Thermaltake SWAFAN GT12 Review (Page 1 of 4)

Thermaltake SWAFAN GT12 Review

By: Jadon Lee
December 15, 2023

I was talking to a friend about playlists, and they seemed to have the same methodology of making playlists as my brother. This method was having all of the songs they listen to in a single playlist. While I understand why someone might do this, I did think it was quite odd, as I am a person who has specific playlists for specific times, whether that be driving, working, reading, or anything else for that matter. The separation and distinction in the mood of the music is something that I can possibly put aside, as there are specific genres that work better with certain activities. For example, I favor listening to lo-fi when reading, as it is much more soothing and not distracting, allowing me to focus on what I am doing. EDM or rap is nice for late night drives when you need to stay awake. I think I can confidently say, many of us have our sad boy hours playlists, filled with depressing songs that just hit different. Whatever it is, I like having my music separated into their different moods to allow me to be more engrossed in my activities and music together. You know what also likes to keep itself separated? The Thermaltake SWAFAN GT12. The SWAFAN GT12 is a fan with a swappable blade design, allowing you to choose the distinct fan blades you want for your specific application. How will each of the fan blades affect the performance of the fan? Keep reading to find out!

Today’s review unit of the Thermaltake SWAFAN GT12 was shipped to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada via FedEx Ground from Thermaltake’s office in City of Industry, California, USA. This cardboard box was handled with care, as this box came in relatively good condition with no noteworthy bumps or bruises. I will say, the box was much larger than I expected. I was not too concerned about the shipping due to the practically perfect condition of the retail box.

The Thermaltake SWAFAN GT12 comes in a primarily black box with some yellow and gray accents. The front of the box displays Thermaltake’s logo on the top left, a singular fan, and of course, the name of product itself on the right side. Below the name, we have some more information about the swappable fans and the daisy-chain design. Additionally, we have some specifications. The left side of the box talks about the specifications more in depth. The back of the box contains some features about the general design of the fans. Generally speaking, the box design is very standard and is not offensive to look at.

Before we continue, here are the specifications for the Thermaltake SWAFAN GT12, as obtained from and manufacturer’s site:

Dimension: 120 x 120 x 25 mm
Started Voltage: 5.0 V
Rated Voltage: 12 V
Rated Current: 0.16 A
Power Input: 1.92 W
Fan Speed: 500 ~ 200 RPM
Max Air Pressure: 3.17 mmH2O (High Air Pressure Fan Blade), 2.7 mmH2O (High Air Flow Fan Blade), and 2.23 mmH2O (Reverse Fan Blade)
Max Air Flow: 54.71 CFM (High Air Pressure Fan Blade), 62.23 CFM (High Air Flow Fan Blade), and 58.17 CFM (Reverse Fan Blade)
Noise Level: 26.5 dBA (High Air Pressure Fan Blade), 28.3 dBA (High Air Flow Fan Blade), and 29.8 dBA (Reverse Fan Blade)
Bearing Type: Hydraulic Bearing
Life Expectation: 40,000 hours, 25°C

Our pack of the Thermaltake SWAFAN GT12 arrived in a single pack with all of its included fan blades and accessories. Within the box contains a stack of all the items necessary for installation and adjusting for what kind of setup you are looking for. The fan and fan blades were placed in a stack alongside an accessories box. The accessories box contained the screws and different mounting supplies used for radiators, the installation manual, and some lubricant. The lubricant is a nice-to-have when you want to swap the blades out, as you will see shortly. The organization in the packaging was very nice and clean. The organization was very beneficial in keeping the box nice and compact.


Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Performance Tests
4. Conclusion