Cooler Master Seidon 120M Review

[tinytomlogan]

Let's put the 120M, smallest of Cooler Master's new Seidon series of AIO water coolers through its paces.





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[Master&Puppet]

Looks like a reasonable alternative to some of the mid-range tower coolers on cooler systems although it seems pretty noisy.

 

[barnsley]

I was hoping you'd review this! I've been looking at AIO coolers for my new build for sometime and I wondered about this. Definitely going on my parts to buy list

 

[UkGouki]

its a pretty good choice if you only wont a moderate overclock tbh im thinking of getting this as funds at the mo are tight and it will get me what i want out of my system

 

[lwatcdr]

Why not automatic fan control?

I just do not get it. Why does everyone just use fan controllers and such when modern Motherboards have fan headers and heat sensors. Why can't people set a max CPU temp of say 60c and let the computer spin the fan up and down as the load changes? You could then alway have the lowest noise for a given temp. Seems like this should be an automated function.

 

[alpenwasser]

I just do not get it. Why does everyone just use fan controllers and such when modern Motherboards have fan headers and heat sensors. Why can't people set a max CPU temp of say 60c and let the computer spin the fan up and down as the load changes? You could then alway have the lowest noise for a given temp. Seems like this should be an automated function.

I can only speak for myself but I have yet to possess a motherboard that

• has enough fan headers for my needs in the right locations and/or
• provides enough power on its fan headers to power an array of fans,
• provides enough power for a D5 pump (I know they can be hooked up to the PSU directly and the Vario can be adjusted without a fan controller, but it's much more comfortable not having to use the little nob on the pump's back, and yes, I do change my pump's speed from time to time, albeit not often) and
• lets me define not only max temps but actual fan curves, because everything else is useless (to me, at least).

These are unlikely to change in the future. It's not really reasonable to build a M/B with 10 to 12 fan headers (which you can easily use with two radiators on push/pull or something comparable) or fan headers that can provide ~30 W of power for a pump (market is too small).

The fan curve thing should be feasible though, I'll admit. I don't want my fans spinning up to 100% when a certain max temp is hit, I want them to ramp up by maybe 20% to see if that's enough and then throttle down again.

If you look at a real fan controller like the Aquaero, that's a very complex tool. You don't just integrate something like that into a M/B. It is certainly feasible, but it would cost accordingly.

Overall I'd say cost is probably the reason why the M/B that fits my needs regarding fan control is unlikely to arrive any time soon, and as long as that I'll stick to fan controllers. Besides, I like fan controllers, they have knobs and buttons and displays and stuff

 

[Mgutierrez33]

In the post I made about the rig I built up for my girlfriend, I also did a small review of this cooler. Even on an AMD processor churning out 1.36V it kept the temps VERY respectably low after 30-45 min straight of Prime95. Glad that this got the review it did

 

[lwatcdr]

There should be no need for you to set a curve. The motherboard would not use what is called a bang bang system but would create it's own curve to keep the temperatures below the max you set. Once at max the temps would rise until the you hit the throttle temps. As to the power draw you could have a controller that you plug the fan header into and a molex or SATA connector into. When there is so much computing power sitting there it is just a bit nuts that we are fiddling with knobs and such to change our fan speeds.

 

[alpenwasser]

There should be no need for you to set a curve. The motherboard would not use what is called a bang bang system but would create it's own curve to keep the temperatures below the max you set. Once at max the temps would rise until the you hit the throttle temps.

Not an unreasonable approach, but I actually might want to set my own curves. Although I suppose this could be solved by providing different preset profiles from which you could select the one you desire.

As to the power draw you could have a controller that you plug the fan header into and a molex or SATA connector into.

If I understand correctly you mean some sort of separate power circuitry on the M/B that provides enough fan headers and possibly has additional power input? Cost is probably why this has not been done so far.

When there is so much computing power sitting there it is just a bit nuts that we are fiddling with knobs and such to change our fan speeds.

My machine runs at 100% pretty much 24/7, so I don't really need to fiddle with my fan controller very often (maybe if it gets very hot in summer I turn it up a bit and in winter down again).

To me, the value of a fan controller lies more in being able to monitor what my cooling system is doing (this includes flow meters, pump speeds etc.). The trouble with having that stuff controlled by the M/B is that the only way to get at that data while the computer is running would most likely be through some sort of monitoring software provided by the M/B manufacturer.

Most likely, this software would only run on Windows, and since I do not run Windows I would not have access to my cooling system's parameters anymore. Therefore, separating my cooling system from the rest of my hardware is actually quite valuable to me since I would not get proper support on my O/S anyway.

If interfaces for this were to be standardized and a proper API provided (such as with S.M.A.R.T. and temp sensors and such, which I can easily read out in Linux/FreeBSD et.al.), I could possibly get behind this, but I think that's not very likely since M/B manufacturers would probably like to distinguish themselves from their competitors and would devise their own, proprietary solutions. :sad:

 

[DragonX444]

What if you put on a 2nd fan... Lets say 2 Noiseblocker Multiframe M12-P (2000 rpm) or PS (1500 rpm) in a push pull combo... i wonder what the results would be!

 

[Mgutierrez33]

With the radiator being a low profile ordeal I don't know that you would see much of a performance increase really. I could be wrong on that one tho.

 

[DragonX444]

With the radiator being a low profile ordeal I don't know that you would see much of a performance increase really. I could be wrong on that one tho.

I've seen another site do the same review with 2 low rpm noctua fans 1500rpm. The only difference was in noise which was a LOT lower as they stated. The cooling performance was the same. Also on the physics side of things ... its true that the thickness plays a important part, BUT... if you got power to move more air the rad is going to get cooler (up to a point).
Also i have seen in some reviews they say there comes a distinct ticking sound from the pump. How loud is it really? I dont wanna buy the thing and then wake up in the night like when your bathroom foset leeks :huh:

 

[Mgutierrez33]

Also i have seen in some reviews they say there comes a distinct ticking sound from the pump. How loud is it really? I dont wanna buy the thing and then wake up in the night like when your bathroom foset leeks :huh:

Being an owner of one of these, you have to have your head directly next tot he case to hear it, at which point yes it is very noticeable... but who puts their head directly next to their chassis on a regular basis?

 

[DragonX444]

Being an owner of one of these, you have to have your head directly next tot he case to hear it, at which point yes it is very noticeable... but who puts their head directly next to their chassis on a regular basis?

Thx man... well im gonna get it and put 2 fans on it and see what happens... ill update you all when i got it set up!

 

[Greenback]

Tom will you be reviewing the Cooler Master Eisberg by any chance

 

[GreenBarb]

I have bought one of these and it's great. I have an intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 overclocked to 2.9ghz. With a Zalman low profile 3 pipe heatsink on BF3 I was hitting 65c, with the Cooler Master Sedion 120 I get 48c. That is a big drop in temp and it's in a NZXT Vulcan.

 

[AJN]

are they using Peltier chips for cooling??