Cooler Master HYPER 212 EVO Review

Ever noticed how most stock CPU coolers are top-down coolers and yet the consensus among gamers and enthusiasts is that tower CPU coolers provide better cooling. It’s probably because top-down coolers take up less space and they’re cheaper to manufacture.

Classic top-down coolers blow cool air directly onto the motherboard’s PCB. It’s a bit like a juvenile blowing air on a bus window so he can write obscenities for passerby’s to gawk at. It isn’t really the best way of cooling the CPU but it does provide some air circulation near the CPU VRM and other components.

Tower coolers are more effective at providing exclusive cooling for the CPU. They’re also ideal for situations where you want to make your PC more airflow efficient – kind of like an airflow Feng Shui. 🌬️ 🎮

In this guide, we’re going to review Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 EVO and hopefully by the end of the review, you’ll be able to decide if this cooler is good for your prized gaming PC’s Feng Shui.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Review

Did you know that Feng Shui literally translates to “Wind-Water”? Strangely enough, those are two of the most common methods for cooling your PC. Hyper 12 EVO falls under the wind/air spectrum. In this guide, we’ll review its performance, design and go over a few alternatives.

Near the end of the guide, we’ve also attached a couple of FAQs. Hopefully, you’ll learn more about CPU coolers while reading them. Since it’s important to know if it will be compatible with your rig, we’ll start with the specification list.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Performance

Let’s be honest with ourselves; it’s not about whether or not your cooler can keep temps down while you play Civilization 6 or a modded version of GTA V. It’s really about whether or not it can cool your CPU while you have ten tabs open in Google Chrome.

In all instances, Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 EVO performs admirably. But is it worth swapping out your stock cooler for? For the purpose of this review, we’ll compare it to AMD’s Wraith Prism cooler, which ships with most AM4 Ryzen processors.

The Wraith Prism is a top-down cooler and priced slightly higher than the Hyper 212 EVO. A Wraith Prism will keep an idling Ryzen 7 2700x at an average temperature of 37°C, while the Hyper 212 EVO will keep it at around 35°C. The difference isn’t major until you look at the temperatures at load while gaming.

At load, the Hyper 212 EVO will maintain a temperature of 86°C while the Wraith Prism will maintain it at around 94°C. This is with both cooler fans running on full blast and in a closed case scenario. If you’re gaming and combine both the temperature of the GPU and CPU, the resulting temp will be 94 °C for the Hyper 212 EVO and 111°C for the Wraith Prism. The difference is significant.

In our tests, we also found the Hyper 212 EVO outperforms coolers of the same price range and some coolers that are slightly more expensive. For instance, it will outpace the Thermalright True Spirit Direct 140 which is a tower cooler priced over $10 dollars more than the Hyper 212 EVO.

The Hyper 212 EVO will also perform just as well as the Noctua NH-U21S with a single fan. It will outpace Cryorig’s H5 Universal and H7 Quad Lumi. At load, it will even hold its own against the Be Quiet! Dark Rock 4.

Hyper 212 Evo’s noise levels aren’t as low as we hoped they would be. It’s only slightly less noisy than the AMD Wraith Prism at full blast. This doesn’t mean, it’s loud, quite the contrary. With the fan running at around 1950 RPM, the Hyper 212 EVO produced 44 dB, measured from 4 feet away.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Design

Once again, I’d like to reiterate the point that this is a tower cooler. So you need to consider your case’s size and clearance. While the Hyper 212 EVO may be compatible with most processors, it’s important to note that it may not fit your build. As with most tower coolers, if your RAM modules are too tall, it may not fit at all. Even though, in all honesty, it isn’t the beefiest tower cooler out there but it’s still pretty big.

One of the reasons why the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO can outperform coolers of the same price range and above is because it uses 4 direct contact heat pipes. This Continuous Direct Contact technology is a Cooler Master exclusive. It increases thermal conductivity and aids in overall heat dissipation.

The fan blades have a peculiar wavy design. Supposedly, they’re designed this way to be more airflow efficient. The fan has Pulse Width Modulation which is supported by most modern motherboards. This makes it more power efficient.

The fan also has anti-vibration rubber pads and uses long-life sleeve bearings. So it’s designed to stick around for the long haul. One of the best things about this CPU cooler is you have an option to attach a second fan. That means you can add additional cooling power to an already competent cooler.

We can’t really talk about the design without talking about how easy or hard it is to install. Installation requires a bit of attention, it’s made even more arduous by the fact that the accompanying instructions have no words whatsoever. They’re basically just diagrams and pictures.

You might have to remove your motherboard entirely so you can attach the bracket that goes behind it. Make sure that you don’t put thermal paste on your CPU before doing this (despite what the instructions tell you).

You also need to detach the fan from the heat sink before mounting the cooler on the CPU. Because of the snap cover, the fan is easy to remove and attach. Because of the very vague instructions, we suggest that you consult a YouTube video or a forum before installing the CPU cooler.

Because it’s a budget cooler, you shouldn’t expect an extensive scope of delivery here. You’ll get everything you need to mount the cooler and some thermal paste.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Pricing & Alternative

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 is a budget CPU cooler. It’s the CPU cooler you look for when you’re looking for an alternative to more expensive CPU coolers. It’s priced at approximately $30. That’s really cheap for a tower cooler. However, if you are interested in a more durable (but more expensive) option. We recommend going through our Corsair H60 review.

If you want something a bit cheaper, you could go for the DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX 400R. Both the Red LED and Blue LED versions cost close to $20. One downside about the Hyper 212 EVO, is how plain looking it is.

While the DEEPCOOL GAMMAXXX 400R’s performance is only slightly worse than the Hyper 212 EVO’s, it’s better to look at. You might find this important if you use a case with any transparency.

If you’re looking for a top-down cooler around the GAMMAXX’s price range, then you should check out the darkFlash DARKVOID. Once again, it won’t give you the same performance but it looks better and it will fit most cases.

However, if you’re looking for a top-down cooler that’s more on-par with the Hyper 212 EVO’s performance, add an additional $5 to your budget and check out the Noctua NH-L9i. It’s a great low-profile cooler with an excellent scope of delivery.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO FAQ

Which Better Fan or Liquid Cooling?

Liquid offers superior cooling to traditional air cooling. This is because liquid cooling has better thermal conductivity than air. Liquid cooling is also pretty quiet compared to air cooling. This is because it doesn’t require you to run as many fans on full blast under load. Liquid cooling is better than fan cooling but liquid cooling is more expensive. https://gamegavel.com/best-low-profile-cpu-cooler/

Does the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Come with Thermal Paste?

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO does come with a small tube of high-quality thermal paste. Remember to only apply the thermal paste after installing the cooler’s back mount. We also recommend getting a thermal paste from a third party.

While the thermal paste you receive with the Hyper 212 EVO is decent, you can always get something better.

Is The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Good for Overclocking?

The Cooler Master Hyper is good for overclocking, especially for older CPUs. Whether you’re trying to overclock a Ryzen 7 or Intel i7 CPU, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 will allow you to overclock and will be able to handle the temperature.

Is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Compatible with LGA 1151?

While it doesn’t explicitly state it in the documentation or specification list, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is compatible with LGA 1151 sockets. As a matter of fact, you install it the same way you’d install it on an 1156 or 1155 socket.

How Loud Is the Hyper 212 Evo?

While it’s advertised to reach only 36 dbA of noise, it exceeds. For a modern CPU Cooler, the EVO is really loud, especially when it’s running at full blast. It can reach up to noise levels of 44 dbA.

Does a heat sink come with the CPU?

In most cases, heat sinks and fans (CPU Cooler) come with the CPU. Some CPU manufacturers do not package their CPUs with coolers because most users opt to replace them with third-party coolers anyway.

Does a New CPU Need a Heatsink Fan?

Most retail processors come with their own thermal solutions which is usually made an HSF CPU cooler. If you’re planning to overclock your CPU, a stock CPU cooler may not be sufficient enough to help you achieve your goals safely. While a new CPU may not necessarily need a heatsink fan, it’s always good practice to replace your gaming PCs stock cooling with something more efficient.

Do You Need a CPU Cooler if you’re not overclocking?

If your CPU already has a stock cooler, you may not need to upgrade it if you don’t plan on cooling. If your CPU does not come with a cooler at all, then you definitely need to add one, whether or not you plan on overclocking it or not.

Your CPU and surrounding components can run pretty hot when they are under stress or load. This heat may end up damaging your CPU and the surrounding components. It’s always important to have a sufficient thermal cooling solution for your PC.

Final Verdict

For gamers on a budget with ample enough clearance and space in their PC cases, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is a bargain at its price tag. While the only personality it really has is in its fan design, it gives you serviceable cooling at an affordable price. If you’re looking for CPU coolers just like the Hyper 212 EVO or even better, check out our guide on the best CPU coolers.

Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Noise levels aren’t too high and it outperforms most stock coolers. It will also outpace most coolers in its price range.

Design: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s a tower CPU Cooler which means it may not be ideal for compact builds. It sports a unique fan blade design but due to some very badly written documentation, it can be very to assemble and install.

Price: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s hard to find a tower cooler as popular, that works as well and is priced as low. The Hyper 212 EVO gives you good value for money.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s not perfect and it does have its cons but it’s a steal at this price. It’s hard to find another tower HSF CPU Cooler that performs as well and is priced as low.