[section_title title=”Conclusion”]
Conclusion
It’s fair to say that we have a lot to conclude when it comes to the Fractal Design Kelvin range. In terms of build quality, styling and ingenuity all three coolers are all equal to each other, which makes my job easier; and although the products are nearly identical the radiators are not, so it’s not just a comment about consistency but also across completely different production lines. But, are they equally good or equally bad?
If pure performance is what you are after and you ignore all other stats then the Kelvin is absolutely the range for you. Even the smallest one, the T12 with its out-of-the-box push/pull setup, pulls its socks up and gets hard at work. So if you want the Bugatti of the cooling world chilling your chip this is what you buy, no doubt about it.
For most of us though, performance charts only go so far and don’t really answer the big wallet-emptying question, “Should I buy one?”. Smart shoppers will care about the smaller things like, “Is it quiet enough for my living room PC?”, or, “Is it so fragile that it’s going to break before I finish my build?”. We already know that the Kelvin is as quiet as a stuffed hamster when the computer is idle and as loud as a Chinook helicopter dropping an SAS squad in your garden when you are torturing your CPU. If ‘quiet’ is your goal then under normal operating terms you should get somewhere between subtle whisper and a distant conversation so a Kelvin will still be high on your shopping list. If you are going to be overclocking and running benchmarks all day every day, literally stressing your CPU to breaking point without giving it pause for breath then this is not the quiet cooling solution you need… but under those stressful conditions I challenge you to find any quiet cooler. No, even overclockers run their OC’d powerhouse as a real PC most of the time, when gaming you probably won’t be stressing the CPU that much so if you have the fans set to a profile that allows for high speed airflow only when you need it then selecting one of the Kelvin range is not a bad choice for you either.
It is consistently well built across all three units that I’ve tested. From the Alphacool copper-nylon radiators through to the usually silent Fractal Design fans, everything shows the signs of attention to detail when it comes to selecting the components and also the build quality of their own parts. So if your main query is “Will it last?” then again I have to say yes… and if you get unlucky then there’s always the two-year warranty to fall back on.
On the subject of price, the T12 is about right at £66, the S24 is rather cheap and so is the S36 with both representing good value in the UK. Sadly the US prices across the range are way too high and I don’t imagine seeing much uptake in the states because of it.
Would I buy one? Yes! Would I recommend you to buy one? Yes! If you live in the US and money’s an issue then you might miss out but is you have access to Amazon.co.uk then there’s no reason not to get one. They are simply exceptional and that’s why I have given the Fractal Design Kelvin range our Performance Award, our Design Award and to make it clear that I highly recommend them, our Editor’s Choice Award!
Well done Fractal Design, and thank you for providing us with these samples for review.
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Performance
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Design
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Value
Summary
Pros:
– Exceptional cooling that tops the charts
– Almost unbeatable price in the UK across the range
– ‘Full copper’ loop – none of the problems that come with mixed metals
– Great design with expandability and modding opportunities
– Powerful pump that can run liquid through up to four loop components
– Almost silent running under normal usage conditions, including gaming
Cons:
– Expensive if you live in the US
Starting next year. I will no longer use air cooling for CPU or GPU. This looks like a great buy.