Razer Kunai Chroma 120 mm Case Fan in Review – Hopelessly overpriced, but without juice and power

Today’s test was not only requested by many readers, but almost insisted on. So I bought the part for almost 40 euros after all and was just as shocked as most who had complained so loudly about the product. A fan whose RRP is around 43 Euros and which is hardly available on the market for significantly less than 40 Euros already sets extremely high standards for itself via the price, which it first has to meet. The fact that the cooling performance is barely better than that of a 5-euro fan despite the usual brightness is not only depressing for the buyer, but really declassifying for the product. Especially since it can’t beat the reference, which is only half as expensive.

The main thing is colorful? Apparently so, but I’m really pissed off. You simply cannot offer something like that for this price, especially since the packaging completely contradicts the specifications on the homepage in terms of performance data. Especially when, in the end, neither is quite right. A fan that needs 100 meters of run-up in some situations even to stand still is really a no-go for 40 Euros and more. And since we’re not just ranting without being able to back it all up, I recommend everyone follow our odyssey across all sides of the test. If it is this time exceptionally no product recommendation, then one can learn nevertheless also so some from such a non-purchase recommendation. For example, the wisdom that radiators are not impressed by LEDs and even good OEMs only deliver what the buyer, in this case Razer, pays for.

Razer buys the fans from Power Logic, a Taiwanese company with its workbench in China. Power Logic can do really good fans and is a really good address for many customers, unless you practice cost-down. The omission of a classic frame is an annoying design stunt, which is quite nice visually, but has such a negative impact on the performance that the mere sight of the unpacked and not yet connected product is a foreboding sign. At the same time, Fan’s 25 mm thickness is exactly within the norm, which of course makes it more comparable in the end. However, a total of 7 very wide rotor blades will have to turn a little faster to compensate for the reduced inner diameter of the frame due to the illuminated ring. Kind of. But we’ll get to that in a moment, also to the gap dimensions known from Power Logic.

The translucent light ring houses the individually controllable RGB LEDs, the rotor is unlit. The connection is made as usual via a 4-pin PWM connector and the 5V RGB connector. So please don’t hit the 12V RGB headers of the motherboards with force, that will definitely go wrong. The cable harnessing of the three flat ribbon cables is also solved analogously to most other fans and thus doesn’t pose an obstacle. You can at least cascade the RGB Preci dips, even if the amount of cables is rather annoying with up to eight fans.

After all, it lights up. Just like comparable fans. And it doesn’t even need a proprietary controller or hub. This, in turn, is practical, but also keeps the effects magic in check. So everything has advantages and disadvantages

The rear view is unsuspicious, even though the fat struts will certainly not be very palatable to the airflow and you should also pay attention to the noise later.

Surprisingly, one relies on one of the usual hydro-dynamic bearings, which can be quite suitable for Power Logic. However, more would have certainly been possible at this price, but it unfortunately fits into the overall picture that you pay a lot of money here and get a bit less for it.

Everything is supported by a round, black frame, which doesn’t hide any secrets optically at first glance, but doesn’t end flush at the contact surfaces and thus has to lead to failure on radiators, for example. Not everything that is beautiful to look at must also be conducive to function. But this has actually been known for a long time. We can see very clearly in the picture below what happens to some of the air pressed onto the radiator. In the case of loudspeakers, for example, this would be an acoustic short circuit in the bass. If you don’t believe it: just plug the pointless openings temporarily with dough and the performance increases immediately! Optical game stuff, in other words.

The PWM-controlled fan manages a measured speed range from 0 to up to 2200 rpm and relies on a fan stop. Thus, with PWM control, the fan goes off, which is not inconvenient due to the noise level. The fan is delivered together with the four M5 screws and alternative rubber nipples. The decoupling to the case is done via rubber sleeves that were pressed into each of the four holes. Since the ends protrude slightly, this still works quite neatly even with the M5 screws.

The gaps of 1.7 to a maximum of 1.9 mm between the rotor and frame are typical for Power-Logic and the surface finish is not objectionable, even if the 18 LEDs were soldered inside the light ring in such a way that dark heels are visible. The power consumption of 3.36 watts (measurement) for the fan (without RGB) is relatively high at full speed, but not too extreme. But I’ll get to all the details in a moment, because there’s an extra paragraph on that.

 

On the next page you will first see how and what we test and why. Understanding the details is incredibly important in order to be able to objectively classify the results later. The differences between many models are more in the details and the best fan for all situations can hardly exist. There is a certain optimum in every situation and, of course, good all-rounders. But they usually have their price. However, if you are planning very specifically with 60 mm radiators, for example, you might be able to save money by choosing the best model for your intended use, which might not perform so well as a case fan. And vice versa, of course.