Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Racing Green Review

Mike Sanders / 3 years ago

How Much Does it Cost?

Although we have not been able to confirm exact retail pricing at the time of writing (likely due to the delays seen in the global shipping situation) we understand that the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 (in Racing Green, Turquoise, or its standard colour) are all available for a price in the region of £22.99-£24.99. Compared to premium fan models from other manufacturers, this makes them well placed and a highly tempting proposition due to their slightly lower price tag.

Performance

The Thermaltake Toughfan 12 series of fans, regardless of the colour, are some of the best fans currently available on the market. They’re very much focused on a no-nonsense approach and offer lots of strong airflows while operating at very low levels of noise output. – The lack of ARGB will undoubtedly put some people off these. If you care more about having a good positive airflow either through your case, air cooler, or AIO, however, then these will undoubtedly represent an excellent upgrade for the vast majority of you reading this!

Should I Buy One?

We’ve avoided it for as long as we can, but to offer you some true consumer advice, we simply have to discuss the elephant in the room here. And that’s the fact that the Thermaltake Toughfan 12 has always looked, at least in our view, to represent itself as a less expensive but ‘just as good’ alternative to Noctua. Now, admittedly, in their base colours, Thermaltake wins the aesthetic battle with ease. Some love Noctua’s beige and brown, others absolutely hate it. In comparison to the sleek and stylish ‘base’ Toughfan 12, however, it’s no contest, it’s Thermaltake all day long.

With the launch of Noctua’s Chromax.Black fans, however, Thermaltake has, very wisely, looked at providing some alternative colours for its premium fan designs. Between the two new options, I hugely prefer the ‘Racing Green’ to the ‘Turquoise. And when comparing ‘Racing Green’ to the original, I like them both equally.

The bottom line though is that you have options now with Thermaltake now. Whichever you choose though, I promise you that you’re not going to be disappointed. The Thermaltake Toughfan 12 is honestly, in any distinguishable and perhaps more casual consumer sense, just as good as any other ‘premium’ fan model on the market. All while coming in at a notably less expensive price!

Pros

Strong airflow performance
Low acoustic output – Ideal for those who value quiet system performance
An ideal upgrade for either case fans or as a replacement for your air or AIO cooler
Notably less expensive than the vast majority of its ‘premium-level’ competition
Effectively 3 colours to pick from. – Ideal for those who hate RGB/ARGB lighting!