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CPU-only thermal results with AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
Today’s review is going to be a little different than our recent ones, partly because our main testing 9950X3D system is encountering problems at the moment, but also because we wanted to have this review focus on the technological improvement that comes with the 3DHP heatpipes.
We’re using AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950Xm and tested the Cooler Master Hyper 212 3DHP (Single tower, 2x 3DHP heatpipes) against Montech’s NX400 (Single tower, 4x traditional heatpipes) and a prototype dual-tower heatsink with six heatpipes and two fans.
100W thermal results
We’ll start today’s review on the low end, focusing on a 100W workload.
For today’s tests, I’ve compared the Hyper 212 3DHP against Montech’s NX400 and a dual-tower air cooler. Montech’s NX400 is one of the best single-tower air coolers on the market, utilizing four copper heatpipes and a high-power E28 fan. Even with those advantages, the Hyper 212 3DHP outperforms the NX400 by 1.2 degrees Celsius!
It is also worth noting that the Hyper 212 3DHP ran virtually silently in this scenario, with noise levels lower than I could measure, whereas the NX400 was still audible.
200W
For this next test, we’re testing the CPU at its maximum stock power consumption – 200W, twice the thermal load of our previous test.
Here again we see the Hyper 212 3DHP slightly outperforming Montech’s NX400, by 0.8 degrees C.
150W, with fan normalized testing
After completing the first two tests, I started to wonder if the fan on the Hyper 212 3DHP might be holding back the potential of the 3DHP heatsink. After all, it runs very quietly – no more than 38.2 dBA.
To test this theory, I switched out the default fan included by Cooler Master with the newly released high-power E28 fan that comes with Montech’s NX400 – and boy, the results were interesting!
The Hyper 212 3DHP with its default fan continued to outperform the NX400 by a small amount, but when paired with a stronger fan it had significantly higher performance – trailing a dual-tower air cooler by only 0.6 degrees C!
The noise measurements here are intended to show you just how quietly the Hyper 212 3DHP runs with the default fan. In this scenario, it was only 37.3 dBA. In all lower power scenarios, the fan runs quieter than I can measure.
PBO Performance with fan normalized testing
Without power limits enforced, the hottest CPUs on the market – like the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X tested today - will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers on the market in intensive stress testing.
When the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.
Like our previous test, the results are most interesting with Cooler Master’s 3DHP when it is paired with a high-power fan. In this configuration, it trails a prototype dual-tower cooler by only 13W! This is extremely impressive to see two heatpipes competing with a dual-tower air cooler that has six heatpipes!
If you prefer to use the stock fan, overall cooling performance will only be slightly better than Montech’s NX-400 – but its noise levels will be low, as detailed in the next section.
Maximum noise levels
In terms of noise levels, Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 3DHP is one of the quietest on the market – reaching only 38.2 dBA according to our measurements! This basically makes it the go-to cooler for those who want an entry-level heatsink with low noise levels.
Conclusion
Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 3DHP is an exciting addition to the air cooler market. Its two 3DHP heatpipes are genuinely innovative, improving cooling performance and efficiency. It’s also reasonably priced, at $29.99 in the U.S.
Don’t expect this cooler to surpass the best big air coolers, like those from Thermalright. But keep in mind that’s not what Cooler Master is trying to do here. The company will also release higher-end air coolers with its 3DHP tech, which we look forward to testing soon. If those larger coolers can scale up the 212 3DHP’s capabilities, while keeping costs and fan noise in check, Cooler Master may soon be making a run for a few spots on our Best CPU Coolers list. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a quiet cooler with impressive mainstream performance, the Hyper 212 3DHP is easy to recommend.
