Best PC fans in 2023

The best PC fans will keep even the most intense gaming rig cool. PC builders often overlook fans when buying components, and while many of the best PC cases do come with fans, maxing out your graphics card and CPU requires a little more attention on the side of airflow. Cool hardware is essential for optimal gaming, and good PC fans are so important we often recommend checking the fans first in the event of an issue. Don't neglect your PC fans, or your fancy components could get scorched.

Right now, my testing points to the Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 as the best PC fan today, thanks to its affordability and great performance. Alongside value for money, the best PC fans should quietly maximise cooling. PCs with cheap fans are the bane of my existence, so I've made sure to select fans that do their job without summoning a tornado. I went through and tested each of the fans below through real-life gaming tests and everyday use cases, and have brought to you the ones with the best airflow, at the most acceptable noise levels. Acceptable is subjective, so I'll let you decide what that means exactly. 

But I'm sure we can all agree that poor airflow is bad. It'll lead to your PC operating at suboptimal temperatures, which is sure to affect the performance and durability of your machine's important parts. If you plan on overclocking (opens in new tab), a couple of extra fans (or the best CPU coolers (opens in new tab)) will help keep everything running cooly. 

I've picked out some of the best PC fans from those I tested, and brought them together, noting the key points that make them stand out below. Stay cool.

Best PC fans

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If you care at all about case fans, chances are Noctua is a name you already know. It's a trusted favorite among many DIY builders, and for a good reason. Noctua builds fans that last a long time, move a lot of air, and do it quietly. The problem: until recently, buying Noctua fans meant committing yourself to an ugly (ed's note: beautiful) khaki-and-mud color scheme straight out of the '70s. Noctua was the definition of function-over-form, an engineering wonder that would impress any enthusiast who looked at your PC but disgust everyone else.

Noctua's Redux line rectified this issue, though, recasting time-tested designs in a modern gray-and-black look that won't detract from the rest of your PC build. And of the two Redux models Noctua sent over for testing, the NF-S12B became a quick favorite. It's not as quiet nor as efficient as another blacked-out Noctua model, the NF-S12A, but it is cheap. The NF-S12B redux balances great performance with a budget-friendly price tag and looks great in the process.

You'll find no RGB lighting here—no frills of any kind, really. But the NF-S12B's Self-Stabilising Oil Pressure Bearings will last for years while moving more air at mid-range speeds than any non-Noctua fan we tested and somehow keeping quieter than the competition as well. It's a clear winner.

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Scythe doesn't make a great first impression, granted. The Kaze Flex 120 PWM arrives in a cheap plastic package, looking more like it came from an auto shop than a modern PC retailer. Side-by-side with Noctua's Redux packaging, or Corsair's weighty boxes, Scythe feels like a budget fan solution.

The Kaze Flex 120 PWM we tested is one of the company's better models, though. At 1200 RPM, the Kaze Flex 120 moved more air in our test rig than some of the competition (Corsair, for instance) did at 1400 or even 1600 RPM, presumably due to having eleven blades where most fans have only nine. Lots of air goes hand-in-hand with noise, though, and indeed the Kaze Flex 120 PWM is also noisier than the competition at any given speed setting—though since it tops out at 1200 RPM, the noise is never as bad as models that spin up to higher speeds.

If you want a decent budget-friendly fan and the SF-12B isn't doing it for you? Scythe's blade-heavy blower might be the right choice. And hey, one more company hasn't dipped into the RGB LED well yet. That's worth something.

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Do you need RGB fans? No. Do you want RGB fans? Of course. They can look great in an all-glass case or even through a traditional side window, and if you're chasing that full-cyberpunk aesthetic, then Corsair's LL120 Pro RGB fans are the best you can buy.

The LL120s are packed full of RGB LEDs. Each has a complement of LEDs shining out from the rotor, diffusing light down the blades' length as they spin. Then, a separate ring of light is embedded around the housing's outer edge. As a result, the LL120s are the brightest and showiest fans we tested and a perfect fit for any RGB addict.

They're not just for show, though. The LL120s are also solid fans, lighting or no. At mid-range speeds, we found during testing that they tend to be slightly louder than the competition, but at load, they're quieter than just about any non-Noctua fan we tested—and that's only because most of the Noctua fans top out at 1200 RPM, versus 1500 RPM for the LL120. 

The biggest problem? They're expensive. Like, incredibly expensive. To use LL120s, you need to commit to purchasing a three-pack of fans with an included Corsair Lighting Node Pro, a package that lists for $120. Additional fans will run you $35 each. That's a lot of money, even if the results are stellar.

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Here's some good ol' Noctua khaki-and-mud for the diehards. The Noctua SF-12B above is a great fan and our overall pick, but if you're looking for a top-tier 120mm model that can move a lot of air, the awkwardly named NF-A12x25 blows away the competition. Of all the fans we tested, this model pumped the most air through our test rig.

But—and this is important—the NF-A12x25 was also the quietest fan we tested when running at lower RPM. Our numbers have it putting out less noise at 1200 RPM than some fans running 300 RPM slower. Since those mid-range speeds are generally more likely to come up in day-to-day use, the NF-A12x25 is an excellent choice for your average gaming PC while still giving it the headroom to spin up to 2000 RPM in the middle of a heatwave.

Sure, Noctua's trademark brown fans will stick out like a sore thumb in whatever PC you build, but they're also a sign of quality, and the NF-A12x25 lives up to the legacy. It's also a nice touch how many accessories come with the NF-A12x25, from a 12-inch extension cable and a Y-splitter to many rubber vibration dampers. The price is high, but it's hard to argue the value.

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In a world where the number of RGB LEDs on a fan is often the main selling point, the frill-free styling of the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Turbo makes for a refreshing change. These aren't your average run-of-the-mill case fans. These aren't standard case fans; they're high static pressure fans—ideal for use with radiators and pushing air through grills and confined spaces. If you're looking to upgrade your CPU cooler or piecing together a bespoke system, these are the kind of fans you need. 

You can use them as straight case fans, but you're going to pay a premium to do so. At $30 a pop, these are at the higher end of the price spectrum, but the specs are at least impressive. These are PWM controlled with a maximum speed of 2,500RPM, where you're looking at 3.78mm-H2O air pressure and airflow of 72CFM. Impressive given the maximum noise level of 28.1dBA, which is noticeable without annoying; you can also run them much slower and quiet.

You can also pick these fans up in a non-Turbo guise, which means you save $5 on each one, and they top out at 2,000RPM, that's 500RPM less than we have here. They don't shift as much air as the Turbos can, but they're quieter for it, too, so the choice is yours. 

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NZXT makes gorgeous hardware. It's not always the most cost-effective nor the most efficient, and indeed the NZXT Aer RGB 2 won't win any prizes for its performance in our tests. At its top speed of 1500 RPM, the Aer RGB 2 moves a surprising amount of air, but it's also louder than nearly every other fan we tested. And even in our low-speed tests, the Aer RGB 2 proved a hair noisier than the rest of the competition.

Look at it, though. It's a sight to behold. Unlike Corsair, NZXT limits the Aer RGB 2's LEDs to the outer ring, casting a slight glow on the spinning fan blades without directly illuminating them—and shining a lot of light outwards into the case. It's a clean look, objectively as gaudy as any other RGB setup but seeming a bit sleeker and refined somehow. The Hue 2 controller is also more attractive than any of the other boxes we looked at, meaning you won't mind having to include it alongside the fans in your all-glass case.

Like Corsair, NZXT struggles with the price, though. A three-pack of 120mm fans plus controller lists for $130, even more than Corsair's LL120 starter kit, though other fans list for $30—$5 less than Corsair's add-ons. Weird.

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Cooler Master's RGB design is a bit less high-tech than the Corsair LL120s, featuring only fan-blade lighting instead of the second ring around the outside. It's still an attractive fan, though, bright and with smooth transitions. And while the package lists for $99, you can usually find it on sale much cheaper. Add in the fact that additional fans only cost $20 each, and you're set to save a whole lot of money on your cooling setup.

So what's the catch? They're loud. Like, really loud. Even Cooler Master admits it, listing the MF120R at 31 dBA. In our own tests, the MF120R kit was reasonably quiet at 1200 RPM but completely unusable at its maximum 2000 RPM speed, posting the loudest measurements of any fan we tested—louder than the other 2000 RPM fans we tested, the NZXT Aer RGB 2 and the Noctua NF-A12x25.

Granted, the MF120Rs move a lot of air at top speed, tying the Noctua NF-A12x25 for the highest airflow. There's no way you'd want to run them at that speed, though, at least not for typical gaming use. Still, you get a full RGB lighting setup and some pretty strong fans for a fraction of the cost of Corsair's kit. As long as you limit the MF120Rs to running at 1200 or 1500 RPM max, they might be a good alternative.

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