#COOLER MASTER XDREAM III INSTALL#
#COOLER MASTER XDREAM III PC#

I encountered one very serious problem while testing the the XDream SE. Depending on how the CPU socket is oriented on the motherboard and how close other components (like PSU, memory modules, etc.) are located to the socket area, some users may experience problems with the long, protruding handle of the clip. (I will post the results of lapping in the forums later.) The Cooler Master tool-less 3-lug mounting clip was easy to use during all the mounting and removing required during these tests. Lapping the base may yield another degree or two of cooling. Even more cooling goodness from Cooler Master!Īs with any HSF, proper mounting and a plentiful supply of cool air are critical to optimal performance. Overall, the Aero 7 rocks! And guess what? The Aero 7+ (note +) will soon be released, which will have an 80 mm blower instead of the current 70 mm unit. Apparently the increased static head that the blower produces can force more air thru the heatsink fins than a comparably sized axial fan with less pressure. This sounds good in theory but since the center area of the heatsink (right over the core) has no fins and is blocked by the retention clip, I question just how effective it can be. The Aero 7 blower is also supposed to eliminate the central dead-spot and distribute air more evenly over the entire heatsink surface. I thought about making a baffle or rotating the blower 90º on the heatsink but that would just position one of the blower inlets near the hot backside of the video card and force the other inlet to compete with the power supply inlet fan for air. I noticed that some of the warm air coming out the bottom sides of the heatsink was being pulled right back into the two side openings of the Aero 7 blower. At high speeds the blower became quite noisy but did not seem as loud as the XDream fan on high or the Delta SHE. Based on the manufacturers specifications for rated air flow (11 to 27 CFM) I was not expecting the Aero 7 to beat out the XDream SE in both performance and noise. The blower used on the Aero 7 produced excellent results, even better than the traditional axial fan used on the XDream SE. And did I mention that these new Cooler Master HSFs are good looking! In fact, I just couldn’t resist adding a couple blue LEDs to the Aero 7… 🙂 If you need or want the ultimate in cooling performance, then you will have to pay more for the 2 or 3 extra degrees the big-boys can provide. Neither the XDream SE nor Aero 7 are designed or priced to compete directly with the all-out performance leaders like the Thermalright SLK-800/900, Swiftech MCX462+, or Alpha PAL8045. This is quite an accomplishment and I believe shows the advantage of using a skived fin manufacturing process to produce a solid copper heatsink. The new Cooler Master copper heatsink produced excellent results and matched the performance of the larger and heavier SK-7 when fitted with either the XDream axial fan or Aero 7 blower. I could wish Cooler Master would pay a little extra attention to a flatter-smoother surface finish on the copper base though.įrom the test results we can see that the XDream SE and Aero 7 offer a lot of performance for the money. The relatively compact size of the heatsink should allow either cooler to work with most any motherboard. Not only is a variable speed fan included, but the mounting brackets for both PCI slot and drive bay installation, are provided.

#COOLER MASTER XDREAM III INSTALL#

The Cooler Master XDream SE and Aero 7 come bundled with everything you will need to install them. Some color changes and flaws may appear.This has been an interesting review, with several surprises.

#COOLER MASTER XDREAM III PC#

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Cooler Master XDream Special Edition (HSC-V83).

Cooler Master: The XDream SE and Aero 7.

Cooler master xdream iii