Endorfy Fera 5 Black – Bestseller on the way to darkness

Today marks the launch of a new version of the popular Endorfy Fera 5 cooler, with the Black attribute. The name suggests that this cooler has a matte black finish, which will be appreciated especially by fans of minimalist PC builds. Of course, it will have to be tested whether this finish has a negative effect on cooling efficiency or whether there is any deterioration in acoustics. So let’s venture into the dark future of Endorfy coolers together.

Key features of the cooler

If you read my original review of the Endorfy Fera 5 cooler, which came out about three years ago, you can skip to the results and final evaluation almost immediately. The Endorfy Fera 5 Black is really only different from the original version in terms of colour, with all parts of the cooler now sporting a matte black finish except for the heatpipe contact area. All physical parameters and the fan used, however, remain the same as in the original version.

   

The heatsink of the Fera 5 Black is a dense bundle of aluminum fins, which have a saw blade-like serrated edge along their long edges. This fin profile aims to optimize the acoustic performance of the cooler and also to allow more efficient airflow through the cooler’s heatsink. The aluminum fins are intersected by a quartet of copper heatpipes, which also form the main contact surface of the cooler base. There are no gaps between these heatpipes in the base, maximising the contact between the cooler and the centre of the processor’s heat spreader where the heat concentration is highest. The overall shape of the cooler may appear symmetrical at first glance, but there are slight differences between the front and rear surfaces of the heatsink. For optimum efficiency, it is therefore important to follow the orientation of the cooler according to the subtle arrows on the sides of the top cover.

   

The top surface of the cooler does not deviate from the minimalist design and consists of a matte black aluminum cover for the heatpipe tips with the Endorfy logo embossed on it. The Fera 5 Black thus fits perfectly not only into “blackout” builds without RGB backlighting, but is suitable for anyone who wants an inconspicuous cooler in their computer.

The accessories of the cooler are identical to the other variants of the Fera 5 series. Only the universal mounting system for both Intel and AMD sockets has undergone a cosmetic change, which is now also in black. In addition to the mounting system, you will find two pairs of black metal clips for 120mm fans, a small tube with Pactum PT-3 thermal paste and a well-organized manual.

   

The installation system of the cooler is still as simple as in previous versions. On the other hand, I also see this as a missed opportunity for improvement and I would have liked to see a more robust metal backplate for Intel processors instead of the supplied plastic one, which I find perhaps a bit too pliable. I guess this is just an exaggerated concern on my part, because the Fera 5 Black is not a heavy cooler and does not put excessive demands on the surroundings of the processor socket.

Cooler and fan parameters

For comparison, I have included direct competitors in price and appearance of the Fera 5 Black. Parametrically, it is a relatively compact cooler, which fits into the vast majority of common cases and, due to the maximum height of 155 mm, probably also into some SFF builds that use the classic layout of components, but it will not be suitable for sandwich cases. The only thing that makes this cooler a bit of a pain is its relatively higher price, which puts it up against coolers with two fans. So let’s hope that the real price on the market will be lower, ideally just slightly above the base version. The six-year warranty is then the icing on the cake of the overall offer.

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The Endorfy Fluctus 120 PWM fan certainly does not need to be introduced in detail here. It is a very high quality 120mm mid-range fan that offers solid performance with very decent acoustics. An extremely detailed review of these fans can be found on our website here.

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