RGB lighting picked up in popularity just a couple of years ago and is still very popular, especially when cases for water cooling became part of the PC building community.
But if you want the best lighting setup, then you are going to need RGB fans to compliment all the other parts in your build.
Here we are going to look into some of the best RGB case fans that you can buy right now.
Our 120mm Pick
- Very Bright Lighting
- Consistent RGB Lighting
- 3 Fan Pack
Our 140mm Pick
- Very Bright Lighting
- Consistent RGB Lighting
- 2 Fan Pack
Budget Pick
- Software Control Included
- Plenty of Effects
- Easy & Clean Installation
The Best RGB Case Fans in 2020
1. Corsair LL Series LL120 – Best RGB Case Fans
Corsair is a very well-known brand in the gaming and PC hardware space. So, there is no surprise that our pick for the best RGB fans is the Corsair LL Series RGB fans. These fans have a dual loop of RBG lights. So not only is the outer rim of the fans illuminated, so inner ring lights up as well. This is what gives those bright colors.
Each fan has 16 independent RGB LED lights which are divided between the two separate loops. You can use the corsair software to customize the different lighting effects. You can select the colors and the effects for example. You can also control the speed at which the fans run. The fans can run between 600-1500 RPM.
These are smaller fans so they run a bit faster to make up for the size. This also means that they produce more noise. The fans are not that noisy overall so you will not be able to tell even when they are running at full speed. If you are interested in silent operation then you can turn them down as well.
Our 120 mm Pick
The Corsair LL Series RGB fans look great and function well. You do need the Node Pro controller to get the RGB lighting to work but it is included in the triple pack so that should not be a problem unless you only need a single fan. These are the best RGB fans that you can buy right now.
Note that in order to get the RGB lighting working you do need the Node Pro controller. You will not be able to get the lights working without the controller. Fortunately, the controller is included with the triple pack. You can buy another single fan if you need more and connect it to the same controller. The controller can control up to 6 fans at a time.
Corsair LL Series RGB fans can be synced with other Corsair products like headphones and keyboards. You can also sync the lighting with other supporting parts such as the graphics card and the motherboard.
Read also: Coolers for Intel i7 7700K
Pros
- Very bright lighting
- Plenty of effects
- Consistent RGB lighting across the fan
- Lighting syncs with other Corsair products
- Silent operation
Cons
- Node Pro controller required for RGB lighting
2. Corsair LL Series LL140 – Best 140 mm RGB Fans
These are the same fans with the same features but are larger at 140mm. These are great for case cooling as well as using on your radiator. Each fan has 16 independent RGB LED lights which are divided between the two separate loops. You can use the corsair software to customize the different lighting effects. You can select the colors and the effects for example. You can also control the speed at which the fans run. The fans can run between 600-1300 RPM.
The fans are larger compared to the 120mm, that is why they do not need to run as fast in order to provide the same level of cooling. That is also one of the reasons why they are able to run silently. So, these fans look good, do a great job at cooling and are silent. What more could you ask for?
Our 140 mm Pick
The Corsair LL Series RGB fans look great and function well. You do need the Node Pro controller to get the RGB lighting to work but it is included in the triple pack so that should not be a problem unless you only need a single fan. These are the best RGB fans that you can buy right now.
We recommend the Corsair LL 140 RGB fans to anyone that is in the market for some new fans for their case or radiator and wants RGB lighting. The only drawback is that you need to Node Pro controller to get the RGB lighting to work. That is only an issue if you need a single fan as the controller is included in the triple pack.
Pros
- Very bright lighting
- Plenty of effects
- Consistent RGB lighting across the fan
- Lighting syncs with other Corsair products
- Silent operation
Cons
- Node Pro controller required for RGB lighting
3. Thermaltake Riing Plus – Budget RGB Case Fans
Thermaltake has made a name for itself over the year and is known for making some very cost-effective products. The Thermaltake Riing Plus 12 RGB fans aim to take RGB to the next level. The premium edition has better lighting than the older models and software support. The fans have hydraulic bearing and you get anti-vibration pads on the edges so quality is not compromised. These will help reduce the noise that is created by vibration.
The fans run at 24 dBA, which is pretty silent. If you are looking for fans that look good and are silent as well then this is an impressive option to look into. The fans run at up to 1500 RPM which is ideal for case cooling and radiators as well. The triple pack includes a new controller that supports up to 5 fans. 16 controllers can be chained together which means that you can hook up 80 fans in total. That is pretty overkill for a gaming PC but the option is there if that is what you are interested in doing.
Our Budget Pick
While the Thermaltake Riing Plus 12 RGB fans are a bit expensive compared to the competition you can customize the lighting and control the fans from the software, which is a major plus point. If that is what you are looking for, then you should definitely consider getting a pack of these fans.
The software allows you to control all the fans that you have connected to the controllers. It is worth mentioning that the older controllers are not compatible with the new Riing RGB fans which is a bummer. You can use the internal USB 2.0 header to install the controller and all the fans are going to plug into the controller. This makes the installation process very easy and clean. The lighting effects are great and Thermaltake offers 16.8 million colors. The software is clean and functional. The file size is small and it only takes a few minutes to download and install.
Pros
- Software control
- Support for multiple controller and fans
- Plenty of effects
- Consistent RGB lighting across the fan
- Uses internal USB 2.0 header
- Easy and clean installation
Cons
- A bit expensive
- Needs controller
4. NZXT AER RGB 2
NZXT is known for offering boutique PC hardware solutions and the NZXT AER RGB 2 fans are the new RGB fans that the company has to offer. The design of the fan is similar to the previous one and the RGB ring is clear around the fan. There are connectors on the fan that allow you to connect multiple of them.
Like the previous ones, these can be daisy-chained with one another for a much cleaner and easier installation. This comes in handy when you need to install the fans on a radiator. The blades of the fans are Black which means that you only get RGB on the outer ring rather than across the board. A translucent fan would have been a much better looking option here.
The NZXT AER RGB 2 fans are a bit expensive but if you already have NZXT products and want them to work together then it might make sense.
The fans are pretty expensive and it is odd to see that the frames of these fans are a bit tacky when compared to competing products that we have mentioned here. The fans do come with rubber mounts that should decrease vibration and help in silent operation.
You do need the controller to get these fans working properly. The controller is pretty expensive on its own but is made of plastic which is a bit of a bummer. The controller uses a Molex connector for power, has a USB port and 4 channels for setting up RGB lighting. The fans run at 500-1500 RPM which is pretty standard and the operation is pretty silent.
Pros
- Fans can be daisy-chained
- Easy and clean installation
- Bright RGB colors
Cons
- Needs controller
- Expensive
- Fan is Black
5. Pccooler Moonlight Series
You might not have heard of this brand before but these are seriously great fans and the RGB lighting is pretty impressive for the price. You can get a pack of three fans for pretty cheap. The fans feature hydraulic bearings which help in durability. The max fan speed is 1800 RPM. While these are inexpensive fans, they are well made. They look and feel pretty impressive for the price.
The plastic housing is very solid and there is little to no flex. The mold is not as premium looking as some other fans but still better than similarly priced fans. There are 9 blades on each fan and the cooling is pretty impressive indeed. The design is very similar to a be quiet fan. Both sides of the fan have rubber to decrease vibration.
The lights are arranged in a ring but it is very thin. The ring is not complete and is divided into 4 segments. Some people might like this look while others might not but the RGB lighting is bright and looks very nice indeed. The sides have a unique concave design which everyone might not like and that can be considered one of the drawbacks of this fan.
The Pccooler Moonlight series fans offer impressive value for money and the RGB lighting is bright. The fans work with and without the controller and you get pretty much everything you need in the box.
The cables are sleeves which is very nice indeed and one of the cables sticking out of the fans is a PWM cable. This means that you do not need a controller for this fan to work. You do get a controller if you want to use that for RGB lighting. You can also plug it into your motherboard. Out of the box, you get a splitter so that you can plug all three fans into the same header if you want.
Note that while these fans can ramp up to 1800 RPM at their lowest speed they run at 1000 RPM so they might create more noise than what you are used to.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Do not require a controller
- Splitter included
- Ring RGB lighting
- Controller included in triple pack
Cons
- Some design choices might not appeal to everyone
6. DEEPCOOL RF120M 5IN1
The DeepCool RF120M case fans are another great budget option that you can buy in packs of 3 and you also get the controller with the bundle. If you do not have a supported motherboard then you can use the included controller but if you do, then you can plug the fans into your motherboard and control them with the software.
The fans run between 500-1500 RPM and the blades are white which means that you get much better RGB lighting across the board when compared to Black blades. Each fan comes with 6 built-in LEDs. The fans are compatible with Asus motherboards so if you have one then you do not need to rely on the controller.
The DeepCool RF120M is a budget-oriented option that you can pick up. It works best with Asus motherboards as you are not limited to the controller. If you do not have an Asus motherboard then this might not be the best option for you.
Deepcool does not have propriety software of its own so you cannot adjust the different settings from the software if you do not have an Asus motherboard. You will have to reach into your PC and use the controller each time you need to change the lighting effects. The RGB lighting is pretty bright and there are plenty of effects that you can play around with.
Keep in mind that while you do have the option to adjust the brightness of the lights from the controller, you can only do that when you have the lights set to a single color. If you are cycling through different colors then you will not be able to adjust the brightness of the RGB lighting.
Pros
- Compatible with Asus motherboards
- Inexpensive
- Controller included
Cons
- Need to use controller if you do not have an Asus motherboard
- No Deepcool software to control lighting
Which RGB Case Fan Should You Pick?
If you are looking for something a bit cheaper then you can pick the Pccooler Moonlight Series fans. These have a unique design and are inexpensive. Not to mention that you can use them without a controller.
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