First things first : Antec PROVIDED me these fans. They didn't require me to review them or even give an opinion about them. I've had a relationship with Antec for over a decade.
Lighted fans have been around longer than dirt. They really started getting into the market around in the early 2000s and became readily available towards the 2005 mark. This was when your PC was more about power than it was about cable management and fancy RGB keyboards. My first set of lighted fans were made by Apevia, a brand that has been around for a long time. They were 120 mm crystal fans with red leds and were installed in an Antec 1200, one of the biggest cases I've ever owned. The 1200 was a beast and had a lot of fan mounting, including a 200mm big boy on the top. My goodness!
Well now we're in 2018 and looking at a huge selection of enthusiast cases, mice, monitors and of course - fans. RGB has become a love/hate thing in the PC gaming world. I was never a huge fan of unicorn vomit in my case because it was flashy, expensive and tacky as all get up. I never thought I'd be okay with RGB in my case until I bought a set of Enermax T.B. RGB fans to go with the Antec DF 500 RGB case I shoved my PC into. Unfortunately those fans started sounding like rock tumblers in less than a month. My experience is not going to be everyone else's but I personally won't be buying any more Enermax products.
Lucky for me my good friends at Antec reached out and wanted to help me with my woes! They offered me a few sets of the Prizm ARGB 120mm fan kits to replace the rattle wheels in my computer. I was hesitant because I didn't really know if I wanted that much lighting in my case but I accepted and went ahead and tore down my waterloop in preparation for the new set of fans. Unbeknownst to me Antec sent me a few sets the Prizm ARGB fan and strip kit. I went to work and decided to get them strapped in.
So here's some specifications before I tell you what I think :
| CFM | Static Pressure | Max RPM | Maximum Noise Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prizm 120mm | 45 | 2.6mm (h2o) | 2000 | 33dBA |
Antec has really hit one out of the part with this set of premium case fans. I actually LOVE the ARGB. Contrary to my beliefs I wouldn't send these back even if Antec wanted them back. These are mine and no one else can have them. They have pretty much every bell and whistle a fan can have. Decent static pressure that has more than enough grunt to push air through my 320 and 240 millimeter radiators, vibration dampening and dual-ring ARGB built in. My temperatures have dropped from around 60 degrees on my Ryzen 1700x running at stock 1.35v to a chilly 51, in PWM mode. The Enermax set was on full blast and I never saw anything under 60 while gaming. I'm so impressed I plan to buy sets for my Linux workstation. They run extremely quiet even with my fan curve being rather aggressive. These are not in push/pull, only in push.
(Yes this PC has a 1080 ti in it. There are reasons. I needed a new GPU and Vega was sold out before it was available to the public on Amazon. I do have a Vega 56 in my Linux workstation.)
Alright so they are the ARGB fans of choice, right? Yes, with some side notes:
These are ARGB compatible - the pins are different than RGB and will NOT work on most motherboards I've seen. I have a Crosshair 6 Hero, Gaming K7 and AB350 Gaming-3. These have RGB headers but they are not compatible with these fans. Newer motherboards may have an ARGB header so your experience will vary, make sure you check compatibility before you purchase if you want to control the ARGB via motherboard software.
There is no USB control such as Corsair link. These are either motherboard controlled or controlled via the included control box. The box attaches to your case's reset button in order to cycle through animations. This isn't a bad thing... more software running in the background is bad for everyone.
These have no drawbacks. Even the price is right! Corsair ARGB fans run $34.99 EACH. Not for a pack of fans, and this is for the lowest tier of Corsair ARGB fan. $34.99 for a fan? Go ahead and have your butler install those for you. This kit with 3 Prizm 120mm fans and two 12" ARGB strips runs a cool $64.95 on amazon at the time of this post. A 5 pack of fans with a controller is $89.75. It's a no brainer, honestly.
If you're looking for some classy fans with a dash of lighting make I'd say you should consider these kits. They are built like a fortress and provide beautiful lighting that's not harsh. It's classy. Like Ron Burgundy. If you would like to know more please reach out to me on Twitter @Staggerdsix or you will see me in the AMD Red Team Discord as Staggeredsix.
This is not an affiliate link :
Amazon with Subproducts : https://www.amazon.com/Antec-Prizm-120mm-Case-Radiator/dp/B07FNHTQNW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=154...
Newegg 5 Pack and Controller : antec prizm 120mm rgb case fan radiator 5 pack - Newegg.com
Newegg 3 + 2 Fans,Strips and Controller : Antec PRIZM 120 ARGB 3+2+C 120mm Case Fan w/ Fan Controller & ARGB LED Strips (3 in 1 pack) - Newegg...
And here's some stock photos because I was so excited to get those Enermax fans out I forgot to take some photos. Sorry 
