The noise value sits at the end of the Fan row
It is easy to miss. On a cooler page the number comes last in the spec table's Fan row, after the fan's size, speed range, static pressure and airflow, as in "- Noise: 36.45 dB(A)".
That row covers the radiator fans and nothing else. Where a page has a Pump row, it gives the pump generation and a motor speed range. Ryujin models add a Water Block row for a fan inside the block, with a speed, pressure and airflow and, again, no noise value.
Case fan pages work differently, with a separate "Fan Noise Level" row beside a single fan speed.
No ASUS page gives a measuring distance or names the method behind its numbers. They line up against one another and nothing else, as the explainer on decibel ratings sets out.
The TUF Gaming LC II 240 and 360 ARGB, at 29 dB(A). The unlit Ryujin III and Ryujin II follow at 29.7, then the ROG Ryuo IV 360 ARGB at 30.7. Here is the full order, with the fan speed range each page prints:
| Liquid cooler | Fan row, dB(A) | Fan speed, RPM |
|---|
| TUF Gaming LC II 240 and 360 ARGB | 29 | 800 to 2,000 |
| ROG Ryujin III 240 and 360, ROG Ryujin II 240 | 29.7 | 450 to 2,000 |
| ROG Ryuo IV 360 ARGB and White Edition | 30.7 | 500 to 2,000 |
| ProArt LC 420, three 140 mm Noctua fans | 31.5 | 800 to 2,000 |
| ASUS LC 240 and 360 ARGB | 33 | 800 to 1,800 |
| Prime LC 240 ARGB, 360 ARGB and 360 ARGB White Edition | 34 | 600 to 2,200 |
| MAX Gaming LC 360 ARGB LCD | 35.5 | 0 to 2,500 |
| ROG Strix LC II 280 ARGB, 140 mm fans | 35.7 | 700 to 2,100 |
| ROG Strix LC III 240 ARGB, 360 ARGB, 360 and 360 ARGB LCD, plus White Editions | 36 | 800 to 2,200 |
| ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme and White Edition | 36 | 0 to 2,800 |
| ROG Ryujin III 240 and 360 ARGB, Ryujin II 240 ARGB, Ryuo III 240 and 360 ARGB, with White Editions | 36.45 | |
| Prime LC 360 ARGB LCD | 36.5 | 800 to 2,500 |
| TUF Gaming LC III 360 ARGB and 360 ARGB LCD, with White Editions | 37.4 | 650 to 2,600 |
| ROG Strix LC 240 RGB, Strix LC II 240, 240 ARGB and 360 ARGB White Edition | 37.6 | 800 to 2,500 |
| ProArt LC 360 | 39.5 | 0 to 3,000 |
| ROG Ryuo IV SLC 360 ARGB, White Edition and Hatsune Miku Edition | 39.6 | 800 to 2,650 |
Top fan speed explains most of that order. Every cooler at 31.5 dB(A) or below has fans that stop at 2,000 RPM, and both models near 39.5 run theirs past 2,600.
The ASUS LC is the odd one out: capped at 1,800 RPM, its fans still read 33.
The TUF Gaming LC III spins faster than the LC II
Faster fans account for the gap. The LC III 360 ARGB reads 37.4 dB(A) against 29 for the LC II, and its fans reach 2,600 RPM and 90.78 CFM where the older set stopped at 2,000 RPM and 67 CFM. They push harder at the top end too, 3.82 mmH2O to the LC II's 3.0. Neither page says at what speed its dB(A) value was taken. What the two numbers compare, then, is two fans each running to its own limit.
Hold both to one speed with a fan curve and they should land much closer, though no ASUS figure exists to prove it.
The walkthrough on making PC fans quieter shows how to cap a curve in the BIOS.
How loud is the ROG Ryujin III?
36.45 dB(A) for the 360 ARGB, the 240 ARGB and both White Editions. Unlit, it reads 29.7.
Different fans explain the 6.75 dB(A) between them. The ARGB models carry the "ROG Magnetic Daisy-chainable Fan" at 600 to 2,200 RPM and 70.07 CFM. The unlit ones name no fan and list 450 to 2,000 RPM, 71.6 CFM and 3.94 mmH2O, slightly more air from a slower fan.
A 30 mm version of the magnetic fan goes into the Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme, where it spins up to 2,800 RPM and reads 36 dB(A). Every Ryujin III also hides one more fan inside the pump block, listed at 5,100 RPM and given no noise value at all.
No. Across all 47 liquid cooler pages, a Pump row, where one exists, names the Asetek generation and a speed range and stops there.
A typical row reads "8th gen Asetek pump, Motor Speed:800 - 3600 +/- 10% RPM". The Ryujin III and Ryuo III lines both list an "8th gen Asetek pump", with motor speeds up to 3,600 and 2,600 RPM. The Strix LC III gets a "7th V2 gen Asetek pump, Motor Speed:800 - 2,800 +/- 10% RPM", while the Ryuo IV SLC gives "Motor Speed:1800 - 3200 +/- 10% RPM" and no generation. Several newer pages, including the Ryuo IV 360 ARGB, the Ryujin III Extreme and the TUF Gaming LC III, have dropped the Pump row altogether.
The hum and rattle a pump can add are covered in the explainer on computer fan noises.
Which ASUS case fan is quietest?
The Prime MR120 ARGB, at 21 dB(A) and 1,600 RPM. For a radiator, the ROG Strix XF120 at 22.5 dB(A) and 1,800 RPM brings nearly twice the pressure. Ranked by the full-speed figure:
| Case fan | dB(A) | At RPM | Airflow, CFM | ASUS price |
|---|
| Prime MR120 ARGB | 21 | 1,600 | 58 | $14.99 |
| ROG Strix XF120 | 22.5 | 1,800 | 62.5 | $17.99 |
| Prime MR120 ARGB Reverse | 23 | 1,600 | 58 | |
| TUF Gaming TF120 ARGB | 29 | 1,900 | 76 | $17.99 single, $69.99 for three |
| TUF Gaming TR120 ARGB and TR120 ARGB Reverse | 29 | | | |
| ROG Eurux GR120 ARGB Reverse | 32 | 2,200 | 70 | $39.99 |
| ProArt PF120 | 39 | 3,000 | 104.8 | $34.99 |
One fan is missing on purpose. The standard-blade ROG Eurux GR120 ARGB prints "<33 dB(A)" at 2,600 RPM, an upper bound rather than a value, so it is quoted and not ranked. The 120mm fan guide puts these ASUS fans next to other makers'.
Its Fan Noise Level row reads "39 /29.7 /19 dB(A)" against a speed row of "3000 /2200 /1400 rpm". Airflow and pressure step down the same way, through 104.8, 73.5 and 47.4 CFM and 7.3, 3.5 and 1.5 mmH2O. So at 2,200 RPM the PF120 reads 29.7 dB(A) and still moves 73.5 CFM, close to what the TUF TF120 manages flat out at 29.
The overview promises buyers "can select silent operation for lighter loads or maximum airflow for more demanding activities", across a range "from 0 to 3000rpm".
No other ASUS fan or cooler page ties noise to more than one speed. Because the 19 dB(A) is not a full-speed figure, the PF120 is ranked here on its 39.
Two Ryuo IV fan rows share one name
The "ROG RYUO IV MF-12C ARGB Fan" turns up on several cooler pages with two different sets of numbers.
| Cooler page | Fan speed, RPM | Airflow, CFM | Pressure, mmH2O | Fan row, dB(A) |
|---|
| Ryuo IV 360 ARGB and White Edition | 500 to 2,000 | 56.66 | 3.56 | 30.7 |
| Ryuo IV SLC 360 ARGB, its White Edition and the Ryuo IV 360 ARGB Hatsune Miku Edition | 800 to 2,650 | 71.44 | | 39.6 |
The Hatsune Miku Edition is sold as a Ryuo IV 360 ARGB, yet it carries the SLC fan row. Each page's figure is quoted as printed, and the two Ryuo IV groups are treated as separate coolers.
ASUS's listings have gaps as well. The black ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB and the TUF Gaming LC II 360 ARGB both had live US spec pages on November 10, yet neither appeared in the US cooling product list, and the Ryujin III ARGB page showed no price.
