Returning to the aspect of the design, these fans incorporate only 5 blades, but very thick and quite inclined to generate a lot of airflow, especially at high speeds. They also integrate rubber inserts in the corners to absorb vibrations and thus reduce noise… something of the utmost importance in such fast fans because you can imagine the vibrations that they will generate rotating at 3,300 RPM.
Unboxing and external analysis
As is customary with almost all Arctic products, the packaging of these fans is quite simple and consists of a mere protective cardboard box. As usual, the external packaging is in the usual blue color, with an image of the product accompanied by the name of the model, a description, and where both the 6-year warranty and its hybrid operation that allows them to stop to emit 0 dB stand out. .
On the back, we find the table of technical specifications of the product, accompanied by several QR codes: one that takes us to the product website, and another to the technical assistance website.
As accessories, in this case only a small plastic bag with 4 screws is included to install these fans in a PC case.
Here you can see one of the Arctic P12 Max, with its usual black aesthetic and a sticker with the manufacturer’s logo in the center of the rotor. We are looking at fans with only five blades, very wide and inclined to generate a great flow of air and static pressure.
At the rear we can see that the rotor is supported by four plastic rods, as usual. A sticker with the brand logo covering the rear of the rotor tells us that it works at 12V and 0.29A.
In the eight corners (four on each side) we find generous rubber inserts to absorb vibrations.
And an additional detail: the fan blades are linked together, with the aim of generating less turbulence and less noise; we could say that this fan is more of a turbine due to this design. In addition, it should be noted that since the motor has a double ball bearing, the plastic piece that makes up the blades does not move at all on the vertical axis, something that will also help reduce noise.
Finally, it should be noted that the cable does not have any mesh, just the typical plastic coating. Terminates in a 4-pin PWM connector.
Having seen the fans, the time has come to try to see how they work.
Testing the Arctic P12 Max
As always when we have to test fans, we do it “in the air”, that is, without installing them in a box, radiator or heatsink, so that we can see their behavior without other external restrictions that have nothing to do with the fan itself. In addition, by doing it this way, we can compare its operation with that of other fans that have passed through our laboratory.
Let’s start by measuring the loudness, the aspect that can worry us the most in a fan as fast as this one. To measure the noise it emits, we have used a Protmex PPM-SM001 sound level meter at an exact distance of 50 centimeters, since by doing it this way the data we obtain is measured in dBA. As always, we have made two measurements: one letting the fan work by PWM, and another forcing it to work at maximum speed with a rehobús. This is the result.
Curiously, and despite being the highest-speed fan of all we’ve tested so far, it’s by no means the loudest; in fact, when we have carried out the test in PWM mode, since the PC was at rest the fan was off, so those 16.5 dBA that we have measured are, really, the environmental noise that we had in the room when measuring. Already at full speed we measured 33.4 dBA, making it the loudest 120mm fan we’ve ever had, but not the loudest in absolute terms (the 140mm ML140 was quite a bit louder and that which spins at 2,000 RPM).
So that you can get an idea of what this data means, in the following table you can find examples of noise values in dBA.
| sound source | dB | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Plane taking off at 25 meters | 150 | eardrums rupture |
| Takeoff runway of an airport | 140 | Pain threshold |
| Takeoff of a military fighter at 20 meters | 130 | Pain. It is 32 times more intensity than 70 dBA. |
| Horn of a truck at 1 meter. Live concert. | 110 | Mean of human pain. 16 times more intensity than 70 dBA. |
| Electric lawn mower. Helicopter 30 meters. | 100 | Eight times more intensity than 70 dBA. Maintaining this level for 8 hours causes damage to the eardrums. |
| Motorcycle 10 meters | 90 | 4 times more intensity than 70 dBA. It can damage the eardrums if it is exposed for more than 8 hours. |
| Dishwasher. Factory (average). | 80 | Twice as loud as 70 dBA. Threshold of what is usually annoying. |
| TV Audio | 70 | From this intensity, it is already annoying for many people. |
| Conversation in a restaurant | 60 | Half the intensity of 70 dBA. |
| Normal conversation in a house. | fifty | Four times less intense than 70 dBA. |
| Library | 40 | One eighth of the intensity of 70 dBA. |
| Rural zone | 30 | Sixteen times less intense than 70 dBA. |
| Whisper | twenty | Barely audible if you are not very close. |
| Breathing | 10 | Inaudible to most. The human being normally does not usually listen to his own breathing. |
| absolute silence | 0 | It is literally impossible for a human being to “hear” absolute silence, but this is the threshold of hearing. |
As you can see, these Arctic P12 Max make some noise, but less noise from the environment than there would be in a library, so it’s not annoying at all… we can also tell you that the noise that is heard is that of the air being moved by the fins , there are no vibrations or engine noise.
Now let’s see how it works in terms of performance, so we proceed to measure the air flow that it is capable of moving using a Holdpeak HP-866-A anemometer. Again we have made two measurements: one configuring the fan at 1,000 RPM, and another at maximum speed, with this result:
In our measurement, the Arctic P12 Max at maximum speed has managed to move almost 82 CFM of airflow, which is an outrage for a 120mm fan (as you can see in the comparison graph, there is a fan that moves more air but is 140mm). Even at only 1,000 RPM speed, it moves almost 40 CFM of air, which is great, because to this we must add the great static pressure that it is capable of generating… it is a fan that even placing your hand at a distance of 50 cm, Notice the air flow.
Conclusion and verdict
As we have noted many times, Arctic is a manufacturer that focuses on the performance of its products above the rest of the frills, offering excellent performance at a low noise level, and above all at very competitive prices; All this has made it one of the manufacturers that sells the most refrigeration products in Europe, and for a reason.
These new Arctic P12 Max are further proof of the good work done by the Arctic engineering and R&D department, since they have managed to create a fan that, despite being the fastest in its catalog with 3,300 RPM, does not it is excessively noisy and in return offers performance beyond any doubt. In addition, with the simplicity that has always characterized this manufacturer, we do not have RGB or extra flourishes beyond what most users really want and need, something that also helps to offer these P12 Max at a very competitive price: €12.99 per unit.
These fans are indicated not only for all those users who seek maximum performance without complications, but are also recommended for all types of users, including those who love silence (let’s remember its operating mode at 0 dB) but who want extreme performance. when necessary.
Therefore, we can only recommend these new P12 Max fans for their excellent performance and value for money, and of course we also give them our Platinum award because we think they are the best PC fans money can buy.
