Cooler Master Mobius 120 OC: High airflow above all

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

With the Mobius 120 OC fan, Cooler Master could prove that it has worked on and avoided the rookie mistakes of older models. Partly yes, it removed some flaws, but it added (or strengthened) others in the process. Still, the current most expensive 120 mm CM fan has one ace up its sleeve, for which it will be extremely attractive in some use cases. Again, though, this is… how to put it… a somewhat “peculiar” execution.

Results: Frequency response of sound w/o obstacles

Measurements are performed in the TrueRTA application, which records sound in a range of 240 frequencies in the recorded range of 20–20,000 Hz. For the possibility of comparison across articles, we export the dominant frequency from the low (20–200 Hz), medium (201–2,000 Hz) and high (2,001–20,000 Hz) range to standard bar graphs.

However, for an even more detailed analysis of the sound expression, it is important to perceive the overall shape of the graph and the intensity of all frequencies/tones. If you don’t understand something in the graphs or tables below, you’ll find the answers to all your questions in this article. It explains how to read the measured data below correctly.

The sound of the 120 and 140 mm fans for the most part operates in the 70–700 Hz band. The bearings and motor operate between 1000 and 2500 Hz. Higher frequencies can be amplified by grilles or plastic filters (typically with hissing). Ignore the frequencies above 7000 Hz, these reflect electromagnetic noise from the measurement chain. This (electromagnetic noise) partially interferes with frequencies below 70 Hz as well, although there is still aerodynamic noise at these frequencies.



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Wordpress Table Plugin



Wordpress Table Plugin

Why is there a missing value sometimes? There may be more reasons. Usually it is because the fan could not be adjusted to the target noise level. Some have a higher minimum speed (or the speed is low, but the motor is too noisy) or it is a slower fan that will not reach the higher decibels. But the results in the graphs are also missing if the rotor is brushing against the nylon filter mesh. In that case, we evaluate this combination as incompatible. And zero in the graphs is naturally also in situations where we measure 0.00. This is a common occurrence at extremely low speeds with obstructions or within vibration measurements.


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Comments (9) Add comment

  1. I found your website in the course of my accidental search, the evaluation is detailed and respectful, I have a certain demand for RGB now, and Cooler Master said that the performance of mobius 140 ARGB is very powerful, there are too few evaluations now, I hope you can give it a look Make a review, many thanks.

    Reply

    1. We will gradually test all available fans. Only those that will stop selling over time will be unlucky (or lucky, depending on your point of view…).

      We are excited to have a new reader. We welcome you dearly. 🙂

      Reply

  2. For the price, there are unfortunately too many flaws. The only application where the fan is strong is running at full speed disregarding noise, and even at that niche, the 12 cm Silent Wings Pro 4 is very close (and I would expect extremely tough competition from Phanteks T30 and Lian Li P28 as well). The poor PWM implementation on a modern fan is also very puzzling to me, especially at that price point.

    Reply

  3. The fan could be interesting server-grade solution. Maybe next time, I mean with ultra-long-life bearings and without vibrations.

    Reply

  4. I also tested Mobius 120 OC on thinner radiator recently, I can say this fan is one of the worst choice at its price.

    There are many products on the market that obviously surpass Mobius 120 OC.
    In terms of maximum airflow and price, Sanyo Denki 9G1212P4H06-4P, Thermalright TL-B12 EXTREM, Arctic P12 Max can perfectly replace Mobius 120 OC.
    In terms of noise-airflow efficiency, PH-F120T30, NF-A12X25 and SW Pro 4 definitely outperform it.

    Unlike Mobius 120(P), Mobius 120 OC seems difficult to survive the competition.

    Reply

      1. Actually I doubted my result of Mobius 120 OC because it showed 20%p lower noise-airflow efficiency than PH-F120T30, which was unbelievably poor result for an expensive fan. Now the cross-validation is possible with your thinner radiator test, and the two results are showing similar tendency about the fan. Thanks a lot!

        Reply

  5. I would LOVE to see you review the regular (non OC) Mobius fans. Particularly the 120p RGB version. It would be interesting to see just how close or far away from the OC performance they are.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the tip. As long as the Mobius 120P RGB doesn’t stop selling before we can get our hands on it, we’ll be sure to include it in our tests. Gradually all fans available in the shops will be put in a confrontation. 😉

      Reply

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