Time for a change. Fractal Design Momentum 12 (Black) tested

For a long time, Fractal Design didn’t have fans with impeller geometry that looked “efficient” at first glance. Now come the Momentum fans, which finally do, and the improvement (compared to Aspect models) is clear. This puts the competition on alert, and more importantly, it finally opens up the potential to improve FD’s coolers and cases on the fan level. We’re starting off by testing the most affordable 120 mm model – the Momentum 12.

Evaluation

The improvement over Fractal Design’s older fans is quite substantial – the word “dramatic” comes to mind when looking at the results. Without any obstacles, airflow results are particularly impressive, and the Momentum 12 even surpasses top-tier models like the Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM – even at very low noise levels.

When faced with obstacles, the Momentum 12 drops slightly in the relative rankings – even with a nylon filter. Nonetheless, it still delivers top-tier results – including with a plastic filter or a grille. These findings lead us to conclude that this is an excellent system fan. This conclusion is reinforced by its particularly strong performance at lower speeds and the fact that the fan starts at just around 350 RPM, which is ideal for use in PC cases. Higher speeds in system fans often increase noise more than they contribute to overall system cooling, and lower airflow levels tend to suffice. Momentum 12 fans maintain good airflow even through typical case obstacles.

Additionally, in Fractal Design cases, there’s usually a larger gap between fans and filters, which naturally improves efficiency. On the flip side, this can be offset by the bracket design, which sometimes extends in front of the fan impellers – a factor that tends to raise noise levels – but that’s a separate issue and doesn’t pertain directly to the performance of the Momentum 12 fans themselves. As such, these fans offer excellent potential in system fan roles. Alongside low minimum and start-up speeds, they also support semi-passive operation, where the motor shuts off entirely at low PWM duty cycle.

Airflow through radiators (and therefore cooling performance with them) remains solid, but in this category, the Momentum 12 fans are the least suitable. On both thin radiators and thick ones, the results are merely slightly above average. This is especially true at medium to high speeds, where the Fractal Design fan loses a few ranks – even to significantly cheaper models like the Arctic P12.

So on one hand, you can use these fans with heatsink radiators, but on the other, it’s important to understand that there are quite a few more efficient options for that task – more efficient in terms of cooling performance, of course. That is, fans that will deliver higher cooling capacity at lower noise levels when paired with a radiator – which is ultimately the goal. The energy efficiency of these fans is below average.

Vibrations at lower and moderate speeds are negligible. At maximum RPMs, you might start to consider how much the fans contribute to secondary noise (like case panel vibration), but below 1700 RPM, this stops being a real concern. Even at those speeds, vibration is minor and stays minimal as you go lower – always too weak to trigger vibrations in the components the Momentum 12 fans are mounted to.

All in all, when you consider the price and features the FD Momentum 12 fans offer, there’s a lot to praise and recommend. Another highlight is that the existence of these fans creates opportunities for more efficient cooling in Fractal Design cases, where Momentum 12 (and likely more often the Momentum 14/ARGB models) will be installed. Be cautious about replacing these fans in your case – and if you’re currently using less efficient models (even in non-FD cases), this could be a worthy upgrade.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

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