Introduction

Most people have heard the term “OEM” when referring to parts and manufacturing, but very few realize what it actually means. “OEM” stands for “original equipment manufacturer”. Sounds simple, right? Well, it throws most people. For example, my laptop bears the name of a major manufacturer and has a 15.6” display. Most people naturally assume that the display was produced by said major manufacturer, but that is not always the case. Doing a quick check in Device Manager, my monitor shows LG as the manufacturer, and LG is certainly not the manufacturer of the laptop. And the motherboard? It’s a Wistron, again not the manufacturer. These companies are the OEM of the parts (and sometimes whole) for the said piece.

This happens just as often on pieces as simple as CPU coolers. I have run into the same (horrible) mounting kit on three entirely separate brands of CPU coolers that bore no resemblance to each other. How did this happen? The coolers had the same OEM. That’s right, your cooler may well have rolled off the same assembly line as a hundred others. This isn’t a bad thing, it makes perfectly good manufacturing sense. Phanteks is a name few have heard in the cooling world, but they have been producing coolers for over twenty years as an OEM. They are the guys who do the actual production and, in some cases, much, or all, of the design. Recently, Phanteks made the decision to use their experience and expertise to launch a line with their own name, in Europe, to great reception. They are now bringing that line into the Americas, starting with their flagship PH-TC14PE Premier CPU Cooler.

The Phanteks PH-TC14PE Premier CPU Cooler comes to market with some new technologies, complete with acronyms. The Phanteks PH-TC14PE uses all of Phanteks ingenuity and packages it into one (rather large) package. The PH-TC14PE is a twin tower design using dual fans aligned to draw the air through, but is also capable of a three fan setup and comes with all of the accessories needed to do so. Rather than higher rpm 120mm fans, Phanteks opts for slower rotating 140mm fans featuring MVB (Maelstrom Vortex Boost) Technology to provide equivalent airflow while keeping noise levels down, even in a three fan setup. Five 8mm heatpipes run through the nickel plated copper base and through the aluminum fin array to draw the heat away from the CPU. The aluminum fins of the Phanteks PH-TC14PE have a couple of exclusive technologies of their own. The fins themselves use a P.A.T.S. (Physical Anti-Oxidant Thermal Shield) coating, which allows for quicker and greater heat dissipation. This is applied by way of Phanteks patented C.P.S.C. (Cold Plasma Spraying Coating) Technology, which itself increases thermal conductivity. Another non-thermal related benefit of these technologies is the look. The Phanteks PH-TC14PE is available in silver, red, blue and orange coatings to match the interior of your case as you desire.