Phanteks PH-TC14CS CPU Cooler Review

Phanteks are a relatively new brand to the high end air cooling market but are certainly a force to be reckoned with. We tested their first CPU cooler, the PH-TC14PE a few months back and it achieved great results, beating the almighty Noctua NH-D14 in our temperature tests. So we were very excited when Phanteks offered us a sample of their latest high-end CPU cooler. Today we are going to look at the PH-TC14CS CPU cooler from Phanteks. It's clear that there are a few key design similarities with the PH-TC14PE but the fundamental design of the cooler is very different. The PH-TC14CS uses a C-shaped heatpipe design so that the fans can blow downwards towards the CPU socket. In our tests, we will be comparing the Phanteks PH-TC14CS with the Be Quiet! Shadow Rock TopFlow. Specification Socket Compatibility: Intel LGA2011, 1366, 1156, 1155, 775 and AMD FM1, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2 Fan Model: 2x 140mm PH-F140 Fans with PWM adapter Fan Speed: 1300 RPM Max. Airflow: 88.6 CFM Max. Noise Level: 19.6 dBA Fan Speed (PWM): 700 - 1200 RPM Max Airflow (PWM): 45.1 - 78.1 CFM Max Noise Level (PWM): 13.4 - 19 dBA Dimensions (Dual Fans): 160 x 151 x 140.5 Dimensions (Single Fan): 160 x 151 x 112 Dimensions (No Fans): 160 x 151 x 112 Weight (Dual/Single/No Fans): 900/750/600g Phanteks supply the PH-TC14CS within a medium sized cardboard box which is decorated in a black and white livery. The only colour used on the design of the box illustrate the different colours that the cooler is available in. We have the black version of the cooler for review today. The box itself is very good quality and contains extensive internal packaging to help protect the cooler during transit. The rear of the box details some information about the cooler in a plentiful selection of different languages. As expected there are a plethora of mounting accessories included within the box. There are accessories provided for all recent sockets including LGA 2011. The bundle also includes some Phanteks branded thermal paste, some fan mounting clips, a PWM adapter and a hex key. One of the most obvious ways in which Phanteks differentiate their coolers from the competition is in the selection of colours available. At the time of publishing this review, there are four different colours available; white, black, blue and red. This is great for enthusiasts who want to build a colour coordinated system. Phanteks have used a C-shaped design for the PH-TC14CS meaning that the fans blow down over the CPU socket. There are five 8mm nickel-plated copper heatpipes which bend around from the CPU block to the heatsink. The CPU block is also made from nickel-plated copper. Unlike some C-shaped coolers like the Noctua NH-C12P SE14, the PH-TC140CS has room for two fans, one on either side of the heatsink like the Noctua NH-C14 in a push-pull configuration. There are two fans included with the cooler which are both Phanteks branded PH-F140 models. The unique colour scheme of these fans gives them a distinctive appearance which makes the cooler stand out from the crowd. Our cooler features black fan blades with a white housing but this will vary depending on which colour cooler you purchase. These 140mm fans spin at a maximum of 1300 RPM and have 120mm mounting points so you could replace them easily with any 120mm fan without an issue. Phanteks include a PWM adapter with the cooler which can be used to reduce the speed of the fans depending on the temperature of the CPU. This will make the cooler much quieter during normal operation but will result in slightly increased temperatures. For most users, this won't be an issue, though. Phanteks include an installation guide with the cooler which guides us through the procedure. It's not the best guide we've experienced but it should be good enough for most users. The mounting mechanism that Phanteks have used for the PH-TC14CS is very similar to the one they used for the PH-TC14PE. While it isn't quite as impressive as Noctua's, it's still good. In this section we will be installing the cooler on an Intel LGA 1155 based system. The first step of the installation procedure requires us to push the bolts through the appropriate holes on the backplate and through the mounting holes on the motherboard. We can then place the plastic spacers over the top of the bolts and secure the two strip adapters using the thumbscrews provided. We have to be careful to get these the correct way round as detailed in the installation guide otherwise you could run into issues later on during the installation. Then we can apply the thermal paste to the CPU and secure the heatsink down using the L-shaped hex tool provided. This is quite fiddly as other components on the motherboard can get in the way of the tool when you're trying to tighten up the bolts. Once the heatsink is secured to the motherboard, we can attach the fans to the cooler. This requires us to push some plastic clips through the holes on each fan and then attach the wire fan clips on either side of the fan. They also supply some adhesive rubber strips to the heatsink to prevent vibrations. The fans can then be clipped into place on either side of the heatsink. Those who want to use the fan in a space restricted environment can forgo installing the fan on the top of the cooler as this reduces the overall height by 25mm. You'll need to watch out for RAM clearance issues as the heatpipes can conflict with tall RAM heatspreaders. We weren't able to install our relatively low profile G.Skill memory in the slot closest to the CPU socket so we would recommend opting for RAM with no heatspreaders if you plan to install four sticks. We decided to use an Intel Core i7-3770K combined with a Biostar TZ77XE4 motherboard to test the Phanteks PH-TC14CS CPU cooler. We overclocked the CPU to 4.7 GHz with a core voltage of 1.25V. Test System Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K Motherboard: Biostar TZ77XE4 Memory: 4 GB (2x 2GB) G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 1600MHz Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-3 Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6950 Graphics Card (noise tests): HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence Chassis: Fractal Design Define XL For our temperature tests we set of the both fans to maximum and loaded the system for 15 minutes using Prime 95. We then restarted the system and left it idling at the desktop for 15 minutes before recording temperatures. Room temperature was maintained at 19 degrees Celsius for the duration of the tests. Our test results show the Be Quiet! Shadow Rock TopFlow outperformed the Phanteks PH-TC14CS by a margin of one degree in idle and load tests at stock settings. But when the system was overclocked, the Phanteks model outperformed the Be Quiet! considerably, by five degrees under load and one degree when idle. In our noise level tests we switched off all the case fans so we are just taking into account the noise generated by the fans themselves. We observed the noise level of our test system with the Phanteks PH-TC14CS installed and the noise level was below the 30 dBA minimum sensitivity of our sound level meter. This is thanks in part to the excellent sound insulation of the Fractal Design Define XL. With the side panel removed, the cooler was audible but still very quiet and with the PWM adapter installed, the cooler was nearly silent. It's clear that Phanteks are targeting the big brands in the high-end air cooling market such as Noctua and Be Quiet! Their first cooler, the PH-TC14PE gave the Noctua NH-D14 a run for its money and this latest addition to their range, the PH-TC14CS, is also very impressive. The PH-TC14CS combines an attractive aesthetic design with solid build quality. The array of colours available make it easy to coordinate a new system build with attractive side panel showcasing the components. This is sure to win the approval of the enthusiast community. Our sample of the cooler was finished in black and looked very attractive indeed. Additionally, the low profile design of the cooler makes it ideal for use in a compact chassis or HTPC. Even though the Be Quiet! Shadow Rock TopFlow outperformed it slightly at standard settings, the PH-TC14CS showed significantly lower temperatures when overclocked ... which is what most potential buyers of this product will be interested in. We managed to achieve a solid overclock of 4.7 GHz (i7-3770K) with temperatures that would be acceptable for 24/7 use. At a price of £61.99 from OCUK (silver) with the colour versions demanding a small price premium @ £65.99, it certainly isn't a bargain basement cooler. We feel that the Phanteks PH-TC14CS is a little overpriced. While the Be Quiet Shadow Rock TopFlow didn't perform as well when overclocked, it's significantly cheaper, at around £35. Pros Attractive aesthetics. Numerous colours available. Good overclocked performance. Low profile design. Cons Expensive. KitGuru says: The PH-TC14CS is an impressive cooler but it needs to come down in price before we would recommend it over the competition.

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Phanteks PH-TC14CS CPU Cooler Review

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