Trio of SFF CPU Coolers Review

Cooling/CPU Cooling by leeghoofd @ 2016-05-25

Small form factors are becoming more and more popular: each motherboard and enclosure brand have several offerings in their lineups and their range is constantly expanding. The time when small was linked to limited power is long gone! These mini PCs can pack some serious punch and are capable to even outperform a full desktop offering, hence why gamers are also jumping on the small form factor wagon as it combines performance with ease of transportation. There are some drawbacks on several aspects alike the amount of possible storage, graphics card compatibility and possible cooling options. Today we are going to tackle the latter and will test three coolers specifically designed to be compatible for this popular factor. We will put head to head the Corsair AIO H5 SF, the tiny Noctua NH L9x65 and the Cryorig M9i tower cooling solution.

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Corsair H5-SF AIO Cooler

A while back we already did a small preview on the new Corsair H5-SF All In One cooling solution. Here's a small recap on the aforementioned article.

 

 

 

This is what Corsair claims at the product page of the Hydro series H5 SF:

Quiet, powerful low-profile liquid CPU cooling for high-performance Mini-ITX PCs. The Hydro Series H5 SF is a low profile liquid CPU cooler that provides efficient cooling for small form factor Mini-ITX systems. Building a small form factor system shouldn't have to mean compromising on processor speed, and with the H5 SF you can provide reliable cooling for your system's high performance CPU.

Not really much to add as indeed when unboxing the unit has similar dimensions comparable to our mITX motherboard, so at first glance a pretty oversized cooling unit for such a tiny setup. Due to the blower fan the H5 SF not only blows air through the radiator fins but also expels the hot air around the CPU socket. Looking at the picture set below you will notice the radiator's dimensions inside the shroud are less than what most people would imagine.

Main features:

  • Liquid closed CPU High Performance cooling solution
  • Silent Blower type fan, pulls air over the vital motherboard components
  • Intel LGA1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011(V3) & LGA1366 compatible
  • AMD AM3(+), AM2(+), FM1, FM2(+) compatible, requires original back plate
  • 5 years Warranty

 

 

 

 

 

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