The release of several attractive fans is associated with the year 2025. In this article, we will briefly focus on those that we tested this year and that deserve increased attention. In the end, however, we selected one “best” model—more precisely, the one that we consider the biggest positive surprise. And ultimately, the decision for such a fan is relatively straightforward.
In June (2025), Noctua released the second generation of the NF-A12x25 fans (NF-A12x25 G2), which are the successors to the NF-A12x25 G1. Top-tier results were expected here—and they did arrive. So this is not really a surprise, just as it isn’t in the case of the Arctic P1x Pro fans.
Across both the 120mm and 140mm formats, Arctic changed the aerodynamic design, where instead of five blades (P1x models), seven blades are now used. The results of these fans are excellent and yes, in the cheaper segment they dominate. Even so, the generational improvement is relatively small, although this is a subjective assessment. Fractal Design, however, made a much bigger leap.
The average Aspect 12/14 (RGB) fans now have a far more refined alternative. The Momentum fans stand out not only within Fractal Design’s lineup, but overall. For this, Fractal Design deserves our recognition—and if anything is surprising, it’s this. Among all available variants, both 120mm and 140mm, with ARGB lighting and without it, the HWCooling tests were most impressed by the Momentum 14 RGB. It excels in the widest range of scenarios and is therefore the editorial surprise of 2025.
Of course, the Sudokoo Mach120 is also exceptionally attractive, but if we are to single out one model, it is the Momentum 14 RGB—Fractal Design Momentum 14 RGB.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
Just received mine today. I will replace the ones in my North XL.
I wonder how well they’ll perform with that wooden panel which loves to make noise due to turbulences when you go too high in the RPM :'(
well, unless you have a passive CPU Cooler, there’s not much reason to run case fans at full RPM… the benefit is negligible 😉
Yes, in practice, running system fans above low speeds usually doesn’t make much sense. The same applies to the passive cooler—whether on the CPU or the graphics card. Its main purpose is to keep the system as quiet as possible, right? With loud case fans, that benefit is largely lost. 🙂
Momentum 14 RGB fans? I’m sure they’ll be excellent. However, I’m not sure to what extent you’ll actually notice a difference compared to the original Aspect fans. System cooling doesn’t require very high airflow; beyond a certain point, higher airflow no longer scales with cooling performance and only makes the PC louder (not cooler). That’s also why it doesn’t make much sense to run intake fans at higher speeds, where the wooden slats on the front panel can further increase noise levels. 🙂
Do you plan to review the new Phanteks T30 140mm fan? It’s already available in the US for a few weeks and should be available in Europe soon (a Norwegian shop lists January 14 as the expected availability date).
Thanks for the tip! Personally, I wasn’t aware that the Phanteks T30-140 fan had already been released. I’ve checked the Phanteks website and it does indeed seem to be the case. We’d of course be happy to test these fans once we’re able to obtain samples. They should come via Phanteks’ marketing representation, but that hasn’t happened yet. We’ll try to remind them. 🙂
Are you planning to review the [HAVN H14] fan?
I anticipate it becoming the top cooling fan for both value and acoustics
Good question. 🙂
We do want to include HAVN H14 fans in our tests, but they’re not scheduled yet. I’d describe it as part of a broader pool from which results may be added over time. Unfortunately, I can’t be more specific than that at the moment. 🙂