By: Aaron Lai
April 5, 2024
A week ago, I attended the Noah Kahan concert in Calgary. It was my girlfriend who introduced me to this artist, and I quite enjoyed the entire evening. It was one of my first concerts I have ever attended at the Saddledome, and there were some notable changes I realized while attending. First of all, there were much less people than typical hockey games. As there was a stage, several sections of seating were cordoned off, since they would be behind the stage. To counter this, there was seating on the arena floor as well as a pit for standing room only. Next, all of the plexiglass and netting was removed. Finally, the lighting was quite different, as much of the overhead lighting was unused during the duration of the event. All of these things are pretty much as expected, but it was one of the few times where the Saddledome felt more like an entertainment venue than an arena. In a similar manner, we have yet another fan in the Thermaltake SWAFAN lineup. However, we have the EX14 ARGB Sync, which is different for several notable reasons. For one, all of our previously reviewed SWAFANs, including the EX12 RGB, GT12, and 12 RGB, were 120mm, while ours today is 140mm. Secondly, this is the first one that supports addressable RGB lighting. As such, I have to wonder how these changes make for a different fan, despite being in the same lineup. What similarities and differences will we see with the Thermaltake SWAFAN EX14 ARGB Sync today? Let us read on to find out!
Today's review unit of the Thermaltake SWAFAN EX14 ARGB Sync arrived from Thermaltake's offices down in City of Industry, California, USA. Traveling with UPS and their Standard ground service, this box arrived to our APH Networks location in Calgary, Alberta. Thankfully, everything seemingly was shipped smoothly, as the box was without any dents or bruises to be concerned about. Otherwise, Thermaltake also included some plastic air pockets to prevent any damage to the contents of the box.
From here, you will see a relatively familiar sight, especially compared to the other Thermaltake SWAFANs we have reviewed before. The front shows off the Thermaltake logo on the top left corner with an image of a single fan underneath. Thermaltake sent us their three pack Hydrangea Blue edition of the SWAFAN EX14 ARGB Sync, but these fans are also available in black and white variants. Down the right side, Thermaltake has listed all of the primary features, including its magnetic connection and swappable fan blades. Finally, some of the specifications of each fan are listed at the bottom. At the bottom of the box, we have all of the compatible motherboard addressable RGB LED software these fan work with, including Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Biostar, and ASRock. Around the sides we have the specifications and more features of the SWAFAN EX14 ARGB Sync.
Before we continue, I have obtained the specifications from the manufacturer's website for you reading pleasure:
Dimension: 140 x 140 x 25 mm
Interface: 2510-4 PIN PWM, 5V ARGB header-3PIN
Fan Started Voltage: 9.0 V
Fan Rated Voltage: 12 V & 5V
Rated Current: 12 V - 0.32 A, 5 V – 0.72 A (one fan)
Power Input: 12 V – 3.84 W, 5 V – 3.6 W (one fan)
Fan Speed: PWM 500 ~ 2000 R.P.M
Max Air Pressure:
- Standard Fan Blade: 3.17 mm-H2O (one fan)
- Reverse Fan Blade: 2.73 mm-H2O (one fan)
Max Air Flow:
- Standard Fan Blade: 81.6 CFM (one fan)
- Reverse Fan Blade: 79.3 CFM (one fan)
Noise:
- Standard Fan Blade: 34.5 dB-A (one fan)
- Reverse Fan Blade: 38.8 dB-A (one fan)
Bearing Type: Hydraulic Bearing
Life Expectation: 40,000 hrs., 25℃
Other:
- Fan Frames x 3
- Standard Fan Blade x 3 (Pre-installed)
- Reverse Fan Blade x 3
- Cable x 3
Out of the box, you will find a pretty neat set of additions, although this is pretty standard for the SWAFAN series. First of all, we have the EX14 ARGB Sync fans with the standard fan blades installed on them. A set of three reverse blades are packaged individually in their own plastic shell. On a side box, we have all of the magnetic connect cables that attach to the fans, as we will see later. Thermaltake has also included six sets of screws for to use for mounting the fans into a case or onto a radiator. Finally, we have a slim syringe with a yellowish grease inside. This is used to re-lubricate the fans after they have swapped in and out multiple times. Otherwise, some documentation is included with the SWAFAN EX14 ARGB Sync.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
