Corsair introduces PC case fans with ‘reverse rotors’ which apparently help those LEDs shine without obstruction
RGB lighting and PC gaming are kind of synonymous, and I for one think it’s pretty cool. Sure, it can often be a lot but I love a hot rig with some sick coloured lights pulsing away inside. Some of the first decorative lights I ever got for my machine were by the way of cooling fans, and I distinctly remember feeling a weird swelling of PC gamer pride the first time I installed them.
Case lighting has come a long way since those dark ages, and that includes fans with Corsair bringing out its new RS-R Series fans that are built differently with lighting needs in mind.
The new RS-R Series fans are touted as being a great solution for both aesthetic lighting and functional cooling. They feature eight addressable RGB LEDs in each fan, and boast controllable PWM cooling that can up to 65.8 CFM. Both of which can be controlled straight from the software on your motherboard, which they attach to using a single 4-pin PWM connector and one +5V ARGB header.
You can also daisy chain a bunch of these to run in series, so it should be a relatively easy cabling operation to kit out a case full of these fans. This setup also means you should be able to get the full force of these windmakers without requiring any additional installations or controllers.
Corsair’s iCue Link fans are our top picks when it comes to airflow that looks good while keeping your PC cool, but these may be a step up. Not having to delve into the iCue software to get these 120mm round bois just how you like them will be a godsend.
What’s most confusing about these fans is also their headlining feature. Corsair boasts the RS-Rs will feature reverse rotors to create unobstructed lighting. I don’t understand how this affects the lighting, though. Maybe fan blades don’t overlap in a visual sense or some other weird side effect – after all photons behave in all sorts of weird ways. Still, I don’t logically see how reversing the rotor would help to make the lights on a fan look any better.
These also aren’t the first fans from Corsair to sport the reverse rotor advantage, but they are much cheaper than what was on offer before.
Aside from this confusion, they do look like nice fans. That fine control, and even the ability to run at Zero RPM for ultra quiet standby computing do make for an appealing argument. They also feature magnetic dome bearings for minimal friction, and should have a fair amount of longevity for it. Corsair seems to think so to, offering a five-year warranty on the RS-Rs, which is always great for peace of mind.
The new RS-Rs case fans come in packs of three, in both black and white frame colours to help match your case aesthetics. Naturally you can pick the LED colours when you get them installed to help do the rest. They’re available now, and look to be going for around $60 USD a pack. If you do grab a set, can you please let us know how the backwards rotor helps the lighting? Otherwise I might just go a little insane.
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