Corsair ML120 PRO RGB, 120mm Premium Magnetic Levitation RGB LED PWM Fans - Triple Pack with Lighting Node PRO (400 RPM to 1,600 RPM, Low Noise, High Performance) Black

Product Information

Corsair ML fans do not change the world, however they are an interesting move. The new magnetic levitation bearings are an irrelevance to us, although they make a neat hook for marketing purposes. We used the Decibel 10th app and an iPhone 6 Plus to measure the noise levels of the test rig before and after the new fans were installed, at idle and under load. Measurements were made six inches from front of the PC, where the fans were installed.

Corsair’s new ML120 and ML140 fans deliver quieter operation and better performance than most fans on the market. The new magnetic levitation technology seems to be working wonders, and it’s well supported by noise-damping corners and fun LEDs in the Pro and Pro LED models. Replacing every fan in your case might be an expensive venture, but these premium fans are worth it. The cable is mounted to one side, and measures around half a metre in length. This terminates in a 4-pin connector: 3 pins for power, 1 pin for reporting and controlling RPM. This may sound like we’re not comparing apples with apples however the logical way to use these fans is to plug them in and set the control software or BIOS to manage the business, which means they are likely to operate 200rpm or so slower than your existing fans. It may not be immediately apparent in our video but both coolers were very quiet in Quiet mode regardless of the fans that were employed.

RGB LED lighting

Compared with our previous fans, we saw an decrease in temperature of about 3-4 degrees across the board at idle, and 1-2 degrees under load. Of course, temperatures are only one half of the story — let’s take a look at noise levels. Noise

With the larger Kraken X61 cooler the NZXT FX140 fans operate at 900rpm and 1,600rpm while the ML140s run at 600rpm and 1,400rpm. Out of the box, the ML140 Pro LED Blue (hereafter: the ML140) immediately looks a bit fancier and more rugged than the average case fan. Corsair is excited about ML as it allows the fans to spin much faster than normal. Where we typically expect a 120mm/140mm fan to max out at 1,400rpm-1,600rpm, in the case of ML120 the range is 400rpm-2,400rpm and for ML140 the figures are 400rpm-2,000rpm.Normally case fans aren’t too exciting, but they’re a critical piece of any PC build — and these ones are actually pretty cool. Corsair’s new ML120 and ML140 fans use magnetic levitation instead of ball bearings, providing zero friction. That should make them quieter than fans running at the same speed (or equally, at higher speeds when producing an equal amount of noise). That sounds promising, so let’s see if Corsair’s new fans deliver on their promises.