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be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed vs Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12: Comparison
be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM vs Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12: the static pressure difference
The gap that matters here is static pressure: be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM 3.96 mmH2O against Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 2.41 mmH2O, which puts be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM 39% ahead. be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM also leads on airflow, 76.7 CFM on the be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM versus 58.35 CFM on the Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12. Add max speed to that, 2500 RPM on the be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM versus 2000 RPM on the Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12, and the pattern holds.
Which should you buy, be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM or Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12?
Take the be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM for builds needing more airflow than a standard Noctua fan provides and willing to trade a bit of acoustic headroom for it. It is the wrong buy for Silent-first builds where the Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM's lower noise ceiling matters more than peak airflow. The Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 suits thick AIO and custom-loop radiators and high-restriction, high-RPM setups, though it is not built for Quiet, low-RPM builds and open case front intakes. Our rating of the be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM (8/10): more airflow than the quiet-first competition, with a bearing rating built for a decade of running. Our rating of the Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 (8/10): one of the better plain-black high-pressure radiator fans, built tough for AIO and custom-loop use.
Where the two are identical
The common ground is wider than the gap: fan size, connector type, fan thickness and pwm control are identical here.
Frequently asked questions
Do the be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM and Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 differ on noise level?
Yes. Noise Level reads 31.2 dBA on the be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM versus 22.3 dBA on the Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12.
Specs and benchmarks
Fan Size
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 120 mm
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 120 mm
Brand
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- be quiet!
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- Thermaltake
Model
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- TOUGHFAN 12
Bearing Type
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- Fluid Dynamic
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- Hydraulic
Fan Thickness
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 25 mm
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 25 mm
Static Pressure
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 3.96 mmH2OBest
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 2.41 mmH2O-39%
Max Speed
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 2500 RPMBest
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 2000 RPM-20%
Airflow
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 76.7 CFMBest
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 58.35 CFM-24%
Noise Level
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 31.2 dBA
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 22.3 dBABest
PWM Control
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- Yes
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- Yes
Rated Life
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 300000 hours
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 40000 hours
Max Power Draw
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 2.4 W
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 1.44 WBest
Connector Type
- be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
- 4-Pin PWM
- Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
- 4-Pin PWM
Which one should you pick?
Choose be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed if you want the higher static pressure (3.96 mmH2O vs 2.41 mmH2O), the higher max speed (2500 RPM vs 2000 RPM) and the higher airflow (76.7 CFM vs 58.35 CFM).
Choose Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 if you want the lower noise level (22.3 dBA vs 31.2 dBA).
Price comparison
| Retailer | be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed | Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on Amazon | |
| Newegg | View on Newegg | |
| Thermaltake | View on Thermaltake |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
be quiet! Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM High-Speed
8 / 10 Expert Rating
More airflow than the quiet-first competition, with a bearing rating built for a decade of running.
Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12
8 / 10 Expert Rating
One of the better plain-black high-pressure radiator fans, built tough for AIO and custom-loop use.