Arctic has released a new cooling fan archetype for server use, the S12038-4K and -8K. The fan is instantly visually unique thanks to its seven bonus fan blades in its direct center, creating a fan-within-a-fan effect. The fan offers class-leading static pressure, though Arctic seems reticent to advertise its new standout.
The S12038’s spec sheet is rather impressive on several fronts. Its advertised power consumption at max load, 3.96W, is 12% lower than the next closest server-grade competitor. It generates an insane 11.45 mmH₂O of static pressure, around 3X-6X greater than Arctic’s stable of standard case fans. This high static pressure and airflow level is near the best in class for server hardware. As the name implies, the S12038 can be had in flavors of 4,000 or 8,000 maximum RPM.
The fan achieves this power using a dual ball bearing design, with two ball bearings turning the fan, rather than the standard fluid dynamic bearing style. The extra fan blades in the center of the impeller serve to cool the shaft, providing a motor temperature of 5-10 degrees Celsius lower than that of Arctic’s press materials (Arctic’s press materials disagree on this number). Arctic claims this additional shaft cooling helps double the fan’s effective lifespan. It also includes a dust cover sticker for the central fans to protect the fan in highly dusty environments, though why anyone would choose to cover up the majesty of the bonus fan blades is beyond me.
Those interested in using the fan for extra style points in a non-server PC setting should take special consideration before picking the S12038-4K. The fan is 38mm tall, 11mm taller than standard PC cooling fans. It also lacks rubber pads for quieter mounting, as the fan will generate higher noise and vibrations no matter what. As a server fan, this is not optimized for silent operation like most consumer PC fans today.
Arctic seems surprisingly disinterested in advertising its new fan, even though it represents a step up in performance in its class. The company deletes or ignores Arctic subreddit posts, press releases are difficult to find, and very few outlets have reported on the fan’s real-world performance. Those interested in using the extreme high-pressure fan in 3U+ servers or workstations can find it for $14.99 from Amazon.