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Corsair ML120 PRO LED 120mm PWM Premium Fan Review – The Magnetic Levitation Fan

Nowadays, PC case fans have evolved to a more efficient and effective product, with better cooling capability at lower noise levels. And on top of that, aesthetically speaking, not only they provide superior cooling performance but also “lightens” up or adds “bling” to your PC. According to Corsair, “if NASA designed a computer case fan – this would be it”. Today, we are going to check out the Corsair ML120 PRO LED 120mm PWM Premium fans featuring Magnetic Levitation technology and custom engineered rotors. The Corsair ML120 fans also features extensive control range, from 400 RPM up to 2400 RPM and static pressure from 0.2 to 4.2 mmAq. Are you in the market looking for premium and high quality case fans for your chassis, or even to cool your CPU cooler or radiator? Check out our Corsair ML120 PRO LED review below.

Corsair ML120 PRO LED 120mm PWM MagLev Fan Review

When we hear the term “Mag Lev” or “Maglev”, first thing that usually comes into our minds is a fast bullet train or something that levitates with the use of magnet. The Corsair ML120 PRO LED fans is somewhat similar in a sense that the magnetic levitation bearing completely suspends the fan blades from the motor housing, providing an almost friction-less operation; thus producing lower noise while delivering better cooling performance at higher RPMs.

We only have the Corsair ML120 PRO LED 120mm White fans here, but Corsair released several ML series fans that comes in varying sizes and color. The Corsair ML120 PRO LED (120mm) and ML140 PRO LED (140mm) are at the top of the ML series. These fans are available in three different colors: White, Red and Blue. Corsair also released a non-LED version, the ML120 PRO / ML140 PRO; these fans are cheaper compared to the LED versions, but are basically the same in terms of performance and design.

According to Corsair: “We built the ML Series to be the ultimate fan, offering exceptionally low noise levels to those who value silence and insane airflow for those who demand it” said Michael Hooper, Product Manager for Cooling at CORSAIR. “With the use of the Magnetic Levitation Bearing and custom rotor, we’re able to create a single fan that lets the user choose their perfect balance between airflow, static pressure and noise with no compromises.”

Corsair ML PRO LED Series Fan Features:

  • Magnetic Levitation Bearing – Harnesses Magnetic Levitation technology to provide lower noise, higher performance, and a longer lifespan.
  • Custom Rotor Design – Delivers the perfect balance between high static pressure and high airflow, operating flawlessly in the most challenging environments.
  • Extensive Control Range – A 2,000 RPM control range gives you total control between low noise and absolute performance. At 400 RPM ML Series 120mm fans provide 12 CFM of airflow at just 16 dBA for near silent running. At 2,400 RPM, the same fans offer a huge 75 CFM of airflow, at an un-intrusive 37dBa. You choose the balance between silence and performance, and the ML Series delivers.
  • Color Customization – Replaceable corners mounted to anti-vibration rubber dampers allow you to match your fans with the rest of your build while delivering quiet operation at higher speeds.
  • Bold LED’s – ML120 PRO LED and ML140 PRO LED are available in Red, White or Blue, with ultra-bright LEDs mounted to the center rotor, outputting a vivid blast of light and color.

Corsair ML Series Case Fan Specifications

ML120 ML120 PRO ML120 PRO
LED White
ML120 PRO
LED Red
ML120 PRO
LED Blue
Pack Quantity 2 1 1 1 1
Rubber Corners No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Corner Color None Black White Red Blue
LED Lit No No Yes – White Yes – White Yes – White
RPM 40 – 2400 40 – 2400 400 – 2400 400 – 2400 400 – 2400
CFM 12 – 75 12 -75 12 – 75 12 – 75 12 – 75
Static Pressure 0.2 – 4.2 0.2 – 4.2 0.2 – 4.2 0.2 – 4.2 0.2 – 4.2
Noise (dBA) 16 – 37 16 – 37 16 – 37 16 – 37 16 – 37
MSRP $34.99 $24.99 $27.99 $27.99 $27.99
ML140 ML140 PRO ML140 PRO
LED White
ML140 PRO
LED Red
ML140 PRO
LED Blue
Pack Quantity 2 1 1 1 1
Rubber Corners No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Corner Color None Black White Red Blue
LED Lit No No Yes – White Yes – Red Yes – Blue
RPM 40 – 2000 40 – 2000 40 – 2000 40 – 2000 40 – 2000
CFM 17 – 97 17 – 97 17 – 97 17 – 97 17 – 97
Static Pressure 0.2 – 3.0 0.2 – 3.0 0.2 – 3.0 0.2 – 3.0 0.2 – 3.0
Noise (dBA) 16 – 37 16 – 37 16 – 37 16 – 37 16 – 37
MSRP $39.99 $28.99 $30.99 $30.99 $30.99

Corsair ML120 PRO LED Packaging and Closer Look

Corsair’s packaging is very efficient, compact and looks nice. You can see a picture of the product on the front side, and at the back you can read the features and some specifications of the ML120 fan. It’s also noticeable that the box is a little bit thicker than the usual and quite sturdy as well.

Inside, you see the Corsair ML120 PRO LED fan cradled on another box that serves as its padding and provides additional protection. Aside from the ML120 fan, you also get a leaflet regarding warranty, four screws and two tie wires.

The Corsair ML120 PRO LED fan is a little bit heavy but feels very sturdy compared to your typical 120mm fans. It’s rated to run from speeds of 400 RPM up to 2400 RPM, and with a CFM rating of 12 to 75 and static pressure of 0.2 to 4.2 mmAq. If I am not mistaken, the ML series was designed to provide cooling performance that is somewhere in between a high static pressure fan and a high airflow fan. Thanks to this design, you can use the ML120 as an air intake or exhaust, or to cool a radiator or CPU cooler. The Corsair ML120 PRO LED fan makes use of a 4-pin PWM connector that will enable you to control its fan speed from 400RPM up to 2400 RPM.

The black frame is very sturdy, you can’t easily bend or even flex it unlike other fans. The white corner caps on the edges, where you insert the screws, are also made out of hard plastic. The grey material in between the corner caps and black frame are rubber and suppresses vibration that produces noise. You can remove the corner caps if you plan to change the color, but I find it very hard to remove them. You need to apply more push pressure so that it will be ejected. The package doesn’t include extra corner caps but you can buy some at Corsair’s online store, under the Cooling and Corsair Link section.

The fan blades are made of a frosted or semi-transparent plastic material. Thanks to its transparent and frosted characteristics, the light coming from the LEDs is somehow distributed. Not really evenly since there are only four LEDs in the middle, but somehow it makes the fan looks glowing.

Let’s move on to the next page and see how the Corsair ML120 PRO LED performs in action…

Test Setup and Performance

I installed two Corsair ML120 PRO LED fans on the radiator of the Cryorig A40 Ultimate AOI CPU cooler. The rest of the Corsair ML120 fans where installed on the casing as an exhaust. Unfortunately, the In Win 805 chassis wasn’t quite as accommodating when it comes to airflow as it has limited air intake entrance and only a single 120mm fan for exhaust. I have to put the radiator out so that the fans will have enough room to suck in air and push the heat away from the radiator. Below are the rest of the system’s specifications.

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 7
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K
CPU Cooler: Cryorig A40 Ultimate All-in-One
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED DDR4-3200MHz 32GB (4x8GB)
Graphics card: Galax GTX 1080 HOF 8GB
Storage Drives: Zotac Sonix 480GB NVMe SSD, OCZ RD400 512GB PCIe M.e NVMe SSD
Power Supply: FSP Aurum PT 1000W
Chassis: In Win 805

Corsair ML120 PRO LED Fans Cooling Performance

Like I said earlier, I installed two Corsair ML120 PRO LED fans on the radiator of the Cryorig A40 Ultimate AIO CPU cooler, with its radiator sticking out of the chassis. Below are two images; on the first (top) screenshot the fans are controlled via PWM, while on the 2nd (bottom) screenshot the fans are set to run at maximum speed. In both scenarios, the CPU is running at idle to light load only, that’s why the fan speed that is controlled via PWM is only running at below 1000 RPM.

Notice that by increasing the fan speed to maximum speed, the temperature only improved just a tiny bit. This only means that increasing the fan speed higher is unnecessary while in light load situations, not to mention you will experience a nosier fan operation. The scenario on the image below is quite different. The fans are still controlled via PWM, but the CPU is stressed at 100% via AIDA64 stress test. The fans ran at almost 100% speed and noise becomes noticeably audible compared to when it was running at lower RPM.

I included a video below to show to you the different noise levels, comparing the fan speed at 600 RPM vs 2350 RPM.

Corsair ML120 PRO LED Fans Noise Level

The Corsair ML120 PRO LED fans should be silent in theory thanks to its Magnetic Levitation technology. But not matter how good the technology is applied, a fan will still produce a certain amount of noise due to various factors like the air passing through the fan blades or when it hits the fins of a radiator. If you use the ML120 PRO LED fan as purely an air intake or exhaust without any barriers or obstruction on both sides of the fan, it will perform noticeably quieter compared to when it is installed on a radiator. On the video here, I installed two ML120 fans on the radiator of the A40 Ultimate, notice how the noise change from 600 RPM up to 2350 RPM. That’s the controllable range provided by the Gigabyte SIV App.

Price and Availability

The Corsair ML120 PRO LED PWM MagLev fans are now available and come in four different variants; white, blue, red and black (non-LED). There’s also the ML140 PRO LED which is the 140mm variant of the fan series. It also comes with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $27.99 for the 120mm LED versions and $24.99 for the non-LED version. The ML140 140mm version is priced a little bit higher at MSRP $30.99 for the LED version and $28.99 for the non-LED version. These MagLev fans are back with a long 5 year warranty. For the latest pricing and availability, you may check them via the links below.

Latest pricing and availability for Corsair ML120 PRO LED MagLev Fans:
For US, it’s available at Newegg.com here
For UK, available at Amazon UK here

Corsair ML120 PRO LED Fan Review: Conclusion

Corsair never fails to impress us, whether it’s a primary component like DDR memory, or a cooling fan to cool your system or CPU cooler. The Corsair ML120 PRO LED 120mm PWM MagLev fan is truly an impressive cooling fan. It offers great cooling performance at lower noise levels and at the same time provides a decent amount of illumination. These fans are also pretty solid and well-built, not to mention quite expensive as well. But these are premium fans and you do get what you pay for – which is quality and performance.

The ability to control varying fan speeds from 400 RPM up to 2400 PRM is a great way to balance your system’s cooling performance and noise levels. The colored corner caps add highlights to the fan and the rubber dampers helps suppress noise. And let’s not forget the magnetic levitation technology and custom rotor design, providing lower noise at higher performance and offers a balance between high static pressure and high airflow. These are just some of the good points about the Corsair ML120 fans. In my opinion, the LEDs that are positioned from the center of the fan looks better compared to previous fans where the LEDs are placed on the four corners of the frame. Aesthetically speaking, it’s more pleasing and doesn’t look obnoxious.

I don’t find any negative things to point out about the ML series, price could be a con for some; however using 8 LED or a circular LED strip with a light diffuser may look better since the light will glow or illuminate from the center then outwards in an evenly manner.  I’m not sure if RGB variants will come out soon, but RGB versions of the ML series would be a welcomed addition as well (specially that nowadays, RGB is everywhere).

Finally the Corsair ML120 PRO LED MagLev fans are no doubt one of the best fans released this year, in terms of cooling performance, noise level and aesthetics. If you like how these fans look and how they perform, consider them on top of your list.

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Author
Peter Paul
Peter is a PC enthusiast and avid gamer with several years of hands-on experience in testing and reviewing PC components, audio equipment, and various tech devices. He offers a genuine, no-nonsense perspective, helping consumers make informed choices in the ever-changing world of technology.

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