{"id":217717,"date":"2025-01-10T16:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/?p=217717\/"},"modified":"2025-01-10T19:11:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T18:11:46","slug":"elegant-first-the-aorus-ez-chain-fan-120-ice-is-a-neat-piece-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hwcooling.net\/en\/elegant-first-the-aorus-ez-chain-fan-120-ice-is-a-neat-piece-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Elegant first. The Aorus EZ Chain Fan 120 Ice is a neat piece"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gigabyte has put together a fan that combines ARGB LEDs, clever daisy chaining using connectors in the frame, and very good results on radiators. All of that for an attractive price. The design of the Aorus EZ Chain Fan 120 Ice seems to be optimized for use on radiators in particular. In fact, these are the cheapest ARGB fans with daisy chaining and this kind of efficiency that we’ve ever tested.<\/p>\n

The Aorus EZ Chain Fan 120 Ice<\/a> has a fully lighted impeller. The material it is made of is milky and conducts the light of the (ARGB) LEDs well. These are situated in the center, which is also where the highest brightness is, which gradually fades towards the tips of the blades. But it is still high at the tips. The lighting is connected via a 3-pin connector, i.e. addressable\/digital with 5 V. That is, in a fairly traditional way that can be applied on all motherboards, barring some rare exceptions.<\/p>\n

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Aerodynamically, nine sharply curved blades were used. This shape is, as you already know from our earlier tests, very efficient. To what extent in relative comparison with other fans depends on several characteristics.<\/p>\n

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The size of the impeller itself, or its “effective” part, the outer cross-section, is key. This means the area behind or in front of the blades. This area is the difference between the total area (of the impeller) and the area of the impeller hub. The latter’s diameter is about 51.5 mm and is therefore quite large, taking up a considerable part of the impeller. This means that even with the chosen blade geometry, which is aerodynamically super-efficient, the Aorus EZ Chain Fan 120 Ice will not reach the highest airflows. The reason for this is that similar fans, in short, have a smaller impeller hub and larger blades. However, this deficit can be well compensated for on obstacles with the high static pressure that Gigabyte boasts about. And there’s something to it. If only because the gaps between the blades are relatively small, which is a good basis for making the drop in airflow over an obstacle exceedingly small.<\/p>\n

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To promote the highest possible airflow and to suppress noise, there are notches, or serrations, on the trailing edges of the blades. It depends on how you look at it. These “laminarize the airflow” in places where it is useful, or perhaps more accurately, smooth out microturbulence, allowing more air to pass through the fan. And this with less noise (more laminar airflow = quieter airflow). So we can talk about an element that is supposed to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the fan. Sure, it does so marginally, but still.<\/p>\n

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One of the key features is the in-frame connectors. Through them, multiple fans can be connected in series. That’s to reduce cables that would otherwise be redundant. Multiple fans daisy-chained in this way connect to the motherboard header, or fan hub, using just one cable. Or rather two, considering that one 3-pin ARGB header is for the lighting and the motor is then connected through another, PWM header (4-pin).<\/p>\n

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In any case, these cables are only brought out from one (outermost) fan, instead of typically, for example, three, if you want to mount the fans on a 360-millimeter liquid cooler radiator. This is also the destination to which these fans are directed. For example, they are also used on the Aorus Waterforce II (Ice)<\/a> or Waterforce X II (Ice)<\/a> liquid coolers. Although pieces that are sold separately have a slightly smaller speed range, with a maximum of 2000 rpm (instead of 2300 rpm of those on the liquid coolers).<\/p>\n

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Unlike most other fans (such as the Seasonic MagFlow ARGB<\/a>) with in-frame connectors, these don’t use magnetic attachment, but a “click mechanism”. The advantage of such a solution is that Gigabyte did not have to work with magnets, which require more space. This then causes the need for thicker frames, which results in a smaller impeller cross-section in a given format, which also decreases cooling efficiency. And of course without magnets it is cheaper, although you could argue that the mounting system of the Aorus EZ Chain Fan 120 Ice via snap-in elements is less user-friendly. That’s true, but you can definitely still handle the mounting. Everything is intuitive, precise, and in short, things fit together well without the need for excessive effort.<\/p>\n

The Aorus EZ Chain Fan 120 Ice is sold both individually (GP-ECFAN1201 ICE<\/a>) and as part of a three-pack (GP-ECFAN1203 ICE<\/a>). Availability at the time of writing is weaker, but that’s because this is a new product that is still being stocked, according to a Gigabyte representative, and inventory in stores should increase in the future.<\/p>\n

Please note: <\/strong>From now on, only the results of 120mm fans will be shown in the graphs. This is in order to achieve as much clarity as possible, as the graphs are constantly growing (and the need for scrolling is getting greater). In 140mm fan tests, on the other hand, you will only find results for fans in this format.<\/div>\n