Logisys Hydro Beta 120

[Jeremytroid]

So I've had this new cooler for a little while now and felt like doing a little write up about it. There's nothing else on the net about the cooler, aside from user reviews on Newegg and Amazon, etc. I'm going to try and be as thorough as possible.

 

Overview:

The cooler is a 120mm fan attached to a black aluminum heat sink. The fan is blue with a black shroud, so it looks quite nice. It goes very well with my other parts. It only has a 3 pin power connection, which means it operates at one speed at all times. This is ok though, because the fan is SILENT. I really mean this. My hard drive is now the loudest component of my computer. (Packaging says it produces 21dBA of sound.) The cooler is compatible with a wide range of processors, however it is only rated for up to 89W TDP. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't cool well with a higher TDP processor. It comes in a simple metal tin, which includes the cooler and a piece of plastic to hold it, no documentation or accessories.

 

Installation:

The fan and shroud can be taken off, which makes installation much easier. You can see two notches on each side where the fan grips the heatsink. Pull one of these back a bit and the fan will come off easily. It uses the stock clip style of installation for AMD, but they are a separate piece, so make sure it is situated properly before starting. Putting one clip on is easy, however the second takes an immense amount of force. The clips are quite flexible but it feels dangerous while you're installing it. The fan can be replaced once you have seated the heatsink. Just line up the notches and it clicks into place. The cooler does get close to the nearest RAM slot, but unless you're using Corsair Vengeance or another brand with a massive heatsink, it shouldn't interfere.

 

Specs:

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 3.5 GHz (3 Cores Active) 1.225V

Motherboard: Gigabyte 970A-UD3

RAM: 10GB RAM 1333 MHz

GPU: PNY GTX Geforce 650 Ti Boost

PSU: Thermaltake 500W TR2

Case: Thermaltake V3 AMD Edition

Thermal Paste: Arctic Alumina

 

Performance:

 

Stock Cooler (For reference)-

Idle: 38-40C

Load: 45-50C

Prime95: 58-60C

 

Beta Hydro 120-

Idle: 30-32C

Load: 50-53C

Prime95: 60-65C

 

The idle temps for the cooler are fantastic. However, the temps skyrocket once it is put under any sort of load. They get quite high when under maximum usage, performing even worse than the stock fan. This was sort of to be expected, since it has one speed. It hasn't gotten close to damaging temperatures in any of the programs I've tried.

 

Closing:

The cooler doesn't have fantastic performance. It only costs $14 USD though, and is extremely quiet. For what it is, I give it 4 kittens out of 5.

 

Buy it here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835999042