Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
Review in progress.
Contents in this article are incomplete, and may contain errors or incorrect information.
The Cooler Master Hyper 411 Nano we have is the all-black base version, but there is also the option for ARGB fans. The design for the top of the heatsink is very simple. At the center, the Cooler Master logo can be found. Moving towards the left and right edges, there is a slight elevation change to add interest to the design. At the end, the elevation climbs back up to form a triangle shape. The most noticeable part would be the eight protruding tips caused by the heat pipes. My first reaction was to complain about how it looks unsightly and wish it were covered up by a top plate of some sort. However, after some thought, I remembered the Hyper 411 Nano is meant to be compact, so the absence of a top plate is the smarter and more practical design choice. Another interesting design choice is the shape of the fins is not rectangular, but rather something in between a rectangle and a semicircle.
The Hyper 411 Nano is designed to be compact for small form factor builds. After looking into the CPU clearance of some cases, this cooler should fit in most micro-ATX cases, but will struggle to fit in most mini-ITX cases. It measures 102mm in length, 85mm in width, and 136mm in height including the fan. After a few attempts, I counted there to be forty aluminum fins. They are mostly separated by 2mm from each other with some slight deviations. It was very difficult to measure the dimensions of the fins since they are not rectangular, but I calculated the total surface area of the fins to be about 0.34m2 with some rough measurements, ignoring the thickness. Looking between the fins, there are eight optimally spaced heat pipes passing through all of them. There are actually only four pipes, but its U-shape effectively makes it eight pipes. Built-in clips on the back of the fan are used to attach it to the heatsink. The weight of the Hyper 411 Nano including the fan is about 436g according to my scale. Without the fan, it comes in at 322g.
The Cooler Master Hyper 411 Nano is made out of aluminum. It could be argued making the heatsink out of copper would lead to better thermal performance due to the thermal conductivity of pure copper being 401W/mK compared to pure aluminum's 237W/mK. However, despite the thermal conductivity of copper being nearly double that of aluminum, copper heatsinks are almost nonexistent in the CPU air cooler market. The reason for this is because aluminum makes more sense from a practical standpoint. Aluminum is lighter, cheaper, and easier to manufacture. CPU air coolers must remain cheap to stay competitive with the existence of more powerful and efficient water coolers.
As for the fan used, the Hyper 411 Nano utilizes a fan that is not available for purchase. From a visual inspection, I found this fan to have a striking resemblance to the SickleFlow Edge 120 due to the blade design. This small 7-blade PWM fan is rated to have a maximum airflow of 45.14 CFM and a maximum air pressure of 3.25 mmH₂O. The dimensions are 92mm in length, 92mm in width, and 25.4mm in height. The bearing type used in the fan is not mentioned, but the lifespan is expected to be at least 160,000 hours. The maximum sound produced is rated to be 30.04dBA, which equates to the volume of whispering. On the back of the fan, there are built-in clips attached. I really appreciate this design choice since it allows for faster installation and disassembly, while also providing a more premium feel compared to separate individual clips.
Examining the bare contact plate of the Hyper 411 Nano reveals a direct contact design with exposed copper heat pipes. Although this design looks cheaper compared to a solid metal base, it has a thermal performance advantage. Solid copper has a thermal conductivity of 401W/mK, while the thermal conductivity of heat pipes can range from the thousands to hundreds of thousands. Therefore, by exposing the heat pipes directly to the CPU it creates better thermal conductivity. However, the downside of this design is the uneven contact surface between the CPU and the heat pipes. The contact plate of the Hyper 411 Nano also lacks nickel plating, which can be used to enhance corrosion protection.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Installation and Test Results
4. Conclusion
