Corsair LL120 RGB LED Fan Triple Pack Review

By Sean Sinha

Corsair LL120 RGB LED Fan Triple Pack – A Closer Look and Corsair Lighting Node Pro

Corsair LL120 RGB Fan Technical Specifications

  • Dimensions: 120 mm x 120 mm x 25 mm
  • Rated Voltage – Fan: 12V
  • Rated Voltage – RGB LED’s: 5V
  • Fan Operating Voltage: (7V-13.2V)
  • Fan Startup Voltage: 7V
  • Rated Current – Fan: .30 A
  • Rated Current – RGB LED’S: .062 A
  • Speed: 600-1500 RPM +/- 10%
  • Airflow (at 12V): 43.25 CFM
  • Static Pressure (at 12V): 1.61 mm-H2O
  • Sound Level (at 12): 24.8 dBA
  • Connection Cable: 4-pin
  • Pulse Width Modulation (PWM): Yes
  • Bearing Type: Hydraulic
  • Cable Length – Fan: 600 mm/23.62 inches
  • Cable Length – RGB LED’s: 600 mm/23.62 inches

MSRP:

  • LL120 RGB single: $34.99 USD
  • LL120 RGB triple pack: $119.99 USD
  • LL140 RGB single: $39.99 USD
  • LL140 RGB twin pack: $99.99

Corsair LL120 RGB Triple Pack -Retail Box

The Corsair LL120 RGB Led Triple Fan Kit ($119.99 USD) ships in a black box with yellow accents lining the sides and a rainbow line across the bottom. The box features a picture of three LL120 fans in action and Corsair branding throughout. Corsair did a great job of showing off the default RGB effect of the LL120 RGB with great detail in a way that should attract the eyes of customers in retail outlets.

Corsair LL120 RGB Fan - Box Contents (Fans Not Pictured)

Here you can see the full layout of components and accessories that come with the LL120 RGB Fan Triple Pack, minus the fans. Corsair includes screw sets for each of the fans, along with the necessary USB and RGB cables for the Lighting Node Pro and RGB Fan LED Hub. The various components for the Corsair LL120 RGB Fan Triple Pack were each packaged in simple cardboard boxes and arrived in excellent condition. Keep in mind that while Corsair lists the Lighting Node Pro as an included accessory, the LED strips that come with the retail version are not included with the LL fans because it would have increased the cost too much. You can buy compatible RGB LED strips separately from Corsair, though for $39.99 each. Also of note, only the LL120 RGB Fan Triple Pack ($119.99) and LL140 RGB Fan Twin Pack ($99) come with the Lighting Node Pro and RGB Fan LED Hub, which are absolutely necessary for the RGB LED’s to work. Without the Lighting Node Pro and RGB Fan LED Hub, the LL RGB fans can still work as non-LED fans over a PWM fan connection, but that’s just not any fun and defeats the purpose of getting these fans in the first place. It is wise of Corsair to sell fans without the additional hardware, as there are users who already have the Lighting Node Pro and LED RGB Fan Hub who don’t need them and can save a few bucks by just buying the fans by themselves.

The Corsair RGB Fan LED Hub has six four-pin inputs, allowing it to work with up to six Corsair RGB fans at a time. The Corsair RGB Fan LED Hub is compatible with all of the Corsair RGB fans that require Corsair Link, so you can mix LL, HD and SP series fans on the same hub. This comes in particularly handy for me, since I have some HD140 fans coming in for my radiator and I can easily drop them in and connect them to the hub without having to add any additional hardware to my rig. The 3 pin connector that is focused in the picture above on left connects the fan hub to the Corsair Lighting Node Pro, which is a necessary component that lets all of the fans communicate to the Corsair Link software via USB.

The Corsair Lighting Node Pro ($49.99) is a compact black box that allows you to control up to four individually addressable RGB LED strips and up to six individually addressable RGB fans through the Corsair RGB Fan Hub. The Lighting Node Pro requires SATA power and interfaces with your PC through an internal USB connection. The SATA power cable on the Lighting Node Pro is 400 mm (17.32 inches) long, while the included USB cable is 375 mm (14.76 inches). I would suggest putting the Lighting Node Pro in a location central to all of your fans so that the cables don’t have to route too far, leaving no room to hide them. The Lighting Node Pro features a Corsair Logo on top and a small reset button is located right above that logo.

Corsair LL120 RGB Fan

The Corsair LL120 fan has a black frame, with rubberized screw holes and rubber isolation tabs on the four corners to reduce noise. The LL series fan has a frosted blades, which should diffuse the RGB lighting more evenly than glossy plastic would. There is a Corsair sticker on the center blade of the fan and it looks okay, but I think a stamped or silkscreen logo would look better. Thankfully, Corsair put the sticker on straight, so there isn’t any wobble when the fans are running.

Corsair LL120 RGB - Rear

The rear area of the LL120 RGB fan is fairly uneventful, with a Corsair sticker covering the rear of the hub. The same rubber isolation bumpers that are on the front are also on the rear of the LL120. The LED and fan cables run through a channel neatly through the side of the fan. Our sample had the sticker lifted slightly where the cables exited, but it was easy to flatten them and push the sticker back down. Hopefully this isn’t an issue others will see, but it’s easy enough to remedy.

The LL120 fans have two cables coming from them. One is a four-pin PWM fan header that can be installed on your motherboard for direct control. The other cable coming from the LL120 is to be wired directly to the Corsair Fan Hub, which connects to the Lighting Node Pro with a single cable connection. The Lighting Node Pro is able to communicate with each fan on the fan hub individually, as long as they have been installed in serial and no ports were skipped. If you break the chain, say by connecting fans to ports 1,2 and 4 instead of 1,2 and 3, the Lighting effects will not work and the chain will be broken.

Let’s take a look at our installation of the LL120 RGB Fan Triple Pack, next.