Introduction
Over the past couple of months, I have been mightily impressed with the performance of Cooler Master’s MasterFan Pro range of fans when fitted to their CPU coolers. So how can they possibly improve them? Throw some RGB at them of course!
The new MasterFan Pro RGB range consists of 2 different sizes (120mm & 140mm), and 3 different blade designs (Air Balance, Air Pressure, and Air Flow. The range is supported by a starter kit, which consists of three 120mm Air Balance fans, along with an RGB fan controller and splitter cable.
I got a sneak peek at the 140mm Air Pressure variant, ahead of the range’s official launch at COMPUTEX today.
Specifications
| Product Name | MasterFan Pro 140 Air Pressure RGB | ||
| Product Number | MFY-P4DN-15NPC-R1 | ||
| Profile | R Mode
(Red) |
B Mode
(Blue) |
RGB Mode (RGB Ready) |
| Fan Speed (RPM) | 650-1,550 RPM ±10% | ||
| Airflow (CFM) | 46.2 CFM ±10% | ||
| Air Pressure (mmH2O) | 1.59 mmH2O ± 10% | ||
| Fan Noise Level (dBA) | 6 -20 dBA | ||
| Rated Current (A) | 0.22 | ||
| Dimensions (mm) | 140 x 140 x 25 (5.51 x 5.51 x 1”) | ||
| MTTF (hours) | 490,000 | ||
| L-10 Life (hours) | 70,000 | ||
| Rated Voltage | 12 VDC | ||
| Safety Current (A) | 0.4 A | ||
| Connector | 4-Pin | ||
| Weight | 172g | ||
| Warranty | 5 Years | ||
Closer Look
The fans come neatly boxed in the now very familiar designed packaging, with a full-colour product image sat on a grey background. Blue lettering identifying that the product at hand is part of the cooling range of products.
The front of the box is fastened down with Velcro and opens to give a good overview of the fan design and main features.
Sliding the inner box out reveals the fan itself, and 4 screws to affix the fan to your case. If you are planning to use the fans on a radiator, you will need to reuse your existing ones.
To the rear of the fan motor, we have a switch that allows users who don’t have the RGB controller, or an RGB-enabled motherboard to choose from static red or blue LED’s during operation.
The fan mounts at each corner are made of thick durable rubber, with two steel Allen bolts holding each one in place.
Each fan features 4 pin PWM and RGB connectors. If you purchase the Cooler Master controller these both connect directly to that or in our case for today’s brief test, directly to an RGB-enabled motherboard.
Performance & Pricing
At the time of our sneak peek of these fans, the new RGB fan controller hadn’t arrived, so I was unable to try out the new software that also comes bundled with it. It did however give me a good opportunity to partially test out Cooler Master’s claims that the MasterFan RGB range is the world’s first to be certified to be compatible with Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and Asrock’s RGB software.
Syncing the fan colour to the motherboard accent in the ASUS Aura software worked flawlessly, but you are obviously restricted by the number of RGB headers you have on your board. I had 2 to play with on the board I used, so if you wanted more than that you would need to invest in a splitter cable, or purchase the controller, which can accommodate up to 4 fans.
Under operation the fans are extremely quiet. Even when pushed to full load, with 3 side-by-side on the desk, there was no vibration and just a dull hum audible from having 3 motors spinning furiously right next to each other.
The pricing of the individual fans is very competitive, with the 120mm variant coming in at £19.99 and the 140mm at £24.99. Perhaps the star of the line-up however seems to be the starter kit, which is priced at just £59.99.
Conclusion
Performance
The performance of the MasterFan Pro’s has already been proven to be top notch, with my previous review of the MasterAir Pro CPU coolers yielding amazing results. The inclusion of RGB variants now means that people don’t have to choose between performance or aesthetics… they can have both!
Design
Apart from the transparent blade and hub, Cooler Master haven’t changed the design at all. The solid rubber mounts eliminate any vibration whatsoever, whether they are mounted to a heatsink, radiator or case.
When operational the LED’s light the entire fan nice & evenly, and having the driver visible inside the hub and illuminated looks good also.
Price
The price of the fans individually are on a par with competitors, but the real star of the show is the starter kit. At just £60 it is amazing value for money, given that you not only get three 120mm Air Balance fans, but also the fan controller and splitter cable. Having seen a demonstration, the Cooler Master software allows for even more customisation than most of the motherboard manufacturers’ offerings, allowing you to personalise your case lighting even further.
Final Thoughts
Launching a range of RGB fans isn’t groundbreaking, but combined with the superb performance of the MasterFan Pro design, and coming in at a really good price point, I believe Cooler Master are on to a winner here. I look forward to putting the fan controller and associated software through it paces when it arrives, but for now, the MasterFan Pro get’s our recommended award.
Massive thanks to Cooler Master for sending the MasterFan Pro 140 Air Pressure RGB in for review.
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Performance
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Design
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Value
Summary
Pros:
– Adding RGB functionality to an already high performing product is a winner
– Compatible with Asus, ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI lighting software
– Starter kit pricing superb value for money
Cons:
– It appears the fan controller can only be purchased as part of the starter kit
