Corsair AF120 RGB Elite full review

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The Corsair AF120 RGB Elite joins the list of airflow-optimized fans, adding a touch of light with RGB management through iCUE. It improves all the performance of the non-RGB AF model in terms of flow and static pressure, reaching 2100 RPM with PWM control.



Design

The Corsair AF120 RGB Elite has a similar design to the non-RGB model and QL models, with a rigid plastic frame and a micro-rough finish. The corners are part of the square frame, and the fan is available in white and black.

In each corner, there are rubber protections to reduce vibrations and facilitate installation. The inner ring is maximized with the blades to maximize the airflow surface area.

The motor and blades have 9 anti-vortex rods called AirGuide that provide uniform airflow. There are 9 blades in total, large in size and made of translucent plastic to receive the RGB lighting in the motor area. The connections are made through separate PWM and RGB cables that exit from one side of the frame.

Performance of the Corsair AF120 RGB Elite

The Corsair AF120 RGB Elite is available in 120 and 140 mm sizes to ensure maximum compatibility with chassis and radiators. In fact, they are the fans used in the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD XT liquid cooling system and its 240 and 480 mm variants.

One of its innovations is the integration of RGB lighting in the rotation area through 8 addressable LED lights managed from iCUE. However, in this case, the controller necessary for its management is not included since the header is of the brand’s own format and is not compatible with generic 5VDG inputs.

The improvement in performance will be the second most notable feature in comparison to the non-RGB version. Starting with its motor, this fan is compatible with PWM control in a range that goes from 500 (20%) to 2100 RPM (100%), in addition to having a zero RPM mode. This is a great advantage in terms of management since in a cabinet we can turn off the fans completely by just indicating it in the iCUE graph. The rotation system is based on a dynamic fluid bearing that offers a maximum airflow of 65.57 CFM, a static pressure of 2.68 mmH2O, and generates 34.1 dBA of noise.

Corsair AF120 RGB Elite full review

In the case of the 140mm version, it will be capable of reaching 1700 RPM, generating an air flow of 89 CFM and a static pressure of 2.0 mmH2O with a maximum noise of 33.8 dBA.

Speed test and iCUE management

To test the Corsair AF120 RGB Elite, we can use a Corsair Commander Core controller that allows us to connect both the PWM header and RGB for control from iCUE. This way, the user takes advantage of all the options offered by the Corsair suite. The software allows us to control the RPM speed of the fan with a lot of details through graphs where we can assign a fixed speed or a speed curve based on the CPU temperature.

As for the RGB lighting, we will have almost unlimited customization options for the LED, both individually and collectively. With the layers, we can assign pre-defined or custom effects.

Conclusions about the Corsair AF120 RGB Elite

Corsair continues to offer us options in their cooling product line, this time with a fan that combines a high-quality design and very interesting performance for both liquid cooling and cabinets. It improves the performance of the normal Elite models at the cost of increased noise, but it is worth it if we have a very powerful CPU like the 13900K.

In terms of aesthetics, the Corsair AF120 RGB Elite is more appealing than the QL series due to its RGB lighting in multiple zones, but that depends on each person’s taste. What is certain is that its reliability will be excellent. Additionally, it is an excellent option for configurations that require zero RPM, as it can be completely turned off via PWM and iCUE.

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