Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler Review

Installing the Phanteks PH-TC14PE

Phanteks provides all that is need to mount up to the Intel Socket LGA 2011,1155,1156, LGA 1366, LGA775 and AMD AM2/2+/AM3. Everything is nicely separated into clearly marked baggies.

In the general parts bag are Y splitter for powering the fans from one fan header, inline power resistor for low speed mode, fan mounting parts including enough spring clips to mount 3 fans, silicon strips, top cross bar, and tube of thermal paste.

AMD parts seem little sparse, but it makes use of the stock backing plate on the motherboard.

The Intel parts with the backing plate.

On the back of the plate is a key. The key shows what hole is for what socket.

You install the mounting post into the appropriate hole for your socket. The sides of the backing plate prevent the mounting stud from turning.

With the studs in place you then install it from the back side of the motherboard, then install the spacers and upper mounting bars.

Then to prep the cooler you install the upper cross bar to the cooler base. The thumbscrew just keeps the crossbar from falling off during installation. It does not apply any extra pressure to the base like on the Thermalright Venomous X.

Then apply thermal paste and install the cooler to the board.

RAM clearance is better than average, but tall RAM like Corsair Dominator’s (center) and Kingston Hyper X T1’s (right). So needing to know where the cooler will end up in relation to the RAM slots is important if RAM with tall heat spreaders is in your build.

Now that the cooler is mounted the fans need to be prepped and mounted. The fans mount with spring clips held in place with a retainer.

The retainer goes through the fan body, and he spring clip hooks into it.

Once together the clips do not fall off and make installing and removing a snap, even in the case.

With the system back in the case you can see how much room the PH-TC14PE takes up. The PH-TC14PE can accommodate up to 3 fans, with the 3rd fan installed there is barely room for my finger between it and the rear exhaust fan.