Antec Kuhler H2O 1250 CPU Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Antec Kuhler H20 1250 CPU Cooler4. Installing the Antec Kuhler H20 1250 CPU Cooler5. Testing Methodology6. Thermal Performance7. Acoustic Performance8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

It’s quite clear from a glance that there is something a little different which separates the Kuhler 1250 from other CPU coolers on the market. Antec have decided to be creative and integrate a pump for the loop into each of the fan motors.

While it’s good to see a company innovating, we’re not quite sure why Antec has chosen to go down this route. The pump motors and associated piping add significant bulk to the radiator unit and may cause compatibility issues with some systems. It also prevents users from using aftermarket fans or from setting the fans in a different configuration – because they are fixed to the radiator. We are curious to see if this innovative configuration can improve performance.

One advantage of integrating the pumps into the radiator unit is that the CPU block is pretty thin. This is less significant than the thickness of the radiator unit, though, as a thick CPU block is very unlikely to cause any compatibility mounting issues.

Turning the block over reveals a smooth copper surface with the thermal paste preapplied.

The CPU block is connected to the radiator unit via a pair of thin rubber tubes. One of these feeds directly into the radiator and the other into one of the pumps. There is another tube connecting this pump to the radiator and another two tubes connecting the other pump to the radiator. All of the tubes are very flexible and allow easy positioning of the CPU block.

The fans themselves are both 120 mm models which push air through the radiator from the inside. They are speed controlled and spin up to a maximum of 2,500 rpm (as do the pumps).

There are a lot of cables emanating from the cooler unit.  These consist of two fan cables, four fan controller headers, an internal USB 2.0 header and a 3-pin fan header for power.

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