Page 4 - Conclusion
SilverStone clearly has intended the AR12-TUF to be a budget-friendly cooler that should provide better temperatures than stock options, while also adding some eye candy to your build in the form of colorful lights. For the most part, the AR12-TUF delivered in this regard. For one, the heatsink is made with compatibility in mind, as it does not get in the way of your components. The included fan does have addressable RGB lighting with a standard three-pin header to connect to practically any motherboard or other lighting products for synchronization purposes. There are still some economical choices seen in the build, such as its aluminum CPU base. Its performance also shows off the affordable nature of the AR12-TUF, as it ran slightly warmer than our other compared heatsinks in both the idle and load tests. In reality, I think the areas that could be improved are in the installation and sound output. I found installing the AR12-TUF to be finicky, as users would require at least one more hand to keep the backplate in place while attaching the heatsink. Its attached fan was also noticeably louder despite the temperatures being higher than other coolers I have used. Finally, I would have liked to see a full copper base on the cooler for better heat transfer properties. Overall, the SilverStone AR12-TUF is a simple solution at a low price to provide better cooling than first-party options. At the time of the review, the AR12-TUF can be found for as low as $40 USD. Given this price point, it is hard to complain too much about the AR12-TUF, but I think some small fixes would make the whole experience that much better.
SilverStone provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
6/10 means A product with its advantages, but drawbacks should not be ignored before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 6.5/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The SilverStone AR12-TUF is a down-to-earth air cooler that adds a bit of color to your build at a very low price.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
