Cooler Master Seidon 120M Review
Category : Watercooling
Published by Marc Büchel on 05.04.13
With the Seidon 120M, Cooler Master has a closed-loop watercooler in their portfolio which can be equipped with up to two 120 millimeter fan. The best thing about this product is the very competitive price tag. Overall we're quite curious how this closed-loop cooler is going to keep up with it's competitors.
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On the following pages we will show you what the Cooler Master Seidon 120M is capable of.
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Preview
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Specifications and included in delivery
Specifications
| Model | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| Material | Aluminium / Copper / plastic |
| Dimension (D x W x H) Heat Exchanger | 118 mm x 150.3 mm x 27 mm |
| Fan | 1 x 120 mm x 120 mm x 25 mm |
| RPM | 600 - 2400 rpm +/- 10 |
| Tubes | Plastic |
Included in delivery
- Cooling block
- Heat exchanger 120 mm
- 1 x 120 mm Fan
- Mounting kit for Socket LGA 775 / LGA 1155 / LGA 1156 / LGA 1366 / LGA 2011 AMD: FM1, AM2 (+) / AM3 (+) / 754/ 939 / 940
- Mounting components
- Manual
The Seidon 120M ships well protected, therefore none of the parts will be damaged during transportation. Cooler Master includes not only an Intel but also an AMD mounting kit. Therefore the cooler is compatible to both worlds right out of the box. Furthermore the manufacturer puts one of its own 120 millimeter fans into the box. The fan features a 4-pin connector and fan speeds can be changed via the PWM signal. This particular fan offers a very wide range of rotation speeds, in fact it starts at 600rpm and goes all the way up to 2400rpm. Cooler Master's closed-loop watercooler are based on Asetek products, which undergo certain changes to meet Cooler Master quality standards. Since Asetek has vast knowledge about on building closed-loop watercoolers you can expect the Seidon 120M to be a product that is perfectly sealed.
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Construction and design
Construction
Cooler Master provided the Seidon 120M with a single fan heat-exchanger which offers space for up to two 120 millimeter, whereas you can put one fan on each side. The manufacturer makes use of a heat-exchanger that is made from aluminum entirely. Compared to radiators which have been made from copper entirely, this gives the manufacturer some more headroom when it comes to pricing. Usually closed-loop watercoolers feature quite a competitive price tag and we can say the Seidon 120M is in that range too. Although the Seidon 120M is competitively priced, the build quality is on a good level. It doesn't matter if you take a closer look at the radiator, the tubings or the cooling block. Everything is well built and in case of the tubings Cooler Master puts the tubes into a plastic envelope. Regarding the cooling block Cooler Master uses a familiar piece, which features micro channels and a cooper base plate that doens't come with a mirror finish, but still quality is on a reasonable level.
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Mounting
Cooler Master ships their Seidon 120M with mounting kits that are compatible to the most common Intel and AMD sockets. Basically mounting the cooler is very simple and we didn't even have to check the manual. Even beginners will feel comfortable installing this cooler, since it's easy and self explanatory.
Thanks to the compact cooling unit you'll find plenty of space on any board. You can be dead sure that there will be no compatibility issues at all. Thanks to the fact, that this is a single 120 millimeter unit, there should be no issues when installing this radiator and fan in a recent case.
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Testsystem and testroutine
Testsystem
| Cooler | |
| Mainboard | ASUS P6T Deluxe |
| Processor | Intel Core i7 920 2.66 GHz 4C / 8T |
| Memory | Kingston HyperX 3 x 1 GByte |
| Graphics card | Gigabyte GTX 285 |
| Hard disk | Samsung Spinpoint F1 640 GByte |
| Power supply | Enermax Revolution 85+ 1050 Watt |
Testroutine
The CPU is being evaluated using Real Temp and with Prime95 we reach nearly 100% load on the CPU. For measuring the noise level we use a Voltcraft SL-200 decibel meter, which is positioned one meter from the CPU cooler with the fan mounted.
- 2.66 GHz 12 volts load
- 2.66 GHz 7 volts load
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Results 2.66 GHz 12 volts
| Cooler / fan | Temp. diff. load | Absolute temp. | RPM | Noise | Price | Review link |
| Corsair H110 - Dual Fan | 27 K | 51 °C | 1500 rpm | 41.9 dBA | CHF 125.- (EUR 104.-) | Corsair H110 |
| Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige - Dual Fan | 27 K | 52 °C | 1600 rpm | 46.5 dBA | CHF 186.- (EUR 155.-) | Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Triple Fan | 28 K | 57 °C | 1250 rpm | 41.3 dBA | CHF 124.- (EUR 103.-) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Dual Fan | 29 K | 58 °C | 1250 rpm | 41.1 dBA | CHF 99.- (EUR 83.-) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Corsair H90 - Dual Fan | 29 K | 53 °C | 1500/1500 rpm | 42.1 dBA | CHF 96.- (EUR 80.-) | Corsair H90 |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E - Dual Fan | 30 K | 56 °C | 1100/1300 rpm | 41.8 dBA | CHF 70.- (EUR 58.-) | Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Single Fan | 30 K | 59 °C | 1250 rpm | 40.7 dBA | CHF 99.- (EUR 83.-) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega - Dual Fan | 30 K | 57 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.8 dBA | CHF 126.- (EUR 105.-) | Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega Dual Fan |
| Corsair H90 - Single Fan | 30 K | 54 °C | 1500 rpm | 41.4 dBA | CHF 96.- (EUR 80.-) | Corsair H90 |
| Noctua NH-D14 - Single Fan | 31 K | 56 °C | 1300/1200 rpm | 40.9 dBA | CHF 114.- (EUR 95.-) | Noctua NH-D14 |
| Cooler Master TPC 800 - Dual Fan | 32 K | 61 °C | 1400 rpm | 41.2 dBA | CHF 113.- (EUR 94.-) | Cooler Master TPC 800 |
| Enermax ELC240 - Dual Fan | 32 K | 57 °C | 1500 rpm | 43.4 dBA | CHF 107.- (EUR 89.-) | Enermax ELC240 |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Dual Fan | 33 K | 56 °C | 1100/1100 rpm | 36.4 dBA | CHF 70.- (EUR 58.-) | Proliatech Armageddon |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 | 33 K | 61 °C | 1400/1400 rpm | 42.0 dBA | CHF 96.- (EUR 80.-) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Dual Fan | 33 K | 57 °C | 1500 rpm | 43.0 dBA | CHF 103.- (EUR 86.-) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Dual Fan | 33 K | 57° C | 1800/1800 rpm | 43.6 dBA | CHF 75.- (EUR 63.-) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| Gelid GX-7 - Dual-Fan | 33 K | 53 °C | 1800/1800 rpm | 45.5 dBA | CHF 45.- (EUR 38.-) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Alpenföhn Gotthard - Single Fan | 34 K | 60 °C | 1200 rpm | 39.7 dBA | CHF 65.- (EUR 54.-) | Alpenföhn Gotthard |
| Gelid The Black Edition - Dual Fan | 34 K | 60 °C | 1600/1500 rpm | 41.4 dBA | CHF 72.- (EUR 59.-) | Gelid The Black Edition |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Single Fan | 34 K | 58° C | 1800 rpm | 42.8 dBA | CHF 75.- (EUR 63.-) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| SilverStone Heligon HE01 | 35 K | 61 °C | 1900 rpm | 48.2 dBA | CHF 84.- (EUR 70.-) | SilverStone Heligon HE01 |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Dual Fan | 34 K | 58 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.5 dBA | CHF 79.- (EUR 66.-) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Enermax ETS-T40-VD - Single Fan | 34 K | 57 °C | 1900 rpm | 42.4 dBA | CHF 43.- (EUR 36.-) | Enermax ETS-T40-VD |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Dual Fan | 35 K | 57 °C | 1250 rpm | 41.0 dBA | CHF 91.- (EUR 76.-) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Single Fan | 35 K | 59 °C | 1500 rpm | 42.4 dBA | CHF 79.- (EUR 66.-) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| Gelid GX-7 - Single Fan | 35 K | 55 °C | 1800 rpm | 45.0 dBA | CHF 45.- (EUR 38.-) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Coolink Corator DS - Single Fan | 35 K | 57 °C | 1900 rpm | 47.9 dBA | CHF 45.- (EUR 38.-) | Coolink Corator DS |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Single Fan | 36 K | 59 °C | 1400 rpm | 37.0 dBA | CHF 79.- (EUR 65.-) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Single Fan | 37 K | 60 °C | 1100 rpm | 35.9 dBA | CHF 88.- (EUR 73.-) | Proliatech Armageddon |
| BeQuiet! Shadow Rock - Single Fan | 37 K | 60 °C | 1500 rpm | 42.7 dBA | CHF 63.- (EUR 53.-) | BeQuiet Shadow Rock |
| Corsair H5O - Dual Fan | 37 K | 59 °C | 1600 rpm | 44.4 dBA | CHF 133.- (EUR 111.-) | Corsair H5O |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Single Fan | 38 K | 60 °C | 1250 rpm | 39.4 dBA | CHF 91.- (EUR 76.-) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Thermalright Macho 120 - Single Fan | 38 K | 64 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.8 dBA | CHF 38.- (EUR 32.-) | Thermalright Macho 120 |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 - Single Fan | 38 K | 65 °C | 1400 rpm | 42.0 dBA | CHF 77.- (EUR 64.-) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Dual Fan | 38 K | 62 °C | 1400 rpm | 41.6 dBA | CHF 125.- (EUR 104.-) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Corsair H5O - Single Fan | 38 K | 60 °C | 1600 rpm | 44.0 dBA | CHF 113.- (EUR 94.-) | Corsair H5O |
| Cooler Master Hyper 412S - Single-Fan | 39 K | 62 °C | 1200 rpm | 41.6 dBA | CHF 57.- (EUR 48.-) | Cooler Master Hyper 412S |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212Evo - Single-Fan | 39 K | 62 °C | 1500 rpm | 42.9 dBA | CHF 50.- (EUR 40.-) | Cooler Master Hyper 212S |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Single Fan | 40 K | 64 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.5 dBA | CHF 85.- (EUR 71.-) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Prolimatech Samuel 17 - Single Fan | 56 K | 85 °C | 1400 rpm | 40.1 dBA | CHF 49.- (EUR 41.-) | Prolimatech Samuel 17 |
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Results 2.66 GHz 7 Volts
| Cooler / fan | Temp. diff. load | Absolute temp. | RPM | Noise | Price | Review link |
| Corsair H110 - Dual Fan | 30 K | 53°C | 650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 125.- (EUR 104.-) | Corsair H110 |
| Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige | 32 K | 56 °C | 800 rpm | 43.8 dBA | CHF 186.- (EUR 155.-) | Cooler Master Eisberg 240L Prestige |
| Corsair H90 - Dual Fan | 34 K | 58 °C | 650/650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 96.- (EUR 80.-) | Corsair H90 |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E - Dual Fan | 34 K | 60 °C | 500/900 rpm | 35.0 dBA | CHF 70.- (EUR 58.-) | Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Triple Fan | 34 K | 63 °C | 750 rpm | 35.1 dBA | CHF 124.- (EUR 103.-) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Corsair H90 - Single Fan | 35 K | 59 °C | 650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 96.- (EUR 80.-) | Corsair H90 |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Dual Fan | 35 K | 64 °C | 750 rpm | 34.9 dBA | CHF 99.- (EUR 83.-) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega - Dual Fan | 35 K | 62 °C | 800 rpm | 40.8 dBA | CHF 126.- (EUR 105.-) | Prolimatech Megahalems Super Mega Dual Fan |
| Noctua NH-D14 - Single Fan | 36 K | 61 °C | 1000/900 rpm | 37.2 dBA | CHF 114.- (EUR 95.-) | Noctua NH-D14 |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Dual Fan | 37 K | 59 °C | 800 rpm | 34.1 dBA | CHF 91.- (EUR 76.-) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Cooler Master TPC 800 - Dual Fan | 37 K | 66 °C | 800 rpm | 34.2 dBA | CHF 113.- (EUR 94.-) | Cooler Master TPC 800 |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Dual Fan | 37 K | 61 °C | 1200/1200 rpm | 37.1 dBA | CHF 75.- (EUR 63.-) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Dual Fan | 37 K | 61 °C | 1000 rpm | 38.9 dBA | CHF 79.- (EUR 66.-) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Enermax ELC240 - Dual Fan | 37 K | 62 °C | 1500 rpm | 37.0 dBA | CHF 107.- (EUR 89.-) | Enermax ELC240 |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Dual Fan | 38 K | 61 °C | 650 rpm | 32.1 dBA | CHF 70.- (EUR 58.-) | Proliatech Armageddon |
| Phanteks PH-TC14PE - Single Fan | 38 K | 67 °C | 750 rpm | 34.6 dBA | CHF 99.- (EUR 83.-) | Phanteks PH-TC14PE |
| SilverStone Heligon HE01 | 38 K | 64 °C | 1000 rpm | 34.7 dBA | CHF 84.- (EUR 70.-) | SilverStone Heligon HE01 |
| Gelid The Black Edition - Dual Fan | 38 K | 64 °C | 1100/1000 rpm | 34.8 dBA | CHF 72.- (EUR 59.-) | Gelid The Black Edition |
| Cooler Master Seidon 120M - Single Fan | 38 K | 62 °C | 1200 rpm | 36.7 dBA | CHF 75.- (EUR 63.-) | Cooler Master Seidon 120M |
| Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow - Single Fan | 39 K | 63 °C | 1000 rpm | 36.2 dBA | CHF 79.- (EUR 66.-) | Prolimatech Megahalems Megashadow |
| Prolimatech Armageddon - Single Fan | 41 K | 64 °C | 650 rpm | 32.3 dBA | CHF 88.- (EUR 73.-) | Proliatech Armageddon |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 | 40 K | 67 °C | 500/500 rpm | 33.3 dBA | CHF 96.- (EUR 80.-) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 |
| Alpenföhn Gotthard - Single Fan | 41 K | 67 °C | 700 rpm | 35.5 dBA | CHF 65.- (EUR 54.-) | Alpenföhn Gotthard |
| Gelid GX-7 - Dual Fan | 42 K | 62 °C | 700 rpm | 34.0 dBA | CHF 45.- (EUR 38.-) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Noctua NH-C14 - Single Fan | 42 K | 64 °C | 800 rpm | 33.5 dBA | CHF 91.- (EUR 76.-) | Noctua NH-C14 |
| Corsair H5O - Dual Fan | 42 K | 64 °C | 900 rpm | 37.5 dBA | CHF 133.- (EUR 111.-) | Corsair H5O |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Dual Fan | 43 K | 67 °C | 700 rpm | 37.0 dBA | CHF 103.- (EUR 86.-) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| BeQuiet! Shadow Rock - Single Fan | 43 K | 66 °C | 800 rpm | 36.7 dBA | CHF 63.- (EUR 53.-) | BeQuiet Shadow Rock |
| Cooler Master Hyper 412S - Single Fan | 43 K | 69 °C | 800 rpm | 35.8 dBA | CHF 57.- (EUR 48.-) | Cooler Master Hyper 412S |
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 - Single Fan | 44 K | 70 °C | 500 rpm | 32.9 dBA | CHF 77.- (EUR 64.-) | BeQuiet! Dark Rock 2 |
| Thermalright Macho 120 - Single Fan | 44 K | 70 °C | 700 rpm | 34.2 dBA | CHF 38.- (EUR 32.-) | Thermalright Macho 120 |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Dual Fan | 44 K | 68 °C | 1000 rpm | 38.0 dBA | CHF 125.- (EUR 104.-) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Enermax ETS-T40-VD - Single Fan | 45 K | 66 °C | 650 rpm | 32.7 dBA | CHF 43.- (EUR 36.-) | Enermax ETS-T40-VD |
| Gelid GX-7 - Single-Fan | 45 K | 65 °C | 700 rpm | 33.5 dBA | CHF 45.- (EUR 38.-) | Gelid GX-7 |
| Noctua NH-U12P - Single Fan | 45 K | 69 °C | 1000 rpm | 37.4 dBA | CHF 85.- (EUR 71.-) | Noctua NH-U12P |
| Coolink Corator DS - Single Fan | 46 K | 68 °C | 800 rpm | 35.0 dBA | CHF 45.- (EUR 38.-) | Coolink Corator DS |
| Corsair H5O - Single Fan | 46 K | 68 °C | 900 rpm | 35.4 dBA | CHF 113.- (EUR 94.-) | Corsair H5O |
| Alpenföhn Nordwand - Single Fan | 48 K | 72 °C | 700 rpm | 36.4 dBA | CHF 79.- (EUR 66.-) | Alpenföhn Nordwand |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212Evo - Single-Fan | 52 K | 75 °C | 750 rpm | 35.3 dBA | CHF 50.- (EUR 40.-) | Cooler Master Hyper 212S |
| Prolimatech Samuel 17 -Single Fan | 67 K | 96 °C | 800 rpm | 36.2 dBA | CHF 49.- (EUR 41.-) | Prolimatech Samuel 17 |
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Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| Cooler Masters Seidon 120M closed-loop watercooler is a decent product. Cooler Master is not going to break cooling records with this product but that also wasn't what they had in mind with the Seidon 120M. This closed-loop watercooler is about offering a good price/performance ratio and at this point Cooler Master succeeded. | - Cooling capacity - Noise level | ||
| Installation | + | - | |
| The installation process is very easy and there are very few coolers which are easier to install. If you decide to buy this all-in-one watercooler and you own a case with at least one 120 millimeter fan slot you'll be able to install the Seidon 120M. | - Super easy - Compatible with Intel and AMD sockets | ||
| Performance | + | - | |
| During our tests we used the fan, which was included in the delivery as well as another 120 millimeter fan. If you drive these 120 millimeter fans at 7 Volt they are silent and at 12 Volt (1'800 rpm) they can be described as well audible. The overall cooling performance is sufficient and it's also possible to overclock your CPU, since there is some headroom. | - Good cooling capacity - 4-Pin PWM | - Noise level at 12 Volt | |
| Recommendation | + | - | |
| If you should be thinking about buying an all-in-one watercooler with 120 millimeter form factor, then the Seidon 120M from Cooler Master is a good choice. These days the Seidon 120M ships for CHF 75.- (est. EUR 63.-) which definitely is a fair price tag. | - Gaming PC |
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Author: Marc Büchel m.buechel@ocaholic.ch