The Cooler Master Seidon 240M is a self-contained liquid CPU cooler with a dual fan radiator. Though equipped with a very quiet pump, its low noise performance doesn’t justify the US$100 price when compared to top air coolers.
February 25, 2013 by Lawrence Lee
Product | Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler |
Manufacturer | Cooler Master |
Street Price | US$100 |
Self-contained CPU water coolers provide PC enthusiasts with a no fuss, no
muss introduction into the world of liquid cooling. Putting together a kit yourself
can be more difficult than building an entire desktop system but these units
come pre-assembled for your convenience. They’re filled with coolant, sealed,
and pre-tested for leaks and other faults at the factory before being shipped
out; all you have to do is attach one end to the CPU socket and the other to
your case and you’re ready to go.
|
The Seidon 240M is the newest member of Cooler Master’s watercooling line,
a premium US$100 model with a pair of 120 mm radiators. It ships in an
attractive purple box with gold text, a fitting choice as the two colors have
been associated with the upper class throughout much of human history. The interior
is lined with cardboard, molded to conform to the unusual shape of pre-assembled
water coolers. Tucked inside the other slots are two 120 mm fans, the mounting
hardware and an assembly guide.
|
Like other such units, the 240M has an unwieldy form, with a large dual fan
radiator at one side and a small round pump/waterblock at the other, connected
together with fairly rigid plastic tubing. Along with the necessary installation
gear are dampening pads to keep vibration down and a dual PWM fan adapter to
power both fans off the same header.
Cooler Master Seidon 240M: Specifications (from the product web page) | |
CPU Socket | Intel LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 1150 / 775 AMD Socket FM2 / FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 |
Pump Dimensions | ø 70 x 27mm (ø 2.75 x 1.1 inch) |
Radiator Dimensions | 273 x 120 x 27 mm (10.7 x 4.7 x 1.1 inch) |
Radiator Material | Aluminum |
Fan Dimension | 120 x 120 x 25 mm (4.7 x 4.7 x 1 in) |
Fan Speed | 600~2400 RPM (PWM) ± 10% |
Fan Airflow | 19.17 ~ 86.15 CFM ± 10% |
Fan Air Pressure | 0.31 ~ 4.16 mm H2O ± 10% |
Fan Life Expectancy | 40,000 hours |
Fan Noise Level (dB-A) | 19 ~ 40 dBA |
Fan Bearing Type | Rifle bearing |
Fan Connector | 4-Pin |
Fan Rated Voltage | 12 VDC |
Fan Rated Current | 0.2 A |
Fan Power Consumption | 3.6 W |
Pump Life Expectancy | 70,000 hrs |
Pump Noise Level | <25 dBA |
Pump Rated Voltage | 12 VDC |
Pump Load Current | 0.15 A |
Pump Power Consumption | 1.8W |
Warranty | 2 years |
UPC Code | 884102020049 |
PHYSICAL DETAILS
The Cooler Master Seidon 240M (minus the fans) is composed of a 27.3 x 11.9 x 2.7 cm or 10.8 x 4.7 x 1.1 inch (L x W x H) radiator with 13 aluminum coils, two 30 cm long, 8 mm thick plastic hoses, and a 27 mm thick waterblock/pump with a large copper base. Altogether, the unit weighs 650 grams or 1.4 lb.
|
|
|
|
|
INSTALLATION
The most critical aspect of installation is that the heatsink be securely
mounted. A firm mating results in good contact between the heatsink’s base and
the CPU heatspreader and more efficient heat conduction. Ideally it should
also be a simple procedure with the user having to handle as few pieces of
hardware as possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
TESTING
Before thermal testing, we took some basic physical measurements.
Approximate Physical Measurements | |
Weight | 650 g (+160 g for each stock fan) |
Height | 27 mm (waterblock & pump) |
Fin count | N/A |
Fin thickness | 0.10 mm (coils) |
Fin spacing | N/A |
Vertical Clearance* | N/A |
* measured from the motherboard PCB to the bottom fin of the heatsink |
Large Heatsink Comparison: Average Fin Thickness & Spacing | ||
Heatsink | Fin Thickness | Fin Spacing |
SilverStone Heligon HE02 | 0.52 mm | 3.30 mm |
Thermalright HR-01 Plus | 0.45 mm | 3.15 mm |
Thermalright HR-02 Macho | 0.34 mm | 3.12 mm |
Scythe Ninja 3 | 0.39 mm | 2.64 mm |
Noctua NH-U12P | 0.44 mm | 2.63 mm |
Noctua NH-C12P | 0.47 mm | 2.54 mm |
Noctua NH-D14 | 0.43 mm | 2.33 mm |
Thermalright Archon SB-E | 0.49 mm | 2.33 mm |
GELID Tranquillo Rev.2 | 0.40 mm | 2.30 mm |
Phanteks PH-TC12DX | 0.39 mm | 2.30 mm |
GELID GX-7 Rev.2 | 0.31 mm | 2.25 mm |
Phanteks PH-TC14PE | 0.40 mm | 2.21 mm |
be quiet! Dark Rock 2 | 0.38 mm | 2.22 mm |
Prolimatech Armageddon | 0.51 mm | 2.08 mm |
Prolimatech Megahalems | 0.50 mm | 2.00 mm |
Zalman CNPS10X Quiet | 0.40 mm | 2.00 mm |
Scythe Kabuto & Zipang 2 | 0.34 mm | 1.94 mm |
NZXT Havik 140 | 0.41 mm | 1.91 mm |
Scythe Mugen-2 | 0.31 mm | 1.89 mm |
Swiftech Polaris 120 | 0.43 mm | 1.85 mm |
Thermalright Venomous X | 0.53 mm | 1.84 mm |
Noctua NH-C14 | 0.38 mm | 1.79 mm |
Enermax ETS-T40 | 0.40 mm | 1.79 mm |
Scythe Yasya | 0.32 mm | 1.78 mm |
Cogage TRUE Spirit 1366 | 0.40 mm | 1.70 mm |
Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme Rev.2 | 0.30 mm | 1.70 mm |
Scythe Grand Kama Cross | 0.38 mm | 1.66 mm |
Reeven Kelveros | 0.47 mm | 1.61 mm |
Zalman CNPS9900 MAX | 0.16 mm | 1.59 mm |
Thermalright Silver Arrow | 0.32 mm | 1.57 mm |
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus | 0.43 mm | 1.54 mm |
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C | 0.56 mm | 1.52 mm |
Zalman CNPS10X Extreme | 0.42 mm | 1.50 mm |
Testing on larger heatsinks are done on our
LGA1366 heatsink testing platform, while smaller coolers tackle our LGA1155 heatsink testing platform. A summary of the test system
and procedure follows.
Key Components in LGA1366 Heatsink Test Platform:
- Intel Core i7-965 Extreme
Nehalem core, LGA1366, 3.2GHz, 45nm, 130W TDP. - Asus
P6X58D Premium ATX motherboard. X58 chipset. - Asus
EAH3450 Silent graphics card. - Intel
X25-M 80GB 2.5″ solid-state drive. Chosen for silence. - 3GB QiMonda
DDR3 memory. 3 x 1GB DDR3-1066 in triple channel. - Seasonic X-650 SS-650KM
650W ATX power supply. This PSU is semi-passively cooled. At the power levels
of our test platform, its fan does not spin. - Arctic Silver
Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface material, designed
specifically for test labs. - Noctua 140 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 140x25mm
fans) - Nexus 120 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 120x25mm
fans) - Nexus 92 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 92x25mm
fans)
The systems are silent under the test conditions, except for the CPU cooling
fan(s).
Normally, our reference fans are used whenever possible, the measured details
of which are shown below.
Reference Noctua 140mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
12V | 1250 RPM | 28~29 dBA |
9V | 990 RPM | 21 dBA |
7V | 770 RPM | 15~16 dBA |
6V | 660 RPM | 13 dBA |
Reference Nexus 120mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
12V | 1080 RPM | 16 dBA |
9V | 890 RPM | 13 dBA |
7V | 720 RPM | 12 dBA |
Measurement and Analysis Tools
- Extech 380803 AC power analyzer / data logger for measuring AC system
power. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
the fan speed during the test. - PC-based spectrum analyzer:
SpectraPlus with ACO Pacific mic and M-Audio digital
audio interfaces. - Anechoic chamber
with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower - Various other tools for testing fans, as documented in our
standard fan testing methodology. - SpeedFan,
used to monitor the on-chip thermal sensors. The sensors are not calibrated,
so results are not universally applicable. The hottest core reading is used. - Prime95,
used to stress the LGA1366 CPU heavily, generating more heat than most real applications.
8 instances are used to ensure that all 4 cores (with Hyper-threading) are
stressed. - CPU-Z,used to monitor the CPU speed to determine when overheating occurs.
- Thermometers to measure the air temperature around the test platform
and near the intake of the heatsink fan.
Noise measurements are made with the fans powered from the lab’s variable DC
power supply while the rest of the system was off to ensure that system noise
did not skew the measurements.
Load testing was accomplished using Prime95 to stress the processor, and the
graph function in SpeedFan was used to ensure that the load temperature is stable
for at least ten minutes. The temperature recorded is the highest single core
reading. The stock fans were tested at various voltages to represent a good
cross-section of airflow and noise performance.
The ambient conditions during testing were 10~11 dBA and 21~23°C.
Noise Measurements
|
Specifications: Cooler Master Seidon 240M Stock Fan | |||
Manufacturer | Power Rating | 3.6 W (4.44 W according to label) | |
Model Number | A12025-24RB-4CP-F1 | Airflow Rating | 19.17 ~ 86.15 CFM |
Bearing Type | Rifle | Speed Rating | 600 ~ 2400 RPM |
Corners | Open | Noise Rating | 19 ~ 40 dBA |
Frame Size | 120 x 120 x 25 mm | Header Type | 4-pin |
Blade Diameter | 113 mm | Starting Voltage | 4.4 V |
Hub Size | 42 mm | Weight | 160 g |
Data in green cells provided by the manufacturer or observed; data in the blue cells were measured. |
The Seidon 240M ships with a pair of 120 mm PWM fans from Cooler Master’s Blade Master series; a similar model was used with the popular Hyper 212 Plus. This line has a unique twisted blade design, presumably to increase air pressure which is vital for cooling the densely packed radiator coils. It’s a high speed, seven blade model with curved struts and a very large hub that unfortunately eats up a sizable portion of the fan’s area.
Stock Fan Measurements | ||
Voltage | Avg. Speed | SPL@1m |
12V | 2220 RPM | 44 dBA |
9V | 1630 RPM | 35 dBA |
7V | 1140 RPM | 25 dBA |
6V | 880 RPM | 19 dBA |
5.5V | 750 RPM | 16~17 dBA |
5V | 460 RPM | 12 dBA |
Pump Measurements | ||
12V | N/A | 18 dBA |
9V | 17 dBA | |
7V | 13~14 dBA | |
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from the center of the cooler base. Ambient noise level: 10~11 dBA. |
The two fans we received were not perfectly matched, with a variance between
them of 50 to 80 RPM; the average nominal speed was just over 2200 RPM. The
pair were very noisy at top speed, emitting a strong buzzing and humming, both
of which dissipated as the speed dropped. They became bearable at ~ 1100 RPM,
and quiet at 900 RPM. The range of the fans is impressive, an earsplitting 44
dBA@1m at 12V to an almost inaudible 12 dBA@1m at 5V.
From a noise perspective, water cooling units have a significant weakness —
the pump that circulates the liquid through the loop. In the 240M, the pump
was actually fairly quiet, not exhibiting the harsh sounds we’ve encountered
in the past with similar coolers. It emitted a low frequency buzz with the occasional
slight rattle at 12V but generated only 18 dBA@1m. At 9V, the noise level dropped
by 1 dB, but subjectively it sounded worse as the pitch seemed to increase.
At 7V, it was barely audible.
Pump & Fan Measurements | |||
Pump Voltage | Fan Voltage | SPL@1m | |
12V | 6V | 22 dBA | |
5.5V | 20 dBA | ||
5V | 19 dBA | ||
7V | 6V | 19 dBA | |
5.5V | 17 dBA | ||
5V | 14 dBA | ||
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from the center of the cooler base. Ambient noise level: 10~11 dBA. |
At 7V and above, the fans produce so much noise they drown out the pump almost
completely, so undervolting the pump for silencing purposes only has an effect
when the fans are slowed down as well. Quiet levels are achievable with the
pump at full speed, but finding a balance between pump and fan noise rewards
the user with lower noise.
|
Test Results: Open Platform
Test Results: Cooler Master Seidon 240M | |||
Fan Voltage | Avg. Fan Speed | SPL@1m | Thermal Rise |
Pump at 12V | |||
12V | 2220 RPM | 44 dBA | 33°C |
9V | 1630 RPM | 35 dBA | 34°C |
7V | 1140 RPM | 25 dBA | 36°C |
6V | 880 RPM | 22 dBA | 39°C |
5.5V | 750 RPM | 20 dBA | 42°C |
5V | 460 RPM | 19 dBA | 53°C |
Pump at 7V | |||
12V | 2220 RPM | 44 dBA | 36°C |
9V | 1630 RPM | 35 dBA | 37°C |
7V | 1140 RPM | 25 dBA | 38°C |
6V | 880 RPM | 19 dBA | 40°C |
5.5V | 750 RPM | 17 dBA | 43°C |
5V | 460 RPM | 14 dBA | 53°C |
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from the center of the heatsink. Ambient noise level: 10~11 dBA. |
We tested the pump at 12V and 7V with varying fan speeds in attempt to find
the perfect balance for our open CPU cooling testbed. At high fan voltages (7V
to 12V) the higher pump speed generated 2~3°C better cooling; the overall
noise levels were the same for both pump speeds as the fans drowned them out.
The lower pump speed only proved to be quieter when the fans were dropped to
6V and below. The performance-to-noise ratio was considerably stronger at the
slower pump speed.
High-End CPU Coolers (ref. 140mm fans): CPU °C Rise Comparison | ||
Heatsink | Fan Voltage / SPL* | |
7V / 15~17 dBA | 6V / 12~14 dBA | |
Prolimatech Genesis | 37 | 39 |
Thermalright HR-02 Macho | 37 | 40 |
Noctua NH-C14 | 39 | 41 |
Thermalright Silver Arrow | 39 | 41 |
Noctua NH-D14 | 40 | 42 |
Phanteks PH-TC14PE | 41 | 43 |
NZXT Havik 140 | 40 | 43 |
SilverStone Heligon HE02 | 44 | 46 |
Cooler Master Seidon 240M (stock 120 mm fans, pump at 7V) | 43 (5.5V) | 53 (5V) |
*Note: there are minor differences in measured SPL due to the variety of fan orientations and mounting methods offered by the compared coolers. |
Given its US$100 price-tag, the Seidon 240M should be competitive with
high-end dual fan air coolers but it falls well short, at least at the noise
levels SPCR considers relevant. The cooling performance trails many such models
by double digits at the ultra quiet 12~14 dBA@1m level.
CPU Cooler Comparison (stock 120mm fans) | |||
Cooler | Pump / Fan Voltage | SPL@1m | Thermal Rise |
Antec Kühler H20 920 | 7V / 5.6V | 19 dBA | 41°C |
Antec Kühler H20 620 | 7V / 6V | 18~19 dBA | 44°C |
CM Seidon 240M | 7V / 6V | 19 dBA | 40°C |
7V / 5.5V | 17 dBA | 43°C | |
7V / 5V | 14 dBA | 53°C | |
Phanteks PH-TC12DX | N/A / 7V | 23 dBA | 42°C |
N/A / 6V | 18 dBA | 44°C | |
N/A / 5V | 14 dBA | 47°C | |
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from the center of the heatsink. Ambient noise level: 10~11 dBA. |
The Seidon 240M barely edges the Antec Kühler H20 920 we examined a couple
of years back. The 920, with its single fan on a very thick radiator, was bested
by only a single degree. Combing through our smaller heatsink reviews, we found
that the Phanteks
PH-TC12DX equipped with a single stock 120 mm fan was the 240M’s closest
analog on our open testbed, except for a strong advantage at very low fan speeds.
There’s no point comparing the Seidon 240M to any of the top ranked air heatsinks
in our test database; they will clearly outperform the Seidon. The Phanteks
TC12DX is a solid heatsink hindered somewhat by poor fan performance. Still,
it’s a suitable choice to go up against the 240M in an in-case test.
IN-CASE TESTING
|
For our in-case test, we installed our LGA1366 CPU heatsink platform into an
Antec P280 case with the stock rear and front fans left in place and running
on low speed. The noise level of the system without the 240M running was just
14 dBA@1m so it had only a minor effect on the overall noise level. The 240M’s
radiator was secured to the case top panel with the fans blowing out, while
the Phanteks PH-TC12DX was mounted blowing to the side and the top fan mounts
left empty.
Our mic was placed one meter away from the side of the case at a diagonal,
so each cooler had the acoustic advantage of being placed further away (than
in free air testing) and a side panel blocking some of the sound.
Cooler Master Seidon 240M (pump at 7V) | |||
Fan Voltage | Avg. Fan Speed | SPL@1m | Thermal Rise |
6V | 880 RPM | 21~22 dBA | 41°C |
5.5V | 750 RPM | 18 dBA | 44°C |
5V | 460 RPM | 15 dBA | 54°C |
Phanteks PH-TC12DX (one stock 120mm fan) | |||
7V | 1100 RPM | 18~19 dBA | 45°C |
6V | 940 RPM | 16 dBA | 47°C |
5V | 750 RPM | 15~16 dBA | 50°C |
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from the center of the left side panel. Ambient noise level: 10~11 dBA. |
The Seidon 240M performed just as well in our open platform while the TC12DX
cooler took a 3°C hit across the board — the 240M had the obvious advantage
of being able to expel heat directly out the top of the case. However, tucked
inside the case, the overall noise from the Phanteks was reduced at both 7V
and 6V; the case obscured some of the noise it was producing. The noise level
of Seidon 240M, on the other hand, increased slightly when mounted in the case.
It would seem that the interaction between the radiator and the case, the metal-on-metal
contact (even with the dampening pads in place) and vertical orientation (compared
to the horizontal placement of our open testbed) made for a louder system.
These differences more or less canceled each other out, so the two coolers
were still closely comparable, with the exception of ultra-low airflow performance.
With each cooler’s fans at 5V, the Seidon 240M’s cooling proficiency fell apart,
while the TC12DX remained resilient. The bottom line is the 240M’s tightly wound
coils need higher airflow. It’s also important to note that the TC12DX was helped
along by only one rear case exhaust fan while the top two fan mounts were left
unoccupied, putting the Phanteks at somewhat of a disadvantage.
|
MP3 SOUND RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high
resolution, lab quality, digital recording system inside SPCR’s
own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to LAME 128kbps
encoded MP3s. We’ve listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation
from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent a quick snapshot of
what we heard during the review.
These recordings are intended to give you an idea of how the product sounds
in actual use — one meter is a reasonable typical distance between a computer
or computer component and your ear. The recording contains stretches of ambient
noise that you can use to judge the relative loudness of the subject. Be aware
that very quiet subjects may not be audible — if we couldn’t hear it from
one meter, chances are we couldn’t record it either!
The recording starts with 5~10 second segments of room ambiance, then the fan
at various levels. For the most realistic results, set the volume so that
the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then don’t change the volume
setting again.
- Cooler Master Seidon 240M pump at 1m
— 7V (13~14 dBA@1m)
— 9V (17 dBA@1m)
— 12V (18 dBA@1m)
- Cooler Master Seidon 240M two stock fans at 1m
— 5.5V (16~17 dBA@1m)
— 6V (19 dBA@1m)
— 7V (25 dBA@1m)
— 9V (35 dBA@1m)
— 12V (44 dBA@1m)
- Cooler Master Seidon 240M at 1m
— pump at 7V, fans at 5V (14 dBA@1m)
— pump at 7V, fans at 5.5V (17 dBA@1m)
— pump at 7V, fans at 6V (19 dBA@1m)
— pump at 7V, fans at 7V (25 dBA@1m)
- Cooler Master Seidon 240M in Antec P280 with rear/front fans on low at 1m
— pump at 7V, fans at 5V (15 dBA@1m)
— pump at 7V, fans at 5.5V (18 dBA@1m)
— pump at 7V, fans at 6V (21~22 dBA@1m)
— pump at 7V, fans at 7V (26~27 dBA@1m)
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Cooler Master Seidon 240M is the best self-contained, CPU water cooling
unit we’ve tested, primarily because it addresses our biggest complaint about
such coolers: Pump noise. The previous integrated liquid coolers we’ve examined
from Corsair and Antec suffered from lousy sounding pumps that had a heavy buzz
and rattle, even gurgling on occasion, making them unfit for any true silent
PC enthusiast. The 240M’s pump is fairly innocuous by comparison, and it can
be undervolted to muted levels with little impact on cooling performance.
Despite this improvement over other watercoolers, the 240M fails to change
our general opinion of such devices. Liquid coolers may be well-suited for performance
enthusiasts who push their components to their limits and thus have to pair
them with high airflow, high noise coolers, but if you’re looking for quiet
cooling, traditional heatsinks remain superior. The 240M is an excellent performer
when fan speeds are cranked up but once you drop it down to quiet or near-inaudible
levels, its efficiency falls off considerably.
We expect a US$100 cooler to be lights-out, but the Seidon is barely
competitive with air cooled heatsinks that are half the price. It also takes
up fan positions that could otherwise be used for supplemental case fans. In
addition, the dual fan nature of the 240M negates one of best assets of water
coolers, the ability to fit in smaller cases with restrictive CPU heatsink height
requirements — most compact cases lack the necessary twin 120 mm fan mounts
to accommodate the 240M.
In our view, this type of cooling would be better applied to GPUs, as high-end
models produce considerably more heat than current CPUs, and the space on or
around a VGA card for a heavy duty heatsink simply doesn’t exist. For CPUs,
the only real usefulness of such watercoolers is to cool hot CPUs in small cases
without enough room for big air-only coolers. But the big radiator of the Seidon
240M makes it unsuitable for such a purpose.
Our thanks to Cooler Master
for the Seidon 240M CPU cooler sample.
* * *
SPCR Articles of Related Interest:
Phanteks PH-TC12DX CPU Cooler
Phanteks PH-TC90LS Mini Cooler
Thermalright TRUE Spirit 120M CPU Heatsink
Zalman CNPS9900DF Dual Fan Flower Heatsink
SilverStone Heligon HE02: Monster Fanless CPU Cooler
Antec Kühler H20 620 & 920 CPU Water Cooling Units
* * *