Review on Thermaltake CL F083 PL20SW A by Charles Lewellen

Don't get me wrong these are some of the nicest fans money can buy. They have more LEDs than any other fan except for the quad version from the same brand. However, that doesn't mean they aren't overpriced. In fact, I almost miss my old Thermaltake Premium fans. The rings on it are so bright you can hardly tell the fan itself is on, and the lighting on the blades is actually one of the prettiest parts (I've included a photo of old fans for comparison). Even if you darken the rings, the blades still don't show up as well and they only have 5 address LEDs for that part, leaving you less room for effects. And while the LEDs can be changed for each one individually, the software doesn't have the ability to add layers like Corsair's iCue does. To top it off, it's really annoying that you have to shell out $160 just to have the white fan option (because $140 isn't enough anymore). Overall, they push out a lot of air, which keeps your system cool when it's a bit noisy. The software isn't as bad as some make it out to be in my opinion. In fact, I like the effect options that are put at your disposal more than iCue or Synapse (Razer), Asus, MSI, etc. (except that there are no layers). As with all case fans, installation was very easy. You connect the wires to the controller and the controller to the fan header and the USB 2.0 connector. There's quite a bit of cable here (too much for most ATX towers), so be prepared to figure out the routing beforehand. I don't necessarily regret my purchase, but I think they should be cheaper and come in white.