The Phanteks PH-TC14PE Review Final Verdict
I’m really impressed with the Phanteks PH-TC14PE’s ability to hang at the front of the pack in comparison to other CPU coolers. Performance wise, it’s definitely one of those that will be a top contender and likely rival temperatures of closed looped systems. However, the thing that bugged me the most about the Phanteks PH-TC14PE was the installation. The packaging was decent, the instructions were rather straight forward, but in order to mount the fan clips you have to press a piece of plastic through to hold the clip. With every cooler I’ve installed before we never had to have this extra step. While I’m sure the fan is much more secure with this method, I think it’s a needless piece of hardware and a needless step in the user installation process. Regardless, the Phanteks PH-TC14PE is a solid CPU cooler, that pushes out some serious cooling.
Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler
Likes
- Kit includes everything you’ll ever need to get your new CPU cooler installed. (Except a screwdriver)
- 26 Degree drop in max temperature over the stock cooler.
- Very quiet even at full loads.
- Option to add up to 3 fans.
- Numerous color options of both heat-sink and fan to fit your design.
Dis-likes
- Fan mount clips require another piece of hardware that must be installed.
- Orange fan color doesn’t match the orange heat-sink color.
I really liked the performance of the Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU cooler. It’s a massive and attractive beast that has the ability to change it’s colors to match your glorious masterpiece. While bringing your temperatures down to around a 25% difference, it does it quietly, and easily integrates into your color scheme. There are a few negatives to the PH-TC14PE, but when it comes down to it, this sucker performs and that’s really what we’re paying for. Nothing I mentioned in the Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler review would have ever detoured me from recommending it to a friend.
Mismatched colors and an extra step in installation aside, the Phantek PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler is a beast. If you’re looking for performance then this is cooler should definitely be on the top of your list. For that reason, we gave the Phantek PH-TC14PE the Editors Choice award, meaning we’ll be using this in our own rigs.
The Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler was provided by Phanteks, and the AMD Test system was provided by AMD through the AMD Test Drive Program.
I wonder if there are any viable options for different fans?
What options for different fans with higher CFM and/or MTBF?
CoolerMaster JetFlo 120 fans do 95 CFM + 160,000 hours MTBF.
I saw someone on some different site who has this HSF cooler,
Phanteks PH-TC14PE with Scythe Slipstream 120mm fans 110 CFM.
Phanteks PH-TC14PE normal fan size is 140mm but can use 120mm.
But I read someone saying they don’t trust Scythe fans anymore.
The Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120 mm High Speed Fans do have high CFM airflow, but are noisy,
at 3,000 rpm/83.0 CFM/36.5 dBA, 4,250 rpm/116.5 CFM/44.0dBA, 5,400 rpm/150.1 CFM/50.5dBA.
Is there any benefit to gain from using different fans for this HSF?
I honestly don’t think so. We didn’t test different fans on the HSF but it may not be a bad idea for us in the future for reviews to do that.