Normally when I get a product to test, I get a first impression and with the Cooler Master, I held my reservations due to its surprisingly compact size. Upon looking more closely at the Direct Touch technology and the fan, I still was not sure as to whether this cooler would really handle an overclocked i7 but after testing it, I\\\'m glad to say that my initial thoughts were completely wrong! From the results, it is very clear that the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is a winner in its class. In fact, it was competing very closely with the Noctua NH-U12P with the best thing being that it only costs a fraction of the other coolers on test.

For the consumer on a tight budget, not only will they be getting a good cooler, but they will be able to overclock their i7 to an impressive 4ghz with no problems at all. Now you may be thinking that someone buying an i7 setup will mostly likely not be in a position where they will be scraping the bottom of the barrel for a few pennies to spend on a cooler. And you may be right, but the fantastic feature of the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is that it will work on any setup including the all new Lynnfield socket LGA1156!

Pros:
• Excellent cooling performance
• Stock PWM fan performs quietly and effectively
• Costs under £20
• Direct Touch feature
• Compact to fit in any case
• Compatibility with all popular socket types including LGA1156
• Option for 2 fans

Cons:
• Not the best cooler (harsh seeing as it\\\'s priced so much lower than the other but I couldn\\\'t think of anything else wrong with it!)

I was thoroughly impressed by Cooler Master\\\'s offering and as such the Hyper 212 Plus deserves the Vortez Hardware Silver Award.