Cooler Master Seidon 120XL Liquid Cooler Review - PAGE 1

There has been quite a transformation in the desktop CPU cooling market. Several years ago, innovation in the consumer cooling industry was beginning to stagnate – air-based heatsinks were reaching impractically massive size levels while custom liquid cooling solutions saw little exposure outside of overclocking enthusiasts and boutique system builders due to their high cost and maintenance. Then a company named Asetek jumped the gun with the Low Cost Liquid Cooling (LCLC) concept. These were all-in-one (AIO) closed liquid cooling solutions squarely aimed at the mainstream consumer market, sold preassembled with an integrated pump, reservoir, coolant, radiator, and CPU block for an entirely maintenance-free experience. CoolIT soon entered this untapped market and despite patent lawsuits surrounding the idea, the AIO concept became a game changer that brought the efficiency of water to the all-important sub-$100 CPU cooling price range.

Over the years, AIO solutions have evolved to encompass larger and thicker radiators, as well as integrated software for pump and fan speed monitoring. Despite that, this industry has not changed much, largely due to the fact that it is still dominated by its two originators: Asetek and CoolIT. While companies such as Antec, Corsair, and Thermaltake have introduced their own AIO liquid cooler variations, base designs and manufacturing commonly sources back to one of the two big players. It is not necessarily a bad practice – these OEM-based units have known to consistently perform well for relatively decent prices.

Travelling the road less taken is Cooler Master, one of the few brands that actually designs and manufactures its own AIO liquid coolers. Despite the cost of initial investment, Cooler Master is banking on the lower overall cost of building units in-house and potential to further improve upon existing designs at its own pace.

Today, we will be taking a look at one of Cooler Master's newest liquid cooling solutions, the Cooler Master Seidon 120XL. As the name implies, it features a 120mm radiator measuring 38mm deep for both improved case compatibility and heightened surface area for cooling. Unsurprisingly, it supports all current CPU sockets under the sun. Great emphasis has been placed on the water block design, which integrates Cooler Master's own dense micro-channel cold plate and ceramic bearing pump. Tubing is made from Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP for short) to minimize moisture absorption and maintain efficiency under high temperatures and pressure. Cooler Master also includes two 120mm rifle bearing PWM cooling fans with the Seidon 120XL, each spinning up to 2400RPM.

From the outside, the Seidon 120XL looks fairly similar to other liquid cooling solutions on the market. With Cooler Master touting its in-house design, it will be interesting to see if this means a significant deviation from the more common Asetek and CoolIT units. Let's take a look as we delve into our detailed review of the Cooler Master Seidon 120XL.

Specifications:

Information courtesy of Cooler Master @ http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/cpu-liquid-cooler/seidon-120xl/