Axagon CLR-M2: Large surface area (fins) with low height

Conclusion

The Czech company Axagon has a lot of SSD coolers with attractive designs. You can see this at a glance – a monolithic, well-articulated heatsink always works. You can’t “go wrong” there. We’ll go through all available variants of Axagon coolers in our tests, but we’ll start with the one this company started with. The CLR-M2 has been enjoying user favor for a long time and in the tests we will find out if rightfully so.

Conclusion

Axagon CLR-M2 chladením prekonáva i podstatne ťažšie chladiče, ktoré bývajú na základných doskách. Prakticky nedosahuje len úrovne najväčších chladičov na doskách Gigabyte alebo Asus (pasívy s heatpipe pre prvý slot M.2), ktoré majú však päťnásobnú hmotnosť. S ohľadom na množstvo použitého materiálu je ich efektivita výrazne slabšia.

We can’t write a single negative word about the design of the CLR-M2’s heatsink. It is as finned as one can be. To maintain mechanical robustness, however, Axagon did not go to extremes, and the 0.75 mm thick fins also have a high absorption capacity.

Compared to competing solutions, it can still be said that the gaps between the fins are exceedingly narrow, which will play into the hands of builds with very high airflow, for example in 1U racks. In these, the Axagon CLR-M2 will perform even better compared to other coolers than in a typical home PC situation, where system cooling is after all more moderate.

The cooling performance of the CLR-M2 is already at a level where, in computers with higher SSD temperatures, it makes sense to consider it as a replacement for the least efficient built-in solutions. For most, however, it is still true that they don’t have to give up motherboard coolers, under which the SSD will also usually not “overheat”.

However, if you don’t have a cooler on your board (which is common practice with cheap or server models) or only the relevant slot doesn’t have a cooler, the Axagon CLR-M2 is one of the most attractive options in its price range. And it’s not just about cooling performance, it’s also about the fact that a proper backplate is included. The latter is also involved in cooling, but it ensures that the SSD does not deform even in boards with different slot and standoff heights, where in short the PCB does not live completely horizontally, and thus does not lose contact with the heatsink. And it does happens, as we’ve discussed in this article.

Some might find the price higher, but given the perfect build quality and the abundant accessories (with spare material, plus not only is there an extra thermalpad, but Axagon also thinks about the possible loss of one screw and also supplies a small screwdriver for them), it is set really reasonably.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• The Axagon CLR-M2 cooler details
• Results: SSD temperatures
• Conclusion