Arctic BioniX F12 Review | Tech for Techs

Arctic BioniX F120 | 120 mm Gaming Fan with PWM PST

Review by: Jennifer Griffiths
Video & Testing by: Philip Griffiths

Introduction :

Arctic has fast become a name synonymous with cooling your computer properly. In fact, we recently reviewed a cooler by Arctic that was able to hold its own against water-cooling as well as beat the competition in a fan based cooling system. With that being said, I have very high expectation for the BioniX F120 fans. After all, they are the very fans that were used on the Freezer 33 eSports Edition cooler by Arctic. So, what am I looking for? I want cooling winds that would make an “Arctic” wind pale in comparison in ability to cool. But, I also want them to be as quiet as a church mouse. Have I set the bar high? You bet! Will the BioiX 120 deliver my computer from the sweltering temperatures or will it be full of hot air? Find out in this edition of Tech For Techs.

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Manufacturer statement:

“With their appealing design and the newly developed 3-phase motor, the BioniX are specifically tailored to gamer needs. The silent motor guarantees long gaming sessions without annoying noise. Due to the low coil temperature, the service life of the BioniX case fans is four times longer and we extend the warranty to 10 years.“ Magnus Huber, CEO

About:

About ARCTIC

ARCTIC is a leading manufacturer of silent PC coolers and components and has initiated and sustainably influenced the trend towards quiet cooling systems. Besides a wide range of CPU and GPU coolers, ARCTIC offers high quality monitor mounts as well as an audio product line. The company, run by founder Magnus Huber, has locations in Germany, Hong Kong and the USA and convinces pc enthusiasts in over 45 countries with innovative and user-friendly products, high quality and fair prices. For more than 15 years ARCTIC stands for comfortable computing, excellent service and personal support.

Specifications:

Dimensions = 120 (L ) x 120 ( W ) x 27 (H) mm

Fan = 120 mm, 200 – 1800 RPM (Controlled by PWM)

Airflow = 69 CFM / 117 m/h

Bearing = Fluid Dynamic Bearing

Noise Level = 0.5 Sone

Current = / Voltage0.20 A / + 12 V DC

Weight = 129 g

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Packaging:

When I look at the packaging, I see that Arctic put some thought into making things clear to not only the retailer but to the consumer as well. For instance, the detailing around the sides of the box is the same colour of the trim on the fan itself. This means people are less likely to stock or purchase the wrong fan. It is clear that you are buying a green fan with the box trim and the picture of the fan itself. Even the text is in green for BioniX F120. But, they did put (Green) on the box next to the bar code as well. Because they know just like you and I do that someone somewhere will take it home and say "I thought it would be red". So, top marks for making it clear on this. Everything I need to know before purchase is clearly stated on the box. With exception of the length of the fan connection cable However if I chose I can scan the QR code on the front for this, or so I thought. It was not on the website either, if it is, it must have been under the Specifications or FAQ sections that would not translate to English. However, I measured it a 400mm long. The only other hiccup I see here is there is no hanger for us retailers that have limited shelf space. A way to hang this would not go amiss. It could even be made of the same card as the box if they were trying to stay away from plastic and be more earth friendly. Everything else you could possibly need to know, including 10 yr limited warranty is proudly displayed in a very easy to read way with nice pictures, graphs, and charts. It is a very attractive package.

Unboxing:

Inside the box we find the QR code on a sticker and the fan seated snug inside. No need for excess packaging because if is secure in the thick card box. Also inside are 4 mounting screws silver. There are no instructions and usually I am picky about that, but it is a fan after all. One thing I can not overlook are these silver screws. These are really attractive black fans with colour rim and they stuck in these silver screws. They stand out like a sore thumb. Most case manufacturers of cases include black mounting screws. I don't see why Arctic did not think about this. So unless you have some spare black fan screws or black nail polish to paint these with, they are going to look odd out. Shame really.

Installation:

Make sure it points in the correct direction, secure it with screws and use the four pin connector to the connection on the board. Dead easy, no adapters needed.

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Testing:

Our Testing System for the review:

· Motherboard: Gigabyte Z370XP SLI

· CPU: Intel Core i5 8600K Overclocked @ 4.5GHz

· Cooler: Akasa R20 watercooler

· Memory: ADATA 8GB DDR4 2400 AX4U240038G16 and HyperX HX424C15FB/4

· Card: Nvidia Geforce 1060 6GB (Gigabyte Aorus RGB)

· Case: Cooler Master MB500 case

· Power Supply: Cooler Master G750M 750W

· OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit

All of our reviews are tested in real-world conditions. All parts are tested within a case (listed above) and run in an air conditioned 20°C room

To get a Good idea of the cooling ability, we decided to see how well it would perform replacing a stock fan on the Akasa R20 watercooler we tested a few weeks back, we wanted to see if changing the fans on this watercooler to the F120 would make any difference with cooling, we also tested in a pair of Cooler Master Fans, a pair of Akasa Apache Black fans and a stock Intel cooler for comparison.

To make sure we gave this a thorough testing we overclocked the CPU to 4.5Ghz.

Ideal Temps:

Stock Cooler = 54`c

Arctic freezer 33 Esport 43`c

Xilence M403 Cooler 47`c

Akasa R20 WaterCooler with Akasa Vegas X7 RGB Fans = 40`c

R20 WaterCooler with Coolermaster 200031171-GP 12000rpm fans = 40`c

R20 WaterCooler with Akasa Apache Black Fans = 38`c

R20 WaterCooler with Arctic Bionix F120 Fans = 39`c

100% CPU Usage Temps:

Stock Cooler = 75`c

Arctic freezer 33 Esport 57`c

Xilence M403 Cooler 60`c

Akasa R20 WaterCooler with Akasa Vegas X7 RGB Fans = 58`c

R20 WaterCooler with Coolermaster 200031171-GP 12000rpm fans = 57`c

R20 WaterCooler with Akasa Apache Black Fans = 52`c

R20 WaterCooler with Arctic Bionix F120 Fans = 54`c

Overall the performance was very good, the fans did not perform as well as the Apache Black Fans but they cost nearly 50% less to buy, they are also a lot quieter in comparison ad look the part rather then a standard black fan.

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