Thermaltake SWAFAN EX12 RGB Magnetic Connection Fans Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The Thermaltake SWAFAN EX12 RGB TT Premium Edition Black Fan 3 Pack is available from Scan Computer for just £114.98, which may seem like a lot, but these fans are crammed full of innovative features that may make them some of the last PC fans you ever buy. They’re extremely versatile and honestly, I can see the enthusiasts out there happily dropping the cash for a second set to fill out their whole system.

Overview

RGB fans are nothing new, in fact, they’ve been utterly done to death to the point that I now have no RGB in my PC. However, I am subjected to more RGB products than most, so I get my taste of the rainbow at work enough to not need it at home. However, it seems that both Corsair and Thermaltake are in a pitched battle for RGB fan supremacy, and it’s a close race, I must say. Corsair has the lead on software, their iCUE is class-leading. However, Thermaltake is a closer second, despite having a bit of a naff design, the software is easy to set up, and allows for quick and easy customisation without any confusion, even on configurations with multiple hubs, many fans and effectively hundreds of LEDs.

Magnetic Mounts

Thermaltake takes the lead in cable management though. Sure, you still have the hub, which has a USB cable to the motherboard, and a bloody Molex power cable (Thermaltake, SATA called, and said you’re not returning their calls). So taking care of those cables isn’t too hard, you can hide all that behind the motherboard. Then if you have three fans in a 3 x 120mm configuration, you only need one cable from the hub to the first fan, and the other two are cable-free and snap into the magnetic chain… which is frankly just awesome.

One Cable to Rule Them All

If you have three fans in different places, you are going to need three cables. However, if you’re using rival fans, you’ll need six cables, three for PWM and three more for the RGB. With the Thermaltake hub, it’s all in one cable, so another big win for TT there.

Uno Fan Reverse Card

Then there are the removable fan blades. You can pop them out, give them a wash under the tap at your sink (seriously), dry them off, apply new grease, which is included, and pop them back on and they’re good as new. Then there are the alternative reverse blades, allowing you to get a push or pull configuration without changing the aesthetics of your build. I mean, who wants to see the back of the fan with all that framing plastic and the rear of the motor when you can have the SWAFAN EX12s!

Should I Buy Them?

Honestly, these are really great fans. They deliver better performance than the previous generation, they run nice and quiet, they have magnetic fittings and cables, and an easy-to-configure hub that allows for extensive RGB and PWM fan curve customisation. Really, it’s everything you could ask for and more when shopping for some enthusiast-level fans that take both performance and aesthetics extremely seriously.