Cooler Master Nepton 240M Liquid Radiator Review By Aidan Moore Manufacturer: Cooler Master Ltd. Inc. Product Name: Nepton 240M Model Number: RL-N24M-20PK-R1 UPC: 884102026744 EAN: 4719512047774 Price As Tested: $129.99 (MSRP) Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Cooler Master. At first glance, the Cooler Master Nepton 240M looks just like any other dual 120mm cooling solution. However, take a closer look at the specifications and you realize that this product is making some substantial performance claims. With a stated typical noise floor of 11 dB(A) and four times greater surface area than the competition, the Cooler Master Nepton 240M should produce some impressive results in comparison to other popular liquid cooling systems. In this article, Benchmark Reviews looks at the new Cooler Master Nepton 240M all-in-one water cooling system to determine if it’s performance matches the claims. We compare performance for the Nepton 240M against two other popular dual-fan liquid coolers. Features The Nepton 240M is a new 240mm liquid cooler and features Cooler Master’s latest Silencio series fans capable of 1.2mmH20 at only 11dB(A). Cooler Master claims the water-block has been improved with “Jet Impingement Technology”, increasing efficiency and providing a 120 liter per hour flow rate. Extreme Cooling Performance High Efficient 240mm Radiator New Silencio 120 Fans Maintenance Free Durable FEP Tubing Ultrafine Micro Channel Specifications Cooler Master published specifications for the Nepton 240M are shown below: Nepton 240M CPU Socket Intel LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1150 / 1156 / 1155 / 775AMD Socket FM2+ / FM2 / FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ Pump Dimensions 75 x 69.8 x 49.1 mm ( 3 x 2.7 x 1.9 inch ) Radiator Dimensions 120 x 240 x 27 mm Radiator Material Aluminum Fan Dimensions 120 x 120 x 25 mm ( 4.9 x 4.9 x 1 inch ) Fan Speed 1200~2400 RPM (PWM) ± 10% Fan Airflow 16-76 CFM ± 10% Fan Air Pressure 0.48-4.8 mmH2O ± 10% Fan Life Expectancy 160,000 hours Fan Noise Level 6.5 – 27 dBA Fan Bearing Type Rifle bearing Fan Connector 4-Pin Fan Rated Voltage 12 VDC Pump Life Expectancy 70,000 hours Pump Rated Voltage 12VDC Cooler Master Nepton 240M Overview Packaging for the Nepton 240M draws attention to the low fan noise and high efficiency of the device. The major components of the Nepton 240M, including dual fans and radiator assembly are individually wrapped and sealed to prevent damage during shipping.Smaller items such as CPU adapters and mounting hardware are sealed in a separate plastic bag. The CPU adapters, standoffs and mounting hardware are included in the package. Note the dual to single fan header and the extra set of knurled mounting bolts. More on that later. . Another nice feature not seen on too many liquid coolers is a rubber gasket to increase the silent operation of the fans. Rounding out the package is a small tube of Cooler Master branded thermal paste. Cooler Master Nepton 240M Detailed Features The Silencio fans are Cooler Master branded 120mm fans that contribute to the overall silent operation of the cooler. It is difficult to see any external features of the fans that may be responsible for the silent operation. The mounting surface of the CPU cooler is protected against any scratches and oxidization by a protective adhesive plastic cover which is easily removed. For an Intel 2011 type of CPU socket it is necessary to first mount 4 small standoffs for attachment to the cooler pump. The fan and radiator assembly can be easily preassembled with the gasket and attached hardware and then mounted in one step to the top of the case. This is much easier than other systems that require you to feed four long bolts through the top of the enclosure, through the fans and finally into the radiator body. Testing & Results Testing Methodology The Nepton 240M performance was evaluated against two other similar liquid cooling systems. The Corsair H100 is an older 240 mm cooling system, while the Corsair H110 is a new 280 mm cooling system. Published specifications for the three systems are shown below. Cooler Master Nepton 240M Corsair H110 Corsair H100 Length 240 312 275 Width 120 140 122 Rad. Thickness 27 29 27 Cooling Fans 2 x 120mm 2 x 140 mm 2 x 120 mm Total Thickness 52 54 52 Control Type none none Integrated/Auto Noise Level 6.5-27 dB(A) 35dB(A) 22-39 dB(A) Fan Speed 1200-2400 1500 RPM (+/-10%) 1300-2600 RPM(+/-10%) Fan Airflow 16-76 CFM 94 CFM 46-92 CFM AMD Sockets All AM2,AM3,FM1,FM2 All AM2,AM3,FM1,FM2 775,AM2,AM3 Intel Sockets 1150, 1156/1155,1156, 1366, 2011 1150, 1156/1155,1156, 1366, 2011 1150, 1156/1155, 1366, 2011 Warranty 5 Years 5 Years 5 Years MSRP $130 $130 $119 To be consistent, the same thermal paste was applied to each of the cooling blocks. The Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 paste was used for all three cooler installations. Each product was measured for CPU temperature after running a 45 minute Aida 64 stress test. Because the test computer system has eight CPU cores, the average value of all eight individual cores was used for the final comparison. A digital thermometer and a FLIR camera were used to capture the ambient temperature during each test. Testing was performed later in the day when room temperatures had stabilized. Noise measurements were also taken using a Galaxy Audio CM–240 SPL audio meter. Where possible, measurements were taken 1 meter from the center of the computer case. The CM–240 audio meter has a minimum SPL sensitivity of 32 dB(A) SPL. For measured values below 32 dB(A), the galaxy meter was moved to 500 cm from the source and the reading was divided by two. SPL values scale in a linear fashion, as opposed to sound intensity which has an inverse square relationship with distance. Each of the three cooling systems was installed in the same test system as shown below. Test System The test computer system is a Intel i7-5960X based content creation machine with a modest 24/7 overclock of 4.2 GHz. The Corsair 800D enclosure provides ample room for top mounted installation of the cooling system, and has good ventilation with 240 mm front fans and one 120 mm rear exhaust fan. Processor: Intel Core i7-5960X @ 4.2 GHz OC (Haswell-E) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99-GAMING G1 Intel X99 Memory: 4x 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws F4-2133C15Q-32GNT @ 2133 MHz 9-11-10-28 Video Card: Zotac GeForce Titan Black 980MHz Harddisk: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB Power Supply: Corsair 1200 Case: Corsair 800D Software: Windows 8.1 Pro TIM: Arctic Ceramique 2 The Gigabyte x99 motherboard provides numerous fan headers for attachment to the liquid cooling system water block and fans. The BIOS allows setting the fans to 100%, or to be controlled through a Windows utility to an arbitrary percentage of the maximum speed. In all test cases, the fans and pump of the cooler under test were connected to 3 or 4 pin motherboard fan terminals that were configured in the BIOS to operate at 100% speed. Cooler Master Nepton 240M Test Results As shown in the table below, the Cooler Master Nepton 240M was the clear winner in terms of noise and cooling performance when operated at full speed. In the above test, the Corsair H100 was making so much noise that it would not be practical to have the fans running at that speed in a normal environment. The computer would need to be in a server room. The image below is an FLIR infrared camera image showing the Nepton 240 cooler operating at 100% load. Despite the overclock and 100% load, maximum temperature shown by the temperature bar on the far right of the image shows a maximum temperature of only 52.5°. After 45 minutes of stress testing with the Aida 64 benchmark program, the Nepton 240 maintained a respectable 56.4° average temperature with an ambient temperature of 28°. Despite careful thermal paste application and even pressure on the CPU cooler contact surface, there was still a core to core temperature variation of six or seven degrees. Another FLIR image shows the top surface of the Corsair 800D case with the Nepton 240M fans operating at 100% capacity. With a constant 28 degrees ambient temperature, the CPU very quickly reaches thermal equilibrium and has a very small drift upwards over the 45 minute test. Liquid Cooling Final Thoughts Working with the Cooler Master Nepton 240M was an overall enjoyable experience, and the performance of the device appears to be ahead of the current competition. The attention to small details such as providing a dual fan header for attachment to a single motherboard connector goes a long way towards an easy installation. Cooler Master even includes a set of extra long bolts to allow two additional fans to be added in push pull configuration on the top of the unit. A rubber gasket for keeping the fans quiet is another inclusion that is not often seen in liquid cooler systems. Cooler Master Nepton 240M Conclusion The real surprise during evaluation of this product was its exceptional performance in terms of quiet operation and cooling ability. It is impressive to see this cooler outperform a 280 mm premium cooling system. The Nepton 240M clearly delivers on its promise of exceptional cooling performance and silent operation. At full speed operation, the Nepton 240M was capable of cooling an eight core processor 5° lower than the 280 mm Corsair H110. It was also able to perform this cooling while maintaining a noise level that was 4 dB(A) below the Corsair H110. A CPU liquid cooing system is usually hidden from view, but the Nepton 240M inclusion of premium mounting hardware and a minimal pump design will easily satisfy the aesthetics of a typical PC build. The Nepton 240M has standout construction features, with very solid mounting bolts and an easy attachment procedure to the CPU. The addition of a rubber gasket for fan attachment adds to the quality of the assembly. An important part in the evaluation of a CPU cooler is the overall ease of installation. The Nepton 240M has clearly been designed to make the installation process as convenient as possible. Simple mounting options for a top-mounted radiator allows the unit to be installed with the computer case upright. Many other cooling systems require that the case be laid flat to allow the complicated threading of the bolts through the fans to attach to the radiator. The Cooler Master Nepton 240M was easy to install, and it’s exceptional performance and silent operation make it an obvious choice for any new liquid cooling installations. Even older liquid CPU cooling systems could be upgraded to the Nepton 240M for improved cooling and quieter operation, which may result in improved overclocking performance. Pros: +Extremely quiet +Excellent cooling performance +Easy assembly and mounting +Rubber gasket included for reducing fan vibration +Thermal paste included +Dual fan header included Cons: - CPU block attachment requires attaching standoffs to motherboard - No fan speed controller Ratings: Performance: 9.50 Appearance: 9.00 Construction: 9.00 Functionality: 9.00 Value: 8.50 Final Score: 9.0 out of 10.