An affordable fan with lighting that still performs quite well. That sums up the Prime MR120 with ARGB LED. If you prefer lighting elements that highlight the fan’s frame rather than the impeller, this could also be an option—provided the aerodynamic properties of the Asus fan suit you. It must be reiterated that we are in a lower price tier, and the results correspond to that.
Evaluation
Neither to criticize nor to praise. The Prime MR120 ARGB is a fan that is essentially average. But for its price, it’s tolerable. Without obstacles, in somewhat synthetic situations, it sometimes even surpasses, for instance, the BeQuiet! Silent Wings 3. However, it often falls quite short of the stable’s flagship fans (ROG Strix XF120, TUF Gaming TF120, or TUF Gaming TR120). In the relative ranking (airflow per unit of noise), the Prime MR120 ARGB typically places below them.
The results on obstacles are also average to below average, on dust filters and on grilles. It’s a bit better on radiators, but the fan still finds itself in the bottom half of the results. However, it must be emphasized that this is its placement among all fans. If only illuminated models were filtered, the Prime MR120 ARGB would certainly fare better.
It may not match the Arctic P12 Pro A-RGB, but the results are often on par with the Aorus 120 ARGB or Enermax SquA RGB (White). And yet, the Asus fan (Prime MR120 ARGB) is significantly cheaper than them. It also scores in situations where the user prefers a ring with a light guide or other parts highlighting the frame’s contours, for example, over an illuminated impeller. The Prime MR120 ARGB has this and is quite unique in this regard.
The maximum speeds are also capped lower than is sometimes the case (at around 1600 RPM), so this fan is not excessively loud even at 100% PWM. Of course, it cannot be called a silent fan either.
As is often the case with cheaper fans, the Prime MR120 ARGB does not support a semi-passive mode at lower PWM duty cycle. The motor never turns off with this type of regulation, and the lower speed limit is around 516 RPM.
The good news, however, is that the MR120 ARGB can also be used in combination with non-reinforced nylon mesh filters. These can sag and rub against the impeller on some other fans, but this is not an issue with this fan—or at least we did not observe it in our test setup. The motor’s power is average, as is the coefficient of operational consumption per unit of airflow. For an affordable fan like the Asus Prime MR120 ARGB, this actually represents a positive credential.
Except around speeds of 1450 RPM, vibrations are always low and should not impact secondary noise from vibrating the case or the component to which the fans are attached.
As an affordable ARGB-lit fan, this tested model (Asus Prime MR120 ARGB) is an attractive choice. If you don’t mind the shortcomings associated with these fans, then why not.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
| Asus Prime MR120 ARGB |
| + Suitable for every use case |
| + High cooling efficiency (airflow/pressure per unit of noise) |
| + Higher airflow even through restrictive obstacles |
| + Practically silent operation of bearings and motor |
| + Typically exceptionally low, negligible vibrations on the frame |
| + Decent build quality |
| + ARGB LED lighting... |
| + ... with more effective and original light conduction through the frame |
| + Lower price and an attractive price/cooling performance ratio for illuminated fan standards |
| - Does not support passive mode; does not "turn off" at low PWM duty cycle |
| - More intense vibrations around 1250 RPM |
| Orientačná koncová cena: 13 eur/314 Kč |
PC fans are available for purchase at the Datacomp e-store
