About two years ago, we discovered that NZXT was working on their brand new CPU cooler that didn’t have a code name. Later, we were fortunate enough to witness a prototype that cooled the hottest hexa-core processors impressively. It rivalled the Noctua NH-D14 which is still one of the best quiet, performance CPU cooler out there. This alone proved NZXT had the skills needed to compete in the extreme enthusiast level CPU cooler market.
You might be wondering why they would start designing CPU coolers. Well, designing and engineering a thermal friendly computer enclosure that truly works is half the battle. After applying tried and true concepts along with a couple revisions to the original cooler, we have the NZXT HAVIK 140 CPU cooler. The cooler has an interesting history and what looks to be a very bright future. Let me tell you more!
Features and Specifications
If you don’t know by now, the Havik 140 is a tower style CPU cooler featuring six 6mm heat pipes that loop through a copper nickle convex (slightly curved) base. It’s here that the heat pipes carry heat away from the CPU. As the heat is distributed throughout the heat pipes, a pair of 140mm silent cooling fans blow cool air through the cooler. Like most coolers, the magic really is in the heat pipes.
The rippled bladed 140mm fans are capable of moving 90.3 CFM (cubic feet of air) producing a mere 25 dBA noise. These fans mount to the cooler using a very unique method. Instead of wires, two rubber tabbed straps secure the fan against the coolers notched fins. This allows users can place the fans at any height and there’s very little chance of fan vibration.
The cooler’s aluminum fins are actually a bit more stout than found on typical coolers. There’s about 2mm between every last fin which are all crimped together on the side of the cooler. One can lift the HAVIK 140 without easily bending the cooler. Making it sturdy means sacrificing the appearance in some aspects, but not so much that it takes away from the overall look of this unit.
Compared to other coolers on the market that NZXT targeted this unit at, it’s $59.99 US price tag is really quite aggressive. And even at that price point, some of its competitors don’t even come with fans.
What’s in the Box?
You’ll find the cooler packaged nicely in thick foam as well as the two 140mm fans. Everything else is packed in a white box with the brackets needed to mount to an AMD or Intel system. Some packaged HAVIKs are still out there on the shelves that don’t have an LGA 2011 bracket. Most of them now have all the necessary brackets. If you aren’t sure, just check the box’s compatibility list. Otherwise, every screw, bolt and rubber fan strap is included.
Test System & Test Configuration
We’ve been using the Intel Core i7-980X to test all our past CPU coolers. The CPU can get pretty hot especially when overclocked. It’s actually when the voltage approaches 1.4 volts that it starts cooking inside a poorly ventilated computer case.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-980X Gulftown
- Motherboard: ASUS Rampage III Extreme Black Edition
- Memory: Kingston HyperX 12GB 1600MHz DDR3 Triple Channel
- Graphics: Zotac Geforce GTX 580 AMP! Edition
- Storage: Patriot Memory Pyro 120GB SSD
- Power: Antec CP-850 Power Supply
- Test Cooler 1: NZXT HAVIK 140 (as tested)
- Test Cooler 2: Thermaltake Frio OCK
- Test Cooler 3: Noctua NH-D14
- Test Cooler 4: Thermalright Venomous X
The HAVIK 140mm was mounted to the system without any extra cooling fans to assist. CPU voltage was manually set to 1.25 volts which is about where the CPU tops out in Turbo mode. The voltage was manuall set to 1.4 volts when overclocking to 4.2GHz. Because the fans are pretty darn quiet, testing was done at full speed among all the coolers.
Let’s have a look at how this cooler installs and get to testing!
Installation Notes
The installation directions are pretty easy to understand thanks to more pictorals than type. The smaller components were easy to spot amongst the pile of parts and were bagged and labelled for convenience. For Intel processors, a four point back plate, bolts, spacers and two top brackets with thumb screws secure the base mounts. A bracket secures the cooler in place via two thumb hard mounted thumbscrews. This brings me to a couple good points.
The mounting method allows the HAVIK 140 to twist left and right. However, it doesn’t tilt or move too far. While this is of little concern to end users, it may concern system integrators who typically like for point (corner) mounts to negate any damage during shipping. We’ve all seen the Fedex and UPS videos, so you know it happens. It’s the best method for securing any CPU cooler theses days.
It would be our recommendation that a 4-point top securing bracket be adopted to increase stability under movement. Given the design of the base, it would be quite easy. It’s good advice given that the HAVIK 140 weighs 1035 grams which is par for the extreme CPU cooler course.
With the cooler installed, it’s time to begin the torture tests!
Thermal Performance
OCCT ran for four hours and idle for two hours to allow the thermal paste to settle. After confirming the room’s ambient temp of 21C, the system was pounded again for 90 minutes. Average temps were recorded using HWMonitor and ASUS AI Suite II.
Despite the fact that the HAVIK 140 is roughly half the size of the NH-D14, it still came very close pretty much making it a tie. The impressive thing about these two coolers is that they kept the 4.1GHz overclocked Core i7-980X just below 60 C which is an impressive feat. Did they kick up a lot of fan noise in the process? Let’s check.
Noise Examined
Noise was measured from 36 inches away to represent the typical distance from the coolers. Keep in mind that any cooler will be much quieter inside decent computer enclosures in contrast to the tech stations I use. Since the X doesn’t come with a standardized pair of 120mm fans, we are using two 2,000 RPM Thermalright TR-TBD-2000 fans.
The NH-D14 and HAVIK 140 are the quietest of the group. However, the NH-D14 is just a bit quieter at full load than the HAVIK 140 was actually . The Frio OCK and VenomousX get pretty loud with equal spec’d fans at 48 dBA. In defense of the Venemous X, a fan controller would keep its fans a bit quieter.
Final Thoughts
From inception to execution, the HAVIK 140 is an extremely impressive first CPU cooler for the company, and immediately found a follow up: the HAVIK 120 (review coming soon). Performance is very good mainly due to some very important design key features. The copper base has a convex shape which ensure maximum pressure on the CPU aluminum IHS. Heat gets transferred to the six heat pipes which carry the bulk of the heat up away from the base. The magical cooling materials inside the pipes are just icing on the cake. That brings us to the mounting components.
The 2-point securing bracket works relatively well for the design. However, it’s not the most secure and does allow for some slight twisting depending on how much you tighten the bracket. System integrators like very secure mounts or at least mounts that are highly resilient to the “drop ship” couriers. If the securing bracket attached at four points, it would definitely make us feel better about letting our favourite couriers use them for soccer practice. I’m sure this would make companies that do custom systems happier as well.
From the choice in quiet 140mm cooling fans to the unique rubber strap mount system, the NZXT HAVIK 140 is definitely an attractive high performance CPU cooler. The cooler has dropped in price since its launch and can be found for as little as $59.99 US/CA from many online retailers. This cooler is worth every cent!
Pros
- Great cooling performance
- Includes two quiet 140mm cooling fans
- Unique rubber fan strap system
- Quiet operation
- Fantastic value as little as $59.99 US
Cons
- 4 point security bracket with less twisting would be nice
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
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