Customer Reviews

Thermaltake Mobile Fan 12 External USB Cooling Fan 12CM AF0007

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This fan is perfect for venting an entertainment center or a computer desk because it is powered by a USB connector and it has a speed control allowing you to adjust the speed of the fan for the best combination of airflow and (lack of) noise. The wires leading to it stay out of the way because they are on a spring-loaded reel which takes up the slack. I purchased a new entertainment center which, hard to believe, has no power outlets or vent fans! The area where the equipment resides quickly became an oven. For the first few weeks I had to leave the doors open all of the time, a completely unsatisfactory situation. I wanted to install fans to vent the cabinet, but powering them was an issue. This fan solves the problem as it is powered by the USB port on the back of one of my TiVos. I also installed one in my wife's computer desk, which made it run 20+ degrees cooler and much quieter. In both cases, I removed the "legs" and purchased longer bolts and nuts, drilled a hole in the back and mounted the fan. It took about 5 minutes for the installation. Highly recommended!

Although iMacs are designed to handle the heat generated using "passive" cooling (read no internal fan) I always use the philosophy that cooler is better. I mounted this fan behind my iMac and use an already existing hub to plug it in. It's quiet and the computer runs noticeably cooler. Will it increase the life of the computer? I don't know. But like I said, cooler is better. I do wish there was a power switch incorporated into the speed control but unplugging it isn't really much of a problem. I'm totally satisfied with the unit.

The product is based around an 80mm computer case fan, with a wire stand and a rheostat to control the fan speed. The retractable power cord extends to over 50" which is more than enough for me. Besides being useful for cooling notebook computers, this is also helpful for cooling off stereo components and related electronic equipment since heat is the enemy. At higher speeds, the fan does make some noise however.

I recently lucked out and got my hands on an Atlantic Technology FS-7.0-GLB 7-channel surround bar (Gloss Black), and purchased an Onkyo TX-SR508 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) to go with it. Having read the reviews on my receiver, I was forewarned that it runs very hot, so I began my search for something that would keep it cool, but not break my bank. I couldn't have asked for better than this USB-powered cooling fan.

After initially setting everything up, I thought that the best place for this fan might be at the rear of the receiver, over the hole through which all of my wires and cables passed to and from my receiver. Uhm, yeah - NOTHING was going to be powerful enough to suck the heat from the receiver with it set THERE! So, once I'd figured out that I needed to lay my ThermalTake fan over the TOP of the upper grate on my receiver, with the fan speed knob (obviously!) facing up, I unscrewed the little wire "stand" that it's on, put it in place, and it's done the job SPECTACULARLY! Before, my Onkyo receiver would literally get hot to the touch after a few hours of operation. Now that I have my ThermalTake fan laid over top of it, it actually stays almost cold to the touch, even when it's on all day long.

There are plenty of other cooling options that one can find online and in-store that are billed specifically as cooling options for A/V equipment, but you really can't possibly go wrong with this awesome little USB-powered fan. The RPMs of this fan exceed what I came across on a website for another fan billed for use with audio receivers, and that fan was being sold for nearly double the price of this one, before shipping. All it took was for me to move this to the right place on my receiver for this fan to get it super cool.

Amazon continues to amaze me with the bargains that I find here. Of course, without the helpful reviews that other users put up here, I wouldn't have had a clue what to buy or how well it'd work. Thankfully, the other folks that've bought this fan led me down the right path, and I have every confidence that I'll be able to enjoy many, many years of great sound from my audio receiver, so thanks!

These are basically 120mm computer case fans equipped with a small rheostat, a separate USB power cable and a built-in stand so they remain upright. The fan puts out a sufficient amount of air and the volume is adjustable with the rotating knob (rheostat) to find the best blend between noise and airflow. My purpose in buying these was as an inexpensive and space saving cooling/exhaust system for my audio cabinet beneath my Kuro Plasma HDTV. The closed space gets pretty warm when running the cable box, PS3 and Pioneer AVR for surround sound. There are much fancier and expensive solutions out there, but for my setup, these do just fine. They sit in the back of the two sides of the case and are plugged into the USB ports of devices with switched power. That means they come on when the devices come on and shut down when everything is powered off. Be aware of this, because many devices, like my Cable box, simply power their USB port all the time, which would result in the fans either running continuously or you having to reach into the space and unplugging them every time. Used in a cabinet, they are out of sight and also harder to reach if I needed to turn them on and off. So running them from a switched power source is best. Inside the audio cabinet, noise and appearance are not a problem. If you plan to use them in a more visible location, you will have to consider those factors more closely, though I don't find the noise to be objectionable.

The real ingenuity in these fans is the special, retractable USB power cable. You could try to use some left over fans from your computer parts bin, but these usually all have a 3 pin connector and options to power them would be limited. These fans have that same 3 pin connector, but the supplied and retractable cable is custom built with a 3 pin plug and a USB plug. Both sides extend and retract with click stops and can be custom fitted to the length you want, making a pretty clean installation. The fans could also be used in a computer of course, but using USB ports for fans is a bit of a waste. I'd just get regular fans with 3 pin connectors and use a splitter or direct connector in the computer or motherboard. Anywhere you have devices with powered USB ports though, these Thermaltake fans work just fine for exhausting or cooling and do it reasonably quietly. The adjustable rheostat is nice and I would only wish for a slightly more sturdy base and make the angle adjustable. Overall though, good value and does what it claims when used as intended.

Yeah, it blows air!!!! It moves more air than the little unit but blows it at a slower rate... For the desk I'd get the little one, for cooling electronics and quiet operation, this one fits the bill....

First off I needed a fan to cool some components in a auido/video cabinet.

So I bought 2 of these and also 2 of the Coolerguys 120x120x25mm USB Fan. The thermaltake fans are cheaper and work much better. Noise Level is great for the amount of air these push. These fans are adjustable so if they are to loud you can turn them down abit and you can still feel the air coming out.

i hooked these up to a powered usb supply which then was on a remote, so both fans are on a remote. otherwise if you plug them into your xbox they will always be on.

With the cooler guys fan I could not feel any air coming out, noise level was alittle less then the thermaltake, but with thermaltake lower the adjustment and it made it the same noise level with alot more air coming out. The cable is very short when compared to the thermaltake and not adjustable.

So overall these fans are awesome for the price, they get the job done and the fans are well made, they have a stand that is removable if needed and cable is long if needed.

The cursor on my HP Pavilion Slimline computer would freeze every few minutes forcing me to make a cold reboot. Finally, I had a technician run a variety of diagnostics to determine the cause. The cause turned out to be poor design. The location of the video card blocked the exit for the hot air being dispersed by the internal fan. Overheating caused the cursor freeze. A Google search found the external Thermaltake Mobile Fan 12 with USB connection. It is quiet, produces enough air flow to eliminate the heat build up. No more cursor freeze.

I marked it down one star becuase, even on the lowest setting, if it's quiet in the room and you listen closely, you can hear the whir of a fan. Barely. I'm using it to cool a Mac Mini and 2 drive NAS in an enclosed entertainment center, and everything is staying cool on the lowest setting. No complaints. One note though, if you're mounting it to something more than 1/8" thick you will probably need to pick up some screws longer than what comes with this product. I guess that what I get for buying this for something other than its intended purpose ;)

Decided to purchase this in order to install it as an A/V cabinet cooling fan.

Turned out to be a perfect choice. Simply drilled a 4.5" (120mm) hole, plus four holes for the screws, into the back of the cabinet, attached the fan to the cabinet with longer bolts purchased from the local hardware store, and finally plugged the USB cable into the back of the DVR. I have it on its lowest setting, and its moving plenty of air with almost zero noise output. At a normal viewing distance, you'll never hear it, unless you have it set to it's highest setting.

The only con is that when I set it to about the 50% mark, there was a slight clicking coming from the motor. Any faster, or slower, and the noise disappeared.