Author: Pavel Sekerka

Noctua NH-U9S chromax.black – Small, quiet and very expensive

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

The NH-U9S chromax.black cooler is a new addition to the Noctua Chromax series. Although the original version of the cooler has been on the market for several years, the typically brown-beige color design of the fan may not suit everyone’s liking. Chromax series coolers solve this problem with a matte black finish from the fan to the last screw. However, the question remains whether this surface treatment does not have a negative effect on the efficiency. Read more “Noctua NH-U9S chromax.black – Small, quiet and very expensive” »

FSP Windale 4 – Don’t trust the first impression

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

FSP Group is known in our region mainly for PC cases and power supplies under the Fortron brand. However, this manufacturer also offers coolers. And it is the Windale 4 that is a cost-effective middle-class cooler that we will look at today. Considering its specifications and price, it should compete in a very close battle with the SilentiumPC Fera 3 or Arctic Freezer 34 coolers, which we’ve also recently tested. Read more “FSP Windale 4 – Don’t trust the first impression” »

CM Hyper 212 Evo V2 – Evolution of the legend among coolers

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

At the end of 2020, I prepared another review of a middle-class cooler for you. The Hyper 212 Evo V2 from Cooler Master is the latest model from the popular Hyper 212 series. This latest upgrade offers a simplified mounting system, 100% compatibility with RAM modules and also a quiet fan. Its construction and specifications place it in the same group as the SPC Fera 3 or Arctic Freezer 34. So I’m expecting a very tight fight. Read more “CM Hyper 212 Evo V2 – Evolution of the legend among coolers” »

SilentiumPC Fera 3 RGB – Colorful evolution of a proven classic

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

The recently tested SilentiumPC Fera 3 cooler did not do badly in our tests, but it was a bit noisy. Today we will look at a cooler from the same family, i.e. SilentiumPC Fera 3 RGB. As the name suggests, this cooler offers RGB backlighting. In addition, the entire heatsink is a few millimeters lower and a different fan is also used. I just hope that these differences will not have a negative effect under stress tests. Read more “SilentiumPC Fera 3 RGB – Colorful evolution of a proven classic” »

SilentiumPC Fera 3 – A new test of an older classics

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

The SilentiumPC Fera 3 cooler probably doesn’t need to be introduced. This popular cooler is often installed in computer builds, where favorable price-performance ratio is a big deal. It also presents direct competition for the recently tested Freezer 34 from Arctic. In addition, I plan to supplement this pair soon with a test of the recently released 212 Evo V2 cooler from Cooler Master, and I will also add Windale 4 from FSP. Read more “SilentiumPC Fera 3 – A new test of an older classics” »

Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 – Quality does not have to cost a lot

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

I’ve recently tested the popular Arctic Freezer 34 air cooler, which eventually won an editorial award. Now I would like to give a liquid all-in-one cooler from the same manufacturer a hard time on a hot processor. We will see if Arctic can design an AIO cooler as well as it did with an air cooler. Liquid Freezer II 240 should offer a very interesting price to performance ratio without unnecessary decoration. Read more “Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 – Quality does not have to cost a lot” »

The flip side of water cooling

Coolers, Service | | Pavel Sekerka

Building water cooling loops for PC is fun and the results are almost always attractive. Today, however, I would like to focus on water loop maintenance and also on problems if you neglect maintenance. Maintenance is not a very popular topic though, so it is often not given enough attention. I was renovating a neglected water loop, where I would like to demonstrate the risks of insufficient maintenance. The following visuals may be drastic. 🙂 Read more “The flip side of water cooling” »

Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P – small dimensions, big features

Extra tests, PC cases | | Pavel Sekerka

SFF PCs are gaining popularity, so manufacturers are naturally expanding the range of cases in this category. But what if you want a small PC, that’s packed with powerful hardware and with a liquid cooling loop as well? MasterBox NR200P, quite interesting case from Cooler Master, recently appeared on the market. It appears to be well suited for this scenario. But is it really good idea to combine small case and a custom liquid cooling? Read more “Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P – small dimensions, big features” »

Arctic Freezer 34 – Effective, quiet and affordable

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

Arctic has long focused primarily on the production of affordable coolers. Freezer 34 should be just one such cooler. At an affordable price, it boasts of a solid TDP rating (150 W) and also promises quiet operation. I’ve had it in my wishlist for a long time, but only now have I managed to get one piece for testing. So I’m wondering if it really lives up to its reputation that precedes it. Read more “Arctic Freezer 34 – Effective, quiet and affordable” »

Low profile heatsink = high temp? Testing top-flow Noctua coolers

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

Current PC hardware is already very energy efficient. Each new generation usually promises higher performance, lower power draw with corresponding cooling requirements. This trend is leading to the growing popularity of compact PC builds. However, these rigs face little space for coolers. How big trade-offs need to be made with CPU cooling in these builds? Does a small cooler necessarily mean high temperatures and noise? Read more “Low profile heatsink = high temp? Testing top-flow Noctua coolers” »

BeQuiet! Shadow Rock 3 – In the name of silence

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

Shadow Rock 3 was introduced this year as the new top model among the mid-range coolers from BeQuiet!. This German manufacturer, as the name suggests, focuses on the production of components with very quiet operation. The Shadow Rock 3 cooler boasts of very quiet specifications even at a high TDP value of 190 W. However, marketing slogans will never replace real tests which is why we’re bringing you a review of this cooler today. Read more “BeQuiet! Shadow Rock 3 – In the name of silence” »

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