Final Thoughts and Rating
There's something satisfying about seeing a new kid on the block ruffle the feathers of some of the more established names. But Phanteks' early success shouldn't come as a surprise. The company was formed from a team of engineers boasting 20 years of international experience in providing thermal solutions, and when they paired up with a Dutch design team to create Phanteks, the end result was inevitable; colourful high-end coolers that look great and perform admirably.
The company's halo product, the huge PH-TC14PE, has soaked up praise from both end users and system integrators alike, and rightfully so. An eye-catching choice of colours make it stand out from the crowd, but it's through first-class performance that the Phanteks solution has won over the enthusiast audience.
A £65 price tag is an obvious hurdle, and memory clearance is likely to be a real issue for some, but cooling performance on an Ivy Bridge processor is about as good as it gets on air and Phanteks is showing signs of learning as it goes. The manufacturer's decision to start bundling a PWM adapter as default is hugely important - the cooler's far too loud without it - and, perhaps more importantly, a five-year warranty and a new online support forum suggest that this is a company determined to look after its customers.
Bottom line: if it's extreme cooling performance you're after, the Phanteks PH-TC14PE should be near the top of your shopping list. Question is, which colour will you get?
The Good
Outstanding performance
Comprehensive bundle
Great choice of colours
Can entertain three fans
Keeps noise in check
Good build quality
The Bad
Memory clearance is an issue
Presentation could be better
Pricey for a CPU cooler
HEXUS Rating
Phanteks PH-TC14PE
HEXUS Awards
Phanteks PH-TC14PE
HEXUS Where2Buy
The Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU cooler is available to purchase in a choice of colours from Scan Computers*.
HEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.
*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.
