1. Introduction
Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories, founded in 1986. Antec has maintained its position as a worldwide leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the standards required by its customers.
Official product link:
http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=707098&pid=58&lan=nz
2. Packaging and accessories
The cooler is packaged in a multicolored box with a black background and blue & white accents.
On the front side the product is presented using a general image of it, in the top left corner there is the manufacturer’s logo while on the lower left corner there is the name of the cooler. In the middle there are listed the compatible sockets.
The side of the packaging present the specifications of the cooler and the package contents in 5 different languages.
The back side of the packaging presents features of the cooler in 5 different languages using also general images of each component.
Accessories
The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Manual
– 1x 4-Pin Splitter
– 4x Spring Screws
– 4x Pegs
– 2x Adhesive strips
– 4x Plastic washers
– 1x Metallic backplate
– 1x Intel Bracket
– 1x AMD Bracket
– 1x Rubber square pad
– 1x Thermal compound tube
– 4x Plastic clips
– 8x Metallic washers
– 8x Short screws
– 8x Long screws
– 8x Fan screws
3. Specifications
Model: KÜhler H1200 Pro
Colors Available: Black
Supported sockets:
Intel: LGA 775, 1150, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011
AMD: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1 & FM2
Service life: 150,000 hours
Water block Dimension: 35mm Height
Fan Dimension: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Speed: 600 – 2400 RPM
Noise level: 16-35 dBa
Max airflow: 78.9 CFM
Static Pressure: 2.19mm H2O
Connector: 4 Pin
Radiator Dimension: 271 mm x 120 mm x 25 mm
Cold Plate Height: 35mm
Tube Length: 315 mm
Net Weight: 1.7 Kg
Warranty: 5 Years
Features:
– High Performance Pump with LED Status Indicator lights up during operation
– PWM 120 mm Blue LED Fan operates quietly, while filling your rig with blue light
– High-performance 240 mm Radiator with a complex structure of 0.28 mm thick heat fins to maximize heat dissipation
– High Quality FEP Tubes with minimal moisture absorption and high thermal and kinetic tolerances for a prolonged life
– Large Copper Plate effectively dissipates heat
4. Visual inspection
The design of the H1200 Pro model is simple, being totally different from the H2O 1250 model, it uses a compact Pump-CPU Block assembly. The cooler is accompanied by two 120mm fans, these have a max speed of 2400RPM and feature blue LED illumination.
The cooler features a 240mm radiator which uses copper fins with a thickness of 0.28mm and 1.3mm of space in between to optimize the passing of the airflow generated by the fans.
The edges of the radiator are flat this design choice is a welcomed change from the classic radiators used in the past.
The CPU block has a minimalist design, the top side is circular, the Antec logo is placed in the middle. The whole Pump-CPU block assembly is compact, being compatible with the majority of small motherboards. Also when in use the Antec logo is illuminated in blue.
The pump is powered with the help of a SATA connector, this also features a 3-Pin Molex connector.
The block uses two 90° fittings which pivot thus offering the user more flexibility during the installation.
The base of the CPU block is made out of copper and held in place by 10 screws, the plate covers almost the entire surface of the block.
The cooler uses two tubes, each having a length of 315mm and an outer diameter of 11mm. In order to prevent the tubes from bending too much and block the liquid flow, they are covered by metallic coils which are also painted black.
Included in the accessories bundle there are two 120mm fans, they have a minimum speed of 600 RPM and a maximum speed of 2400 RPM, these fans use PWM. Each fan uses a 4-Pin Molex connector the cable of the fan is entirely black.
The fans feature blue LED illumination.
5. Testing
The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i5 4690K @ 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz
– Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 9 ACK
– RAM: 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical @ 2133MHz
– GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 970 Armor 2X
– SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
– HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB
– PSU: Antec Edge 550W Gold
– Display: AOC i2769VM
– Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe White
– Thermal compound: Arctic Cooling MX-4
Software used for testing the cooler:
– AIDA64 Extreme Version: 5.75.3900 (6/27/2016)
– Intel Burn Test v2.54
– Prime95 28.5
The cooler was tested with the CPU at the default turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz with a core voltage of 1.187 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 28.5 – small FFT
AIDA64 Extreme Version – Temperature monitoring.
Each test was conducted for 40 minutes.
The test results are as follows:
Idle
Full Load
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 ± 5 db.
6. Final thoughts
The H1200 Pro cooler is a good choice due to its accessible price and performance displayed during testing. The design is simple and elegant, not using useless features such as RGB illumination on every possible component, a trend which I am hoping to see gone as soon as possible.
The cooler’s performance is very good, especially when we take into consideration the price. Also during use the pump is very silent even at its maximum speed.
The installation process is easy, however the user manual needs some improvements due to the lack of clarity when identifying each component and the required steps necessary for the installation.
The build quality and materials used are veyr good.
In conclusion, the H1200 Pro model is a good choice due to its performance, price and 5 year warranty.
