By: Jadon Lee
August 20, 2021
With news out about the coming school semester being in-person, I am quite excited to experience campus life once again. I know the shift will be quite drastic for many of the newer students as they have not experienced much on the in-person campus life, if at all. I have talked to some of the newer students and have found many actually do like online classes. Perhaps this is because it is so easy to cheat have academic integrity while online. Regardless, I will still be excited to show them the many joys of what campus has to offer. Online lectures are far inferior compared to the in-person equivalent. For example, if your professor cannot throw stuffed soccer balls at people to make them answer questions, then how are they going to interact with their students? Calling on people's names cannot compare to a stuffed soccer ball or any sort of physical interaction. How will your groupmates ghost you if they have to come to lectures? Simple, they just will not attend class. Despite how unappealing the campus life may seem, there are still the many benefits that I had taken for granted when I had the opportunity. The facilities are simply wonderful to have and being able to interact with your classmates physically is so much better than seeing their names on your screen. University is a time to meet people and it is very reliable at doing just that. It is almost as reliable as a set of good case fans. Today, ARCTIC has sent over their BioniX P120 A-RGB and P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB for us to test out. How reliable will these fans be in general use? Keep reading to find out!
Today’s review unit of the ARCTIC BioniX P120 A-RGB and P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB was shipped to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada via UPS Expedited from Quinby, South Carolina, USA. The cardboard box was handled with care, as it arrived in relatively good condition with no noteworthy marks. I was not too concerned about the shipping because of the perfect condition of the retail boxes.
In addition to the ARCTIC BioniX P120 A-RGB and P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB I am reviewing today, inside the box was also the ARCTIC MX-5 thermal compound, which was reviewed by my colleague Jonathan Kwan. Both the BioniX P120 A-RGB and P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB share a similar retail design as expected. The BioniX P120 A-RGB’s box is a little bit larger as it contained some extra cables and screws. Both retail boxes utilize black as the primary color. ARCTIC places its logo on the top left, respective product names on the bottom, and an image of the fan on the right. In general, the design is quite clean, and it is very apparent what the product is. The back of the boxes contains some information regarding the specifications and features. Something I do not like about the BioniX P120 A-RGB’s retail box, in particular, is the rainbow on the top and bottom. This design makes it look slightly tacky, even for an ARGB fan, although this is not a huge deal.
Before we continue, here are the specifications for the ARCTIC BioniX P120 A-RGB and P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
BioniX P120 A-RGB
Fan Speed: 400 – 2300 rpm
Airflow: 48 CFM
Static Pressure: 2.1mm H2O
Noise Level: 0.45 Sone
Operating Ambient Temperature: 0 – 40°C
Control Type: PWM PST
Connector: 7-Pin-Connector
Fan Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Typical Voltage: 12V DC
Starting Voltage: 5V
Current/Voltage: 0.13A/ 12V
Cable Length: 400mm
Length: 120mm
Width: 120mm
Height: 30mm
Weight: 209g
P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB
Fan Speed: 0 – 2000 rpm
Airflow: 48.8 CFM
Static Pressure: 1.85mm H2O
Noise Level: 0.3 Sone
Operating Ambient Temperature: 0 – 40°C
Control Type: PWM PST
Connector: 4-Pin-Connector + 4-Pin-Socket
Fan Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Typical Voltage: 12 V DC
Starting Voltage: 5 V
Current/Voltage: 0.11 A/ 12 V
Cable Length: 400mm
Length: 120mm
Width: 120mm
Height: 25mm
Weight: 131g
Our packs of the ARCTIC BioniX P120 A-RGB and P12 PWM PST RGB 0dB both arrived as single units. The fans fit nicely inside the boxes alongside the included mounting screws and wires. The BioniX P120 A-RGB also contain some additional mounting screws for radiators as it is slightly thicker and thus requiring longer screws. The boxes also contain documentation about general support and a QR code for the manual. ARCTIC provides minimal packaging, which I personally appreciate, as I enjoy only having the essentials for single fans.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
