Axagon CLR-M2FAN: Active SSD cooler for closed off spaces

Conclusion

Many people look down on SSD coolers with fans, saying that “a proper heatsink must be enough in this power class”. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. Direct fan cooling of the fins makes sense for SSD coolers as well. However, this is only sometimes the case, it depends on the environment in which the SSD is operating. And when it fits yours, you can’t overlook Axagon’s cooler (CLR-M2FAN) when deciding.

Conclusion

Let’s kick this off with an important disclaimer: Do not compare with the same weight the results of the Axagon CLR-M2FAN with the results of passive coolers. This can actually be (quite) a bit confusing in tests conducted in a unified environment, as active coolers excel in different environments than fanless designs. Thus, when tested under the same conditions, the merits of either one or the other solution will not show up. This is because active coolers start to make sense where passive coolers already “struggle”, as fanless models run into slower heat dissipation into the environment.

Regardless of the power draw of a cooled SSD, decent active SSD coolers, which include the Axagon CLR-M2FAN, have the upper hand in systems with undersized airflow, where passive models start to struggle. But it’s no wonder that in a wind tunnel optimized for the highest possible system cooling efficiency, the Axagon CLR-M2FAN lags behind several passive coolers despite having its own fan. In an environment without system cooling, this situation would be reversed – the cooling performance of passive solutions would drop considerably more than that of active coolers.

So much for the warning not to judge the Axagon active cooler based on a comparison with the results of passive coolers. Its field of application has different parameters than those usually found in desktops with intensive air circulation. So where do we stand with the Axagon CLR-M2FAN? For example, in SFF computers, various kiosks, in combination with powerful SSDs, possibly even in laptops (if space allows) and in short, wherever system fans cannot provide sufficient airflow for passive coolers.

The CLR-M2FAN cooler also fits where there are increased demands on SSD cooling, but supplied passive coolers on motherboards are also significantly weaker even with an intense airflow in the case, and at the same time the more powerful heatsinks are already too tall. This is a typical situation when an SSD needs to be installed in a slot that is constrained by the graphics card from the top. In addition, the GPU can heat the air around the SSD by its presence and worsen the conditions for its operation.. The Axagon CLR-M2FAN is also suited to such an environment. Naturally, however, you will have to put up with the sound that the cooler’s fan makes. Its characteristics are close to a dental drill (especially towards maximum speed with the 4–8 kHz frequencies accentuating), so it’s not very pleasant, but that’s true of all such small fans at high speeds.

The good news is that after a significant slowdown, when the operation of the SSD cooler is already drowned out by another components, the cooling performance of the Axagon CLR-M2FAN does not drop dramatically. Noise compared to at maximum output is incomparably lower, but differences in temperatures are only 4°C from the controller’s point of view. Sure, on SSDs with higher power draw (than the 6W of our Samsung 980 Pro) the difference will be greater, specially with PCIe 5.0-enabled models, but that doesn’t change the fact that in its height category, the CLR-M2FAN cooler will be one of the best options in harsh environments, even at the limit of minimum speeds, with already relatively quiet operation.

After a well thought out selection with optimal fan settings, the Axagon CLR-M2FAN cooler can be one of the most suitable options for SSD cooling. Although it should also be added that for most users, one of the more efficient passive coolers will be a more sensible choice in regular builds (i.e. with efficient airflow from the system fans). Assuming of course that the cooler won’t interfere with the graphics card. It should be stressed here again and for the last time that the Axagon CLR-M2FAN will not be affected by this, it’s a low-profile cooler.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• Axagon CLR-M2FAN cooler in detail
• Results: SSD temperature
• Results: frequency response of sound
• Conclusion