Thermaltake SWAFAN EX 12 ARGB Sync Fan Review

Epilogue

The innovation in the Thermaltake SWAFAN EX 12 ARGB Sync fan is that you can swap the blades and make the fan spin in reverse in seconds. You should pay attention, though, that after you remove the fan’s blades several times, you will have to lubricate the bearing, which can be challenging if the fan is installed vertically. The lack of fixed cables is a strong advantage, and the magnetic connection is strong enough to be trouble-free. I prefer daisy-chain-capable fans over the standard ones, especially since I recently had a traumatic experience during a chassis review where I had to deal with six fans and twelve cables for power and ARGB. Cable management is impossible if you have so many cables to deal and without a PWM/ARGB hub, things would be even more challenging.

The performance of the SWAFAN EX 12 ARGB Sync didn’t impress me. You should look elsewhere if you want a fan with strong airflow and decent static pressure in the below 30 dBA range. For example, at 25 dBA, the Phanteks T30-120 achieves the highest airflow at 54.14 CFM, with the XPG Nidec Vento Pro 120 following. The Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Pro is close at 52.55 CFM. Suppose you want static pressure for radiators or heatsinks at the same noise output level. In that case, the Corsair ML120 RGB Elite has an impressive performance, achieving 1.96mmAq. The XPG Nidec Vento Pro 120 follows at 1.92mmAq, and the Phanteks T30-120 is third at 1.81mmAq. The Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Pro also achieves a good reading at 1.74mmAq.

If you want a fan with lots of bells and whistles, the Thermaltake SWAFAN EX 12 ARGB Sync fits the bill, but if you want high performance at all speed regions, there are better options, especially in this price range. The swappable fan blades might be innovative, but I am unsure how many will utilize them (and how frequently). Another detail is that you can daisy chain up to three fans. It would be nice if four of them could be connected for use in extra-large radiators.