Testing
The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i9 9900K @ 5GHz
– Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming X
– RAM: GOODRAM IRDM PRO 16GB DDR4-3600MHz
– GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
– SSD: Crucial p5 500GB
– HDD: GOODRAM IRDM 1TB SSD
– PSU: Seasonic Snow Silent 750W Platinum
– Case: be quiet! Silent Base 802 White
– Thermal compound: Noctua NT-H2
Software used for testing the cooler:
– AIDA64 Extreme Version: 6.32.5600
– Intel Burn Test v2.54
– Prime95 29.1
The cooler was tested with the CPU at the default turbo frequency of 4.9 GHz and overclocked to 5 GHz with a core voltage of 1.261 V.
Also, the included fans have been used at their maximum speed.
The room temperature was approximately 26°C (78°F), with 2°C margin of error.
The idle test consists of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 30 minutes, the temperature was measured at the end of the test.
The settings of the software used are the following:
Intel Burn Test v2.54 – Stress level: Maximum
Prime95 29.1- small FFT
AIDA64 Extreme Version – FPU Benchmark & Temperature monitoring.
Each test was conducted for 40 minutes.
Idle
Full Load – IntelBurnTestV2
Full Load – AIDA64 CPU, FPU & Cache
The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 2 db.
The Hydrogon D120 ARGB has a great clearance for the RAM slots of the motherboard. In fact, the cooler is nowhere near the slots, and this is thanks to its offset heatpipe design.
The PCIe expansion slot clearance is average, with a space of around 25mm between the backplate of the graphics card and the heatsink.
Final thoughts
The Silverstone Hydrogon D120 ARGB is designed to offer a good balance between the price and the performance. The cooler has a modern design which combines both addressable RGB LEDs and a simple silver and black color combination.
The cooling performance is good, and places the Hydrogon D120 ARGB next to models such as the Noctua NH-U12S. However, it could have been much better, especially since the NH-U12S uses a single 120mm fan while the Hydrogon D120 ARGB uses two.
In terms of the noise, with two 120mm fans spinning at 1850RPM, the noise output of 44db was expected. Fortunately, the fans do not have any bearing ticking and no vibration can be heard.
The build quality is good, the cooling fins are flexible but not fragile, and their edges are smooth. The surface of the baseplate is very smooth and the same can be said for the nickel-plated surface of the heatpipes.
The installation system is simple and easy to use, however it uses too many components and for some reason, a plastic backplat
In conclusion, the Silverstone Hydrogon D120 ARGB is a good budget air CPU cooler that offers a good cooling performance. The design of this CPU cooler is simple, and it will match any system. The noise output is on the high side of the spectrum; however, the fans do not have any bearing ticking and the rubber pads dampen any vibration.
