Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. The Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU Cooler4. Installation5. Testing Methodology6. Thermal Performance7. Acoustic Performance 8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

Aiming to stamp its authority in another segment of the CPU cooling market, Phanteks has released a mid-range model in the PH-TC12DX. Does the dual fan PH-TC12DX have what it takes to shine in an overly-cramped market?

Utilising four 6mm heatpipes in a U-type arrangement, Phanteks' dual fan PH-TC12DX CPU cooler targets mid-range users who have a taste for aesthetics. Backed by a pair of equally striking 120mm – PH-F120HP – fans, the PH-TC12DX sets itself as a direct competitor to the likes of Thermaltake's Frio and Sapphire's Vapor-X. Phanteks is hoping that the patented P.A.T.S. and C.P.S.C. technologies employed by the PH-TC12DX are enough to set it apart from the relentless sea of competitors.

Shipping in black, blue, red and white colours, can Phanteks' PH-TC12DX prove that aesthetics and balanced performance aren't two mutually exclusive characteristics of a mid-range CPU cooler?

Specifications:

• CPU Socket Compatibility: Intel LGA 775, 1150, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011 & AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2 (stock backplate required)
• Heatsink Dimensions without fans (L x W x H): 126 x 57 x 157mm
• Heatsink Dimensions with dual fans (L x W x H): 126 x 107 x 157mm
• Heatsink Material: Aluminium fins
• Base Material: Nickel-plated Copper
• Colours: White/Red/Blue/Black
• Fan Speed: 600 – 1,800 RPM
• Fan Air Flow: 23 – 68.5 CFM
• Fan Air Pressure: 0.39 – 2.07mm H2O
• Fan Noise Level: 21.9 – 27.6 dB(A)
• Fan Connector: 4-pin PWM

The Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU cooler ships in Phanteks' trademark black and white packaging. A snapshot of the TC12DX's heatsink and fan is located on the box's front side, in addition to smaller images showing each available colour (black, red, blue and white).

A multi-lingual product overview is printed on the rear side of the box.

Phanteks outlines the TC12DX cooler's key features on the left side of its box. Phanteks is clearly very proud that this single tower heatsink uses the same patented P.A.T.S (Physical Antioxidant Thermal Shield) technology that is found on its higher-end PH-TC14PE dual tower cooler, the in-depth review of which can be read here.

The box shows that another of Phanteks' patented enhancements – C.P.S.C. (Cold Plasma Spraying Coating) – is incorporated by the PH-TC12DX CPU cooler.

A pair of installation manuals covers the necessary steps in many languages, including English, German and Spanish.

The PH-TC12DX cooler's bundle consists of: installation hardware for all AMD and Intel sockets, two sets of fan clips and connectors, four anti-vibration rubber strips, a dual 4-pin fan connector, and a large tube of Phanteks' PH-NDC thermal compound.

We are pleased to see that Phanteks understands the importance of a fully secure mount and is enforcing this by using strong metal materials for its SoliSku mounting kits. Flimsy plastic backplates simply aren't adequate for securing an almost 1kg block of metal to a motherboard.

We received the black version of Phanteks' PH-TC12DX CPU cooler. The heatsink features a striking and very attractive matte black appearance which will look excellent in a system, especially when partnered with the correct hardware.

The matte finish is a by-product of the C.P.S.C. and P.A.T.S. technologies which are implemented on the TC12DX.

Measuring in at 126mm wide, 157mm tall, and 57mm thick, the TC12DX is actually one of the more moderately-sized mid-range, single tower CPU coolers on the market.

Phanteks' TC12DX heatsink uses a split tower design which features a vertically-aligned, pressure-adjusting channel.

The four nickel-plated copper, 6mm heatpipes are aligned in the common U-shape orientation. Placing the row of heatpipes in the centre of each of the TC12DX's split towers allows thermal energy to distribute itself evenly throughout the fin array, ready for dissipation.

The U-shape design also minimises air resistance due to the fact that only 1 heatpipe's surface area is blocking the airflow path through each half-tower.

Phanteks chooses to use an open-sided design which makes creating the fan-mounting channel an easier task.

The lack of closed sides shouldn't have much effect on the characteristics of the air inside the heatsink as the vertically-aligned, pressure-adjusting channel will help to create a natural direction in which air will flow.

Phanteks' P.A.T.S. technology may help to prevent the heat from surrounding components sneaking its way into the TC12DX's aluminium fin array.

Each tower is given an inwards-slanting alignment to assist with the process of forcing air through the centre gap.

Phanteks embosses its logo on the summit of the TC12DX's aluminium fin array, further enhancing the heatsink's attractive appearance.

All four of the 6mm-diameter heatpipes converge atop a nickel-plated copper base. This method of contact with the CPU's heatspreader should allow for a more even distribution of thermal energy, in comparison to the heatpipe direct contact alternative.

A pair of Phanteks' 120mm PH-F120HP fans supplies and removes the TC12DX heatsink's air. The PH-F120HP fans operate at 600-1,800 RPM to provide up to 63.5 CFM of air – a figure which is achievable thanks to the Maelström Vortex Booster on each of the nine fan blades.

Maximum stated noise output of the fan is 27.6 dbA, although the 4-pin PWM connector allows lower noise operation when the highest cooling performance isn't required.

The first installation step is to attach the backplate and push through the four screws. In the manual, Phanteks advises a specific screw orientation to balance the moment of force which is exhibited on the hexagonal heads.

A solid plastic spacer is placed around each mounting screw to provide a medium upon which the pair of support bars can sit.

The support bars can be secured in the horizontal or vertical alignment to provide flexibility with the TC12DX's mounting orientation. To mount the heatsink in the horizontal direction, users should align the mounting bars horizontally. Mounting the bars vertically will allow the TC12DX to use the more common vertical orientation.

A long screwdriver is required to fasten the TC12DX's pair of spring-loaded screws to the support bars. This procedure requires the fans to be removed, so don't install them before the cooler is securely mounted.

Each of the four noise-damping rubber strips can be stuck to the TC12DX heatsink once it is installed, or before, if preferred.

Fast, simple and secure, we are very impressed by the method that Phanteks has employed to mount its PH-TC12DX heatsink.

Preparing the fans for installation upon the heatsink requires a plastic fan clip adapter to be pushed through the mounting hole at each corner. Once in position, each end of the metal fan clip is directed through the adapter's hole to provide a secure fastening method.

Attaching the fan clips is tricky at first – users are required to align the plastic adapter with a directed end of the metal clip. The end result is a secure connection, but the exact method is a little ambiguous and takes some getting used to.

Each fan can be positioned at a user-specified height on the heatsink which is great for obtaining extra clearance for tall RAM modules or other interferences. The connection between heatsink and fan is very secure; these 120mm units aren't going anywhere that you don't want them to.

Wide enough to overhang the VRM area, Phanteks' PH-TC12DX has the potential to cause interference with large VRM heatsinks. Thankfully, the cooler isn't wide enough to pass the motherboard's upper edge meaning that it will not be fouled by roof fans in compact, mid-tower cases.

RAM clearance is a strength for the TC12DX. Even with the front fan installed at its ideal height, there is plenty of room to install tall RAM modules such as Patriot's Viper 3. On our Asus P8Z77-V motherboard, the front fan didn't even reach the DIMM slots.

Although we completed testing in NZXT's original Phantom, the Phanteks PH-TC12DX looks very attractive when installed in the Gun Metal version of NZXT's Phantom 820.

Thermal Performance Test Procedures:

• Idle temperatures are obtained after sitting at the desktop for 15 minutes.
• Load temperatures are obtained after running Prime95 in the ‘Small FFTs' mode for 15 minutes.
• We repeated testing with our CPU overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x multiplier, 100MHz base clock) using a BIOS-set voltage of 1.300V.
• The cooler's fan(s) is set to 100% to eliminate inaccuracies due to dynamic PWM fan speed adjustments.
• The supplied thermal paste is used to provide an accurate interpretation of the cooler's out-of-the-box performance.
• We use HWMonitor to measure the CPU temperature.
• CPU temperature recording is accurate to +/- 0.5°C.
• Ambient temperature recording is accurate to +/- 0.05°C.
• Ambient temperature was maintained at 21°C.

Acoustic Performance Test Procedures:

• We measure the noise output of our entire system from a distance of 1m while the CPU cooler's fan(s) operates at 100% (indicating the maximum noise output).
• We set the case fans to minimum speed (hence noise) and avoid using a discrete GPU to isolate the CPU cooler's noise output.

Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i5 3570K.
• Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V.
• Memory: 8GB DDR3 1333MHz.
• Case: NZXT Phantom.
• Cooling Fans: 1x 120mm 1900 RPM Scythe Kaze Jyuni (front intake), 1x 120mm NZXT (side intake), 1x 200mm NZXT (roof exhaust), 1x 120mm NZXT (rear exhaust)
• Graphics card: On-board.
• Power supply: 1000W Seasonic Platinum-1000.
• Storage drives: 128GB Kingston V100 (OS), 1TB Samsung F3, 300GB Western Digital Caviar.
• Thermal Paste: Supplied PH-NDC thermal compound.

Comparison Coolers:

• Cooler Master Seidon 120M (fan as rear intake).
• Corsair H60 2013 Edition (fan as rear intake).
• Sapphire Vapor-X.
• Thermaltake Frio.
• Arctic Freezer Xtreme Rev. 2.

Software:

• CPUID HWMonitor.
• Core Temp (additional certification).
• Prime95.
• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

We compared the Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU cooler to a number of competing mid-range models which include air coolers from Sapphire, Thermaltake and Arctic and All-in-One units from Corsair and Cooler Master.

Our charts show actual temperatures of the CPU, not delta temperatures.

Ambient temperature was maintained at 21°C.

The Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU cooler exhibits excellent cooling performance in both stock and overclocked scenarios.

At stock CPU frequencies, Phanteks' PH-TC12DX is part of a 3-way tie for the lead. It has the ability to offer the same level of performance as Thermaltake's Frio – a single tower air cooler which uses a pair of 2500 RPM fans. The PH-TC12DX is also able to compete directly with Cooler Master's All-in-One Seidon 120M liquid CPU cooler.

With the greater thermal load that is brought about by a 4.6 GHz CPU frequency and voltage of 1.300V, the Phanteks PH-TC12DX is able to maintain its strong performance against the competitors. Load performance shows that the moderately-sized PH-TC12DX has no problems competing with Thermaltake's physically-larger Frio and Cooler Master's All-in-One Seidon 120M.

We measured the noise output of our entire system from a distance of 1m while the CPU cooler's fans operated at 100% (indicating the maximum noise output).

Lower noise levels can be achieved by utilising the 4-pin PWM operation of the Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU cooler's fans.

Proven by an acoustic output of 44.9dbA, the TC12DX cooler's pair of PH-F120HP fans is clearly audible at full speed. The noise level wasn't irritatingly high, but it was louder than we would want to be subjected to on a regular basis.

Irrelevant of the tolerability of the TC12DX's pair of fans, the noise outputs of its two main performance competitors, Cooler Master's Seidon 120M and Thermaltake's Frio, are both significantly higher than that of the Phanteks CPU cooler.

Utilising the PWM functionality of Phanteks' PH-F120HP fans will allow lower noise levels to be obtained when the CPU load is low.

The Phanteks PH-TC12DX is an excellent CPU cooler that offers very competitive performance with acoustic levels that are lower than those of its main competitors.

Despite its modest size, the Phanteks PH-TC12DX possesses the cooing performance that allows it to compete with stiff competition from the likes of Corsair, Cooler Master and Thermaltake. The TC12DX was able to offer the same level of performance as Thermaltake's larger Frio and Cooler Master's liquid cooling Seidon 120M.

Increasing our CPU's thermal load by applying a 1.300V overclock didn't faze the PH-TC12DX. Phanteks' cooler was still able to offer excellent performance which placed it ahead of Sapphire's Vapor-X and Corsair's H60 in our cooling chart.

Acoustic performance is where the Phanteks PH-TC12DX really shines. While a noise output of almost 45 dbA isn't particularly noteworthy, when taking the thermal performance and acoustic levels of its closest competitors into consideration, it's easy to see that Phanteks' PH-TC12DX is a well-balanced cooling product.

Installing the heatsink to a motherboard is a simple task which we have no complaints about. The installation procedure was straightforward, clear and resulted in a secure mount.

Connecting the fan clips, on the other hand, wasn't quite as simple. Trying to bend and force a piece of metal wire through the hole of a small plastic clip isn't a very user-friendly procedure. The method does get more bearable after a few attempts, but we would still like to see a simpler solution being implemented.

Phanteks deserves credit for continuing to add style to each segment of the CPU cooler market. Yes, there are other mid-range CPU coolers which feature an attractive appearance, but we've yet to see a design which is as successfully implemented as that of Phanteks' PH-TC12DX. If the black colour scheme of our sample doesn't appeal to you, simply opt for one of the red, blue or white variants instead.

Available for £38.54 to £43.34 from Scan (dependent upon which colour you opt for), the Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU cooler is priced very competitively.

Managing to match the cooling abilities of Cooler Master's Seidon 120M and Thermaltake's Frio, but with a lower noise output and price tag than both, Phanteks has an excellent CPU cooler in the PH-TC12DX. Style, balanced performance, ease-of-installation and good build-quantity, the Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU cooler is well worth its very competitive price tag.

Pros:

• Very good cooling performance.
• Lower noise output than its main competitors.
• Competitive price tag.
• Very attractive style.
• Simple and secure heatsink installation.
• Flexible RAM clearance.
• 5 year warranty.

Cons:

• Irritating fan clip attachment method.

KitGuru says: A must have for mid-range users who want an attractive CPU cooler that offers well-balanced performance and doesn't break the bank.

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