Phanteks Defeated Noctua? T30 Review 

Noise vs Temperature should be the only way to test a fan... this guy knows what hes talking about

Since this blade design is primarily designed for high air pressure scenarios I'd have also liked to see how the two perform as airflow intake fans on a mid tower case.

Here's what it sounds like: *deafening silence*

Ooh, finally a worthy first fight to be decided on GNs new fan testing equipment!

Optimums videos makes everybody's day

Once Phanteks starts making their fans in a brown color variant, I’ll start buying!

EXACTLY the fan comparison that I was looking for. Thank you! ❤ It's the same with room/window fans: The thicker ones have a deeper blade pitch, so they are quieter and move more air at a given RPM.

These look awesome! Always glad to see competition in this space. Now if Phanteks could make a 140mm variant of these, I'd be a very happy camper.

Every video you do it awesome. No 'shocked face' clickbait thumbnails and titles, just clean video, good data and no filler content. Awesome stuff

Yay! Happy to see you review these. I bought two as intakes for my NR200P and it dropped my GPU thermals by a few degrees and made the system overall more quiet. I'd love to use them as exhaust too, but the extra 5mm makes it not compatible with the brackets for the top of the NR200P unfortunately.

Finally ! Was waiting for your review of the T30 since the day they launched. Could you please give more details about bearing noise? When comparing the P12 to the NFA12x25, you demonstrated that the P12 whines when RPM is around 1000, while the NF-A12x25 is consistently quiet. Could you please do the same for this fan, and compare their noise output at lower RPMs (350, 500, 800) ? Thanks for the dedication, your in-depth noise analysis is best in class. Cheers !

Really like your high quality videos, keep up the good work!

finally some competition. always good for the customer

Another benefit of the 30mm thick fan is certain deshrouding applications. In cases like the Ncase and NR200 there is still a gap on certain GPUs when deshrouding, the extra 5mm could work to your advantage.

I have to disagree the part of "even if we were noise normalized that...." . Since dbA is a logarithmic unit the difference is way bigger than it looks. Using your graph data, Noctua is doing 71.1C = 344.25K at 41.1dbA = 0.002270022 Pa of sound pressure. T30 is doing 68.3C = 341.45K at 41.5dbA = 0.002377004 Pa of sound pressure. Doing a convertion to sound pressure so we are now free of logarithmic units for direct comparison, now, (344.25-341.45) / 341.45 = 0.8% , and (0.002377004 - 0.002270022)/ 0.002270022 = 4%. That means T30 is having a 0.8% temperature advantage while increasing 4% of sound pressure(noise). So if you really do noise normalized calculations, T30's temperature result have to be scaled 4% higher = 355.108K which is way higher than Noctua's results.

Nice! I've actually been looking to your thoughts on these fans.

Yes! Been waiting for this review!

Ordered 6 of these from PCCG a few weeks back. Can't wait to get them. My rig doesn't run hot but it could always be quieter.

Great review. I would just want to mention that in most cases, Noctua might not be the quieter fans, but it is the best "noise" for my ear. Don't know how to describe it, but it doesn't sound annoying even above 40db, while most of the other fans even at ~36db are starting to irritate me. That is why I always use Noctua. Hope that makes sense

A factor to consider is the T30 is a 3-phase/6-pole motor design, rather than a 4-pole. In my experience with other 6-pole units (Noctua Industrial, BeQuiet SilentWings 3), they tend to make a strange resonating sound at all RPM ranges; it sounds like they're going "ooouuuggghhh". Some people don't notice it, some don't mind it, but it drives me bonkers

As a mech engineer, tech enthusiast, and filmmaking lover, this video checks all my boxes! hahah 🤘⚡

woah it’s like you read my mind, was up late with thermal issues last night and looked up some fans too. clutch as always

Great informative video, thanks guy :) I have ordered these to help cool my mining rig in the summer uk

As always, nice review. Thanks!

Great video! Wow 3 - 5º better thermals than a Noctua! Well done, Phanteks! Great to have this kind of competition in top fan options.

100% bet if Notcua made a 30mm version the NF-A12 it would stomp right back

the camera and the lighting are insanely good. woow!

Legend thanks man. I have a T1 and will pick these up. Hi from a fellow Aussie

4:16 and that’s why almost all tests out there are flawed, not comparing loudness under air-moved. For any temperature-control essentially would equalize the latter, lowering the Phantek’s RPM.

I just did my case with T30 Phanteks. They are phenomenal at moving air. I have them at 2000rpm and they move a lot of air through my system. Internal temps dropped 25 degrees from what they were. They get a little loud if you start to climb the RPM ladder but I definitely recommend them highly. They are built very solid. They are slightly thicker though so be careful if you are doing compact form factor builds, you may run into fitting issues

What also would be interesting is a temperature normalized noise test. Configure the fan controller to target a specific coolant temperature and then compare the noise level also with noise samples.

Keep up the good work ali

hands down the best fans I've ever owned, well worth the price. massive airflow and quiet too!

nice comparison, great graphs so clean explanation.

Phanteks needs to make a 140mm version of this!!! Please? 😎

Really excited for your review on the ASUS ROG Strix 27" XG27AQM!

Cheers mate, just pre-ordered mine.

Hi Optimum Tech, big fan here. These look sso nice, I can't bear to not try one of these out! I really want to take them for a spin.

Hey Ali, have you seen the upcoming Geeek M5? Looks to be a mainstream T1 alternative

can you subtitle the fan speeds in the "heres how they sound" demonstration parts of the video plz

Here's to hoping for a 140mm version

One thing that I would be really interested in knowing is the sweep angle, turning angle, pitch to cord ratio.

Great vid ordering now

Never waited so much for a review

They seem quite expensive at the moment, at least here in UK. Here's hoping the prices drop a little in the next few months. And hopefully Phanteks releases 140MM version as well, I would love to use those fans for my next case and several of mid towers started creating space for this size of fans.

Video idea: 30mm fans with Alphacool 25mm Rads vs 25mm fans with 30mm Rads?

I built my new PC just yesterday with 6 of those. Was already wondering when you’ll drop a video on them

I like how during the sound comparison, all I can hear are my own OEM case fans

I've been waiting for this

i was waiting for thissss

Thought it was my screen flickering when you showed the benchmarks, lol.

Very interested to see how they perform in pull configuration on a radiator, considering using them on my 240mm rad on my NCASE…

The only channel i trust with fan reviews.

I would love to see a test of the ID Cooling IS-60 (non EVO) with this 30mm fan, as it might become the new 70mm cooling champ. With a Noctua a12x25 fan, the IS-60 isn't too far off from the Noctua L12s stock.

What I'm getting from this is comparable performance to the NF12s at lower RPMs. These days I'm more about keeping it as silent as possible. But the extra thickness could be an issue. Most mid towers I've built in won't accept anything thicker than 25 mm as a rear exhaust fan due to the frame being bent to add support.

Very interesting. Wonder if the new A12x25 Chromax will have any performance boost. If not... might have to go for these instead.

Top quality video as allways.I m planing to get a Scythe Big Shuriken 3 RGB for my 5600x. Should it be enough? Should i switch its fan for this phanteks one?Thx in advance

I would love to see the performance difference in your Ncase M1 build, specifically where there is enough room but possibly less space for air path. I have a NR200 custom loop and would consider the T30 for my side mounted rad but would like to know

I'd like to see how well these hold up over time, I heard a lot of complaints about the arctic p12 fans because they end up developing a whining noise after a decent amount of usage. Also I was wondering what sort of warranty we could expect on these? For the NF-A12x25 according to Noctua: "NF-A12x25 features an MTTF of more than 150,000 hours rating and comes with a full 6-year manufacturer's warranty"

I spray painted 2 T30s white and replaced the fans that came w/ the NZXT Z53 and put it in my White Meshilicious. I love it.

Temperature normalized test (noise and speeds) would be great in this case.

Got 9 of these on a MO-RA3 360, they are awesome! Super quiet at 1200rpm, can't even hear them.

$85 for 3 on backorder at Newegg, I wish good fans were slightly more affordable. That's why I usually run the Arctics on some fans

Awesome videos !!! Can you guys make a review of the ARCTIC P12 PWM PST RGB ?

It would be awesome if you made a video showcasing argus monitor-- arguably the best free fan control software out there.

Indeed. It is hard to like things that are different. But like you said time is the best conditioning cream.

Cool these are my next fans. Thanks.

Ali's 'second' system is my dream PC 😵

Great video, your knowledge is usable and help me to choose right. Please swap the fans on the radiator on the nr200p max water cooling with the t30 and show us the results!

NIce review Ali, Wow Noctua got rival afterall

How are the noise normalised results like? I realise 1 or 2 dba of difference probably wont result in a 3 degree difference though. The Noctua perceptibly sound quieter in your samples though. I'd have similar concerns to the Thermaltake Noctua clones though - will the Plastic creep over time given the tolerances are so tight? There are plenty of reviews/reddit threads of people complaining that the thermaltake fans eventually start rubbing against the frame after a while. Hopefully Phanteks releases a 140mm version of the T30, or noctua does a 140mm version of the NFA12x25 - I love my P14s but being limited to such a narrow band of RPMs is really annoying given the resonance/hum. They also have way more motor noise than the NF-A12x25. In my use cases - in an itx sandwich cases with a CLC, the T30s wouldn't fit.... so there's that - but i guess SFF is a niche.

The NF-A12x25 now comes in black btw. Noctua added the A12 to the Chromax Series today.

Impressive result.

I purchased 3 of these and put them on my Arctic Freezer 2 aio, they are so good, my 5950x is running nice and cool

Oh! I was just looking for some fans to put on a MoRA3 to put under the house!

Beautiful fan! Literally, when placed next to a Noctua. Sadly, not going to fit my build...

I love my NF-A12x25's own three of them, but they definitely have a pitch issue above 1500 rpm which vastly negates the noise performance reviewers claim they have.

it would be pretty interesting to see a video where you test the best 140mm fans on the market! Since you know, the larger fan the better. Also I don't think noctua has an NF-A12 equivalent yet on the market, they are releasing new 140mm fans soon that they have apparently devoted 8 years of engineering into. My bets on the best 140mm fans are arctic p14, thermaltake toughfan 14, maybe also throw in the be quiet! silent sings pro 4 as well, and the new upcoming noctua fan ofc. Please I'm dying for a video like this from a reputable tech youtuber like yourself for a long time, there's a real scarcity of 140mm fan reviews on youtube rn

I own both an Ncase M1 and a Velka 3. And in the Ncase you could easy fit this on thr radiator. On the Velka you couldn’t fit a 25 mm anyways - so this fan seems to have a ton of usage where applicable. Low hanging fruit to beat the market with a 30 mm fan, have to give it to Phanteks

But what would be the difference if we had a 40mm thick fan? Would Be very useful in builds where you dont quite have clearance for push-pull with 25mm fans.

Damn them veins poppin I see you putting in work

It's good as a ATX case fan. Some tower coolers and smaller cases would have trouble tho

I think a more apt comparison would be with the 3000 RPM Noctua Industrial 120mm to compare them at max performance mode.

can't wait for Noctuas next gen 140mm in Q1 2022... hopefully

I'm not surprised. They're quite similar, but the T30 is 5mm thicker. If they were the same thickness, I imagine the Noctua would perform similarly. Still, nice to have options... especially since it's not taupe. I know Noctua has been working on Cromax versions of the NF-A12x25... but it looks like they took people off that to mount a couple to an Asus 3070 instead. Next time I do a build with some 120mm fans, I'll be grabbing some of these T30's to go in it.

Would be incredibly keen if they had a 140mm version

I think we need a lifespan test. I have some Noctua fans that are still good after around 10 years in a PC chassis used daily. But I am tempted by the greater efficiency of the deeper blades. That extra 5mm depth could easily be adding between 5 and 10mm to the width of each blade.

If they ever make something to beat the A12x15 Chromax, then color me impressed. A godsend if you happen to put an aio in the FormD.

Will there be an issue with radiator mounting screws with these fans? Especially the long ones.

Thicker = Better. Now we just need someone to make a worthy replacement for the 120x55mm Feser Triebwerk fans. Those things were nuts. Extremely rare now too.

Perfect Review

Thank you very much for posting. Great information. I'll stick w/ great (Noctua), I don't need the next best thing. Great is fine w/ me.

Hey mate were you at any time a member of the PCPowerPlay forums? Just curious!

Are you going to review the Lian Li Q58? It would be great to hear your opinion on it.

Props to Phanteks for the Fan. Me, as a fan :) of their work, with their case currently, can definitely say they are very good company. The problem here is that the T30 ... ain't really cheap, kinda same as Noctua's. Not to say that it doesn't deliver, but overall, I will continue to advise buying Arctic P12 fans, until either Noctua or Phanteks can make a competition at the price/performance.

Something that I think wasn't mentioned is the t30 has a much higher rpm range, so if u don't care about noise sometimes you can turn them up high.

Man, the look of the fan is perfect actually really suitable for the rtx 30th generation funders editions, it's the alien design 😳👍the xenomorph

I would have really liked to have seen a noise vs temperature plot. But I know that takes a lot longer to run.

You could also get 24V Delta fan or some 120-230V fan if you want power.

1. You can't compare RPM vs dBA. You need to compare cfm. 2. You can't compare raw dBA. You need to compare the apparent loudness across the spectrum (what you actually hear, which is a major reason larger fans are quieter -- the pitch). You'll notice the Phanteks are lower in pitch, which is significant.