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Cooler Master: Hyper 212 EVO, Seidon 240M and Gelid GC-Extreme Review

This has been a long review in the making, this is tedious stuff, and it gave me a new found appreciation for people who do these types of reviews frequently.

 

I originally had a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO cooling my i5-4670k.  Turns out I have a very good chip, and temperatures were the only thing holding me back from achieving higher overclocks so I bought the Cooler Master Seidon 240M on Newegg for $56 after MIR and 10% discount.  If you are in the market for a new CPU Cooler, definitely take a look at the Seidon 240M, especially when found on sale for only ~$60.

 

After buying the 240M, I wanted to see how much of a performance gain I would really get by using an AIO compared to the 212 EVO.  I also wanted to do this review to help give other potential buyers some insight into the performance they can expect.

 

Here is a link to the Google Docs Excel Spreadsheet if you would like to see the review in its entirety.  I will try and minimize this as much as possible, but there is a lot of information.  The graphs will be on the Google Docs Spreadsheet, the raw data I will show here.  Please take a moment to check out the Google Docs Excel Spreadsheet please, all of this took a lot of time and work, especially the graphs because the template wasn't working properly.  The Review is organized and presented in a much more concise manner on the Excel Spreadsheet. EDIT:  I guess my beautiful charts I did aren't showing properly on the google docs page =(  That makes me really sad.

 

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Please Read: I live in Florida where it is extremely hot in the summer, the AC is on at all times, so the house is at a constant 24C Ambient, it is actually more cold in the summer because of this. All temperatures provided come from HWiNFO v4.40-2240. The i5-4670k is a 4 core processor and four different temperatures are being displayed Cores Numbered #0-3.  When doing my testing, I only used the hottest temperature from the hottest core for both the minimum and maximum temperature.  The average was derived by adding the minimum and maximum together, then dividing by two even if the highest readings came from different cores.  There is sometimes a large temperature discrepancy between the coolest and the hottest core, I have seen as much as an 11C difference between the lowest and highest temperature reading; that large of a difference is more common when high voltage and adaptive mode are used.  There is a temperature difference between cores regardless of voltage and whether it be manual or adaptive.  I always used the highest temperature readings regardless of which core it was measured from.  I do this to get a conservative/pessimistic data set.  My reasoning behind this is kind of a motto that I use in life: "Expect the worst, hope for the best."  By using the worst results, it gives a worst-case scenario.  I feel like reporting anything but the absolute worst results would skew the data unfairly and I needed a common denominator or point of reference to collect my data from.  I did not take averages of all the cores, I simply used the worst/hottest temperatures.  I used the stock thermal paste that comes with both CPU Coolers, as well as the stock fans.  The stock fans are called "Blade Masters." On the Hyper 212 EVO, it only comes with one fan, the fan I added was a Blade Master. I will do a follow-up review using Gelid GC-Extreme Thermal Paste, but only for the Seidon CPU Cooler.

 

First things first, whenever stress testing, always set voltage to manual.  I ran CinebenchR15's CPU test three times on each setting and used  the WORST result out of the three runs for my data.  I waited until temperature returned to normal idle temperature before doing the next run.

 

Definitely not the most scientific and controlled test, but I didn't want to wait for the server's map rotation to come full circle in order to get the same map to avoid unwanted variables for my testing. Voltage is set to adaptive and since this testing and data collection is mostly for my personal curiosity, I used the settings that I am accustomed to using during my daily use.  I did all of my tests on the Battlefield 4 server named "=U=Rock Vanilla Domination 64 Players."  To get the minimum temperature, I would make sure the game was loaded and many players had already spawned, I would then minimize BF4, go into HWiNFO and hit "Reset Values"  I would then log the highest core temperature of the four cores.  To get the maximum temperature, I would play the match all the way through.  Each match takes 30+ minutes because it is set for 999 Tickets.  At the end of the half-hour long match, I would check to see what the Core Max is and use that for my data. All of my Battlefield 4 settings are pushed to Ultra with Resolution Scale equal to 140% and Field of View equal to 80%. EVGA GTX 780 w/ACX Cooling @1100Mhz.

 

First things first, whenever stress testing, always set voltage to manual. Prime95v27.9 is one of the most demanding stress tests for your CPU, because of this, I don't usually do lengthy runs since the toll it takes on your CPU is so extreme and instability is found quickly.  They don't call it a torture test for nothing.  I run a 20 minute custom test to check for stability, and then move on to the next test when I am trying to find a stable overclock.  The custom settings I used are: Threads = 4, Min FFT Size(in K) = 8, Max FFT Size(in K) = 4096, Memory to Use(in MB) = 1600, Time to Run Each FFT Size(in Minutes) = 3.  With these settings I get 42 tests done per 20 Minutes.

 

Battlefield 4 - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Adaptive = Minimum(49) Maximum(62) Average(55.5) // Paracel Storm

Battlefield 4 - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Adaptive = Minimum(54) Maximum(70) Average(62) // Golmund Railway

Battlefield 4 - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Adaptive = Minimum(56) Maximum(73) Average(64.5) // Operation Locker

 

This was my most often used and default fan speed, both CPU fans spinning at ~1050rpm.  Offers plenty of cooling, coupled with low noise.  I decided not to run any stress tests with this low rpm setting because I didn't want to unnecessarily put my CPU in harms way.  While the 212 EVO can handle gaming, stress tests are completely different.

 

Battlefield 4 - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Adaptive = Minimum(46) Maximum(57) Average(51.5) // Hainan Resort

Battlefield 4 - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Adaptive = Minimum(51) Maximum(66) Average(58.5) // Lancang Dam

Battlefield 4 - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Adaptive = Minimum(50) Maximum(70) Average(60) // Zavod 311

 

Prime95 - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Manual = Minimum(52) Maximum(69) Average(60.5)

Prime95 - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Manual = Minimum(58) Maximum(85) Average(71.5)

Prime95 - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Manual = Minimum(63) Maximum(99) Average(81)

 

Cinebench - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Manual = Minimum(49) Maximum(58) Average(53.5)

Cinebench - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Manual = Minimum(60) Maximum(68) Average(64)

Cinebench - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Manual = Minimum(66) Maximum(81) Average(73.5)

 

For synthetic tests, I make sure to set my CPU fans as high as they will go in order to cope with the high temperatures and to avoid a "ramp up" delay.  The fans are spinning at maximum speed from the onset of the test.

 

 

Battlefield 4 - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Adaptive = Minimum(33) Maximum(46) Average(39.5) // Flood Zone

Battlefield 4 - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Adaptive = Minimum(39) Maximum(52) Average(45.5) // Hainan Resort

Battlefield 4 - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Adaptive = Minimum(42) Maximum(55) Average(48.5) // Lancang Dam

 

Prime95 - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Manual = Minimum(43) Maximum(58) Average(50.5)

Prime95 - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Manual = Minimum(52) Maximum(77) Average(64.5)

Prime95 - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Manual = Minimum(59) Maximum(88) Average(73.5)

 

Cinebench - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Manual = Minimum(44) Maximum(53) Average(48.5)

Cinebench - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Manual = Minimum(50) Maximum(59) Average (54.5)

Cinebench - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Manual = Minimum(56) Maximum(67) Average(61.5)
 

This is the setting I use when gaming, it is powerful while still being quiet.

 

Battlefield 4 - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Adaptive = Minimum(33) Maximum(42) Average(37.5) // Hainan Resort

Battlefield 4 - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Adaptive = Minimum(38) Maximum(48) Average(43) // Operation Locker

Battlefield 4 - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Adaptive = Minimum(40) Maximum(52) Average(46) // Zavod 311

 

Prime95 - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Manual = Minimum(38) Maximum(50) Average(44)

Prime95 - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Manual = Minimum(44) Maximum(69) Average(56.5)

Prime95 - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Manual = Minimum(55) Maximum(76) Average(65.5)

 

Cinebench - 3.8Ghz @ 1.100v Manual = Minimum(41) Maximum(46) Average(43.5)

Cinebench - 4.5Ghz @ 1.200v Manual = Minimum(47) Maximum(56) Average(51.5)

Cinebench - 4.7Ghz @ 1.275v Manual = Minimum(58) Maximum(63) Average(60.5)

For testing purposes, I cranked this thing to the max to see what it is capable of.

 

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Gelid GC Extreme Review

 

The Gelid GC Extreme Thermal Paste is somewhat difficult to work with.  I personally like to use the spread method, and this thermal paste comes with a plastic spreader which kind of caught my eye.  I bought it for $10 shipped on eBay, and I am very pleased with it.  I highly recommend that you put it in a plastic bag and boil it in hot water for awhile before trying to apply.  Even when it has been heated up, it thickens very quickly, so you must spread fast, otherwise it becomes hardened and viscous.  When it is warmed up, it becomes much more pliable and easy to work with.  The stock Cooler Master Thermal Paste is very pliable and easy to apply.  Is it worth $10 for 2C-4C lower temperatures?  That is up to the owner to decide, I was very happy with my purchase because it brought my BF4 temps down from 52 to 50C max, which is kind of a nice round number.

 

I did not use the Gelid GC on the Cooler Master Hyper EVO.  I enjoyed doing this review, but not enough to disassemble and reassemble my build more times than really necessary.  This portion of the review will be only for the Seidon 240M and my EVGA GTX 780 SC w/ ACX Cooler.

  • Idle temperatures stayed exactly the same when using the stock included Cooler Master Thermal Paste and the Gelid GC Extreme on my CPU.
  • CPU Temperatures dropped by a steady 2C across the board in gaming and synthetics when using 1.20v or lower.
  • CPU Temperatures when using  1.275v saw a drop of 3C in synthetic tests, only 2C for gaming.
  • GPU Temperatures experienced a whopping -4C on load* compared to the stock thermal paste.  It could be because the stock thermal paste job was so poor. *Load = BF4, Crysis3, Metro:LL, Unigine:Heaven and Valley.

 

 

Thank you for reading through all of this.  This was my first really extensive and somewhat scientific review, it was fun and I learned quite a bit.  I have some more reviews coming soon such as the G10 Graphics Card Modification and the Gunnar Wi-FIVE Optics.  These reviews will be more picture heavy, and less data driven.

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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We need more of this on the forum, big +1 from me!

 

What i would reccomend is making graphs of the results! 

Interested in Business and Technology

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Your spoilers need a little bit of cleaning up because the text is bunched, but great review none the less.

.

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Your spoilers need a little bit of cleaning up because the text is bunched, but great review none the less.

My first time really using spoilers.  I just copy and pasted straight from Excel.. didn't work as intended.  When I previewed it, it looked good...  Same with the Google Doc, when I view it, it looks like the work I did, but when I copy and paste the address for you guys, it is totally different.

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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My first time really using spoilers.  I just copy and pasted straight from Excel.. didn't work as intended.  When I previewed it, it looked good...  Same with the Google Doc, when I view it, it looks like the work I did, but when I copy and paste the address for you guys, it is totally different.

Try

 

[spoiler ]

all your text

numbers

more number

even more numbers or text if you have it

[/spoiler ]

 

You'll have to manually move everything to the next line.

.

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Try

 

[spoiler ]

all your text

numbers

more number

even more numbers or text if you have it

[/spoiler ]

 

You'll have to manually move everything to the next line.

Starting to enter it in manually...

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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We need more of this on the forum, big +1 from me!

 

What i would reccomend is making graphs of the results! 

I did make some beautiful graphs in Excel, but unfortunately the true format didn't transfer over properly to Google Docs.  I'm pretty upset about that because I spent a lot of time on it.

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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Good luck! :P

Ok, Its done.  Still upset about the graphs though =(

 

I could always take screenshots, edit them down, post to imgur and upload....

 

Maybe later.

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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Ok, Its done.  Still upset about the graphs though =(

 

I could always take screenshots, edit them down, post to imgur and upload....

 

Maybe later.

Wooh! Beautiful.

.

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I did make some beautiful graphs in Excel, but unfortunately the true format didn't transfer over properly to Google Docs.  I'm pretty upset about that because I spent a lot of time on it.

Can I have the files, maybe i can work out something for you ;)

Interested in Business and Technology

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Can I have the files, maybe i can work out something for you ;)

Sending you a PM.  Just don't steal my work and take credit for it please.

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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I somewhat think it's a bit unfair comparing a $90 water cooler to a $30 air cooler, but God damn this is a lot of nice info and it actually does show how you can get better performance if you upgrade to water cooling. But if you were comparing the 2 to give a recommendation, then it might not be a fair comparison. So thumbs up for the info.

 

I have my 212 set up in a push config and I was thinking of setting it up in a pull config because I'm OCD about dust accumulation and push configs are harder to clean than pull configs.

 

This is my setting right now. I alt-tabbed from a 1/2 hour session in Skyrim (thus crashing the game due to heavy mods) to show real world performance of the cooler. I have an FX 8350. And when I put the thermal paste on I half assed it because I don't care. I'm not running a render farm or anything.

 

e00207c8d5.png

I get 60 frames at 1080p on a dual core APU. Ask me how.

AMD FX 8350 CPU / R9 280X GPU / Asus M5A97 LE R 2.0 motherboard / 8GB Kingston HyperX Blue 1600 RAM / 128G OCZ Vertex 4 SSD / 256G Crucial SSD / 2T WD Black HDD / 1T Seagate Barracude HDD / Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU / Coolermaster HAF 922 Case

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@threadysparrow

 

I conducted this test because I wanted to see for myself how much of a performance boost I would get by going with water cooling.  You can read all the reviews that there are on the internet from reputable sources, but until you conduct the tests for yourself, you cannot know for certain.  Also, the Cooler Master Seidon 240M can be had for only $56 after MIR and 10% discount, thats how much I bought it for, and its on sale for that price again right now.

 

In terms of price to performance, I don't think that there is a better cooler than the 212 EVO, except if you take into account the Seidon 240M at its low price of $56.  In my opinion, it seems like the CM 212 EVO dropped the temperatures by 20-30C compared to Intel's stock cooler.  The Seidon further improves on that by another 20-30, depending on application/fan settings and at the price of both of these coolers, it scales quite linearly.  You are right that it is not fair to compare these two coolers against each other directly, but they are the coolers that I had on hand to test, and at their respected price points will give readers some idea of what kind of performance to expect.  Bottom line, if you can pay $80 up front, and are willing to wait 2 months to get your $25 pre-paid card back, the Cooler Master Seidon 240M is the most attractive liquid AIO cooler on the market in North America.

 

I also wanted to see how specialty thermal paste would do.  $10 nets you another -2C for most CPU tasks, and up to -4C on GPU related programs.

"I genuinely dislike the promulgation of false information, especially to people who are asking for help selecting new parts."

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