Cryorig M9i - REVIEW VS. stock LGA1150

[Shiv78]

Bought a Cryorig M9i off of Newegg for $19.99 (US) with free shipping. Here is my review.

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The box was about the size I expected, but at least 2-3x the weight I was expecting. I was expecting a kind of lightweight feel, since the cooler is mostly aluminum, but Cryorig surprised me with how solid this thing feels.

 

UNBOXING

The box & packaging were great quality and easy to open. Nice graphics on the outside too.

Included in said box:

• The heatsink
• (1) 92mm PWM 2200RPM fan - pre-mounted
• (4) fan clips, 2 for included fan (pre-mounted) and 2 extra for optional 2nd fan
• (4) fan vibration absorbers, 2 pre-mounted and 2 extra
• (2) heatsink mounting screws (pre-mounted to heatsink)
• (1) 4gram tube of CP 15 thermal paste
• (4) hexagon-head mounting posts
• (4) thumbscrew caps for mounting 
• (2) black mounting arms
• (1) black plastic backplate - NOTE: this backplate feels extremely solid and I would have thought it was metal if it didn't sound like plastic when hit with a screwdriver
• (1) manual
• (1) registration card sealed in a nice little metallic envelope - NOTE: registration increases warranty from 3 years to 6 (!!!!!!!!!!! i don't think my PC will last that long lol)
• i think that's it?

INSTALLATION

Fairly simple, about 5-10 minutes for noobs including stock cooler removal. This was my first cooler installation (stock doesn't count) and it was fairly painless. 

1. REMOVE FAN FROM M9i HEATSINK
2. Unplug and remove stock cooler, cleaning any old thermal paste
3. Mount backplate using hex mounting posts
4. Attach mounting arms to opposite end of mounting posts, surrounding the CPU, using the thumbscrew caps
5. Apply thermal paste to CPU
6. Remove plastic cover and press heatsink down on CPU (make sure you did step 1)
7. Screw in and tighten the 2 mounting screws using a Phillips head screwdriver
8. Plug in cooler to CPU_FAN header and enjoy

PERFORMANCE AND ACOUSTICS

My old LGA1150 stock cooler for my 4770K some of the cores hit 102C while playing Overwatch and sounded like a jet. AIDA64 pushed it to and slightly beyond 100C while thermal throttling up to 16%... all at stock clocks...

 

The M9i, however, runs AIDA64 at max 65C on core 3 and all the rest lower, while having literally no audible noise. Seriously, if I open the side panel and stop the fan with my finger I hear no difference compared to 100% fan speed. Amazing product Cryorig, and what's even better is the price tag!

 

VERDICT

Great looking, sounding, and built product. Solid cooling for the small size and compatible with literally any memory kit. Great value for money. Even comes with extra thermal paste for reapplication or use in other devices. Also very good compatibility, 4 sockets with only 1 set of mounting hardware so no confusion (LGA115X compatible, so 1150, 1155, 1156, and 1151) and AMD version available as well.

 

10/10 would recommend!

[Damascus]

Products like this are why people need to stop recommending the hyper 212.

[Herman Mcpootis]

28 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

 

Great looking, sounding, and built product. Solid cooling for the small size and compatible with literally any memory kit. Great value for money. Even comes with extra thermal paste for reapplication or use in other devices. Also very good compatibility, 4 sockets with only 1 set of mounting hardware so no confusion (LGA115X compatible, so 1150, 1155, 1156, and 1151) and AMD version available as well.

 

10/10 would recommend!

there's an AMD variant of the M9i called the M9a with just the amd mounts. +1 on great value, cheaper than the 212 but performs just as good and much smaller.

[Shiv78]

1 minute ago, herman mcpootis said:

there's an AMD variant of the M9i called the M9a with just the amd mounts. +1 on great value, cheaper than the 212 but performs just as good and much smaller.

Yeah I know lol

31 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

AMD version available as well

 

18 minutes ago, Damascus said:

Products like this are why people need to stop recommending the hyper 212.

YES

 

2 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

+1 on great value, cheaper than the 212 but performs just as good and much smaller.

Sometimes better and also much better looking (IMO at least) and amazing warranty

[Herman Mcpootis]

2 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

Yeah I know lol

think i ended up misreading it as "no AMD version available" somehow