PAPST used to be a very popular brand of fan among computer enthusiasts a few years ago, but the company seems to be slipping into obscurity these days.

We could only find one PAPST fan on sale in the UK, which is the 4312L. This is a 120mm model that's unusually deep, measuring 32mm, instead of the more usual 25mm. This means that the blades of the 4312L are substantially fatter than most other fans in this Labs test, which, theoretically, means that it should move more air per revolution. The ball-bearing motor of the 4312L spins at 1,550rpm and PAPST claims that it can produce 55.9cfm at 30dBA.

In our tests, the 4312L proved to be rather louder than its claimed figures, registering 33.5dBA, which is audible and annoying. We measured the 4312Ls airflow to be 76cfm, the same as the Thermaltake A2329 Silent Cat, the Scythe S-Flex SFF21F and the Sharkoon Silent Eagle 2000 80mm. The aforementioned Thermaltake and Scythe fans are also 120mm models and produce a similar amount of noise to the 4312L, but the Sharkoon fan is an 80mm fan and is much quieter, registering just 21.5dBA.

While the 4312L produces a similar amount of airflow and noise to that of the Thermaltake A2329 Silent Cat, it's considerably more expensive, despite the lack of extras such as mounting screws or a Molex to 3-pin power adaptor. This means that it's poor value for money and as such, we really can't find any reason to recommend it.

Click here to see full reviews report.

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