Category: Cooling

Axagon CLR-M2XL: Only one SSD cooler can be the best

Cooling, Extra tests, SSD coolers | | Ľubomír Samák

The designers have really gone all out with the CLR-M2XL cooler. Some of the details are really surprising for an SSD cooler, but you can see a clear intention – to squeeze the most out of the available material. Finding a more powerful model than the CLR-M2XL in the current offer among passive SSD coolers will be very difficult, with a better price/performance ratio probably impossible. Despite the superior cooling performance, Axagon held back on pricing. Read more “Axagon CLR-M2XL: Only one SSD cooler can be the best” »

Expected 140mm Noctua fans hit by production issues

Cooling, Fans, News | | Ľubomír Samák

Until recently, it looked like if Noctua failed to release the new generation of 140mm fans by the end of the year (2022), it would happen shortly after. But right now, even this year’s release is in jeopardy. The cause is a fault that, it seems, Noctua didn’t really expect. This delay, by the way, also significantly delays the planned sale of the successor to the NH-D15 CPU cooler. Read more “Expected 140mm Noctua fans hit by production issues” »

DeepCool AK400 Zero Dark Plus – The golden middle way

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

At the end of this year I have prepared a review of the DeepCool AK400 Zero Dark Plus cooler. This is an interesting mid-range cooler with a modern design. The Zero Dark and Plus attributes refer to the black edition of the cooler and the second fan in the package respectively. I’m also quite interested to see how the AK400 Zero Dark Plus will fare against the Fera 5 and Fortis 5 coolers from Endorfy, with which it competes both in price and advertised TDP. Read more “DeepCool AK400 Zero Dark Plus – The golden middle way” »

BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL072): Sturdy rotor with ARGB LEDs

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

Illuminated fans from BeQuiet! have the advantage over many competing models in a more robust rotor design. This is also due to the fact that it is not made of “light conductive” material and therefore some may not like the Light Wings fans, but aerodynamically they have the edge over other models. This is not only because of the choice of raw materials and their robustness, but also the overall shape of the blades. Read more “BeQuiet! Light Wings (BL072): Sturdy rotor with ARGB LEDs” »

Noctua is behind schedule, new 140mm fans have been delayed

Cooling, Fans, News | | Ľubomír Samák

This is not entirely new information. On the contrary, the news that Noctua won’t release 140mm fans made of “sterrox” this year after all is quite old. Still, it disappeared on Twitter among other posts, and the reach to the public is quite small. We, too, have only now gotten around to the delay of Noctua’s long-awaited fans. So if you’re still waiting and hoping, know that they won’t be coming this year, for certain. Read more “Noctua is behind schedule, new 140mm fans have been delayed” »

Thermalright revives low tower coolers with the Assassin X 90 SE

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

There used to be no shortage of them, but now they’re quite rare – CPU coolers with smaller, 92-millimeter fans that are also compatible with slimmer cases. One such new product has been released by Thermalright. The Assassin X 90 SE cooler will soon come in handy when selecting a suitable solution for more low-power variants of desktop processors from both Intel (Raptor Lake) and AMD (Raphael) with a TDP of 65 W and lower. Read more “Thermalright revives low tower coolers with the Assassin X 90 SE” »

Removing notches on fan blades? Sometimes a mistake

Analysis, Cooling, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

On edges of blades of some fans there are small notches forming a kind of teeth, typically on the trailing edges, closer to the motor. These elements serve to break up tonal peaks, and it’s curious that manufacturers are abandoning them rather than adding them. In some designs, however, such a modification can be seen as a backwards move; elsewhere it’s an understandable one. We have a few examples for you. Read more “Removing notches on fan blades? Sometimes a mistake” »

BeQuiet! MC1 Pro: Direction top, higher profile and heatpipe

Cooling, Extra tests, SSD coolers | | Ľubomír Samák

The “pro” variant of the BeQuiet! MC1 cooler for M.2 SSDs uses a heatpipe to dissipate heat faster and distribute it more evenly into the heatsink body, unlike the non-pro model. However, greater thermal peformance is achieved also because of the larger radiating area of its heatsink. The latter is still relatively low-profile, does not interfere with anything, and most importantly, so far outperforms all SSD coolers of similar size tested so far. Read more “BeQuiet! MC1 Pro: Direction top, higher profile and heatpipe” »

Six new 120/140mm EK-Loop FPT fans on sale

Cooling, Fans, News | | Ľubomír Samák

The EKWB Vardar fans are now discontinued, but there is a replacement in the form of fans from the new FPT series. These are designed primarily for what this company is most dedicated to – custom loops. Along with high airflow, the specs promise high static pressure, which is key on obstacles such as radiators to achieve the highest possible cooling efficiency (air performance to noise level ratio). Read more “Six new 120/140mm EK-Loop FPT fans on sale” »

Axagon CLR-M2L3/6/10 triple test: Pressure for minimal prices

Cooling, Extra tests, SSD coolers | | Ľubomír Samák

The prices of dedicated SSD coolers we’ve tested recently are climbing towards the prices of the cheapest CPU coolers. Considering the smaller amount of material and the simpler design, this is perhaps a bit disproportionate. That’s why Axagon came up with the CLR-M2Lx coolers at half the price of the renowned CLR-M2 model. Meanwhile, the cooling performance of the top-of-the-line CLR-M2L10 is comparable, and lower-profile variants are also available. Read more “Axagon CLR-M2L3/6/10 triple test: Pressure for minimal prices” »

Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black – The legend back in black

Cooling, CPU coolers, Extra tests | | Pavel Sekerka

The Noctua NH-U12A is a cooler that has previously proven that with a little effort, it is possible to offer the performance of high-end dual-tower coolers in a more compact design. However, the last time I tested it, I was still using the older methodology, so with the release of the chromax.black version, there’s an ideal opportunity to conduct new tests. The question also remains whether the NF-U12A chromax.black can justify its high price tag. Read more “Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black – The legend back in black” »

DeepCool FC120: Big ARGB blades in a “small” cross-section

Cooling, Extra tests, Fans | | Ľubomír Samák

The biggest advantage, but at the same time the biggest disadvantage of the DeepCool FC120 fan are its long and overall large blades, whose area exceeds that of competing models. Among illuminated fans, this one represents one of the most efficient solutions with ARGB LEDs, in optimal conditions. However, it is important to notice its downsides, which are a side effect of the chosen rotor design. Read more “DeepCool FC120: Big ARGB blades in a “small” cross-section” »

Akasa Gecko Pro: An SSD cooler with a “different” orientation

Cooling, Extra tests, SSD coolers | | Ľubomír Samák

The successor to the SSD cooler, which didn’t have much competition in its price range. That’s one way to introduce the Gecko Pro, which is a bit more expensive, but also more refined (in terms of mounting as well). And it also has a distinctive feature that clearly distinguishes it from other coolers – the fins are not longitudinal (as is common), but in width. The price to cooling performance ratio is again excellent. Read more “Akasa Gecko Pro: An SSD cooler with a “different” orientation” »

Dark fans, showy block: the new DeepCool LT liquid coolers

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

DeepCool has expanded the range of its liquid coolers with two models with 120mm fans. The larger one, LT720 (with three fans) and the LT520, which has one less fan. Compared to the LS series of liquid coolers, fans without LEDs are used, but the designers implemented ARGB LEDs into the cooler block housing with a mirror effect. Not only this is supposed to be attractive in this part of the cooler, but also the pump itself. Read more “Dark fans, showy block: the new DeepCool LT liquid coolers” »

The lowered Alpine 17 (LP) CPU cooler is 43 mm tall

Cooling, CPU coolers, News | | Ľubomír Samák

Arctic now has a smaller version of the Alpine 17. The model of this top-flow cooler with the LP (low profile) end tag is one fan lower. This opens doors side panels to tighter cases where taller designs won’t fit, and Intel Laminar RM1 (from Core i3/5/7 packages) or RS1 (from Celerons and Pentiums) coolers tend to be too tall as well. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Arctic Alpine 17 LP cooler is designed for very low-power processors. Read more “The lowered Alpine 17 (LP) CPU cooler is 43 mm tall” »

1 … 6 7 8 9 10 … 18