Endorfy Fortis 5 Black
In addition to the standard variant, the Fortis 5 is also available in a completely black version. Compared to the lower-end series (Fera 5), it has two more heatpipes which increase the cooling performance of this cooler. In practice, however, it only does better in some cases. When the processor can benefit from the “extra material” available in the Fortis 5 cooler. How so? We’ll break everything down in this detailed analysis.
The Endorfy Fortis 5 Black coolers, introduced at CES 25, made their way to our editorial office for a proper review. Basically, it’s a different version of the older Fortis 5 without the black finish. From the official parameters, we also know, for example, that just like the Fera 5 (Black) model, the Fortis 5 (Black) has a TDP of 220 W. However, this is at a lower noise level. The cooling efficiency, or cooling performance per unit of noise, should thus be higher. This makes sense given the more robust design (larger fan and larger heatsink).
Basic parameters | Endorfy Fortis 5 Black | |
Supported sockets | Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, 20xx, 115x, 775; AMD AM4, AM5, AM3(+), AM2(+), FM1, FM2(+) | |
Build type | tower | |
Height (with fan) in mm | 159 | |
Width (with fan) in mm * | 107 | |
Depth (with fan) in mm ** | 144 | |
Daisy chaining of fans | yes | |
(A)RGB elements | no | |
Number of fans and their format in mm | 1× 140 | |
Fan speed (rpm) | 250–1800 | |
Weight (with fan) in g | 758 | |
Approximate retail price in EUR | 46 |
* This dimension specifies the width of the heatsink along with the fan typically towards the DIMM slots. That is, assuming the cooler is installed vertically.
** The distance between the shorter sides of the fins of the cooler. The larger it is, the closer the cooler is to the first PCIe ×16 slot in the case of symmetrical heatsinks. Or in a horizontal position, possibly to memory slots already covered by the cooler.
Details of the Endorfy Fortis 5 Black cooler
The design is composed of a single tower, whose aluminium fins are intersected by six heatpipes. The total weight of the cooler (including the fan) is approximately 760 grams, and the heatsink itself is about 190 grams heavier compared to the Fera 5’s heatsink. Compared to the heatsink of the Freezer 36 (A-RGB White), the difference is only about 40 grams, giving the Fortis 5 the upper hand.
From the above numbers we can assume that the weight of the Fortis 5 fins will be comparable to the Freezer 36, although we don’t know what part of the total weight is made up of the two extra heapipes that the Endorfy (Fortis 5 Black) cooler has. The Fortis 5 Black also has the same height (159 mm) as the aforementioned Arctic cooler, although, naturally, the surface area of its fins is utilized in a different way. By having more heatpipes, so possibly better, but this may not always be the case. It also depends on the particular processor the cooler is handling. We’ll get to that in more detail at the end of the article, during the evaluation. Now let’s focus on the details that make the Fortis 5 (Black) specific.
The fins of the cooler are serrated on the long side. Completely so on the side of the fan, partially so on the opposite side (where you can possibly add a second, expanding fan). The serrations are on the sides where the highest pressure is immediately next to the fan, the center is straight, but with the edges of the fins more recessed into the body of the heatsink. The serrations can be considered primarily as an acoustic enhancement element. On the shorter sides, the fins are then “closed off” by folding so that there is as little pressure drop as possible inside the cooler body, thus increasing its cooling performance.
Also notable is the detail on the base, where there is a small heatsink above the heatpipes. This primarily acts as a mechanical reinforcement (of the base) and offset from the heatpipe, which is needed for mounting purposes. Specifically, for the clamp screws to reach the threads in the holders of the mounting bracket, which is already around the processor socket on the motherboard. I guess it could be attributed a cooling function (some heat does reach it after all), but it will be minimal. The dimensions of this secondary heatsink are really small and its presence will play a negligible role in terms of overall cooling performance.
Rebrá aj heatpipe chladiča sú potiahnuté čiernym povlakom. Teda až na detaily, ktoré sú po inštalácii mimo zorné pole. Kontaktná plocha heatpipe s procesorom prezrádza prítomnosť medeného materiálu. V týchto miestach už čierny povlak nie je, ale vidieť tu iné veci, ktoré stoja za pozornosť.
The contact surface of the heatpipes with the processor is the so-called “DHT” (direct heatpipe) type. This means that the thermal bridge does not have a spacer in the form of a traditional block, but the shaped heatpipes make direct contact with the processor’s IHS. Such a design is often presented in marketing materials as “more efficient” because there is no intermediate layer to slow down the heat transfer. On the other hand, with larger DTH bases, not all heatpipes may be in optimal contact with smaller processors, and typically the efficiency of the outermost ones decreases. This is also the case with the Fortis 5 Black in the context of AMD processors, which have smaller heat spreaders than Intel LGA 1851 platform processors (or eventually LGA 1700 – same situation, same size IHS area). In such cases the heat exchange between the first and last heatpipe is weaker, because they are already off the axis of the processor itself, and although they will not be completely useless in the cooling process, their impact is smaller than that of the remaining heatpipes. And the impact of the fin areas through which these heatpipes pass is also smaller
Despite the fact that it is a relatively wider single tower cooler, it is still 100% compatible with memory. This is true even in the case of modules with larger heatsinks. In fact, the fan of the cooler doesn’t interfere above DIMM slots, also thanks to the base being rotated a bit. The aim of this modification is to get the cooler to tilt a bit and thus avoid unwanted collision with memory modules.
The fan used is a 140-millimeter format fan. It is the Fluctus 140 PWM model, which you know from our tests. Compared to the separately sold variant, this one, on the Fortis 5 Black cooler, differs in the adjustment of the (arc-cut) corners and the spacing of the mounting holes. The latter is 105 × 105 mm in this case.
Included in the package is Pactum PT-3 thermal paste. In a small tube (with a usable amount of 1.5 g?), but for multiple uses.
- Contents
- Endorfy Fortis 5 Black
- Testing methodology
- Results: Maximum cooling performance
- Results: Higher performance (45 dBA)
- Results: Medium performance (42 dBA)
- Results: Lower noise level (39 dBA)
- Results: Low noise level (36 dBA)
- Results: Very low noise level (33 dBA)
- Results: Threshold of audibility (31 dBA)
- Conclusion
Please note: The results of the Fortis 5 Black cooler are made a little worse by the fact that we forgot to install the fans over anti-vibration pads. This results in higher secondary noise on the heatsink (by transfer of vibrations from the frame to the fins) and lower fan speeds are achieved in noise level normalized modes than they would have been with anti-vibration pads. For this reason, the cooler will be subject to later retestings. From these you will see the direct effectiveness of this element.