NZXT recently launched a new series of fans that promised to be particularly interesting. Indeed, with its F X range, the brand was marketing 30 mm-thick fans with the aim of offering maximum performance. Has the gamble paid off? We take a look at the brand’s F120X.
Presentation:
With this series of fans, NZXT offers us a rather singular range, featuring 30 mm thick mills. What’s more, they come in 120 mm, 240/280 mm and 360 mm sizes. As you’ll have gathered, the whole range benefits from a unique frame, whether it has one or several sets of blades. Finally, we’d like to point out that these fans are distinguished by their particularly meticulous construction, but we’ll explain that in detail below.
The F120X:
With this fan, NZXT offers us a particularly thick mill, measuring 30 mm. That’s more than the usual 25 mm, which means you’ll have to be extra careful when installing it… Particularly on a radiator or on the front of a housing. Wouldn’t it be a shame not to be able to mount your graphics card because of a particularly thick mill or a fan banging into a motherboard radiator?
As for the finish, it’s 5/5. Indeed, the build quality is particularly insane. The basic material, LCP(Liquid Crystal Polymer), is already present on the fan frame and blades. Once again, there’s very little space between the blades and the frame: 0.5 mm. What’s more, the fans operate at very high speeds, as the data sheet mentions 3100 rpm. LCP therefore prevents blade deformation at high speeds.
While we’re on the subject, the seven blades are particularly thick. They are also rather classic in shape, without the exaggerated curvature of Arctic’s P12s, for example. In the center, we find a rather large hub with a window revealing a reinforced metal axle.
NZXT has taken particular care with the fan’s frame, which, as can be seen, incorporates aluminum plates. These will be grey for white fans and black anodized for black fans. Of course, edgings are also present to add a touch of RGB, while rubber silentblocks are present to dampen vibrations as much as possible during operation.
With this, we can count on the presence of NZXT logos here and there, notably on the edge of the frame as well as on one of the blades.
However, for high-end fans, it’s a shame not to have a detachable cable. As it is, we have two long 60 cm cables. Fortunately, they benefit from universal connectivity, with a four-pin PWM socket and a three-pin aRGB socket onto which a proprietary four-pin connector is stitched. However, it’s worth pointing out that these cables come with an attractive white nylon sheath.
As far as technical specifications are concerned, the brand is announcing something standard with :
- Speed range: up to 3100 rpm ±310 rpm
- Air flow: up to 104 CFM
- Static pressure: up to 7.53 mmAq
Clearly, it’s got a lot going for it. The airflow generated is truly significant, while static pressure soars. With fans like these, you shouldn’t have any trouble cooling even particularly large watercooling radiators.
The bundle:
The following accessories are included:
- Four screws for case mounting
- Four screws for radiator mounting
- Washers
The accessory section is very basic, and NZXT concentrates only on what’s needed to mount the fans. Don’t expect anything exceptional here.
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Tests :
For the fan tests, we’re following roughly the same basis as our CPU cooling tests. Thus, we’re testing everything on our Ryzen 9 7900X with 105W consumption on a Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black CPU Cooler only. The aim is to be fan-dependent in order to highlight the differences in performance from one fan to another.
Fan speed :
This F120X from NZXT is one of the fastest fans in our comparison with Sudokoo’s Mach 120. Indeed, 3100 rpm is no mean feat, especially since at 66% of its speed, it still spins at over 2000 rpm. On the other hand, at 33% it’s as low as a conventional fan at 700 rpm.
Noise :
Having examined speed, we now turn to noise. We mount our fans on our ventirad and measure noise levels with a sound level meter positioned 40 cm in the direction of fan intake.
Naturally, high speed means high noise levels. At full speed, NZXT’s fan reaches 52 dB at full throttle – clearly, it’s giving voice, and that’s not pleasant to hear. Fortunately, at half speed, the fan drops to 40 dB. In fact, it’s just as noisy as an RS120 Max at full speed… Running at the same speed. Finally, at low speed, it drops to 30 dB.
Temperatures :
Let’s start with the temperature readings for our 105W profile. Here the heat release is significant, so let’s see how our fans fare! This is the most interesting test for highlighting fan performance.
Push:
Thermally speaking, the fan is simply excellent, as you can see. The F120X rivals Sudokoo’s Mach 120 in terms of temperature. It lags slightly behind at low speed, probably due to its slightly lower operating speed, while it will be slightly ahead at high speed. On the other hand, its domination of 25 mm fans is total!
Temperature/noise ratio :
On this perfs/noise ratio graph, we remind you that it’s best to be positioned as far to the bottom left of the graph as possible. For ease of reading, the point furthest to the left symbolizes ventilation at 12V, the one in the center, ventilation at 8V, and the one furthest to the right, ventilation at 5V.
Push :
Naturally, this NZXT F120X offers a very similar temperature-to-noise ratio to Sudokoo’s Mach 120. If it’s slightly ahead at 100%, it’ll be slightly behind at low speeds. Nonetheless, we note that its position on the graph is very high, due to its particularly high noise levels at full speed.
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Conclusion:
Now it’s time to conclude about this FX120X from NZXT. So, does it have what it takes to find its place in your PC? We tell you all about it!
An impressive finish!
Clearly, this is the first time I’ve come across such a well-finished fan. Of course, Noctua fans are very good candidates, but with this F X series, NZXT takes things a step further. In addition to the LCP construction for rock-solid rigidity, the aluminum plates on the edges are a real must. What’s more, we find NZXT logos all over the place, as well as a sheathed cable. In operation, it’s just a shame not to have a detachable cable, which would have made it possible to choose longer or shorter cables according to need, for example.
Excellent temperatures!
Thermally speaking, the fan is perfectly satisfactory, on a par with its Singaporean counterpart, the Mach 120. It’s a particularly efficient fan, but also very noisy at maximum speed. Fortunately, it provides very good temperature control at low speeds, so you don’t need to turn it very fast to control CPU temperature, and that’s really nice.
…But the price is outrageous!
The 120 mm fan will cost you a whopping €45 for a single fan. By way of comparison, for €45, you can buy a pack of five P12 Pro fans from Arctic, which is no mean feat. On the other hand, at this price, you’re buying a particularly high-performance, well-finished fan. Be sure to check whether or not you can install it in your PC.
NZXT F120X:
We like:
- Crazy build quality!
- Supplied screws and bolts for series assembly
- Wide speed range
- Controlled ventirad temperatures
- Excellent temperature-to-noise ratio at low speeds
Our least favorite :
- Cables that remain attached
- No series connection possible (120 mm)?
- High noise levels at full volume
- Very high bill
In the end, we’ve decided to give this F120X from NZXT the silver medal. While the performance is excellent and the finish first-rate, the fact remains that you’ll have to shell out a hefty €45 to buy the 120 mm model. Remember that Sudokoo offers similar performance for less (€30 for the Mach 120). In the end, it’s up to you to decide whether the design and better finish are worth it. In any case, thermally speaking, it’s not a very good choice.
Many thanks to NZXT!
