It arrived quietly, but we had been looking forward to it for a very long time. In its form factor, the Phanteks T30-140 fan works wonders and often defeats everything that stands in its way. Yes, even the Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM is often the “next in line”, albeit at the cost of a thicker profile (and therefore worse compatibility). Airflow is exceptionally high (and consequently cooling performance) through obstacles. Larger fans now have a new dominant model.
| Brand and model of fan | Paper specicifations * | Price [EUR] | ||||||||
| Format (and thickness) in mm | Connecting | Speed [rpm] | Airflow [m3/h] | Static pressure [mm H2O] | Noise level [dBA] | Bearings | MTBF [h] | |||
| Motor | RGB LED | |||||||||
| Phanteks T30-140 | 140 (30) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 2500 | 237.18 | 5.33 | 44.3 | „dual vapo“ | 150 000 | 40 |
| Thermalright TL-B14 | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 1500 | 140.17 | 2.35 | 27.6 | fluid | N/A | 11 |
| Arctic P14 Pro PST | 140 (27) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 400–2500 | 186.89 | 5.20 | N/A | fluid | N/A | 9 |
| Arctic P14 Pro A-RGB | 140 (27) | 4-pin (PWM) | 3-pin (5 V) | 400–2500 | 186.89 | 5.20 | N/A | fluid | N/A | 14 |
| Fractal Design Momentum 14 (Black) | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 350–1800 | 135.56 | 2.26 | 31.9 | fluid | 90 000 | 26 |
| Fractal Design Momentum 14 RGB (White) | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | 3-pin (5 V) | 350–1800 | 126.39 | 2.45 | 28.0 | fluid | 90 000 | 32 |
| DeepCool FT14 | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 200–1650 | 133.93 | 3.60 | 25.1 | fluid | N/A | 25 |
| Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 1500 | 155.60 | 2.56 | 24.8 | SSO2 | 150 000 | 40 |
| BeQuiet! Pure Wings 3 (BL113) | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 1800 | 122.60 | 2.44 | 30.5 | rifle | 80 000 | 11 |
| Arctic P14 Max | 140 (27) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 400–2800 | 161.40 | 4.18 | N/A | fluid | N/A | 13 |
| Arctic P14 PWM PST CO | 140 (27) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 200–1700 | 123.76 | 2.40 | 10.6 | ball | N/A | 11 |
| Arctic P14 PWM PST | 140 (27) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 200–1700 | 123.76 | 2.40 | 10.6 | fluid | N/A | 9 |
| BeQuiet! Silent Wings 4 (BL117) | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 1900 | 133.20 | 2.36 | 29.3 | fluid | 300 000 | 23 |
| Endorfy Stratus 140 PWM | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 200–1200 | N/A | N/A | N/A | fluid | 80 000 | 8 |
| Thermaltake Toughfan 14 Pro | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 500–2000 | 203.20 | 3.57 | 31.6 | hydraulic | 40 000 | 23 |
| Fractal Design Venturi HP-14 PWM | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 1500 | 132.70 | 1.94 | 30.1 | fluid | 150 000 | 22 |
| Noctua NF-A14 PWM | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 1500 | 140.20 | 2.08 | 24.6 | SSO2 | 150 000 | 26 |
| BeQuiet! Pure Wings 3 (BL108) | 120 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 1200 | 97.50 | 0.96 | 21.9 | rifle | 80 000 | 15 |
| Fractal Design Silent R3 140 mm | 140 (25) | 3-pin (DC) | N/A | 1000 | 95.31 | 0.87 | 21.6 | rifle | 40 000 | 12 |
| Endorfy Fluctus 140 PWM | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 250–1800 | N/A | N/A | N/A | fluid | 100 000 | 13 |
| Endorfy Fluctus 140 PWM ARGB | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | 3-pin (5 V) | 250–1800 | N/A | N/A | N/A | fluid | 100 000 | 17 |
| BeQuiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 (BL099) | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | N/A | 2400 | 165.50 | 3.64 | 36.8 | fluid | 300 000 | 33 |
| Fractal Design Prisma AL-14 PWM | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | 3-pin (5 V) | 500–1700 | 176.44 | 2.38 | 34.1 | sleeve | 100 000 | 21 |
| Gigabyte Aorus 140 ARGB | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | 3-pin (5 V) | 800–1700 | 51.48–103.03 | 0.59–2.18 | 8.9–35.8 | sleeve | 73 500 | 28 |
| BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL075) | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | 3-pin (5 V) | 2200 | 121.82 | 2.30 | 31.0 | rifle | 60 000 | 29 |
| Fractal Design Aspect 14 RGB PWM | 140 (25) | 4-pin (PWM) | 3-pin (5 V) | 500–1700 | 33.98–132.52 | 0.09–1.93 | 10.0–35.5 | rifle | 90 000 | 18 |
* When reading performance metrics, always account for a certain tolerance. For maximum RPM, a ±10% variance is typically noted, while minimum RPM can vary significantly from unit to unit—sometimes manufacturers even allow for ±50%. This must also be properly factored into airflow, static pressure, and noise level values. If a table cell lists only one value, it always refers to a situation at maximum RPM achieved at 12 V or 100% PWM duty cycle. The lower performance limits are not disclosed by the manufacturer in such cases. The price in the final column is always indicative only.
** Price is calculated per unit, but the fan is not sold individually. It is only available as part of a three-pack that also includes an ARGB hub.
One photograph labeled “v2” is intended for the main teaser:
Can you help me understand the importance of “Static pressure through a through a thicker radiator” when we also have “Airflow through a thicker radiator”? It seems to me that the airflow is the end result and static pressure is just one variable that leads to that resulting airflow. You get a fan like the Endorfy Fluctus 140 that rates high on static pressure at 31dB but then underperforms on airflow at the same dB against other fans that had lower rated static pressure.
Static pressure through a radiator represents a scenario where the measured value reflects the combined effect of the fan and the radiator. In contrast, the results labeled Static pressure w/o obstacles are influenced solely by the fan itself.
Typically, a radiator (or any obstacle) reduces static pressure. If the obstacle does not provide sufficient resistance, pressure leakage occurs, and we measure lower values as a result.
From a practical perspective, however, these values are not critically important. It’s important to understand the conditions under which static pressure is measured — regardless of whether an obstacle is present or not. The measurement is performed at zero airflow, with the tunnel sealed.
When measuring Airflow through a radiator, the situation is essentially the opposite. Speaking of “zero static pressure” would be somewhat inaccurate (since even the tunnel itself introduces a small amount of resistance), but this resistance is very low. In that case, airflow restriction is determined primarily by the obstacle itself.
Static pressure measured through a radiator may correlate better than airflow values in extremely restrictive environments—but such conditions do not represent typical real-world scenarios.
Is the answer clear enough and satisfactory or is there something that needs to be further clarified? 🙂
This helps very much. Thank you for taking the time to explain it so clearly for me.
What a waste of a fan
What facts are you basing that on? In certain situations, when things are set up properly, the Phanteks fan can actually be number one. 🙂
Could you explain why 120mm G2 Noctua beats T30-120, but T30-140 beats Noctua 140mm G2? Is Noctua 140mm G2 for some reason worse than 120mm version? For example at 31dBA 140mm Noctua on thick/thin radiators has less airflow than 120mm version
Could you please provide specific situations or measurements? I’m not able to work with the term “beats” on its own—it’s too vague. What exactly do you mean by that? Please elaborate in more detail so it’s clear what needs to be explained. 🙂
Hello – I am not skilled in Electronics. I ordered the 3x pack of this Phanteks T30-140, can I run them – all three of them – off of one 3A “PUMP_SYS2” header on my motherboard?
Hi, connecting the Phanteks T30-140 fans should be fine even at maximum speed—assuming the connector is designed to handle higher current loads. These fans don’t come close to 3 A even at peak draw during startup, etc. 🙂