Arctic F12 Pro PWM PST Review

When it comes to building your computer, sometimes saving a bit of cash on the cooling options, might cost you big later down the line. With this idea in mind, today we have for review the F12 Pro PWM PST, a very simple cooling product from Arctic that has a few somewhat original features that distinguishes it from the competition.

Starting by taking a look at the packaging, the F12 comes inside a plain white box with a picture on the front and lots of technical specifications on the back. Nothing fancy but it does the job of both protecting the fan and informing the customer.

Opening the box reveals only a few items bundled with the fan, a small plastic bag with screws to secure the fan into place and a small manual. Again, nothing too fancy but more than enough to satisfy the needs of most consumers, especially when you consider the 7.99€ price tag.

The fan itself, besides looking a bit more extravagant than most other options currently on the market, is also constructed and structured in a different fashion. What I mean by this is that the actual fan is not directly attached to the square-shaped plastic structure, instead, it's suspended from the center of the guard-like structure that Arctic has implemented. Both of these structures are connected through four rubber grommets meant to keep vibrations at bay.

While this type of construction does effectively reduce noise and vibrations, it also makes the F12 a bit limited when it comes to versatility. For starters and because of the way the F12 is designed, it can only work as an exhaust fan (unless you can hook it up to the outside of your computer case), the protection for the blades sticks out and prevents it from being mounted the other way around. It's also quite thick (37.5mm), meaning that if you're working in tight spaces the F12 might not be the ideal choice.

Performance-wise, the F12 Pro is quite effective at removing hot air from inside your case and doing it quietly, during testing, the fan remained pretty much inaudible for most of the time.

Final Thoughts

Keeping up with their tradition when it comes to cooling options, Arctic has once again delivered a great quality product that, compatibility issues aside, is a good choice if you're on the market looking for an affordable and high-quality solution for keeping your computer cool. Keep in mind though, that in most cases it can only work as an exhaust fan.

The Good
+Silent
+Good performance
+Price
+Unique design

The Bad
-Compatibility
-Thick
-Exhaust only (in most cases)

Thanks to Arctic for providing the review sample