The Ultimate Guide to Hardware by Tom - Informed Choices Await

Thermaltake has announced two new RGBless high-static-pressurechassis fans that feature some unique capabilities you wouldn’t normally find in anon-RGB fan . The new fans, theToughfan EX12 Pro andEX14 Pro and can be magnetically attached to each other, reducing cable clutter. The fan blades can also be removed from their housings and flipped to change the airflow orientation of the fan.

Magnetically attached fans arenothing new , but it’s rare for a non-RGB fan to have this feature, which is great for builders who dislike RGB fans but love the cleanliness magnetically attached fans bring to the table. Each fan comes with protruding prongs on the left and right side that attach to other identicalfans magnetically in a daisy chain configuration. This allows two or three fan configurations to be connected with just a single cable, greatly improving cable management.

What is new though is Thermaltake’s removable fan hubs which greatly improve the fan’s capabilities. Traditionally, if you wanted to mount intake fans on the bottom or side of your case, you would have to mount them in such a way that the back of the fan shroud is pointed forward in the case, making the back part of the fan completely visible through atempered glass side panel, along with any cabling that is running along the back shroud.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Thermaltake)

(Image credit: Thermaltake)

(Image credit: Thermaltake)

Fan manufacturers have fixed this by making specialized chassis fans that feature reversed fan blades, allowing the back of the fan shroud to be hidden. Thermaltake’s approach is substantially more flexible, enabling users to choose which fan blade orientation they wish to use for their particular setup. Thermaltake has accomplished this by implementing pop-out fan hubs that can be flipped over to change the airflow direction. This is a fantastic feature for builders that offers a lot more flexibility compared to outgoing reversed fan blade designs which are static and cannot be changed.

LATEST VIDEOS FROM tomshardware Tom’s Hardware

Besides these two incredibly cool features, the fans themselves come in 120 mm and 140 mm form factors. The 120 mm version can reach fan speeds of up to 2,000 RPM and features a maximum airflow rating of 70.8CFM at 22.6 dBA. The 140 mm variant can also reach 2,000 RPM but features a much more potent 119.6 CFM airflow rating but at the cost of higher noise levels — 31.6 dBA. Both fans can be tuned down significantly to reduce their noise profile, but if you need to run these fans at their maximum output, these are the rated noise levels they will generate.

Each fan has nine blades in total that have been created from a liquid crystal polymer. Thermaltake says this material minimizes vibrations when operating at max speed. Speaking of vibration, Thermaltake has also integrated in-mold injection anti-vibration rubber pads to dampen noise vibration even more. Pricing was not announced, but it’s possible these fans will be cheaper than some existing ones since they don’t come withRGB LED lighting .

Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom’s Hardware Newsletter

Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

By submitting your information you agree to theTerms & Conditions andPrivacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Also read: