Cooler Master Hyper 212 Pro Review – Lots Of Colors, Not A Lot Of Noise

Unboxing

The latest addition from Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 lineup is the new Hyper 212 Pro – essentially, it is the sibling model of the Hyper 212 Black we previously reviewed, though it’s safe to say that the company has stuck to the familiar and successful formula, so we should see similar levels of performance.

Like the Black variant, you’ll be getting a single SickleFlow Edge 120 ARGB fan, though an extra pair of fan brackets is provided should you prefer to install a push-pull setup. Generally, the parts are fairly simplified with minimal amount of screws and standoffs compared to other tower coolers.

Walkaround

It’s no surprise that when you get a Hyper 212 you’ll find the classic 4-heatpipe design that simply does the job of containing the CPU’s heat; though the heatsink does comes with the classic black design with a small bit of visuals etched on top. The contact area comes with two screw holes that couples with brackets for Intel or AMD CPUs.

The cooling fan included in the package is the Cooler Master SickleFlow Edge 120 ARGB (which is not yet available in Malaysia as a standalone unit at this writing) – it connects via a single 4-pin fan header and an ARGB header, which comes with its pigtail connector for daisy-chaining.

Specifications

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Pro

Full specifications available on the product webpage and datasheet.

CPU socket compatibility		Intel: LGA1851/1700/1200/1151/1150/1155/1156 AMD: Socket AM5/AM4
Heatsink dimensions		125 x 74 x 152 mm (fan installed)
Fan(s)	Model	1x Cooler Master SickleFlow Edge 120 ARGB (120 mm)
	Size	120 x 120 x 25 mm
	Speed	690-2500 (±10%) RPM
	Max Airflow	70.7 CFM / 120 m³/h
	Max Pressure	3.61 mmH₂O
	MTTF	>160,000 hours
	Max Noise	32.8 dBA
Included accessories		Cooler Master CryoFuze thermal paste Heatsink mounting screws Intel/AMD mounting brackets Intel socket backplates Fan mounting brackets

Test System

CPU	Intel Core i9-13900K
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 212 Pro Cooler Master MasterGel Maker
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Memory	Kingston FURY RENEGADE RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 (2x16GB)
Storage	ADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB
Power Supply	GameMax GX-1050 PRO BK (ATX 3.1) 1050W
Case	VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 23H2

Installation

We demonstrate the installation process using the Intel platform: the backplate comes with adjustable screw holes that adapt to various socket sizes, including the new LGA1851 socket since it shares an identical 78 x 78mm size with LGA1700 found in Intel 12-14th Gen Core processors. Screw in the Intel bracket using the two included screws, then align the spring-loaded screws accordingly.

To install the fan(s), simply attach the fan bracket to the screw holes of the fan, then pull the handle to make sure it secures onto the heatsink itself. Keep in mind to align the position properly to avoid squeezing the fins in the middle that can deform, though you can bend it back in place if you happen to bend them by accident.

Performance

Unsurprisingly, the Hyper 212 Pro shares the same level of cooling performance as its non-RGB counterpart, the Hyper 212 Black. In our results (tested in an open-air benchmark system), the CPU never exceeded 70°C in the 120W sustained load, while the 180W load is still largely manageable for the cooler to maintain sub-90°C temperatures.

The fan noise performance is largely on the same ballpark – while the Hyper 212 Pro is slightly louder at maximum speed (averaging at ~2380RPM based on sensor data), it’s unnoticeable for the most part and can be considered as run-to-run variance. No high-pitch whines is present, and the noise can be largely isolated in a typical tower PC case.

Verdict

Cooler Master says the local pricing of the Hyper 212 Pro will be RM169 – emphasis on “will”, as this particular model is not yet available on sale at the time of this writing (its sister model, the Hyper 212 Black, is currently available for RM10 cheaper). If your PC don’t require plenty of cooling demanded by the likes of Core i9s and Ryzen 9s, this cooler is definitely a no-brainer.

Special thanks to Cooler Master Malaysia for providing the Hyper 212 Pro for this review.