Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Pro 120 mm Fan

[VSG]

The Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Pro is a 120 mm fan that uses an LCP rotor with tight clearance to a newly designed frame, in addition to an upgraded sealed motor and bearing implementation compared to the older version. It retains good case compatibility and provides an excellent performance/noise balance to take on all competitors.

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[wheresmycar]

thanks for the review!

The more LCP/longer fan blade spinners the merrier. 0.6mm, thats what i call bleeding edge

Do any of the top performers achieve anything below noctuas 0.5mm?

 

[thestryker6]

Seems like a somewhat interesting entrant as it seems pretty price competitive. I would love to see some testing done with the Arctic P12 Max even though the biggest advantages are its higher RPM with lower noise.

 

[Yttersta]

I appreciate the performance of these fans but their MTBF is abysmal compared to Phanteks T30-120 and Noctua NF-A12x25 with 40k hours on the Thermaltake vs 150k for the latter.. I couldn't see it listed on Lian Li's product page but that's a huge difference.

I don't want to swap fans every couple of years or even with every build and hitting an outlier with a 40k mean rating would mean that.

 

[VSG]

I appreciate the performance of these fans but their MTBF is abysmal compared to Phanteks T30-120 and Noctua NF-A12x25 with 40k hours on the Thermaltake vs 150k for the latter.. I couldn't see it listed on Lian Li's product page but that's a huge difference.

I don't want to swap fans every couple of years or even with every build and hitting an outlier with a 40k mean rating would mean that.

There's a 5-year warranty on these fans. I'm happy enough that way.

 

[srekal34]

@VSG
Any chance you will review 140mm too?
It will probably be even more ahead of the competition given its the only true LCP in this format.

 

[VSG]

@VSG
Any chance you will review 140mm too?
It will probably be even more ahead of the competition given its the only true LCP in this format.

Nah, too busy with everything to also do 140 mm fans.

 

[Yttersta]

There's a 5-year warranty on these fans. I'm happy enough that way.

I'd rather not have to deal with warranty for a 20€ part and instead have one with better proven endurance.

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

I'd rather not have to deal with warranty for a 20€ part and instead have one with better proven endurance.

I'm sure they could have increased the endurance, but then it would have been more expensive....there's always a compromise, and to get it down to $25 instead of $30+, that's probably one they made.

Personally, I'd take the $5 discount and take my chances with the 5 year warranty, because in my own experience, I still have super cheap fans running that I installed over 5 years ago, I'm talking 10 fans for $100 cheap.

 

[Oberon]

These seem like the value-leader among high-performance fans right now for sure. I'm happy Tt put in the effort to improve the original version.

 

[Assimilator]

@VSG when W1zz does his CPU/GPU reviews he starts with a nice comparison table of the current product to others that have been released - would it be possible for you to do the same with fans you've previously reviewed, with links to said reviews? E.g.:

	Dimensions	Rated Speed	Maximum Airflow	Noise	Static Pressure	Fan Control	Power Draw	Warranty	Life Expectancy
Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Pro	120 x 120 x 25 mm	500-2000 RPM; 500-1500 RPM with LNC	70.8 CFM; 49.13 CFM with LNC	22.6 dBA; 18.3 dBA with LNC	3.19 mm H₂O; 1.72 mm H₂O with LNC	4-pin PWM	2.28 W peak	Five years	40,000 hours @ 25 °C
Lian Li UNI FAN P28	120 x 120 x 28 mm	200 – 2600 RPM ±10%	92 CFM (156.3 m³/h)	32.1 dBA	4.79 mm H₂O	4-pin PWM (optional 3-pin ARGB)	Not provided (3W)	Six years	Not provided

The italicised 3W indicates this specific value was measured by yourself.

There's a 5-year warranty on these fans. I'm happy enough that way.

I do think this should be called out as a negative in the review conclusion, as this is a notably lower duration than the Noctuas. It is however a positive that TT lists it at all, since Lian Li doesn't...

 

[Yttersta]

I do think this should be called out as a negative in the review conclusion, as this is a notably lower duration than the Noctuas. It is however a positive that TT lists it at all, since Lian Li doesn't...

Good idea that. Getting a €20 part for 40k mtbf and a possible warranty within 5 years vs. getting one for €30 and 150k MTBF AND 6 years warranty cannot possibly be compared. Then there is the option of TT to decline the warranty mind you, I won't even go into their practices there.

I'm sure they could have increased the endurance, but then it would have been more expensive....there's always a compromise, and to get it down to $25 instead of $30+, that's probably one they made.

Personally, I'd take the $5 discount and take my chances with the 5 year warranty, because in my own experience, I still have super cheap fans running that I installed over 5 years ago, I'm talking 10 fans for $100 cheap.

So the $5 difference for 10 fans adds up to $50 for 1 year less warranty and less than 1/3rd the MTBF rating. I do wonder how that would fare over, say 10 years... A couple trips to the shipping office to send a warranty part and back would deduct considerably from that $50 saved, just in petrol And as I said, there is no guarantee of your warranty being honored either. This is a very very unnecessary cost cutting measure for a performance PC, the owner demographic of which all three fans I have exemplified target.

Not to mention the Arctic P120 Bionix with its matching performance and half the price tag at $15 a part. Of course Arctic has been in the Lian Li club for not disclosing an official MTBF but they also provide 6 years of warranty if that is, and it appears to be, enough for you lot .

 

[claes]

I wouldn’t trust anyone’s MTBF numbers and, even for those manufacturers I might trust, wouldn’t make a purchasing decision based on those numbers

 

[Assimilator]

I wouldn’t trust anyone’s MTBF numbers and, even for those manufacturers I might trust, wouldn’t make a purchasing decision based on those numbers

Not even Noctua's?

I wouldn't make a decision based solely on MTBF, but having that information would definitely help me to make a more informed purchasing decision. And if TPU starts presenting these numbers up front and dinging manufacturers who don't provide them, that's an incentive for those manufacturers to step up and do so. Everyone wins.

 

[claes]

I trust manufacturer specs from Noctua, Phanteks, thermalright, scythe, and maybe a few others, but they’re using some formula idk to emulate 17 years of testing. As long as I don’t know what their test suite looks like it’s all a question mark for me, I trust the warranty and brand reputation more than a theoretical number, but that’s just me :shrug:

 

[DaveLT]

I trust manufacturer specs from Noctua, Phanteks, thermalright, scythe, and maybe a few others, but they’re using some formula idk to emulate 17 years of testing. As long as I don’t know what their test suite looks like it’s all a question mark for me, I trust the warranty and brand reputation more than a theoretical number, but that’s just me :shrug:

Yes indeed, they do take say a whole load of fans (1000?) and run them for months then see which craps out. So its more like % chance of dying within months rather than actual MTBF.
TL;DR MTBF is bovine merde

 

[Deleted member 237269]

Seems like a somewhat interesting entrant as it seems pretty price competitive. I would love to see some testing done with the Arctic P12 Max even though the biggest advantages are its higher RPM with lower noise.

https://hwbusters.com/cooling/arctic-p12-max-fan-review/

I bought then returned after testing (thanks Amazon) BeQuiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, Noctua 12×25, Phanteks T30, Corsair AF120 ELITE, ARCTIC P12 Max and these Thermaltake toughfan 12 Pro are the ones I kept.
https://hwbusters.com/cooling/thermaltake-toughfan-12-pro-fan-review/
I have 3x Toughfan 12 Pro and 3x 14 Pro.
I am very happy with the sound signature and performance. No noise from the motor or vibration of the frame.
Afterwards I run in idle 1000~RPM until 1600 RPM in game.
Regarding the manufacturing quality I like, it’s super clean.
In terms of price, €45 for 2×120. It's not cheap...
I like the flat cables, for management it is more practical because they are not rigid and can be bent without worry.
There are heatsink screws included and if you take a 2x box you will have a cable to bundle into a single PWM.

I had considered Lian Li P28 but they have a manufacturing defect in the hollow frame or motor. On several reviews (Hardware Canucks ; Machines & More) are complaints after a certain RPM. This does not give confidence... Sad because they have the daisy chain thing, a good look, 28mm thick for performance.

Thanks @VSG for the review

 

[thestryker6]

https://hwbusters.com/cooling/arctic-p12-max-fan-review/

I bought then returned after testing (thanks Amazon) BeQuiet! Silent Wings Pro 4, Noctua 12×25, Phanteks T30, Corsair AF120 ELITE, ARCTIC P12 Max and these Thermaltake toughfan 12 Pro are the ones I kept.
https://hwbusters.com/cooling/thermaltake-toughfan-12-pro-fan-review/
I have 3x Toughfan 12 Pro and 3x 14 Pro.
I am very happy with the sound signature and performance. No noise from the motor or vibration of the frame.

I already had 3x P12 Max at the time of posting. It sounds like the initial run from Arctic had some QC issues. I didn't have any noise problems with mine for months and then I had one which started acting up before going back to being fine. I run mine around 1800-2000 RPM maximum as I didn't like the sound profile above that. Good to hear about the Toughfans though as I like having options that aren't significantly higher priced.