RGB lighting and PC gaming are kind of synonymous, and I for one think it's pretty cool. Sure, it can often be a lot but I love a hot rig with some sick coloured lights pulsing away inside. Some of the first decorative lights I ever got for my machine were by the way of cooling fans, and I distinctly remember feeling a weird swelling of PC gamer pride the first time I installed them.
Case lighting has come a long way since those dark ages, and that includes fans, with Corsair bringing out its new RS-R Series fans that are built differently with lighting needs in mind.
The new RS-R Series fans are touted as being a great solution for both aesthetic lighting and functional cooling. They feature eight addressable RGB LEDs in each fan, and boast controllable PWM cooling that can up to 65.8 CFM. Both of which can be controlled straight from the software on your motherboard, which they attach to using a single 4-pin PWM connector and one +5V ARGB header.
You can also daisy chain a bunch of these to run in series, so it should be a relatively easy cabling operation to kit out a case full of these fans. This setup also means you should be able to get the full force of these windmakers without requiring any additional installations or controllers.
Corsair's iCue Link fans are our top picks when it comes to airflow that looks good while keeping your PC cool, but these may be a step up. Not having to delve into the iCue software to get these 120mm round bois just how you like them will be a godsend.
The headline feature for these new fans, however, is their reverse rotor. This means they can be oriented within your chassis as an intake without having the fan casing obsructing the lighting and making your funky fishbowl build look too industrial. The standard design for case fans means that is you're using one as an exhaust then from the inside of the case you will just see the fan itself, in all its RGB glory. Turn it around to bring air in, however, and the plastic struts which give the fan housing its rigidity get it in the way of the pretties.
These reverse rotor fans, then, are designed for your intakes when you're organising the airflow of your chassis. These aren't the first fans from Corsair to sport the reverse rotor advantage, but they are much cheaper than what was on offer before. They're also not the only fans to offer the feature; we used Phanteks' reverse fans when we built The Rig for the PC Gaming Show this year.
That fine control, and even the ability to run at Zero RPM for ultra quiet standby computing do make for an appealing argument. They also feature magnetic dome bearings for minimal friction, and should have a fair amount of longevity for it. Corsair seems to think so to, offering a five-year warranty on the RS-Rs, which is always great for peace of mind.
The new RS-Rs case fans come in packs of three, in both black and white frame colours to help match your case aesthetics. Naturally you can pick the LED colours when you get them installed to help do the rest. They're available now, and look to be going for around $60 USD a pack.
1. Best overall: Noctua NF-A12x25 G2
2. Best midrange:Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700
3. Best budget: Arctic P12 PWM PST
4. Best RGB:Corsair iCUE LINK QX120 RGB
5. Best budget RGB:NZXT F120 RGB Duo
6. Best for radiatorsThermaltake Toughfan 12 Turbo
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