Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler Review

👤by Sahil Mannick Comments 📅14-02-12
Conclusion

Cooler Master have to be created for not only surpassing their own highly successful Hyper 212+ in performance but also in acoustics. On initial impressions, there didn’t appear to be much difference between the EVO and its predecessor and the reality is that there wasn’t. Instead the changes were far more subtle. I say changes in plural but the truth is that the only noticeable difference is the Continuous Direct Contact technology whereby all the heat pipes are in contact with each other. The other difference is the lower RPM fan on the EVO but remarkably, performance was never inferior to the 2000RPM fan bundled with the Hyper 212+ thereby highlighting the EVO’s better cooling efficiency. This was further highlighted when we switched the stock fan to the Noctua and Coolink fans in order to do a proper apple-to-apple comparison and observed better efficiency with the EVO. The difference in performance is admittedly marginal but we have to remember that for the given price, it represents even better value for money than the outgoing Hyper 212+.

The Enermax ETS-T40 is the Cooler Master’s closest competition at this end of the spectrum and although the latter delivered better performance at stock speed, it failed to keep up with the EVO at 4GHz. The EVO also holds several other key advantages such as its lower price, quieter fan, more compact size and support for 140mm fans with 120mm mounting holes. It demonstrates the EVO’s versatility and makes it the perfect entry level cooler for enthusiasts and budget-conscious builders alike.


It’s certainly hard to think of ways to fault the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. It is unmatched by any cooler at its price-point, manages to comfortably sustain an overclocked i7 920, and is compact enough to not cause compatibility issues inside users’ chassis. My only complaint is the somewhat awkward method of installing the back plate but apart from that, installation was straightforward and most importantly very secure.

To sum it up, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO follows in the footsteps of its predecessor by providing excellent performance at a very competitive price-point. It’s by no means amongst our best performers but that was never its goal, and there’s already the Cooler Master Hyper 612S to fill those larger boots. For a mere £23.98, there’s no point looking at anything else.

Pros:
+Very good all-round performance
+Versatile and efficient
+Cheap
+Bundled PWM fan and support for extra fan
+Reasonably quiet
+Support for Intel and AMD sockets
+Memory compatibility
+Size
+Compatibility with 140mm fans featuring 120mm mounting holes

Cons:
-Backplate installation
-Fairly mundane heatsink aesthetics

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO highly deserves our Vortez Gold Award and the Amazing Value Award.



Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.

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