There have been many discussions on the interwebs of whether or not traditional air cooling is efficient enough and if it can provide enough performance or if water cooling can supersede it and offer things that air cooling just can’t. Noise, power draw, reliability, performance and pure price are among common categories mentioned in these discussions. The camps are still divided but the manufacturers aim at the middle and hopefully will change that. A few years ago we started seeing hybrid all-in-one liquid cooling kits showing up on the market. The first models where still very closely related to traditional water cooling; however, soon after we started seeing more complete and pre-assembled kits taking over. And the benchmarking wars began.

Testing liquid and water cooling devices is rather different from testing air cooling devices. There are different things to consider and focus on. As we primarily focused on air cooling in this section, devices like the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 are difficult to pin against traditional water cooling or air cooling as it is very difficult to accomplish a level playing field. However, we would like to like to see how well they perform and how well they perform compared to air coolers.

Antec explored the opportunity in a new market as well and developed the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920. The cooler was released January 2011 and is what we will be reviewing today. The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 620 is the little brother of the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920. The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 620 was released in April 2011 and we will also be reviewing it soon.

This type of hybrid cooler, if you even can call it that, has gained interest in the enthusiast market and grabbed a foothold quickly. They resemble a water cooling system much more then a air cooling system but they are less complex from a user standpoint. Because of the size and simplicity they usually resemble the performance of an air cooler much closer, So far.

The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 separates itself from the field with a rich feature set. We will get into more detail about those features along the way but for now, lets get started with a little into who Antec is and hear what they say about the KÜHLER H₂O 920:

About Antec

Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators.

The Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 provides maximum-performance liquid cooling for your CPU in a quick, easy-to-install package. Unlike traditional liquid cooling systems, this self-contained unit comes prefilled and requires zero maintenance. The dual 120 mm Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fans and 3rd generation copper coldplate ensure quiet, efficient cooling, while the 49 mm thick radiator is equipped to handle the highest performing CPUs on the market. Lastly, the included software helps you monitor and control the KÜHLER H₂O 920’s performance and allows you to customize its stylish RGB LED. Designed to unlock the maximum potential of your CPU, the Antec KÜHLER H₂O 920 delivers exceptional cooling when you need it the most.

Features:

• Included software provides essential tools to control and monitor the KÜHLER H₂O 920
• Non-corrugated easy-bend tubes for maximum flexibility in radiator positioning
• Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) radiator fans
• Customizable RGB LED creates brilliant illumination
• Cooling Liquid – Safe, environmentally-friendly, anti-corrosive
• Copper Micro-Channel cold plate
• 25,000 hours (MTTF)
• LGA 2011 compatible

Supported Sockets:

*Intel LGA 2011 Mounting bracket is now included

Next: Unboxing, Packaging and Accessories

Here’s what they have to say about it:

• World leading thermal resistance performance of 0.09°C/W.
• VGF (Vortex generator flow) technology to greatly increase air convection.
• SEF (Stack Effect) design to enhance heat transfer.
• Unique air path creating high VEF (Vacuum Effect) to optimize the airflow.
• HDT (Heat Pipe Direct Touch) Technology to ensure rapid thermal conduction and eliminate CPU hotspot.
• Side flow type with four 6mm high performance heat pipes.
• Unique T.B.Silence PWM fan to adjust the power efficiently and keep the silence.Dual fan installed option and solid springs attached.
• Anti-vibration rubbers prevent fan vibration and absorb noise.
• Universal bracket for Intel® 775/1155/1156/1366 and AMD® AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1.
• High thermal conductivity grease to ensure the best thermal conduction between CPU and the heat sink.

The ETS-T40 carries on the legacy of providing a great balance of performance and noise level during high and low speed operations. ETS-T40 is Enermax’ first cooler to be equipped with an all-in-one mounting solution that includes LGA 1156 and 1366. Direct Contact heat-pipe is now also utilized in this latest update.

Enermax ETS-T40-TB Packaging

Enermax ETS-T40-TB Packaging

The packaging utilizes quite a bit of whitespace in the design.

Enermax ETS-T40-TB Packaging

The Enermax ETS-T40-TB packaging is a sturdy cardboard that protected the cooler quite well.

The ETS-T40-TB

Once removed from the packaging our first thought was how much of how “airy” the ETS-T40-TB is, you can see through the widely spaced fins more than other heatsinks we have reviewed. The Enermax branding on the fan is even visible through the heatsink, as seen in the photo above. We will see how this design choice effects the performance later on in the review.

AMD/Intel Mounting hardware

The Enermax ETS-T40 ships with mounting hardware for both Intel and AMD components.

Enermax ETS-T40-TB Heatsink

The fins on the Enermax ETS-T40-TB are straight and reflective, aiding the “airy” look mentioned above. The fins on the ETS-T40 are the same thickness as the Cooler Master Hyper. Because of the wider spacing of the fins, we were concerned about damaging them at first, as the review went on it became apparent that they were more than strong enough to put up with any physical stress we put on them .

4 Pin Fan Connector - ETS-T40-TB

Front View ETS-T40-TB

The fan included with the Enermax ETS-T40 has a 4-pin power connector. Style wise, the fan has “Enermax” cut into the side, which is a feature that seems a little neglected without a backlit fan. Don’t worry though, Enermax has you covered: they also make a version of the ETS-T40 (the ETS-T40-TA and VD) which have backlit fans.
The fan included with the ETS-T40 features a double concave design as seen in the photos above. We will see how this design choice effects the performance of the heatsink later in the review when the heatsink is paired with our aftermarket fans.

Base Heatpipes - ETS-T40-TB

The 4 heatpipes on the ETS-T40-TB are staggered to allow the fins of the heatsink to saturate more evenly, allowing a lower overall temperature than if the pipes went through the same part of the fins.

Base Flatness - ETS-T40-TB

The ETS-T40-TB is relatively flat, though some space can be seen between the heatpipes and base. Extra care was taken to ensure the heatsink had just the right amount of TIM applied to make good contact.

Base Reflectiveness - ETS-T40-TB

The base of the ETS-T40-TB has a slight reflectivity to it, the photo shows Enermax took care to provide a smooth contact area on the ETS-T40-TB.

Next: Tests, Tools and Methodology

We got some Voodoo in the lab. No seriously, some Venom Voodoo. I think you got it now. Correct, The Akasa Venom Voodoo spooked it’s way in our labs. Let’s hope that the black magic doesn’t effect the results.

The company Akasa is well established. Akasa has development and manufacturing operations in Taiwan, China, Brazil and England to makes this an international operation. There is a wide range of products Akasa is developing and manufacturing. We will focus on the retail air cooler and fans segment of the company.

The Akasa Venom Voodoo is a rather recent release by Akasa and is a follow up improvement of the Akasa Venom. The Venom name has been expanded to an entire product line, including cases and fans.

The Voodoo features the HDT design combined with dual fan configuration. The cooler boasts 6 uncoated full copper heatpipes and the exposed copper heatpipe base we have come to know from the HDT deign.The 6 heatpipes are all 6mm in diameter which should move heat efficiently from the cooler base tho the fins. The Akasa also shows some forward thinking and provides socket 2011-compatible mounting mechanism.

Features:

• Six high capacity heatpipes with direct CPU contact
• Dual 12cm viper fans for extreme performance
• Award winning S-Flow fan providing 30% more airflow

Supported Sockets:

Next: Unboxing, Packaging and Accessories

Some words from Cooler Master about their newest HSF:

Succeeding the popular Hyper 212, the Hyper 212 Evo carries on the legacy of providing a great balance of performance and noise level during high and low speed operations. The Hyper 212 Evo is Cooler Master’s first cooler to be equipped with an all-in-one mounting solution that includes LGA 1156 and 1366. Direct Contact heat-pipe is now also utilized in this latest update.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Packaging Front View

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Packaging Rear View

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo utilizes the same purple packaging that is present throughout all of Cooler Master’s current line of products.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Packaging

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is well packed in plastic to protect the heatsink during shipping.

Next: Analysis

A sample from our next contender comes from Gelid. The company is based in Hong Kong with management in Swiss. The company is a fairly young player in the industry and was founded in 2008 by Gebhard Scherrer and VC Tran. Gelid is Gebhard Scherrer’s latest project after co-founding the well known Arctic Cooling brand. Gelid’s name established quickly and well in the industry, rather known for their case fan product line, Gelid now is also more determined to get a foothold in the CPU cooler market.

The Tranquillo is not Gelid’s first attempt at CPU air cooling but Gelid took some time out after the “Silent Spirit” release. The sample we will be reviewing today is actually the v2 or Rev2 of the “Tranquillo” cooler with updated design and mounting to accommodate newer socket configurations.

The Gelid Tranquillo is a tower design CPU heatsink and features 4x heatpipes which measure all 6mm in diameter. The Tranquillo cooler does not feature the popular HDT design and instead provides a traditional uncoated full copper base. The base has a small heatsink in top to enhance cooling. The design of the heatsinks body is unusual as it is shaped like a chevron. This design takes advantage of the airflow gap right between the fan and the cooler as well as extending the airflow out back where it is best.

The 6 uncoated full copper heatpipes add up to a full 1 foot in length if put together. The H612 also features a broad range of applications and installation options.

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Features:

• 4 Power Heatpipes in new constellation
• Intelligent PWM Fan Control Curve
• Silent Operation with High Airflow
• 4×90° AMD Clip Mounting Direction
• Optimized Fan Blade
• 5 Year Warranty

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Supported Sockets:

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Next: Unboxing, Packaging and Accessories

Today we have an exclusive Cooler Master release product on the bench. The H612PWM is an ambitious attempt to take the cooling crown. We are very proud to be one of the first to have it to get an exclusive look at what could be the future of the air cooling market.

Looks like sheer size and the brutal force of 6 heat pipes is the magic behind the Cooler Master H612. The cooler was not intended for small cases but performance was the primary idea behind this design. The H612 features a 120mm fan with a clip on retention clip. The package also comes with a second set of clips and screws to enable a second fan to be installed in the rear of the cooler. This will further enhance the cooling characteristic and ability of this cooler.

The Cooler Master H612 is actually released in two different versions. The H612S and the H612PWM. The two version differ visually by the two top most fins which are silver or chrome on the H612S and black with the H612PWM. The physical difference between the two boils down the difference in fans. The H612″S” includes a single speed fan spinning at a mere 1300 RPM. The H612″PWM” however sports a variable speed fan running anywhere from 600 RPM all the way up to 2000 RPM. The model we received is the later.

The cooler does not feature the popular HDT design and instead provides a uncoated full copper base.The 6 uncoated full copper heatpipes add up to a full 1 foot in length if put together. The H612 also features a broad range of applications and installation options.

Features:

• Power Management Fan
• Fan Clips for fast and easy Fan installation
• 2nd Fan installation option
• 6 Heatpipe design
• Full copper base
• Performance Optimized
• Redesigned Heatpipe Array
• Improved Airflow

Supported Sockets:

Next: Unboxing, Packaging and Accessories

Coming a long way to use, all the way from Germany, today we have the Noiseblocker TwinTec in the house. The TwinTec from Noiseblocker is Is one of the few ventures the company made into actual CPU cooling hardware. Noiseblocker has impressed so far with it’s products and it’s ability to live up to it’s promise, which is to deliver a silent product.

The NB TwinTec features some interesting design differences. First, instead of using the traditional 6 to 8 heatpipe design, the NB TwinTec has only 2 heatpipes but that is not really the highlight. The highlight of this cooler is a 25 mm-thick central industrial heat-pipe. This Monster of a heatpipe is located in the center, right above the CPU heat-spreader.

The NB Twin Tec also supports dual fan operation to enhance performance but does not include the fan, only the hardware to do so.

The cooler has a nickel-plated heat spreader.

Features:

• 6-year guarantee
• Guaranteed to cool every current CPU quietly and reliably
• Excellent workmanship
• Extremely fast heat dissipation
• Lamellae soldered with heat-pipes
• Includes installation modules for AMD AM2/AM3 sockets, Intel 775/1156/1366 and 1155 (SandyBridge)
• 12 cm high-end PWM fan NB-Multiframe M12-P low-vibration (only retail version)
• Super conductor heat-pipe (25 mm) made of copper + four 6 mm heat sinks (2x 6 mm IT heat-pipes)
• Semi-passive / one / two fan operation possible
• Available as bulk and retail version (with fan)

Supported Sockets:

Next: Unboxing, Packaging and Accessories

Recently, Evercool sent us their latest ultra low profile product, the HPL-815 Low Profile cooler. After taking the HPL-815 out of its box I felt like a giant. It is possible to hold the fan and heatsink in the palm of your hand while your fingers and thumb touch opposite sides of the contact area. Evercool claims this feisty cooler can tame the most brutal processors on the market. Today we will put the Evercool HPL-815 to the test.

Here is an overview of the impressively diminutive cooler’s specifications, provided by Evercool:

<INTEL SERIES> For Intel LGA 1366 • Core™ i7 i7-920~i7-960 • Core™ i7 Extreme Edition i7-965~i7-980X For Intel LGA 1156 • Core™ i7 i7-860~i7-870 • Core™ i5 i5-680~i5-750/i5-750S/i5-655K • Core™ i3 i3-530~i3-550 For Intel LGA 775 • Core2 Duo up to~E8600 • Core2 Extreme up to~QX9770/X6800 • Core2 Quad up to~Q9650 • Pentium D up to~960 • Pentium Dual Core up to~E6500/E6500K • Pentium Extreme up to~965 • Pentium 4 up to~672 • Pentium 4 Extreme up to~3.73G Hz • Celeron up to~365/E3300 <AMD SERIES> For AMD K8/AM2/AM2+/AM3 • AMD Phenom™ II X6 Black Edition 1090T • AMD Phenom™ II X6 1055T • AMD Phenom™ II X4 805~965/B93~B95/900e~905e • AMD Phenom™ II X3 710~720/700e~705e/B73~B75 • AMD Phenom™ II X2 545~555/B53~B55 • AMD Athlon™ II X4 620~635/600e~605e • AMD Athlon™ II X3 425~440/400e~405e • AMD Athlon™ II X2 215~255/235e~240e/B22~B24/250u~260u • AMD Phenom™ X4 9500~9950/9100e~9450e • AMD Phenom™ X3 8450~8750/8250e~8450e • AMD Athlon™ X2 up to 6400+/7850/BE-2400/5050e • AMD Athlon™ 64 up to 4000+/LE-1640 • AMD Athlon™ 64 FX up to FX-62 • AMD Sempron™ up to 3800+/140/LE-1300 • Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ up to 1389/1224SE/1218HE

Overall Dimension : 106 x 95 x 45 mm Heat Sink Material : 4 Heatpipes + Al Fin + H.D.T. Core Bearing Type : EL long life bearing (Life Expectancy at 25°C 50000HR) Rated Speed : 1000±25%~4000±10% RPM (PWM) Noise Level : 12~40 dBA Rated Voltage : 12 V.DC Weight : 320 g

The HPL-815

The Evercool HPL-815

Next: Specifications and Dimensions

For review today we have the GeminII S524 cooler by CoolerMaster. This 5 heatpipe cooler features aluminum fins designed to maximize surface area while allowing all RAM slots to be occupied for AM3 and Socket 1155/1156/1366 computers.

The GeminII S524

Manufacturer’s Description & Specifications:

Specifications

CPU Socket	Intel Socket: LGA 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 * AMD Socket: FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2
CPU Support	Intel: Core™ i7 Extreme / Core™ i7 / Core™ i5 / Core™ i3 / Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Quad / Core™2 Duo / Pentium / Celeron AMD: Phenom™ II X4 / Phenom™ II X3 / Phenom™ II X2 / Phenom™ X4 / Phenom™ X3 / Athlon™ II X4 / Athlon™ II X3 / Athlon™ II X2 / Athlon™ X2 / Athlon™ / Sempron™
Dimension	144 x 144 x 105 mm (5.7 x 5.7 x 4.1 inch)
Heat Sink Material	Copper Base / 5 Heat Pipes / Aluminum Fins
Heat Sink Weight	490g (1.08 lb)
Fan Dimension	120 x 120 x 25 mm (4.7 x 4.7 x 1 inch)
Fan Speed	800 – 1800 RPM (PWM) ± 10%
Fan Airflow	34.2 – 77.7 CFM ± 10%
Fan Air Pressure	0.43 – 2.46 mmH2O ± 10%
Bearing Type	Long Life Sleeve Bearing
Fan Life Expectancy	40,000 hours
Fan Noise Level (dB-A)	15.1 – 31.6 dBA
Connector	4-Pin
Fan Weight	104g (0.23 lb)
Note	* Supplied accessories may differ by country or area. Please check with your local distributor for further details.

The GeminII S524

Cooler Master GeminII S524

Cooler Master GeminII S524

Features:

Featuring a single 120mm fan and 5 heatpipes, the GeminII S524 comes in at an overall height of 10.5cm. The contact area of the GeminII S524 features a lapped contact area that appears to be nickel-coated copper for effective transfer of heat from the processor to the cooling fins, and from there to the air of your computer case and wherever that’s exhausted to.

The Fan

The fan equipped on the GeminII S524 runs at between 800 – 1800 RPM. The fan is held in place by 4 finely threaded metal screws that isolate the fan and any vibrations it generates from the heatsink, therefore cutting down on noise. If an aftermarket fan is used that is narrower than the stock unit, rubber grommets can be used to help quiet it.

Cooler Master GeminII Fan

Next: Specifications and Dimensions

With the market for extreme PC cooling growing at a rapid rate over the past few years, we are seeing a much greater number of PC components and accessories geared to this end of the spectrum.  This goes back to the Foxconn “Quantum Force” line, which was kicked off with a killer mainboard, the BLACKOPS with features that had never been seen before.  Fast forward a few years, and now all the top manufacturers are mimicking elements from that board, and pushing forward with other innovations geared towards extreme cooling enthusiasts.

However, one area that has not seen any special attention is in the TIM (Thermal Interface Material) market, at least until now (the last time there was anything resembling this kind of enthusiast buzz over some cooling goo was when Arctic Silver hit the market). eVGA recently unleashed on the world their new TIM dubbed “Frostbite,” and for good reason.  eVGA claims this new compound is not only better for the extreme cooling crowd, but also superior for everyday users as well.  Not only that, but k|ngp|n himself is signing off on all these claims and endorsing the product for extreme cooling use.

The longtime standard-bearer for extreme cooling has been Arctic Silver’s Céramique, which k|ngp|n and many others have used it for years.  However, over the past year of so, many users have been testing alternatives.  Elmor (a top overclocker from Sweden) swears by OCZ Freeze, and there have been a number of positive reports with several other compounds as well.  Considering all the recent speculation, we needed to take a closer look at this new contender.

Next: eVGA Frostbite, a closer look…