Thermalright TL-C12C X3 120mm PWM Fans (3-pack)

Our analysis

Per fan, these move more air on paper than the ARCTIC P12 PWM PST: 66.17 against 56.3 CFM. Per box it flips, because ARCTIC packs five fans and Thermalright three, so the totals are 281.5 against 198.5 CFM. Count your empty mounts first; then note that the ARCTIC also rates more static pressure, 2.2 against 1.53 mmH2O.

What stands out

• Three fans cover a full airflow path. Our guide explains that a pair of front intakes plus a single rear exhaust is already a complete path, and that adds up to exactly three fans.
• 66.17 CFM each. Airflow is the figure that counts when nothing blocks the front of the case.
• PWM with a fluid bearing. An S-FDB bearing, and the motherboard sets the speed up to 1550 rpm.
• A 25.6 dB rating and no RGB. A plain black frame for builds where the fans are not the show.

Where it falls short

• Its static pressure is on the low side of our list: 1.53 mmH2O, just above the 1.45 of the be quiet! Pure Wings 3 and far below the 6.9 of the ARCTIC P12 Pro PST.
• Three fans per box, against five in the ARCTIC packs, if you have more mounts to fill.

Look elsewhere if

You want the strongest fan for your main intake: the ARCTIC P12 Pro PST leads our list on static pressure, with 6.9 mmH2O, and its 77 CFM are the most of any 120 mm fan we list. If you only need to silence one loud fan, a single be quiet! Pure Wings 3 is the targeted swap. A sensible split: these go into a spare build or a PC you set up for a friend, and the stronger fans go to the front intake of your main machine.

How many fans you actually need is belief number one in How Many Case Fans Does Your PC Need?