PC Hardware Reviews: Cooling
In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I’ll be putting a pair of Noctua NF-A 12X25s against competing AIO fan coolers from SilverStone, Reeven, Corsair, and ID Cooling. How will the NF-A12x25 PWM 120mm cooling fan fair against the competition? Let’s find out!
In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I’ll be comparing the performance of the Dashflow 240 against previous coolers I have tested. Dashflow 240 can sync with ASUS Aura, MSI Mystic Light, and is Gigabyte RGB Fusion Ready. For those with a motherboard without RGB sync capabilities, ID-Cooling includes a controller giving you full control over the RGB functionality of the Dashflow 240.
Corsair has updated their line-up of Hydro Series series of AIO liquid coolers. The Corsair Hydro H150i Pro RGB 360mm CPU cooler is among their latest offerings. Their new line of coolers includes the Corsair H115i Pro RGB of the 280mm variety, and shares the same functionality with this larger 360mm unit. In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I focus on the Corsair Hydro H150i Pro RGB and compare it to some other AIO units I have tested in the past. Let’s find out how well the H150i Pro stacks up to the competition.
In this article for Benchmark Reviews, we have Reeven’s Naia 240 AIO Liquid Cooler up for review (model RW-2401). Reeven manufactures a variety of air coolers, fans, cases, and a few other things, but this is their first foray into the all-in-one liquid cooler segment. From the looks of things, Reeven is off to a great start with this AIO unit.
RGB lighting is the current trend these days, appearing in everything from keyboards and mice to less obvious items like motherboards and mouse pads. While LED-lit fans have been around for years, leave it to Corsair to take it to the next level with their Corsair HD120 RGB fans. You can buy these fans individually, but today Benchmark Reviews is testing the HD120 RGB three-pack of fans with the included fan hub and controller (model CO-9050067-WW).
Cooler Master recently announced their new MasterLiquid series of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers, built using a special “FlowOp” technology that analyzes how heat is absorbed and dissipated to construct a better cooling solution than the competition. The end result was a dual chamber design that improved the cooling performance, but also dramatically extended the product’s functional lifetime. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 240 CPU cooler (MLY-D24M-A20MB-R1) to see how well it performs.
The Tundra line of coolers by SilverStone is about to get larger…by getting slimmer? Well, at least two of them are: the TD03 Slim and TD02 Slim. Containing aesthetics from the Tundra Lite coolers and coupling them with a slim radiator and fan (with a total rad/fan package height of 37mm), this AIO cooler seems custom-built for slim cases or anywhere where space is at a premium. Benchmark Reviews has the opportunity to investigate the cooling potential of the 120mm TD03 Slim – will it survive the cooling testbed? We’ll also see how this cooler performs in one of its “intended use” cases: the slim Fortress FTZ01.
In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I’ll be putting the SilverStone Tundra TD02 Slim liquid cooler to the test. As you might of guessed, the TD02 Slim is a thinner version of their bigger TD02 brethren. The TD02 Slim is designed to be compatible with more cases on the market, with a slim profile of just 37mm, including the radiator and fans. Can the TD02 Slim handle the heat? Let’s find out.
Occasionally Benchmark Reviews looks at a hardware component, and recognizes the value in discussing it beyond the standard product evaluation. Not all that long ago we tested the Cooler Master Geminii S524 Ver 2 CPU Cooler, and noted how well it performed compared to many other high-end heatsinks. We looked at the temperatures, measured the cooling performance, compared it to the original GeminII S524 Heatsink, and then gave our rating of the product. What we didn’t do is discuss the benefits of a horizontal heatsink, and how they might actually help you reach an even higher overclock on your computer system.
Aside from the inclusion of a variable speed pump, the NZXT Kraken X61 improves from it’s predecessor by including a massive 280 mm radiator with a desner fin array which accounts for 36% more surface area. NZXT has also given the Kraken X61 extended tubing to ensure compatibility with all installation environments. Included with the Kraken X61 are two FX140 V2 PWM fan which according to NZXT are more powerful, quite, and durable than the inclusions of it’s predecessor. Most importantly, the Kraken X61 has a 6 year warranty, which just goes to prove how confident NZXT is of the Kraken line.
Aside from the inclusion of a variable speed pump, the NZXT Kraken X41 improves from it’s predecessor, the Kraken X40, by adding a thicker radiator with a more dense fin array which accounts for 36% more surface area. NZXT has also given the Kraken X41 extended tubing to ensure compatibility with all installation environments. Included with the Kraken X41 is a FX140 V2 PWM fan which according to NZXT is more powerful, quite, and durable than it’s predecessor. Most importantly, the Kraken X41 has a 6 year warranty, which just goes to prove how confident NZXT is of the Kraken line.
The GeminII series from cooler master has a very unique design that allows not only the CPU to be cooled, but also the memory and power delivery components located near the socket of the motherboard. Another key point of the GeminII series is compatibility, the Cooler Master S524 Version 2 borrow from it’s predecessor by keeping ram compatibility with modules up to 47.06 mm in height, as well as with cases that allow for 105.4 mm of height, making the GeminII S524 Version 2 adequate for small cases like the Haf Stacker 915F.
Noctua is an Austrian company most commonly known to enthusiasts for making class leading silent cooling solutions which is not normally what we expect from a small cooler, as they are usually the opposite. The Noctua NH-L9x65 is a step forward in Noctua’s line of small profile coolers and thus it comes into this review with high remarks.
The Scythe Mugen Max is compatible with most modern desktop motherboards coming from both AMD and Intel with the exception of the AM1 platform, which you will most likely not need this cooler for. Included with the Mugen Max is a 140 mm Scythe GlideStream fan that has been adapted to have 120 mm hole spacing. Unfortunately it only comes with one and a second one of that same model can not be easily purchased inside the US, but we have managed to get one for our noise tests.
If you are the type of person that prefers to buy products from experienced companies then you won’t be hard-pressed by the manufacturer of the product in this review. Scythe has been around since 2002, that is thirteen years that sets them as one of the oldest and most experienced companies in the DIY PC market. This week, they have allowed Benchmark Reviews to take a look at some of their latest high performance coolers and today the spotlight falls on the Scythe Ashura, a compact 120 mm cooler which Scythe claims will pass our tests with flying colors.
It is always great to hear about small companies making the headlines in the computer market, but we have seemed to miss a note here. Although Benchmark Reviews has been around long enough to review cooling solutions from most manufacturers in the market, this is the first time we look at a product from Cryorig; a company that has gotten a lot of momentum since it’s first release back in 2013. Today, we take a look at the Cryorig R1 Ultimate, Cryorig’s first attempt of impressing us with a product they claim is an accumulation of years of design and research.
Spring signals the fore-coming of summer, but to Benchmark Reviews, it also means time for some cooler reviews. The first manufacturer in our 2015 list is SilverStone. Last week, we reviewed the SilverStone TD03-E, a 120mm all-in-one CPU cooler which served as an update to the already aging TD03. Today we take a look at it’s bigger brother, the SilverStone Tundra TD02-E, an astonishingly stylish 240 mm all-in-one CPU cooler.
Summer is approaching us, and with temperatures expecting to get hot it means that Benchmark Reviews is evaluating what CPU cooler manufacturers are bringing forward in 2015. In this article, the spotlight will be on the newest SilverStone Cooler, the Tundra TD03-E, the successor of the TD03, and the smaller brother of the TD02-E. As expected from any SilverStone product, expectations are quite high, even if this is merely the first update to SilverStone’s Tundra series, which made it’s debut back in 2013.
The new Corsair Hydro series H80i GT challenges this assumption with an extra thick single-width radiator and two fans for out of the box push-pull operation. In this article, Benchmark Reviews will look at the performance of the new Corsair H80i GT all-in-one cooling system and compare it to some of the competition.
Corsair’s new H100i GTX all-in-one water cooling system is the latest evolution of the H100 series of dual 120 mm cooling systems. This version adds Corsair link capability, improved cold plate and pump performance for better thermal efficiency and throws in a cosmetic update as well. In this article, Benchmark Reviews takes the new Corsair H100i GTX out for a test drive and compares its performance against a few other popular all-in-one cooling solutions.
What makes this liquid cooling unit unique is the room for expansion. Users can either use this cooling unit as it is, or expand on it with additional radiators and GPU blocks. The 240mm radiator uses a high fin density design, which results in better cooling potential overall. To top it off, three color coolant dyes are included in the packaging for further customization (only available for Triton / Triton Core editions). Benchmark Reviews is excited to receive a sample of the Raijintek Triton for this review. Let’s take a look at what this AIO liquid cooling unit has to offer against the competition.
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.
In this article Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the Cooler Master Hyper D92, and we will explore the new features and put it to the test. This article will be geared as more of an upgrade guide than a broad comparison to other CPU coolers currently on the market.
The Noctua NH-U12S is one the newest versions from Noctua’s NH-U series of CPU coolers that were first introduced in 2005. For years, Noctua has been synonymous with premium performance cooling and the new NH-U12S model looks to continue the tradition. Designed to be an affordable option for the NH-U series the 120mm NH-U12S and its 45mm wide heatsink promise quiet performance while still clearing RAM modules, even on sockets like LGA2011. Combined with the new NF-F12 PWM 120mm fan and an entire host of cutting-edge trademark technologies from Noctua, can this cooler compete with popular offerings like the Hyper212 EVO? Benchmark Reviews has a chance to review the NH-U12S and see what Noctua has done with the 120mm tower CPU cooler formula.
It’s entirely possible the next product needs no introduction – the Noctua NH-U14S is the newest version in Noctua’s NH-U series of CPU coolers that were first introduced in 2005. For years, Noctua has been synonymous with premium performance cooling and the new NH-U14S model looks to continue the tradition. Designed to be the premier option for the NH-U series the 140mm NH-U14S and its 52mm wide heatsink promise quiet performance while still clearing RAM modules, even on sockets like LGA2011. Combined with the NF-A15 140mm fan and an entire host of cutting-edge trademark technologies from Noctua, will this cooler be worthy of the Noctua name? Benchmark Reviews has a chance to see where the NH-U14S ranks among the competition.