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.
Evaluation
On one of the test radiators, the Phanteks fan achieves the most first-place finishes. Across modes, it managed this four times. Although you probably shouldn’t count the leading position at maximum speed, since it is accompanied by the highest noise levels.
Noteworthy results are achieved especially where the Phanteks fan benefits from higher static pressure and the specific obstacle does not significantly increase its noise output. In such cases, it may drop slightly in the charts, but there are situations where, for example, on a nylon filter it knows no competition (33 dBA mode), although it should be noted that particularly with a plastic filter there are more attractive options. On a grille, the T30-140 performs excellently, although we were unable to set this fan to one of the modes due to excessive noise fluctuation—around 700 RPM because of pronounced tonal peaks around 360 Hz, which are also visible in the spectrographs for the 39 dBA mode.
Results without obstacles probably won’t amaze you. They are top-tier as well, but in these tests the fan operates in an environment with too little resistance for its strengths to shine. And even when they do—for example on that radiator—claims about defeating equivalent top-end fans, including the Noctua NF-A14x25 G2, should be made cautiously.
Even if you consider that aerodynamically the Phanteks fan has the edge (as results indicate, although differences are small—in the single-digit percentages—and don’t significantly impact real-world cooling efficiency), there are those extra 5 mm that in certain situations worsen compatibility. For example, with liquid-cooling radiators mounted under the case ceiling. While a 25 mm profile may fit tightly, 30 mm might not. When comparing with the slimmer Noctua NF-A14x25 G2, keep this in mind.
The Noctua fan sometimes finishes lower in the charts (as was also the case when comparing the 120 mm models NF-A12x25 with T30-120), but the differences are so small that they barely translate into real-world cooling performance. In scenarios where the Phanteks fan has even a slight edge, cooling performance will not be lower there. Greater thickness (even if still less than the Phanteks’ 30 mm) also benefits significantly cheaper fans such as the Arctic P14 Pro, which come close to the T30-140 in overall results. Apparent competition for this fan (Phanteks T30-140) also includes models such as the Fractal Design Momentum 14 and the BeQuiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, which are available in stores at similar prices.
One aspect worth examining is vibrations. At medium and higher speeds they are more pronounced, but below 1100 RPM they become negligible. The question remains how the Phanteks T30-140 handles impeller balancing, particularly regarding balancing elements, which were also present in the 120 mm model (T30-120).
Motor power, at nearly 20 W, is extreme. In this respect, the margin between it and maximum operating consumption is truly large, but when connecting three such fans to a single header, be aware that the specified current rating of standard headers will be exceeded. Nevertheless, it must be stated that the Phanteks T30-140 is a technically top-tier fan that will be hard to beat in many applications. And at lower speeds, its acoustic profile is relatively pleasant as well. As always, you can return to the various sections of this article for a detailed analysis of different scenarios and review the many result chapters.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
| Phanteks T30-140 |
| + Suitable for every scenario |
| + Cooling efficiency (airflow/pressure per unit of noise) at a very high level… |
| + … clearly outperforming even the most efficient 120 mm fans |
| + Above-standard static pressure for a 140 mm fan… |
| + … and especially high, top-tier efficiency on radiators |
| + Robust LCP impeller, relatively unusual in this form factor |
| + Wide speed range |
| + Very low possible speeds (stable from approx. 342 RPM) |
| + Extremely powerful motor (around 19 W) |
| + Very high build quality |
| - Relatively higher vibrations above 1100 RPM |
| - Potentially higher noise on a grille (tonal peaks around 360 Hz) |
| - Potentially worse compatibility due to above-standard thickness |
| Approximate retail price: 40 EUR |
Pc fans are available for purchase at the Datacomp e-store
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. 🙂