Testing
The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i9 9900K @ 5GHz
– Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming X
– RAM: Neo Forza Faye DDR4 64GB 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: 6.60.5900
– 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 – IntelBurnTest V2
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 Akasa Soho H4 has a good RAM cleanrace, as the front fan does not even reach the RAM slots of the motherboard.
The PCIe clearance in the case of the Soho H4 is good, with 30.4mm of space between the sides of the heatsink and the graphics card.
The Soho H4 uses addressable RGB LEDs in both its included 120mm fan and the plastic cover on the heatsink. However, while the RGB on the fan looks great, with uniform transitions and colors, the same cannot be said for the heatsink cover. For some reason, the white semi-transparent lines on this cover are not illuminated on their entire surface, instead, only points of light are visible, right above where the RGB LEDs are installed. This does not enhance the design of the cooler at all, and it looks cheaply made.
Final thoughts
The Akasa Soho H4 is an interesting CPU cooler. It has a good build quality and a great 120mm fan. However, it also has a few shortcomings, starting with the usage of a direct touch heatpipe design for the baseplate. While not a dealbreaker, it is not as good as a solid copper made baseplate, because the heatpipes will create irregularities in the surface.
The RGB implementation is good on the fan, however, the RGB heatsink cover needs more work as the RGB LEDs are not offering an even illumination.
When we talk performance, this cooler is not bad, however, there is so much that a 120mm fan with four heatpipes can do, especially on a high TDP CPU. With the Intel i9 9900K running at 5GHz on all cores, the Soho H4 reached a maximum temperature of 91°C while running a heavy synthetic benchmark, this is a good result for such a small CPU cooler. With a regular CPU load and with the CPU still running at 5GHz on all cores, the Soho H4 had a better result, with a maximum temperature of 65°C. These results highlight the fact that the Soho H4 will work great on a gaming system, but not so much if you plan to overclock your CPU.
In terms of sound, the included 120mm fan will spin to a maximum of 2000RPM and have a maximum noise output of 44 db. A result that was expected given the maximum speed of the fan.
The installation is made easy by a good quality and simple mounting system. The user manual is also easy to understand.
In conclusion, the Akasa Soho H4 is a gaming-oriented CPU cooler that will work good on a gaming system with a mid-tier CPU. However, such a CPU cooler has no business overclocking a high TDP CPU, as the heatsink and fan cannot dissipate that much heat. In addition, the RGB implementation needs more work, as it has potential. The biggest drawback of the Soho H4 is the price, as it needs to be lower to be competitive on the market.
