Wednesday, September 1st 2021

Thermaltake Debuts TOUGHFAN 12 High Static Pressure Radiator Fan in Turquoise and Racing Green

Press Release by

Sep 1st, 2021 05:50 Discuss (44 Comments)

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Cooling, Gaming Gear, and Enthusiast Memory solutions, debuts the new TOUGHFAN 12 High Static Pressure Radiator Fan in Turquoise and Racing Green to add some flair to the original TOUGHFAN series while continuing to achieve supreme cooling results. The new fans are also new models of our multicolored series, users now can match up the same Turquoise, and Racing Green colored chassis or memory to form the ideal PC build and to accomplish the "Your MOD, Your Way" spirit.

Inheriting all the merits of the original TOUGHFAN 12 series, the TOUGHFAN 12 Turquoise/Racing Green High Static Pressure Radiator Fan delivers quiet cooling performance, outstanding stability, and a superior lifespan. Featuring the high static pressure fan with PWM-control, the TOUGHFAN 12 Turquoise/Racing Green High Static Pressure Radiator Fan can perform at a maximum operating speed of up to 2000 RPM but maintains a low audio noise level of only 22.3 dB-A. The fan blade is made from liquid crystal polymer (LCP) compounds that are extremely tensile in strength; their low thermal expansion coefficient can reduce the fan's vibration under full-speed loading. Notably, the fan blades of Turquoise are in the color of light gray with a pearl reflection, while the Racing Greens are in charcoal black with a metallic reflection; the perfect match of color pushes the beauty of TOUGHFAN 12 to another level.

To enhance the stability and durability as well as lowering noise level while the fan is operating, the centerpiece of the TOUGHFAN 12's motor hub is made of full steel, and has a copper housing that reinforces the shaft. The anti-vibration rubber pads attached to the corners also help dampen the vibration, giving protection for both the fan and the case. Additionally, The TOUGHFAN 12 is equipped with an optimized second-generation hydraulic bearing. The unique structure design allows lubricant to concentrate in lubricating the critical areas, better-reducing friction and further extending the fan's lifespan.

For PC enthusiasts who are eager for a powerful, silent, and colorful fan for your PC, the new TOUGHFAN 12 Turquoise/Racing Green High Static Pressure Radiator Fan will be the perfect option for you.

Availability and Warranty
The TOUGHFAN 12 Turquoise/Racing Green High Static Pressure Radiator Fan will be available for purchase in September 2021 via the Thermaltake worldwide network of authorized retailers and distributors. Fans are backed by a two-year warranty and supported by the Thermaltake worldwide customer service and technical support network.

Add your own comment

44 Comments on Thermaltake Debuts TOUGHFAN 12 High Static Pressure Radiator Fan in Turquoise and Racing Green

ZoneDymo

design stealing company thermaltake? nah pass, rather support companies who invest in technological improvement

P4-630

I got 3 originals...

VSG

Editor, Reviews & News

ZoneDymodesign stealing company thermaltake? nah pass, rather support companies who invest in technological improvement

Is there any merit to this with evidence or just people speculating?

Joja

P4-630I got 3 originals...

Everyone copies everyone

ThrashZone

Hi,
Yeah sort of look like master fan pro too which aren't very good way to flimsy

Chrispy_

VSGIs there any merit to this with evidence or just people speculating?

Look up Thermaltake vs CaseLabs.
They stole a design and then went after CaseLabs with a legal team when CaseLabs kicked up a fuss. Caselabs would have easily won the case IMO but didn't have the funding to fight it.
www.techpowerup.com/213197/thermaltake-draws-flack-for-ripping-off-other-brands-products

This is the rare instance where a company was put out of business by Thermaltake's IP theft, but Antec/Fractal/NZXT/Corsair/Lian-Li/Noctua have all been quite obvious targets for Thermaltake and are just big enough to shrug it off.

VSG

Editor, Reviews & News

Chrispy_Look up Thermaltake vs CaseLabs.
They stole a design and then went after CaseLabs with a legal team when CaseLabs kicked up a fuss. Caselabs would have easily won the case IMO but didn't have the funding to fight it.
www.techpowerup.com/213197/thermaltake-draws-flack-for-ripping-off-other-brands-products

This is the rare instance where a company was put out of business by Thermaltake's IP theft, but Antec/Fractal/NZXT/Corsair/Lian-Li/Noctua have all been quite obvious targets for Thermaltake and are just big enough to shrug it off.

I am talking about this fan itself, nothing else.

Chrispy_

For me, the hub design, the sterrox blades, the blade design itself, the bearing type and design, the decision to expose the bearing - all of that is a direct copy of the NF-A12x25. Whilst the Nidec fan shares a couple of characteristics with the NF-A12x25, they are both very obviously different fans. In the case of TT they ripped off so much from Noctua that they're not even trying to hide it.

The fan frame isn't Noctuas' design, they ripped that from Alpenfohn's Wing Boost series and those predate the ToughFan12 by almost a decade. Outside of no-name aliexpress/amazon marketplace copies that are 100% intentionally trying to cash in on the original design, I've never seen Alpenfohn's fan frame used by another company except ThermalTake.

Put Noctua's NF-A12x25 fan in this frame, use Noctua's weird choice of clashing colours, and put Noctua's rubber corner bumpers back on and you've got this new pastel-coloured ToughFan12.

ThrashZone

Hi,
TT did change the design quite a bit
This one has 6 rear supports unlike all others that seem to stick with four
Front grill covers the bottom of the blades looks like a turbine lol kind of :cool:

#10

FreedomEclipse

~Technological Technocrat~

And if you dont like these colours. They are also available in plain black.

#11

Valantar

ThrashZoneHi,
TT did change the design quite a bit
This one has 6 rear supports unlike all others that seem to stick with four
Front grill covers the bottom of the blades looks like a turbine lol kind of :cool:

Changing the number of hub supports is hardly a major design change. And what is a "front grill"? Where is this on the fan? The ends of the blades aren't hidden at all, they're just very close to the frame - that's the point of using a liquid crystal polymer, as the stronger plastic allows for tighter tolerances through less flex in the blades while rotating. Noctua claims a 0.5mm gap on their NF-A12x25s with Sterrox, these are likely similar. Or do you mean the fan hub? It's just a large hub, it isn't covering anything except the motor and bearing.

#12

Turmania

They can make sorry copy/steal best product in the business for the best price, yet I will never buy any of their products.

#13

dj-electric

A lot about this is Noctua. From the aesthetics, to detachabble pads, to fins to bearing part.

There's no doubt in my mind that this Tt product was "inspired" by leading market products like many others.

#14

dirtyferret

ZoneDymodesign stealing company thermaltake?

A Taiwanese company with manufacturing in china stealing designs? Now this would definitely be first and sully the Chinese manufacturing reputation! :roll:

#15

ThrashZone

ValantarChanging the number of hub supports is hardly a major design change. And what is a "front grill"? Where is this on the fan? The ends of the blades aren't hidden at all, they're just very close to the frame - that's the point of using a liquid crystal polymer, as the stronger plastic allows for tighter tolerances through less flex in the blades while rotating. Noctua claims a 0.5mm gap on their NF-A12x25s with Sterrox, these are likely similar. Or do you mean the fan hub? It's just a large hub, it isn't covering anything except the motor and bearing.

Hi,
Nope covered so yeah looks recessed to me buddy
Maybe not just really close

#16

Valantar

ThrashZoneHi,
Nope covered so yeah looks recessed to me buddy
Maybe not just really close

There's nothing covered there, just a very small gap, making it less visible (and making perspective distortion affect how it looks). You can clearly see the gap (and that there is no overhang over the inner wall of the frame) to the left of your circle. If you covered the ends of the fan blades you would get terrible turbulence noise while also severely harming the airflow of the fan, as the ends of the blades are the largest and move the fastest at any given rpm and are thus where the most work is done. Bringing the blades as close as possible to the frame however lowers pressure losses by not allowing air to push back through between the blade and frame, improving airflow and pressure while lowering turbulence.

#17

Joja

Chrispy_For me, the hub design, the sterrox blades, the blade design itself, the bearing type and design, the decision to expose the bearing - all of that is a direct copy of the NF-A12x25. Whilst the Nidec fan shares a couple of characteristics with the NF-A12x25, they are both very obviously different fans. In the case of TT they ripped off so much from Noctua that they're not even trying to hide it.

The fan frame isn't Noctuas' design, they ripped that from Alpenfohn's Wing Boost series and those predate the ToughFan12 by almost a decade. Outside of no-name aliexpress/amazon marketplace copies that are 100% intentionally trying to cash in on the original design, I've never seen Alpenfohn's fan frame used by another company except ThermalTake.

Put Noctua's NF-A12x25 fan in this frame, use Noctua's weird choice of clashing colours, and put Noctua's rubber corner bumpers back on and you've got this new pastel-coloured ToughFan12.

For me, the hub design, the sterrox blades, the blade design itself, the bearing type and design, the decision to expose the bearing - all of that is a direct copy of the NF-A12x25. Whilst the Nidec fan shares a couple of characteristics with the NF-A12x25, they are both very obviously different fans.

You literally just described the Nidec... how can you say the Noctua isn't a copy of the Nidecs rofl

#18

ThrashZone

Hi,
Well bottom line many fan manufactures use the same blade design so there isn't a patent maybe TT will patent it and make others pay them that is what they do best :-)

#19

Valantar

JojaYou literally just described the Nidec... how can you say the Noctua isn't a copy of the Nidecs rofl

Gentle Typhoons do not have Sterrox/liquid crystal polymer blades, and thus have a different blade design (rounded tips, more spacing between the blade and frame), which is a pretty significant difference as it noticeably changes the airflow characteristics of the fan. (There's also the use of dual ball bearings on the GTs vs. Noctuas SSO2 bearing.) The Noctua design very clearly builds on GTs (and other similar fan designs), but it's a clear evolution, bringing several changes to the table. The frame is also quite different, with Noctua's typical stepped inlet design (and a flared/scooped out outlet) plus the dimpled inner frame surface. This TT on the other hand, copies Noctua's blade-and-hub design to a tee, uses a similar material (not Sterrox, but a liquid crystal polymer). You could say "hey, it has a completely different frame" - and you'd be right, except that frame as shown above is a rip-off of another company's design. So, this is not an evolutionary design bringing anything new to the table, but one that combines major elements of two existing designs with no major functional changes.

#20

dirtyferret

ThrashZoneHi,
Well bottom line many fan manufactures use the same blade design so there isn't a patent maybe TT will patent it and make others pay them that is what they do best :)

not as many manufactures as there are brands (similar to PSU, AIO, RAM, pretty much everything else in tech) and TT never came across to me as having their own in house fan design people. Most likely TT just went to their usual OEM and said what do you have for us to look at.

#21

OGoc

VSGIs there any merit to this with evidence or just people speculating?

I don't think anyone in this forum has a legal case with evidence and a smoking gun to "prove this". Using your eyes it's pretty obvious that the two fans are more similar than ever before. Same number of fins, similar angle of attack which is a departure from TT's earlier models, clearly some kind of plastic reinforced matrix resin and the negligible spacing between the blades and fan hub.

Proof, no. Making sense of ambiguity.

Remember that courts don't need "proof". They need enough evidence to decide "beyond a reasonable doubt"... it seems that some in the forum have decided it would be unreasonable to assume TT had spontaneous and original insight that just about copies the current market leader.

#22

Fergutor

JojaYou literally just described the Nidec... how can you say the Noctua isn't a copy of the Nidecs rofl

The other guy is in denial.

#23

DeathtoGnomes

There is only so far you can go with fan design, its all been done, either they function or they dont. Think of how many different bearing type are used, each may have its purpose but manufacturing costs matter, and yet a fans quietness depends on them and blade configuration.

We know what works and what doesnt for sound or static pressure or pure CFM. Think of the game Mancala, you got a tray with a number of cups in a row (about 10), and then you drop fan features in every cup, then you pick them by rolling dice. I dont think there are 10 different features in fan design.

So I ask, what is left in fan design that would be truly groundbreaking and yet not a borrowed feature from this fan or that?

#24

Valantar

DeathtoGnomesThere is only so far you can go with fan design, its all been done, either they function or they dont. Think of how many different bearing type are used, each may have its purpose but manufacturing costs matter, and yet a fans quietness depends on them and blade configuration.

We know what works and what doesnt for sound or static pressure or pure CFM. Think of the game Mancala, you got a tray with a number of cups in a row (about 10), and then you drop fan features in every cup, then you pick them by rolling dice. I dont think there are 10 different features in fan design.

So I ask, what is left in fan design that would be truly groundbreaking and yet not a borrowed feature from this fan or that?

I don't think there is much, true, but that still doesn't make blatantly ripping off another company's design okay. At the very least you try to make it meaningfully different. TT can't reasonably be said to have done so with these.

#25

Chrispy_

JojaYou literally just described the Nidec... how can you say the Noctua isn't a copy of the Nidecs rofl

They were developed simultaneously in isolation and both hit the market at about the same time.

noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-interview-lars-stromback details the differences and there's no doubt to me that they are not copies of each other. The rotors, the hubs, the colours, the frame design - they are all different enough that nobody is going to confuse the Nidec GT with the NF-A12x unless they are being deliberately obtuse.

The real kicker here is use of Sterrox in the Toughfan. Sterrox is a Noctua trademark and it looks like after 4 years of Sterrox research, Thermaltake just copied the Noctua Sterrox rotor, almost exactly. Phanteks are the only other company that have used glassfibre-reinforced composite rotors and whilst they ape the performance claims of Noctua's NF-A12x in minimising the gap between the rotor tips and the frame, the Phanteks T30 looks nothing like the Noctua.

Add your own comment

Thermaltake Debuts TOUGHFAN 12 High Static Pressure Radiator Fan in Turquoise and Racing Green

44 Comments on Thermaltake Debuts TOUGHFAN 12 High Static Pressure Radiator Fan in Turquoise and Racing Green

Latest GPU Drivers

New Forum Posts

Popular Reviews

Controversial News Posts

Thermaltake Debuts TOUGHFAN 12 High Static Pressure Radiator Fan in Turquoise and Racing Green

Related News

44 Comments on Thermaltake Debuts TOUGHFAN 12 High Static Pressure Radiator Fan in Turquoise and Racing Green

Latest GPU Drivers

New Forum Posts

Popular Reviews

Controversial News Posts