Conclusions
As this is the first cooler I’ve had that would accommodate LGA 1156, I really had nothing to compare this cooler with. I also really don’t know how hot the i7 860 (95 watts) gets compared to the LGA 1366 i7 920 (130 watts). The i7 920 is a very hot processor, and even the upper-end coolers I’ve used with it had a hard time keeping the OC Load temp under 70C. I’ve had a few coolers that wouldn’t keep it under 90C, which is the shutdown temperature. I wasn’t in a position to test the Hyper 212 Plus with the LGA 1366 CPU at this testing.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus had no problem keeping the i7 860’s temps under control, I was well pleased with its performance. An OC Load temperature of 59C is well within my expectations for cooling any of today’s processors.
The Hyper 212 Plus is compact, much smaller than nearly all of the coolers I’ve tested over the past several months. It worked fine with the single included fan, but will accommodate a second fan if you feel the need, and will still have a smaller footprint than many 120mm tower coolers. It also is shorter than many of the upper-end coolers, about as short as you will find a 120mm tower. It is very light, about ½ pound less than many coolers.
I liked the idea of one mounting hardware setup fitting all of Intel’s sockets and AMD’s too. Seems to make more sense.
I found nothing that I didn’t like about the Hyper 212 Plus. I guess the only thing negative I could say is that the instructions are so small that they are hard to read if your sight isn’t as good as it once was. Even with my reading glasses, I had trouble. I usually don’t need the instructions, but needed them for the newly designed mounting hardware. I could have gone to CM’s site and looked at the .pdf manual there if I had thought about it.
The Hyper 212 Plus sells for $29.98 at my favorite online retailer. That is an excellent price for a nice cooler. ThinkComputers.org gives the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus a 10 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Light, small footprint
– Kept the i7 860 overclocked over 40% at under 60C
– Silent running
– Will accommodate a second fan if desired
– Innovative mounting hardware “one size fits all”
– Under $30
Cons:
– None