Thermaltake SWAFAN 12 & 14 RGB Fan Review

How Much Do They Cost?

Both the Thermaltake SWAFAN 12 and 14 RGB radiator fans should be hitting retailers imminently with consumers looking at a price in the region of £89.99/£99.99 respectively (Click here for info!). – Now, admittedly, this clearly doesn’t make them cheap.

In terms of cooling fans though, the Thermaltake SWAFAN 12/14 RGB is a premium almost enthusiast-level product offering features well beyond what might, on average, be expected. Put simply, these are not cheap fans because they are not cheap fans! – Admittedly though, even I’ll concede that while they might pack a lot of impressive features, their price tag is probably a bit too much to tempt the casual consumer.

Performance

Whether set in a push or pull configuration, the performance offered with the Thermaltake SWAFAN 12/14 RGB fans is excellent. Admittedly though, the key highlights do really boil down to two points. Firstly, you have those amazing interchangeable fans that are really easy to work with and swap. Secondly, you have those amazingly bright and bold ARGB lighting effects which can be configured and customised to the nth degree via Thermaltake’s TT RGB Plus software.

If that wasn’t enough, you also have some exceptionally impressive levels of practical performance with these not just shifting a lot of air (in either pull or push), but also doing so surprisingly quiet even in the ‘reversible’ mode which, although a bit louder, is still well within acceptable, if not impressive, remits.

Should I Buy One?

These are, without a doubt, some of the nicest fans money can buy at the moment. Building upon the excellent development seen with Thermaltake cooling products such as the Riing Trio and Quad, however, having the option to reserve the fan blades is clearly a highly attractive proposition. As noted right at the beginning of this review, it was the feature that most garnered my attention and trying it out here, I can categorically 100% confirm that it’s not just easy to do, but offers solid levels of performance regardless of how its configured.

Admittedly, I think a key issue for most consumers is going to be the price tag. The Thermaltake SWAFAN 12/14 RGB is not inexpensive. For those looking for unique levels of functionality and amazing ARGB performance, however, you are very much getting some excellent value for your money here!

Pros

• High-quality fan design offering strong levels of performance
• That interchangeable fan blade design is simply fantastic – Very easy to use/swap out, and works surprisingly well in either configuration
• Bright, bold, and vibrant ARGB lighting effects
• Ideal as AIO radiator replacements or as more generic case fan upgrades
• Excellent quality hub controller provided to allow for significantly easier cable management and usage
• Quite possibly some of the most premium/enthusiast-level fans currently available on the market in terms of both performance and functionality

Cons

• A Molex power connection in 2022? – A lot of users are going to have to go digging through their modular PSU cable bags because this is hardly standard or expected in any tech product these days!

Neutral

• Some generic PWM compatibility might have been a nice option
• It really necessitates the use of the TT RGB Plus software for control of the functionality (RGB, speed, etc.)
• Probably too expensive for the casual consumer to consider