its ranking position is quite good, and with dust filters it is excellent—both with nylon and with plastic filters. In the latter case (with the plastic filter), one can even speak of a strongly dominant position.
The Arctic fan also holds its own in the upper half—among the best—on radiators, both thinner ones (with denser finning) and thicker ones (with lower FPI). On a grille, the relative ranking results are rather average, but still ahead of the competing TUF Gaming TF120 Reverse, which is also more expensive than the P12 Pro Reverse A-RGB. In this head-to-head, Arctic again comes out on top. That said, weaker results must be noted in tests normalized to comparable noise levels, where at medium or lower speeds relatively high noise appears even around frequencies of 350 Hz.
The acoustic profile as such is, of course, subjective and must be judged individually. The impeller ring, however, eliminates unwanted sounds caused by torque ripple, and at lower speeds (i.e., below 1300 rpm) it does not generate disturbing tonal peaks. At higher speeds—which we already consider to be around 1700 rpm, corresponding to the “45 dBA” mode—peaks between 130–135 Hz do appear in the sound spectrogram.
There are some mechanical vibrations, but given that this is a budget fan, they are acceptable—and we are not aware of any other reverse fan with lighting that would be more attractive, especially when all characteristics are weighed against the purchase price. The price is low enough and the measured airflow performance high enough that the price-to-performance ratio becomes remarkable—one the P12 Pro Reverse A-RGB fans can rightfully boast about.
As affordable “RGB” fans where you do not want to see stator struts, these models are certainly worthy of recommendation. The aerodynamic efficiency is sometimes average (typically in free airflow), but considering the price, this can be forgiven. Yes, there are technical imperfections, but these are budget fans where such compromises must be expected.
In addition to a wide speed range, the lighting range is also extensive. On one hand, there is a truly high maximum brightness (higher than we have recorded on any other 120 mm fan so far); on the other hand, the P12 Pro Reverse A-RGB (White) can also be dimmed significantly—to a level where the brightness should not be bothersome even in darker conditions.
Installation is also attractive thanks to convenient daisy-chaining options, and there is essentially nothing major we could criticize about these Arctic fans. For that reason, the HWCooling editorial team awards the P12 Pro Reverse A-RGB the „Smart buy!“ label.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
| Arctic P12 Pro Reverse A-RGB (White) |
| + Suitable for any use |
| + Cooling efficiency (airflow/pressure per unit of noise) at a very high level |
| + High airflow and static pressure even through restrictive obstacles |
| + Attractive price/performance ratio for an illuminated fan |
| + Wide speed range |
| + Quiet motor and smooth bearing operation |
| + Truly powerful motor (~6.4 W) |
| + Impeller lighting with very high brightness... |
| + ... while also offering a very wide dimming range (can be significantly reduced) |
| + Rare, and in some cases visually more appealing, reverse design |
| - Stator struts positioned in front of the impeller increase noise levels (compared to a “standard” fan) |
| - At higher speeds, more pronounced tonal peaks in the 130–200 Hz range… |
| - … and with the test grille also at lower speeds, around 350 Hz |
| Approximate retail price: 12 EUR |
PC fans are also available for purchase in the Datacomp e-store
Hmm, the 100th fan in the database—counting 140 mm models as well. On Thursday, we’ll do a kind of recap or summary, where all fans tested so far will appear together in the charts. 🙂
After reading the methodology section I’m still uncertain about when the tests were performed with the obstacles infront or behind the fan. Could you please clarify that?
Scenario by scenario, it varies. The radiators (both thinner and thicker ones) are behind the fans, as they are more commonly used in practice, while the dust filters (both nylon and plastic) are in front of them, i.e. in front of the impeller. That also makes more sense.
There is also a hexagonal grille in front of the fan, on the intake side, although in PC cases (for example, on the exhaust) it is often located behind it. We chose this placement because having it behind the impeller doesn’t change the acoustic profile very much, whereas with the opposite orientation, the difference can sometimes be quite significant, especially when it comes to tonal peaks. 🙂
Thanks for the clarification!
Your setup is what I was hoping for, for the reasons you already stated yourself. And just to make sure I’m not misunderstanding a fine detail: Whether **reverse blade fan or regular fan**, your dust filter test setup (both nylon an plastic) will always reflect typical real world usage, i.e. air will be “pulled” through the filter instead of being “pushed” through it. Right? Thanks in advance!
Yes, the dust filters are always on the intake side of the fans. 🙂
For the most accurate comparison possible, reverse fans are also positioned in the same relationship to the anemometer (in pull). That’s a more complicated discussion, but this is always the case regardless of the fan. If we did it the opposite way, in push, the area where we measure the wind/air speed—which is subsequently used to calculate the airflow in cubic units—would be too turbulent, and the results would therefore be distorted. 🙂