CORSAIR fans: A buyer's guide

We have plenty of fans in our lineup, some with and without lighting, and sometimes it is not easy to make the right decision on which one to buy. Let us help you make the right decision by following this guide.

Depending on the purpose, you need to select the size of the fan you need. We have two common sizes in our lineup.

For space restricted areas we also have slim variants.

120mm x 120mm x 15mm

These sizes are typically used in PC cases, on radiators, and air coolers. Determine which fan sizes your case, radiator, or cooler is compatible to and buy the correct sized fan. If you are buying a case fan, make sure that you have enough clearance to other components like graphics cards or memory modules.

When you have space for either a slim variant or a fan that is thicker, always go with the thicker one because they offer a better performance.

Here is an overview of the fans we offer.

You might have heard about airflow and static pressure when you are looking for the right fan. There is a benefit for each type. High airflow is ideal for providing excellent overall cooling in a PC case and high static pressure is specifically designed to push air through restrictive environments such as radiator fins, heatsinks or constrained spaces. Check out the technical specification of the fan you are interested in to learn if it is optimized for one or the other. Why not have a fan that does both you may ask? Unfortunately, a fan can be good at one or the other, but not at both at the same time.

Airflow or volumetric flow rate is typically depicted by two units of measurement. One is m3/h (cubic meters per hour) and the other is CFM (cubic feet per minute). Should you ever need to convert one to the other here are the values to work with: 1 m3/h = ~0.589 CFM and 1 CFM = ~1.699 m3/h. A fans airflow specification will tell you how much volume of air it can produce over a period.

Static Pressure is measured in mm-H2O and stands for the air pressure that can be produced in an enclosure.

3-Pin is usually related to the type of connector a fan uses for power. Connectors on motherboards will usually be of the 4-Pin (PWM) kind but can be used as well to connect 3-Pin connectors to. Always refer to the motherboard manual to verify compatibility. Fans using 3-Pin connections for power can usually be voltage regulated, which means that running them at a lower voltage will result in lower revolutions per minute (RPM).

PWM or 4-Pin is another and nowadays preferred form of a power source for the fan. PWM stands for pulse width modulation and simply put, the fan is always supplied with the required voltage while a control input from the PC (BIOS) or that of a fan controller (iCUE LINK System Hub or COMMANDER CORE XT) tells the fan circuitry how fast (RPM) it should spin. Here an article to learn more about how PWM works.

RPM stands for revolutions per minute and is exactly that. This figure will tell you how often the fan propeller spins within a minute.

dB(A) tells you how silent or noisy a fan is and stands for A-weighted decibels. The lower the figure, the quieter the fan is.

Power Draw is the power required by a fan to function. This is measures in Ampere (A).

AirGuide refers to a feature of CORSAIR fans that is built into the frame of the fan. It guides the air into a funnel like shape to guide it more effectively towards components like your graphics card or other essential components on the motherboard.

You might have noticed that we do like RGB lighting, I mean, a lot! Paired with a RGB controller and our CORSAIR iCUE Software many of our fans will provide you with an awesome lighting experience. Now comes the question, which RGB fan do you like best? Before that, let’s show you what the different kits mean and what you need to be able to control the fans RGB lighting via iCUE.

There are Starter Kits that include 2 to 3 fans and the controller to enable connectivity to the CORSAIR iCUE Software. But there is also the Expansion Kit, which is just a single fan without a controller to expand your existing setup with an existing controller.

It is important to point out that if you buy an Expansion Kit, you won’t be able to activate RGB lighting without a suitable controller. Our controllers enable extensive features by using the CORSAIR iCUE Software that gives you control of each individual LED or each fan instead of just enabling control of for example zones consisting of several fans.

Here is an overview of the RGB fans that are/were sold with a controller in the Starter Kit, but are available as an Expansion Kit (individual fans) without a controller as well:

Except for the QX RGB Series of fans that receive power for RGB lighting as well as for the fan itself through the iCUE LINK System Hub, you will need to keep in mind how you will provide power to the fans.

You can either use the PWM headers on your motherboard or you buy the iCUE COMMANDER CORE XT for PWM powered fans. The main benefit of the COMMANDER CORE XT is that you can connect 6 fans to it for power and fan speed control via iCUE, as well as power for RGB lighting. COMMANDER CORE XT does both as it has the Lighting Node CORE built right into it. You can install several COMMANDER CORE XT controllers if you plan to install more fans.

We’ve got more articles ready for you right here on CORSAIR Explorer!

HOW TO CONNECT CORSAIR RGB FANS, CONTROLLERS, AND AIOS

SET UP CORSAIR RGB FANS IN iCUE

Of course, you could turn of lighting of an RGB fan entirely via the CORSAIR iCUE Software, or set all LEDs at the same color, but there may be times you just need a fan that does the job of a fan without all the lighting. We heard you, and therefore we have several options for you to choose from:

SP120 ELITE – Available in black

AF120 SLIM – Available in black or white

AF120 ELITE – Available in black or white

AF140 ELITE – Available in black or white