Accessorise your cooling

OK, we’re talking about RGB. Why, when it’s something we actively try to avoid? And how is it related to cooling? RGB fans are all the craze now. We’ve seen plenty of LED fans in the past, but they typically only featured one colour and not the crazy cornucopia of rainbows that are now the norm.

We get it: Some folks enjoy being able to light up their rig in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. But when you’re trying to do it with fans, you have to include an additional cable that connects elsewhere (either into a fan controller, an included RGB controller module, or directly on to the motherboard). That’s another cable to route, and added bulk to work around the back of your rig.

It’s something you need to take into consideration if you plan to invest in these things. As far as performance is concerned, there’s a minimal impact on the fans. Admittedly, some blades do have to be constructed from a more transparent polymer, to allow the LED light to shine through, but that’s all there is to it. Static pressure, airflow variants — they’re all there, albeit not to the standard of some of the more premium offerings.

If you’re itching for both performance and the ability to take part in the RGB phenomenon, Phanteks will sell you an RGB fan frame (admittedly, even we think it’s cool). Known as the Halos series, they come in both aluminium and plastic variants, and light the blades up in a very smooth pattern while remaining pretty classy in the process. However, they only fit 120mm or 140mm fans at the moment.