Category: Cooling

MSI MEG CoreLiquid S360 – You won’t hear it coming

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

The MEG CoreLiquid S360 currently represents the top of MSI’s liquid AIO cooler lineup. What sets it apart from most coolers in this category is the large LCD display above the pump block, and the supplied MEG Silent Gale P12 fans, which are some of the best on the market. What we have here is therefore a promise of an attractive design as well as solid cooling effectiveness. The big question is whether this cooler can justify its very high price tag. Read more “MSI MEG CoreLiquid S360 – You won’t hear it coming” »

It’s been two decades since the creation of BeQuiet!

Cooling, News | | Ľubomír Samák

Do you know what first carried the BeQuiet! logo? It wasn’t a cooler, it wasn’t a fan, it wasn’t a PSU, and it wasn’t a case. These components were added to the portfolio only later. BeQuiet! started on something completely different, relatively simpler. Over time, however, the range of components has grown considerably. Let’s take a look at what the company has been gradually getting up to. Read more “It’s been two decades since the creation of BeQuiet!” »

How to apply thermal paste on Ryzen 7000? Noctua is clear on this

Cooling, News, TIMs | | Ľubomír Samák

With the new generation of AMD processors (Ryzen 7000), the shape of the heatspreader (IHS) is changing after an extremely long time. It is also significantly different compared to Intel processors, and this again creates room for debate on what the most sensible technique for applying thermal paste should look like. One suggestion has already appeared, in the manual for the Noctua NT-H1 and NT-H2 pastes. Read more “How to apply thermal paste on Ryzen 7000? Noctua is clear on this” »

Gelid Tranquillo 5 – the fifth revision of the legendary cooler

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

Tranquillo coolers from Gelid Solutions have been very popular in the past for their solid cooling efficiency at an affordable price. Recently, the fifth revision of this cooler was launched, offering a change in overall design and featuring a matte black finish. Price-wise, however, the Gelid Tranquillo rev. 5 is a direct competitor to some very solid coolers of late and so I am very curious to see how it fares against them in today’s review. Read more “Gelid Tranquillo 5 – the fifth revision of the legendary cooler” »

When color matters: Corsair AF120 Elite weaker in white

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

It’s not a joke. It may sound silly, but know that we are not presenting you with anti-physics. On the contrary, the foundation in physics here is very good. Different colors of materials, as long as they are not just a surface finish but a homogeneous mass, can (and often do) affect their strength. Our sensitive measurements reveal well the differences that exist between the white and black variants. Read more “When color matters: Corsair AF120 Elite weaker in white” »

Corsair AF120 Elite: Beware, this fan is a force to be reckoned with

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

You know, the less you expect from something, the bigger the surprise can be in the end. Not that we approach Corsair’s elite fan with any preconceived notions, but for an absolutely top-notch fan, its design seems a bit simple. And that’s the magic of the AF120 Elite fan. Someone who knows what they’re doing was behind its design, because they did a hell of a job. Read more “Corsair AF120 Elite: Beware, this fan is a force to be reckoned with” »

Gelid seeks holes in the market with fans for mining rigs

Cooling, News | | Ľubomír Samák

In addition to “gaming” and “silent” fans, Gelid has a category for fans for cryptocurrency mining rigs. With a bit of gloating, we can note that they came perhaps a bit late. Still, high-speed fans with tremendously high airflow and static pressure are relatively few and thus will find a use. Both of the new fans are from the Gale range and are 120 mm in size while maintaining the standard height of 25 mm. Read more “Gelid seeks holes in the market with fans for mining rigs” »

Cooler Master MasterFan SF120M: Blades must be framed

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

In HWCooling tests, there will no longer be uninteresting fans that serve “only” to build benchmarks. We have passed this phase. From now on, database building will have a different character and each additional fan will enrich the knowledge significantly. We’ll get right into the thick of it, with Cooler Master’s most expensive fan already riding the wave of the framed rotors that are coming in strong. And do you know why? Read more “Cooler Master MasterFan SF120M: Blades must be framed” »

Antec Storm 120 fans are out (and on their way to our testlab)

Cooling, Fans, News | | Ľubomír Samák

After the June announcement, it seems that Antec has everything ready to ship the Storm 120 fans going on sale. We don’t usually write two news articles about one fan, but we’re going to make an exception now. Apart from the fact that the price is already known, this one should mainly be a mid-range dark horse according to the design details. Technically the Storm 120 look really good and efficient. Read more “Antec Storm 120 fans are out (and on their way to our testlab)” »

Commentary: Is adding a spatula to the Noctua NT-H1 useful?

Cooling, News, TIMs | | Ľubomír Samák

Noctua has quietly, almost secretly, added a new package of NT-H1 thermal paste with the additional designation SW. These are the initials of the English words spatula and wipes. It is with this accessory that the NT-H1 SW pack is supplemented. And in particular, the addition of the spatula raises the question of whether Noctua has revised the recommended technique in applying thermal paste. Read more “Commentary: Is adding a spatula to the Noctua NT-H1 useful?” »

Akasa Alucia SC12: Efficient shapes vs. soft material

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

Few fans can wow us at first glance the way the Alucia SC12 from Akasa has done. Its build looks quite compelling in this price range. However, on a second look after detailed testing comes some sobering. But even though the high (even exorbitantly high) expectations have not been met, in some aspects the Alucia SC12 beats attractive, similarly cheap competitors in some situations. Read more “Akasa Alucia SC12: Efficient shapes vs. soft material” »

Re-test of Silent Wings Pro 4 mounting corners. It makes sense now

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

The hunch that BeQuiet! couldn’t be this wrong was correct after all and now we have to tuck our tails between our legs. The original headline still stands, so “Don’t swap corners on Silent Wings (Pro) 4! You’d get worse results”, but it’s a little different than how we originally presented it. There has in fact been a mix-up of corners and now we’ll settle everything. We apologize to you, our readers, and to BeQuiet! for the original interpretation. Read more “Re-test of Silent Wings Pro 4 mounting corners. It makes sense now” »

Don’t swap corners on Silent Wings (Pro) 4! You’d get worse results

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

This didn’t work out for BeQuiet!. The supplied mounting corners for specific uses don’t work as promised. Instead of increasing the static pressure as advertised, the corners on radiators even decrease the static pressure and thus the cooling performance. And even the case mountings, which are supposed to eliminate vibration, don’t make much sense on the Silent Wings (Pro) 4 design. The whole thing seems somehow… half-baked. Read more “Don’t swap corners on Silent Wings (Pro) 4! You’d get worse results” »

Static pressure vs. airflow, part 3/3: P/Q curves are misleading

Analysis, Cooling, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

And we come to the finale, in which we’ll look at the extremely popular line graphs that express the relationship between airflow and static pressure. These present, in a sophisticated and seemingly credible way, which fan will be more effective in which environment. As it happens, however, it is mainly a marketing tool rather than something useful that can really be relied upon. Read more “Static pressure vs. airflow, part 3/3: P/Q curves are misleading” »

Silent Wings Pro 4 (BL098) in-depth review: Hard BeQuiet! KO

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

All the secrets around the BeQuiet! Silent Wings (Pro) 4 are over and the detailed analyses of the sub-features begin. And it’s great that we can be a part of it. This is, after all, without a doubt, the biggest “cooling” event of the year, and it’s spicier than we thought. The new BeQuiet! fans may be the absolute top of the line, but they haven’t avoided certain imperfections that you have to take into account. Read more “Silent Wings Pro 4 (BL098) in-depth review: Hard BeQuiet! KO” »

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