Cooler Master GeminII SF524 Low Profile CPU Cooler Review

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Cooler Master GeminII SF524 Low Profile CPU Cooler Review - eTeknix


With an increase in the popularity of small form factor computers and a growing number of enthusiasts in the HTPC market, Cooler Master understand the importance of branching out to these consumer’s specific cooling requirements. Should the use of a micro ATX or mini ITX chassis really impede one’s choice of CPU cooler and henceforth overclocking goals? Cooler Master have shown their opinion on this question; an assertive ‘no’. Their GeminII SF524 aims to increase the cooling boundary that low profile CPU coolers were thought to be limited by.
Utilizing no fewer than 5 6mm copper heatpipes, thermal energy transfer shouldn’t impose a bottleneck on this 105.4mm tall cooler. The electroplated copper base transfers heat away from the CPU in a balanced fashion reducing the probability of CPU ‘hot-spots’ occurring. A 3-tiered top-down style aluminium fin stack provides the heat dissipation medium while retaining 47mm of RAM clearance beneath. Cooler Master’s 1300 RPM fan, which can be reduced to an operational speed of 900 RPM with the supplied low-noise adapter, ensures that noise levels are kept to a minimum. Motherboard cooling is another key element of the GeminII SF524′s top-down design.
With fittings for 140mm and 120mm fans supplied, Cooler Master make certain that users have freedom in their choice of fan. Support for all modern AMD and Intel sockets, other than LGA 2011, allows the GeminII SF524 to appeal to a large target audience. Retailing for around £36/€39,90, Cooler Master could have a great low-profile, heat extracting and noise-eliminating option in the GeminII SF524. Read on to find out if this is the case.

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The socket support list, Cooler Master’s brand name and product name are situated on the front of the box along with some key features.



Detailed specifications such as dimensions, weight and fan speed are located on the left side of the packaging.



The rear of the box is home to pictures of the cooler from multiple angles along with the important dimensions and clearance space.



Cooler Master supply a bundle which consists of mounting hardware, thermal paste, a low-noise (900 RPM) adapter and 2 installation manuals.

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The relatively unique top-down design of the GeminII SF524 will cool a CPU as well as surrounding motherboard components such as the VRM or RAM.



A 3-tiered aluminium fin stack provides an effective amount of surface area for heat dissipation benefits while keeping RAM and VRM heatsink clearance to a maximum. Cooler Master state RAM clearance as around 47mm but we think that you may be able to squeeze a few more millimetres on top of that figure.



5 6mm copper heatpipes departing the electroplated copper base provides Cooler Master’s GeminII SF524 with a solid heat transfer foundation upon which a successful cooler can be built.



The supplied 1300 RPM fan can push up to 52.6 CFM of air while operating at 22.5 dbA. Utilizing the noise-reduction adapter, 900 RPM will be the fan’s operational speed with a noise level of just 16.1 dbA.

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The first step of the installation procedure was to attach the GeminII SF524′s Intel retention plates.



After applying some thermal paste to the CPU, the easiest method of attaching the heatsink was to lay it base-up on a flat surface and then align the motherboard mounting holes with the retention plate’s screws. Once the screws had protruded the motherboard mounting holes, attaching the universal backplate and securing the cooler in place was the next step.



The overall installation procedure was completed very quickly. Connecting the cooler to the motherboard required a flat surface, some good alignment skills and the ability to position the backplate while tightening nuts, but it wasn’t too much of a chore. For users who think that they may lack the aforementioned skills, the installation manual was very helpful in breaking down the procedure into simple steps.



Cooler Master designed the GeminII SF524 to work with multiple orientations. We chose what we would consider to be the ‘standard’ orientation for a cooler of this type. The heatpipes were located near the VRM area while the main body of the fin stack was situated above our RAM, providing it with ample airflow. Using this mounting orientation, clearance with tall VRM heatsinks could become a problem. If this problem occurs, the other 2 recommended mounting orientations should eliminate all issues.



Our Corsair XMS3 memory was able to fit under the GeminII SF524 without any issues. We measured the distance from motherboard PCB to the bottom of the cooler’s fin stack as around 52mm. If you want to use RAM such as Corsair Vengeance or Dominator, clearance may cause an issue but you can always mount the cooler in a more accommodating orientation.



When installed in our NZXT Phantom case it is easy to view the cooler’s low-profile form factor. Provided your case has clearance for the 105.4mm height, you shouldn’t run into many other clearance issues.

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We decided to compare the Cooler Master GeminII SF524 against 8 other CPU coolers from a variety of price ranges that we have previously had experience with.

Testing method:

• Stable recorded CPU temperatures from a 15 minute idle test
• Stable recorded CPU temperatures from a 15 minute load test
• The cooler’s fans are set at 100% speed unless otherwise stated
• All tests are repeated to check the consistency and reliability of the results
• Delta temperatures are used in the charts to provide more accurate results
• Maximum recorded noise output at 100% fan speed
• The supplied thermal paste is always used to make the results a fair interpretation of the cooler’s stock performance
• The temperature threshold we set before calling the test a fail is 65oC above ambient but if the cooler manages to complete more than 75% of the test before rising above the 65oC delta mark, we allow it to complete the test, provided it is capable
• A +/- 1 degree Celsius margin of error is incorporated by our CPU/GPU temperature recording method
• A +/- 0.1 degree Celsius margin of error is incorporated by our ambient temperature recording method

Test system:

• MSI P67A-GD65
• Intel Core i7 2600K
• 4GB DDR3 1600MHz
• XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB
• 128GB Kingston SSDnow V100 (OS)
• Corsair TX650
• NZXT Phantom Case
• Supplied Cooler Master thermal paste

Comparison used:

• Phanteks PH-TC14PE
• Corsair H80
• Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
• Cooler Master Hyper 612S
• Enermax ETS-T40-VD
• Gelid Tranquillo Rev. 2
• Xigmatek Aegir SD128264
• Thermaltake Frio Advanced

Software used:

• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
• HWMonitor
• Prime95

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Measuring temperatures is all about being consistent; therefore we make sure that the test is kept completely fair so that none of the coolers are at a disadvantage. We measure the CPU temperature using HWMonitor after a 15 minute idle period. We then measure the CPU temperature using HWMonitor after a 15 minute load period using Prime95 with the small FFTs setting.
The chart shows the delta CPU temperature (difference between ambient temperature and recorded CPU temperature). This way we can fairly compare each cooler without presenting any inaccuracies due to slight fluctuations in the ambient temperature or unfair results.
Here is an example of how to understand delta temperatures. “If the ambient (room) temperature is 25C and the recorded CPU temperature is 65C, the delta temperature is the CPU’s temperature rise above ambient temperature, therefore the delta temperature in this case would be 40C. If the ambient temperature is 23C and the recorded CPU Temperature is 80C, the delta temperature in this case would be 57C. Delta temperature = Recorded CPU temperature – Ambient temperature”



Cooler Master’s GeminII SF524 makes a slow start against tough opposition. The SF524′s top-down style simply can’t match the performance of its tower-style competitors and doesn’t come anywhere near the dual-tower or All-In-One liquid cooling challengers.

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We repeated the testing procedures with our Intel Core i7 2600K CPU overclocked to 4.4GHz using a BIOS voltage of 1.240V which crept up to a maximum of 1.288V under load conditions. We must remind you that we have discovered our processor runs slightly hotter than usual, but seeing as all tests use the same CPU, the results aren’t biased.



Much of the same is observed once the extra heat of a 4.4GHz CPU is created. The GeminII SF524 does manage to claw back 33% of that deficit to Gelid’s Tranquillo Rev. 2. That figure only equates to a 0.5°C closure of the deficit. While the GeminII SF524 may be trailing the rest of the cooling pack, the fact that this top-down, low profile and low-noise orientated cooler can actually handle this calibre of overclock is an impressive feat in itself.

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While situated in a room where background noise was kept to a minimum, we placed the sound level meter equal distances from our test system to measure the total noise output by the complete test system for each cooling configuration at 100% fan speed.



It is easy to see that acoustic performance is a clear strength of Cooler Master’s GeminII SF524. Chart-topping results show that the decision to use a 1300 RPM fan was a decision that has definitely paid off in terms of noise output.

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Producing and even reviewing a top-down CPU cooler designed for a specific target audience can be awkward. It isn’t meant to be the next breakthrough in cooling performance, but it is meant to push the cooling boundaries of space-constrained machines.
In terms of cooling performance against other CPU coolers, Cooler Master’s GeminII SF524 isn’t able to keep pace. It bottoms both the stock and overclocked results chart even getting beaten by Gelid’s relatively cheap, low-noise orientated Tranquillo Rev. 2. Taking a second look at the cooling performance with the top-down style of the cooler in mind, the results look a bit more impressive. It may not have an abundance of cooling potential on offer but it does manage to unlock the potential for some high voltage overclocks while being squeezed into its low-profile form factor.

Acoustic performance of the GeminII SF524 is excellent. Chart-topping performance proves that Cooler Master chose wisely when coupling the heatsink with their 120mm, 1300 RPM fan. The supplied low-noise adapter can constrain fan speed to 900 RPM, a speed which should allow ample cooling performance with even quieter operation. Seeing as the fan is clearly geared for low-noise operation, the use of a 3-pin connector instead of the more convenient 4-pin PWM connector is a slightly frustrating choice. Hopefully Cooler Master will change this decision in the future and realise that even when something operates quietly, even quieter operation is far better.

Simple installation is a pleasing trait of the GeminII SF524. The procedure was very quick and didn’t have us screaming for a third hand like some of Cooler Master’s other coolers have. The supplied 120mm fan was pre-applied, resulting in saved time. For those of you wanting to install a 140mm fan instead, the procedure is little more than removing the 120mm and attaching your preferred 140mm fan.

Perhaps the most important element of the GeminII SF524 cooler is its design. The top-down style eliminates the requirement for a wide, mid-tower or full-tower chassis. High positioning of the main cooling tower opens up clearance for RAM modules around 47mm tall. 3 user-defined orientations also help create a minimal interference approach. The top-down style also offers extra cooling for motherboard components such as VRM, northbridge and RAM, a trait which is of questionable value to the target audience.

At £36/€39,90, Cooler Master have an effective cooler which is priced competitively in a specific but ever-growing market. It is good to see an enthusiast brand like Cooler Master expanding their product line with innovative designs. The GeminII SF524 isn’t the best performing CPU cooler, but it does offer low-noise operation and a low-profile design. For a small form factor computer user looking to expand their CPU’s cooing potential, Cooler Master’s top-down style GeminII SF524 is a cooler which is most certainly worthy of consideration.