Thermaltake Swafan EX 14 ARGB Sync Magnetic PC Cooling Fans (Review)

When you consider what cooling fans you are going to use in your next custom build, Thermaltake instantly comes to mind as one of the top three brands out there. With it comes a certain expected level of quality and features. Two categories that land very well with the company’s Swafan EX 14 ARGB Sync Magnetic PC Cooling Fans.

First, before anything, ARGB has grown to become a bit of a standard when it comes to customizing a case. It doesn’t just bring LED light into the mix, as it also gives the user global control that can be synced across all lights within the case. So you don’t just have random chaos as various lights switch between colors and patterns separately at random. Instead, you get art that draws your eyes to the build with added appreciation.

These fans are a great contribution to the ARGB market, providing a solution that is both quiet and powerful, while bringing everything that ARGB control has to offer. Users can control the fans via their favorite ARGB software (typically depending on what brand of motherboard they are using).

But this kit doesn’t just specialize in ARGB. It also takes advantage of magnetics to make the experience so much better. Something I will be diving into in just a moment. As well as swappable blades, so that you don’t have to spin the fan around in order to change the direction of airflow. Also, something I will go into further detail on in a moment.

The kit comes with three fans and six blades. Neatly packaged away with thin foam in between each to prevent any scratching during shipment. There is also a box of accessories tucked into the side, providing just about everything you’d need to make use of these fans in your setup.

Those accessories include three seperate cables, so that you can use the fans individually if you choose. Although only one of these cables is necessary if you plan to stack the fans in three, like you would a radiator setup or simply anywhere else you can mount three fans together, butting against each other.

You also get screws for whichever way you decide to mount them to your case.

The company even provides a small syringe filled with grease in case you need it if/as you swap out the blades. Every small touch helps. It won’t go a long ways but it is enough to take care of the three fans just fine.

As for those six fan blades, you have two sets of three, each for either bringing air into the case, or out of it. You choose the ones you need depending on how your plan your airflow.

The reasoning for this is simple. No one wants to have a glass window looking into a case with LED fans inside that are half hidden by the plastic grid/frame that you always have on one side of the fan. Instead, you install that side against the case so that the fronts of the blades are always facing the glass. Allowing you (or anyone else) to fully appreciate what the fans bring to the overall design.

Popping the blades in and out of the fan is easy. You simply grip the frame in your hands and push outware on the blade. It pops right out. Then take the one you want to use and snap it into place. The company clearly points out the specific air flow direction of each set in the instructions.

An added bonus to this design is that the blades are incredibly easy to clean since there aren’t any sensitive electronics within the blade itself. All of that is located within the frame. So you can pop the blade out and directly run water on it to wash any dust off of it. Let it dry and pop it right back in so it can get back to work.

Of course, you normally wouldn’t want to rip and fan in and out while the computer is still running. You’d shut the system down, make the adjustments you want, and start it back up to prevent any electrical issues. However, this is where the magnets come into play. Or at least, one of the reasons for them.

Since the fans pass power and data via pins that magnetically snap into place, you can easily pop fans in and out of the system, even as it is running. The cable simply snaps back against the frame and power and data begin to flow back into the fan(s).

Again though, that is only one use for the magnets. Using magnets, this also allows the fans to snap to each other. This is where you can build them out into three with only one wire. Keeping cable paths clean as you don’t have to run a seperate wire to each fan.

They will pass both power and data along to the next fan, allowing for you to quickly build things out, adjust, move around, and everything in between. It’s an incredible idea and we’ve had a lot of fun playing with them just for this feature alone.

Snapping them together is easy since the magnets quickly find themselves and everything just comes together. The cables have both power and ARGB connections and the ARGB connection is optional as the power cable will at least get them spinning like any other fan. But you’ll want to make sure you have a motherboard that supports 5V ARGB connections/headers (or a seperate controller if it doesn’t), else you wouldn’t be buying such a fancy fan model.

These fans are quiet and move a lot of air. Two qualities you’d expect from any fan worth dropping your hard-earned money on. They come in two sizes/models, including EX 12 and EX 14, each referring to their size (12cm or 14cm). Obviously, the kit we have been testing is the EX 14, thus 14cm in size.

These fans pack a punch when it comes to color and brightness as well. Again, something that is clearly expected, especially coming from a brand like Thermaltake. They look brilliant inside of a case and can be fully customized with your favorite software (as mentioned).

A total of 16.8M colors to take advantage of between 20 LEDs spread throughout each fan. Controllable via software options like MSI’s Mystic Light Sync, AsRock’s Polychrome RGB, ASUS’ Aura Sync, or Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion 2.0.

These software titles bring all of the addressable LEDs within a case together. Including those built into the motherboard itself, video cards, or other accessories installed inside that support ARGB control. How easy it is to control everything depends on the software and personal choice. Personally, I have a lot of experience with MSI’s Mystic Light Sync and quite enjoy its easy of use.

The fans normally come in either black or white, but the kit we have been testing is the company’s latest color, Hydrangea Blue. It is part of its 25 year anniversary collection, featuring both the new color as well as “25” printed on the side.

You can find all sorts of products that fall into this collection, celebrating the years that Thermaltake has provided popular and dependable PC cases, components, and accessories.

Our Conclusion

So do we like these fans? We absolutely do! They are a formidable contribution to the custom building community. Providing so many features like vividly bright LEDs, versatile configurations, user-friendly magnetic connectivity, and interchangeable blades. There are so many reasons to take advantage of this series.

We love the level of dedication that Thermaltake put into this product. The color is also exciting since it provides something different from your typical black or white setup. Using a case within the same series makes this point further as it all makes sense when you combine it all.

The only catch, is that you are now locked into a proprietary connection in case one of the fans fails overtime. Which means you limit yourself to swapping out with the exact same series and nothing else. You also have to depend on Thermaltake that it will continue to manufacture the series with the same connectivity for years to come. They are also expensive, marking the only other thing that has affected the overall score. At this price, things can be a little tough since there is a lot of competition out there. The EX 12 series is $79.99 and the EX 14 series is $89.99 (each with three fans).

Right now it seems the Hydrangea Blue model is only available via Amazon and via Thermaltake’s website. The white and black options can be found via other retailers, like Newegg. However, not all retailers have them listed at their MSRP (some are higher).

Specifications:

Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us and we can let you know where to send the product and we will try it out.