NZXT Aer RGB 140 Triple Pack Fan Review

Introduction

“RGB ALL THE THINGS!” has certainly been the unofficial motto of the tech industry this year, and while some may be getting tired of the lack of new products, unless you count the 2015 models with new lighting, I’m honestly loving every bit of it. We can’t expect rampant innovation with every hardware generation, so this year we went sideways and made things colourful. When it comes to creating a unique and aesthetically pleasing desktop environment, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have options. This is where the new Aer RGB 120 and 140mm fans from NZXT come into play!

Digitally controlled RGB LED fans for HUE+

“Designed to integrate seamlessly with HUE+, the Aer RGB fan provides optimal airflow and advanced lighting customizations. Group and daisy chain up to five fans per channel from the HUE+ for extensive lighting modes that work in perfect harmony. Select and modify over 10 lighting effects with ease using CAM’s software interface. The Aer RGB fans feature fluid dynamic bearings and winglet tips that deliver enhanced performance and minimize noise levels.”

Equipped with Hue+ lighting (not to be confused with the Philips Hue lighting), the Aer are controlled by the super slick CAM software and hooked up to the HUE+ lighting hub from NZXT. So yes, you’re going to need to dig deeply into the NZXT ecosystem, but when it comes to slick looking fans, NZXT are really pushing to be the next best thing, and we’re here to see if they look and perform as good as NZXT promise.

• HUE+ and CAM-compatible for seamless software controls and customizations
• Daisy chain and group fans together for additional lighting effects
• PWM fan with optimized cooling and whisper-low 22 dBA
• Fluid dynamic bearing engineered to last over six years
• Uniform light dispersion with unique light guide design
• HUE+ is required and sold separately.

“Designed to integrate seamlessly with HUE+, the Aer RGB fan provides optimal airflow and advanced lighting customizations. Group and daisy chain up to five fans per channel from the HUE+ for extensive lighting modes that work in perfect harmony. Select and modify over 10 lighting effects with ease using CAM’s software interface. The Aer RGB fans feature fluid dynamic bearings and winglet tips that deliver enhanced performance and minimize noise levels.”

Packaging & Accessories

We’ve got the Aer RGB 140 Triple Pack at our disposal today, which comes in a fairly simple box, with a nice image of the three fans on the front, nothing too technical. It does say “made for hue” and I do think that should be made more like a warning that you need one for the other.

Around the back, a heap of technical information, demos of the CAM software, and a little image that shows the fans mounted in a chassis. Boxes aren’t much fun though, so let’s bust it open and get to the good stuff!

I can already tell these are going to be a little pesky to wire in neatly but will give it a shot anyway. In the box you can find the documentation, screws for the fans, bridge cables, and longer fan cables which are labelled in and out so you bridge the connections correctly.