Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 RGB Fan Kit Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 RGB are available to purchase now with consumers looking at a price in the region of £124.99 (again, for this triple-fan kit). We should also note that you can also purchase the 140mm kit for a surprisingly low additional cost of £4.99 (£129.98 total).

Now, admittedly, these are not cheap. In fact, even allowing the cost of the hub controller at circa £15, this still sees each individual fan averaging at about £37. – You do have to consider though that these are not basic cooling solutions. These are Thermaltake’s TOUGHFAN. Some of the best cooling solutions currently available on the market. No, they’re not cheap, but there’s a key reason for that. Namely, because they’re not cheap fans!

Performance

Coming as a TOUGHFAN product, the fact that these offered some incredible level of performance comes as no surprise to us. Don’t let the RGB fool you into thinking that this is lipstick on a pig. These are still high-performance cooling fans and quite possibly some of the best available on the market right now.

Having that RGB lighting, however, really does add an extra dimension. The effects are, without a doubt, some of the most impressive we have ever seen. They’re bright, vibrant, incredibly sleek, and surprisingly smooth when it comes to colour transitions. Additionally, I really love how well they work on the bezel rather than on the fan itself. If anything, I think this system makes way more sense even if it might, in terms of production, possibly cost more to do.

Lest we forget too the added bonus that even in an exhaust configuration, these look nearly as good from the back as they do the front.

Should I Buy One?

Although the Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 RGB fan kit is not inexpensive, it is still undoubtedly one of the best all-around cooling solutions currently available on the market. They offer all the professional high-performance cooling you would expect from the TOUGHPOWER branding with some new RGB lighting effects that not only look stunning but also offer some of the best levels of functionality around. – To me, they offer the perfect marriage of style and substance which, quite frankly, has me more than a little tempted into fitting them on my own PC right now.

Pros

• High levels of cooling performance
• Amazingly quiet even with all three fans at full load
• Some bright, vibrant, and eye-catching RGB aesthetics (without going overboard)
• Ideal fan upgrades/replacements for radiator or cases
• High-quality hub controller
• One of the few cooling solutions that genuinely offers consumers high performance with unique and impressive visuals!

Cons

• I’m not going to mince my words, I hate the fact that these are powered by a Molex connection. For ease of use and modern relevance, this really should be SATA

Neutral

• Some generic PWM compatibility might have been a nice option – The hub controller is a proprietary design that does limit its use beyond other Thermaltake products
• It really necessitates the use of the TT RGB Plus software for control of the functionality (RGB, speed, etc.) as no manual RGB controller is offered
• Likely just a bit too expensive for the casual consumer to consider