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We reviewed the Antec Prizm 120 ARGB XNUMX-fan plus controller pack, a high-quality solution for fans of small lights.
Having our hardware perfectly cooled is very important, since the useful life of the components is extended. It is as important that the chassis offers us a good air intake as having fans that offer good air flow. Antec knows a lot about this and has introduced the Ante Prizm 120 ARGB 5 + C Kit. This kit features five Prizm 120 ARGB fans and a fan controller hub.
What is Addressable RGB or ARGB?
The Addressable RGB or ARGB is a new RGB lighting standard that allows each RGB LED to be controlled individually. It basically differs from 'conventional' RGB in that it supports more lighting effects and offers better color quality.
'Conventional' RGB systems offer an analog control system, allowing control via PWM. This system only allows you to control the color channels separately, with all the LEDs operating under this channel, so they will all operate in unison. It is a problem when we want a variable color to be shown to us on LED strips or fans.
In order to offer a better quality of illumination, this new standard is being passed, since it allows individualized control of each of the LEDs. This system allows an LED strip or a fan to display several colors at the same time. The control is completely digital and is based on a communication protocol.
It should be noted at this point that RGB and ARGB systems are not compatible, unfortunately. This is because the traditional connector was 4 pins and the new system has three pins, one for positive voltage, the other for voltage return and the third is a digital pulse that allows the customization of each of the LEDs.
Simplifying it, the ARGB allows us to control the color of each LED individually, allowing us to create color configurations according to our tastes. So most manufacturers already go to this standard.
Technical characteristics
The kit has five Prizm 120 ARGB fans that are characterized by being PWM and have dimensions of 120mm long, 120mm high and 25mm wide. They have hydraulic bearings to offer low noise and great durability. This fan is estimated to have a lifespan of around 40.000 hours.
These fans can reach up to 2.000 RPM offering an air flow that could reach 45.03CFM. In addition, these fans offer an air pressure of 2.56 mmH2O and a noise level of 32.6dBA.
Each of the fans has four pins for the fan and the three-pin ARGB connector for lighting. The fan operates at a voltage of 12V (allowing it to operate between 6V and 13.8V) with a maximum current of 0.18A ± 20%. ARGB lighting works at 5V (ranging between 4.5V and 5.3V) with a maximum current of 0.8A ± 20%.
Relevant aspects
The Prizm 120 ARGB fans are characterized by each having a total of 18 RGB LEDs that can act independently. This allows a configuration of up to 16.8 million colors and is compatible with the effects of most motherboard manufacturers.
It is these fans that are compatible with ASUS Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync, RGB Fusion and ASRock Polychorme Sync. To add compatibility with Gigabyte motherboards, a special connector has been provided that connects to the pins for the LED strips.
Fan controller
The Antec Prizm 120 ARGB kit of five comes with a controller that can manage five fans. It has a system that allows the five PWM connectors of the fans to be connected on one side and the three-pin ARGB connectors on the other. A SATA connector has been installed to power the controller, which will allow the fans to be powered.
The controller has a 'LED SPED' button that allows managing the speed of the different lighting effects. You can choose between slow, medium or fast speed. We also have the 'MODE' button that allows the customization of colors by means of a simple button.
We also have a 'LED CTRL' connector which is a port that allows converting the reset button of the chassis into a button to manage the controller. A specially designed cable is added for this.
Additionally we have the 'PWM LED' port which allows us to connect the controller to the motherboard. A cable is included specifically for this and allows the fans and ARGB lighting to sync with the motherboard. For this, the motherboard must be compatible with this new standard.
Conclusion
This Antec Prizm 120 ARGB kit that has five fans and a fan controller seems like a great solution to us. Antec has thought of everything, even motherboards that do not support this new standard. This is very important because the controller will normally be left inside the chassis and as it is not accessible. So we need a solution for it and we are given the possibility to use the reset button for control.
We think it is a very interesting kit that has a pretty good price, around € 90. This means that if the controller has a cost of about € 15, each of the fans has a price of € 15. A really interesting price for all these fans.
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