Phanteks PH-TC12LS CPU Cooler Review – Quiet and Low-Profile Ready

DESIGN OVERVIEW

After removing the fan, we get a look at the heat-sink itself, which features an all black anodized coloring, and a slim, low-profile design. Phanteks claims this cooler is compatible with virtually any RAM configuration and motherboard VRM height, and we’re inclined to agree.

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The heat-sink is made up of  52 aluminum fins which feature Phanteks’ patented P.A.T.S (Physical Antioxidant Thermal Shield). This promises to “greatly increase the cooling performance and reliability while deflecting other thermal radiation from other heat sources”

The cooler measures 4.7″ (L) x 4.1″ (W)  x 1.9″ (H) without the fan, and that increases to just 4.7″  in width and 2.9″ in height  with the fan.

At the edge of the heat-sink we’ll see that Phanteks’ has capped off the tips of the heat-pipes with an aluminium shrouding that is also anodized black as the rest of the heat-sink, just like on the PH-TC14S.

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On the other end of the heat-sink we’ll find six nickel-plated copper heat-pipes, which are attached to the base from a single side. The base is also nickel-plated copper, and is completely flat with a mirror finish.

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The fan included with the cooler is the Phanteks PH-F120MP, which is high static pressure premium 120mm PWM fan. It features seven fan blades colored white, with an all black frame. It is rated for  500 – 1800 RPM, a noise level of 25dB, and a max air flow of 53.3 CFM. It also measures 120 x 120 x 25mm

phanteks_ph-tc12ls-9The fans design is very nice, and premium looking as usual with Phantek’s fans. It is solidly built and has a very nice weight to it. Like all of Phanteks fans, even though it is constructed entirely out of plastic, that doesn’t take away from its overall build quality one bit.

The fan is attached to the heat-sink with custom fitted, partially threaded screws. Usually, this would result in a loose fit, due to manufacturing errors. But thankfully this is not the case as the fan fits snugly to the cooler, and the rubber padding on each corner of the fan ensures there will be virtually no added noise due to vibration.

Last week we reviewed the Phanteks PH-TC14S, a slimline dual-tower CPU cooler, which proved to offer performance that rivals even the largest air coolers on the market. This week, we're taking a look at an even smaller cooling solution from Phanteks, the PH-TC12LS, a low-profile ready 120mm cooler aimed at mini-ITX systems. Does the PH-TC12LS live up to the Phanteks name? Let's find out! PACKAGING, PRICING AND SPECIFICATIONS The packaging, just like the PH-TC14S features a monochromatic color scheme with a detailed illustration of the cooler itself, on the sides we'll find another set of illustrations which show off the cooler's…

Review Overview

Design
Build Quality
Performance
Noise
Price

Low-Profile!

Great performance, low-profile design, and quiet fans make the Phanteks PH-TC12LS a real contender for anyone in the market for a low-profile CPU cooler.

User Rating: 2.37 ( 49 votes)

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