Cooling Arctic P12 Slim PWM PST officially released and available for purchase

[thelaughingman]

Initially shared in the T1 thread but I feel this fan merits a thread of its own.

For those needing slim fans on radiators and are having a hard time getting Noctua NF A12x15, Arctic now has P12 in 15mm thickness.

P12 Slim PWM PST | 120 mm Low-Profile PWM Fan with Cable Splitter | ARCTIC

ACFAN00187A | Slight but strong: The space-saving P12 Slim PWM PST | deal for any application with an installation depth of only 15 mm | Fast processing and delivery | ARCTIC Store

www.arctic.de

Given the great track record of the full size P12 especially in terms of p/p, I have high hopes for this fan to offer a good alternative to Noctua A12x15 which has been the de facto slim fan for SFF-enthusiasts for a long time.

Already some reviews are out, but no direct comparison with the A12x15 yet:

• Arctic P12 Slim PWM PST Review (ocinside.de) - equivalent noise-thermal performance to a full size P12 from 60% RPM and higher
• Arctic P12 Slim PWM PST Review [Análisis Completo en Español] (geeknetic.es) - 3-4C higher temps for similar noise level at max RPM

For those in Europe, you could already order it via the local Amazon webpage - UK, FR, ES, DE. The rest of us can order directly from Arctic's web store but the high international shipping costs just negates all the savings. So in my case I'll have to wait for local vendors to stock these

 

[SFF Watercooled]

120mm Slim Fans Table

Technical Data	ID-Cooling NO-12015-XT	Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12	Scythe Kaze Flex Slim	Silverstone FN123 Slim	Scythe Slip Stream Slim 12mm (1600 RPM)	Scythe Slip Stream Slim 12mm (2000 RPM)	Alphacool SL-15	Cooler Master Xtraflo Slim	Rosewill RASF-141213	Noctua NF-A12x15	Arctic P12 Slim PWM PST
Speed	500 - 1600rpm	400 - 1300rpm	300 - 1800rpm	2000rpm	1600rpm	2000rpm	600 - 1800rpm	500 - 1600rpm	600 - 1600rpm	450 - 1850rpm	300 - 2100 RPM
Acoustics	max 30.2 dB(A)	max 17 dB(A)	max 30 dbA	23.5 dB(A)	28.89 dB(A)	37 dB(A)	max 32 dB(A)	max 30 dB(A)	max 30.32 dB(A)	max 23.9 dB(A)	max 22.5 dB(A)
Air Flow Rate	max 53.6 CFM	max 56 CFM	max 50.79 CFM	32.6 CFM	38.05 CFM	45.47 CFM	max 42 CFM	max 58.4 CFM	max 54.55 CFM	max 55.44 CFM	max 41.1 CFM
Static Pressure	max 1.81 mm H2O	max 0.9 mm H2O	max 1.35mm H2O	1.52 mm H2O	1.11 mm H2O	1.35 mm H2O	max 1.2 mm H2O	max 1.76 mm H2O	???	max 1.53 mm H2O	max 1.45 mm H2O
Average Lifespan	???	100,000 h	100,000 h	40,000 h	30,000 h	30,000 h	50,000 h	40,000 h	50,000 h	150,000 h	???

Good Slim 120mm Fans With Good Availability

Arctic P12 Slim PWM PST (Low Price, Average Airflow, Average Pressure, Low Noise)

P12 Slim PWM PST | 120 mm Low-Profile PWM Fan with Cable Splitter | ARCTIC

ACFAN00187A | Slight but strong: The space-saving P12 Slim PWM PST | deal for any application with an installation depth of only 15 mm | Fast processing and delivery | ARCTIC Store

www.arctic.de

Scythe Kaze Flex Slim (Average Price, Good Airflow, Good Static Pressure, Average Noise, Good Quality)


Noctua NF-A12x15 (High Price, High Airflow, High Static Pressure, Low Noise, Great Lifespan)


Rosewill RASF-141213 (Low Price, High Airflow, Average Noise, Average Lifespan)


Silverstone FN123 Slim (Average Price, Low Airflow, Low Noise, Good Lifespan)


Alphacool SL-15 (Average Price, Average Airflow, Average Static Pressure, Average Noise, Average Lifespan)

Alphacool SL-15 PWM Fan 600-1800rpm ( 120x120x15mm )

The Alphacool 120 mm SL-15 fan is a special slim fan for use on radiators. With a frame height of only 15 mm, it is particularly suitable for use in ultra-compact housings, also known as SFF housings. Compact and powerful With a...

www.aquatuning.us

Overall, the Noctua A12x15 is still the best slim 120mm fan if you're willing to pay the premium

 

[ikara]

Has anyone seen a comparison between P12 slim and any other slim fan?

 

[rfarmer]

 

[thelaughingman]

quite the expected results indeed! the only missing test is max RPM since the P12 can spin all the way up to 2100RPM vs 1850RPM of the A12x15

 

[SFF Watercooled]

quite the expected results indeed! the only missing test is max RPM since the P12 can spin all the way up to 2100RPM vs 1850RPM of the A12x15

I don't think the max RPM really matters because you're buying fans for airflow, static pressure, price, availability, quality, thickness, etc. but not RPM?

 

[thelaughingman]

I don't think the max RPM really matters because you're buying fans for airflow, static pressure, price, availability, quality, thickness, etc. but not RPM?

You never run your fan to max RPM? I do set my fan curve such that it hits 100% with certain trigger.

At 100% RPM - Diminishing return? Yes. More performance though? Still yes.

 

[Kommando]

I don't want to hear my fans at 100%, so my fan curve stops way earlier around 60 %. Which i consider very loud already.
I mean, would you set your fan curve to 100% if your current 2000rpm fans would run around 3000 rpm at maximum?

 

[thelaughingman]

I don't want to hear my fans at 100%, so my fan curve stops way earlier around 60 %. Which i consider very loud already.
I mean, would you set your fan curve to 100% if your current 2000rpm fans would run around 3000 rpm at maximum?

I do let my A12x25 hit 2000-2050 RPM and it's fine with me. You're different so you do you.

But I will just ask - How can more information hurt?

 

[thelaughingman]

and it keeps coming! this guy prefers Arctic noise profile to that of Noctua, to each his own indeed! the only caveat is that his P12 Slim only hitting 1900 RPM instead of 2100 RPM listed spec.

 

[Kommando]

I do let my A12x25 hit 2000-2050 RPM and it's fine with me. You're different so you do you.

But I will just ask - How can more information hurt?

Ah no, i didn't point towards the information thing. I was just triggered by your maximum fan curve. ;-)
Sure, the additional information would be nice!

PS: I had the NF A12x15 on the L12S. And this fan was the reason that i replaced the whole cooler (25mm doesn't fit with L12S in my case). It really becomes noisy very quick. There sure is a lot of potential in slim fans that needs to be exploited.