The fan carrying one of the most popular brands in the field has been tested against the latest competitors. Among them are the new Arctic P14 Pro (A-RGB), Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM and Thermaltake Toughfan 14 Pro. And many others (including the FD Momentum 14/RGB) with which the TL-B14 will cross paths. In any case, the geometry of the Thermalright impeller is efficient, the price is low, and the results are impressive.
Evaluation
Thermalright has done it again. After the TL-C12C model, the larger TL-B14 also earns our editorial award: “Smart buy!”. Let’s get that out of the way right at the start of this final section.
Performance on radiators (thinner, thicker) is very attractive for the price. Not the most attractive—Arctic P14 Pro (PST) lead in this discipline—but the real-world differences are so small they hardly show in cooling performance. The Thermalright TL-B14 is a solid choice for radiators if the competing Arctic fans (P14 Pro/PST) are unavailable or you simply prefer the TL-B14 for other reasons, such as aesthetics. That can happen. Not always, but it can. And there are scenarios where the TL-B14 clearly beats the P14 Pro—for example, on a grille. Admittedly, that’s not difficult given Arctic’s weakness here, but it’s not a major factor in the final evaluation.
Where the Thermalright fan struggles is behind a plastic filter. The results there are rather poor, and with a nylon filter, you might not want to mount it at all—the impeller can rub against the mesh, producing an extremely unpleasant noise. For this reason, we have no results in this mode.
With unreinforced nylon filters there’s a collision risk, so if you plan to use the TL-B14 as a case fan, think twice. Otherwise, they’re remarkable fans even in terms of vibration. We recorded none, and the risk of secondary noise (from vibrating the chassis through the frame, for example) is minimal. This is helped by the relatively moderate RPM and lower maximum airflow. It also means this fan will never be “too loud,” even with an unoptimized fan curve tied to CPU temperature, if the motherboard BIOS fan management settings haven’t been altered.
For a cheaper—even budget—140 mm fan, it has a pleasant acoustic profile, objectively more so (with fewer tonal peaks) than the competing Endorfy Stratus 140 PWM. As always, though, it depends on which sound frequencies you’re sensitive to.
Thermalright has a decidedly attractive fan in its lineup, one where we haven’t encountered any obvious manufacturing flaws, as is the case for example with the Thermaltake Toughfan 14 Pro. We’re not claiming such issues don’t exist, nor that the TL-B14 necessarily has tighter production tolerances for critical parts—but across multiple samples we had on hand, no technical negatives surfaced in short-term testing that we could point to.
We see the TL-B14 as an appealing low-budget option—provided it’s placed wisely. In the right scenario, it’s most likely to be a good, cost-effective choice.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
| Thermalright TL-B14 |
| + Suitable for any use case |
| + Cooling efficiency (airflow/pressure per unit of noise) at a very high level |
| + Attractive airflow-to-price ratio |
| + High airflow and static pressure even through restrictive obstacles |
| + Wide speed range |
| + Quiet motor and bearing operation |
| + Low, unmeasurable vibration (even at max speed) |
| + Low speeds possible (stable from ~375 RPM) |
| - No passive mode support—won’t “switch off” at low PWM duty cycle |
| - Possible collision with a nylon dust filter |
| Approximate retail price: 11 EUR |
I have this installed as a back exhaust fan on my Fractal Design Define S. In the front I have three of the Fractal Design’s older dynamic GP14.
This fan has a specific prrrrrrrrrr noise that becomes pronounced above 1100rpm.
I somehow prefer it over the extremely annoying high pitched whine of the Arctic P14 PWM.
My quest for a satisfactory quiet fan over 1000rpm continues.
Are you sure that the noise is not actually being generated by the grille on which the fan is mounted? Maybe it is resonating with the TL-B14 fan and is the source of the unwanted noise. With other fans this doesn’t necessarily have to happen, of course…
Please review the Thermalright TL-C12015B. Maybe the best slim fan after the P12 slim, and important as the range for slim fans is limited.
Wow, Thermalright’s offering is quite impressive in this slim space. 😉
TL-B12015: https://www.thermalright.com/product/tl-b12015/
TL-B12015 Extrem: https://www.thermalright.com/product/tl-b12015-extrem/
TL-H12015B: https://www.thermalright.com/product/tl-h12015b/
TL-C12015B: https://www.thermalright.com/product/tl-c12015b/
TL-H12015B-S: https://www.thermalright.com/product/tl-h12015b-s/
TL-C12015S: https://www.thermalright.com/product/tl-c12015s/
TL-C12015L: https://www.thermalright.com/product/tl-c12015l/
and super-slim (13mm) in 140mm format
TY-14013R: https://www.thermalright.com/product/ty-14013r/
That’s a very nice list of fans. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Yes, the TL-C12015B looks good. Thanks for the tip! We are adding it to the list and will ask Thermalright for samples when we get the opportunity. No promises, but let’s hope we’ll get to see its tests on here. 🙂
1. For some reason, the positive/negative list in the evaluation section seems empty. Can you check if that’s also the case on your end?
2. On the topic of Thermalright, have there ever been considerations of reviewing some of TR’s CPU air coolers?
I’d love to see some of the detailed analysis you guys do for the likes of the Phantom Spirit 120 Evo, Royal Pretor 130 Ultra or the Peerless Assassin 140, just as examples for their 3 most performant recent models.
Sorry, no idea why this was posted a reply to you (Yamato). It was supposed to be a question to Ľubomír.
Thank you for the heads-up. 🙂
1.) The +/- table really was empty, but everything’s fixed now.
2.) We’re definitely interested in Thermalright coolers, and we already have a sample of the Royal Pretor 130 in the test lab. Their lower representation in our tests is only due to weaker local distribution, but that doesn’t change the fact that we want to cover Thermalright coolers too. The English edition of HWCooling does have global reach.
Is the TL H12-X28 anywhere in the schedule? Looks like a pretty good 120mm ARGB workhorse if the specs are anywhere near accurate
We don’t currently have the TL-H12-X28 fan in our testing plans. I agree its design is extremely attractive, but I’m constrained by limited time. While I believe we’ll eventually get around to testing this fan, I really can’t make any promises right now.
I’m sorry if it has been asked before or if it’s already on the schedule, but could you guys review the Sudokoo Mach140 fan, the Sudokoo Proteus 360 AIO and the Thermalright Stream Vision AIO?
IIRC, Sudokoo Mach is on the schedule, but I don’t know if it’s 120 or 140. 😛
Either will be great. Comparing the 120 with the Phanteks T30 or the 140 with the Arctic 14 Pro will show whether Sudokoo’s product is competitive.
I’m looking forward to it. The aerodynamic design of these fans looks really promising, and based on previous experience, I’d expect the Mach120 to deliver some very attractive results. 🙂
And you can find the TR Stream Vision AIO review here:
https://quasarzone.com/bbs/qc_qsz/views/2023652#p5
😛
Nice! Thank you!
As for Sudokoo fans, we have Mach120 samples in the test lab. Tests of these fans will definitely come out sooner or later. Regarding the Mach140—can’t say yet, we’re not that far ahead, haha. The Proteus and Stream Vision coolers are very good suggestions for future tests as well, but I can’t promise anything for now. We’ll see. 🙂
No problem! I know it’s not possible to review every piece of available gear.
Anyway, thank you for everything you have been doing!