So firstly I’d like to say thanks to the guys over at ThermalTake for giving me the chance to check out their Riing Duo 12 RGB fans that are optimised for radiators. The RGB element looks awesome, the ring around the fans is lit up and even not the fans but let’s stop blabbering on and get the box open to check these out!
Riing Duo 12 RGB Fans Specifications & Features
| Fan Dimension | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
|---|---|
| Interface | USB 2.0 connectors (9 Pin) |
| System compatibility | Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 |
| Fan Started Voltage | 9.0 V |
| Fan Rated Voltage | 12 V & 5V |
| Rated Current | 12V- 0.11 A , 5V – 0.7A (only one fan) |
| Power Input | 12V – 4.32 W . 5V – 10.5 W (Fan*3) |
| Fan Speed | 500 ~ 1500 R.P.M |
| Max. Air Pressure | 1.45mm-H2O |
| Max Air Flow | 42.45 CFM |
| Noise | 23.9 dB-A |
| Bearing Type | Hydraulic Bearing |
| Life Expectation | 40,000 hrs,25℃ |
| Weight | 163 g (one fan) |
Riing Duo 12 RGB Fans Closer Look
So now the specifications are done and dusted it’s time to crack open the packaging and see what goodies await inside! A couple of plastic tape strips and we’re in… there’s a good selection of parts in the box for the Riing Duo 12 RGB fans including the controller that makes all the magic happen.
There are multiple bags with mounting hardware for mounting the fans to a radiator or straight into your case giving a few options for placement which is ace. One thing I do want to highlight is that there isn’t excessive plastic packaging being used here. The only plastic is really the bags for the screws and such, everything else is cardboard which is better all round, environmentally speaking. This is a big win in this modern age and far better than others I’ve seen that tend to be packed with lots of unnecessary plastic like clamshells within a cardboard box, it’s nice to see companies like ThermalTake making this change!
The Riing Duo 12 RGB fans are pretty easy to work with, and I have chosen to use two on my AIO radiator and hooked them up to the controller, so it’s time to power them up and see how the RGB on them looks. From the images on the packaging, they are going to look awesome, but real life can be different to professionally produced marketing photos so I’m keeping an open mind!
The only challenging part for this review is where to pop the 3rd fan, I’m thinking as an exhaust fan but that will be a challenge for a later time so, for now, I’ll just focus on these radiator fans where they belong… on the radiator. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at them in the case as set up on my 240mm AIO radiator. As I mentioned, the Riing Duo 12 are RGB fans and considering how vibrant the RGB is they could quite easily replace LED strips as a light source in most windowed cases too!
Something I am really impressed with is the attention to detail on the Riing Duo 12 RGB fans. They all have a braided looking material wrapped around the cables which I have to say helps with aesthetics for sure, but they also give the cables a bit more durability as well assisting cable management – they’re more rigid than bare cables and they should be able to stand up a bit more to the edges of cable management holes and such.
The controller is super straightforward for the Riing Duo 12 RGB fans too, the fan connectors only connect in one way which makes setting up so much easier! Once I had them all hooked up the next challenge is making sure there’s a USB header free on the motherboard to connect it to the TT RGB Plus software from ThermalTake. I found that the software is also really simple to use. The only thing I would really mention is that the controller could do with a little bit of double-sided adhesive, like a pad or Velcro, to be able to mount it, but other than that this kit is bang on and works a treat for lighting and cooling.
The TT RGB Plus software from ThermalTake is really good for customisation. There’s the ability to fine-tune each zone on the Riing Duo 12 RGB Fans so you can really have full custom lighting settings. One other thing, and this I found pretty awesome, is that the RGB can be voice-controlled! So you can integrate with Amazon Alexa as well using the phone app to voice control your RGB lighting, so there’s no need to open the software suite on your PC if you fancy shouting colours and lighting schemes out instead. After all that fun, I guess it’s time to get the closing words and my verdict!
The Riing Duo 12 RGB Fans Review: The Verdict
Well it is always great to end a review on a positive note and that what I’m happily doing with this review of the Riing Duo 12 RGB fans! They are super easy to work with, there’s plenty of hardware, intuitive software and the voice control is a pretty neat feature too!
What’s hot:
- Clean and vibrant RGB
- Voice control, shout at your PC and get results!
- Easy to follow instructions
What’s not:
- The controller could do with double-sided tape to mount it up
So after all that I’m more than happy to recommend the Riing Duo 12 RGB fans for how well they work in cooling, they have great crisp RGB lighting elements and they are easy to work with! The only warning to anyone who is fancying a set of these fans is they aren’t cheap but you are getting great quality for the price. I have spotted the Riing Duo RGB fans online for around £90 to £95 dependant on the retailer, these are currently around £95 at Ebuyer in the UK which is the best price I could spot without postage charges.
So now I get to give out my awards and I’m happy to drop the Play3r Design and Gold Awards for the ThermalTake Riing Duo 12 RGB fans because of how well they work and just the overall ease of working with them.
Thanks to ThermalTake for sending a sample of the Riing Duo 12 RGB Fans in for review.
