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Today we will be taking a look at a cooler that I’m quite excited to get into. The Xigmatek Balder CPU cooler it’s a nickel plated overclocking heatsink. Upon looking at the overall design of the package itself, like all Xigmatek coolers, it looks pretty awesome. When we open it up, you can see it has a sleek shimmery design, and it comes with a beautiful fan. After having this cooler in my computer for a while, still, every time I walk into my office, the white glow that fills the room is amazing. So let’s get right in and do some testing.

 

Provided by: Xigmatek

Price: $39.96

Closer Look:

 

 

Specifications and Features:

• Product Name: Balder SD1283
• Product Number: CAC-SXHH3-U06
• Dimensions:  120(W) x 50(D) x 159(H) mm
• Heat Sink Base Material:  H.D.T. (Heat-pipes Direct Touch)
• Fin Material: Aluminum Alloy Heat-pipe
• SPEC: Φ8mm
• Q´ty: 3 pcs.
• Fan Dimension: 120(W) x 120(H) x 25(D) mm
• Voltage Rating: 12V
• Speed: 1000~2200 R.P.M.
• Bearing Type: Long Life Bearing
• Air Flow: 89.45 CFM (Max.)
•  Air Pressure: 4.1 mmH2O (Max.)
• Life Expectance: 50,000 hrs
• Noise Level: 28 dBA (Max.)
• Available color: 4 white LED
• Connector:  4 Pin with PWM
• Weight:  700g (w/fan)
• Thermal Resistance: 0.14 ℃/W
• Supports: LGA1156 (core i5), LGA1366 (core i7) & LGA775; AM2/AM3 & K8.

The Balder comes with a 120mm fan with long life bearings; with hardware for fan installation. Installation typically takes under 10 minutes and it does not require the use of any other tools, other than what is needed to remove your current motherboard. Also, the Balder is a Mirror H.D.T. cooler.

Testing Setup:

• AMD Phenom II 965 Black Edition
• Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
• Crucial DDR3 PC3 16000 2 x 1 GB
• Thermaltake 650W PSU
• Cooler Master HAF Special: AMD
• ATI Radeon 5570
• Western Digital 1TB HDD
• Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit Edition

Testing:

I am going to be running my tests at an ambient room temperature of 20°C. I will be running both a load and idle test for each cooler. The Balder will be going up against the Xigmatek Thors Hammer, Akasa Nero S, and the SilenX Effizio.

 

 

                       

           

 

Conclusion:

Overall, I was quite happy with Xigmatek Balder CPU cooler’s performance. It performed quite well, next to a much more expensive cooler, and even surpassed it in some areas. For a budget PC enthusiast I would say this cooler is a great choice. Although, this is not the best cooler for overclocking, I would still recommend it. One complaint I would definitely have about this cooler is that it is quite loud compared to any other cooler I have had in my computer (Noctua).

Would I recommend this product? Yes, this is a very well made and designed cooler. This is definitely a cooler that I would buy, because of its outperforming a cooler double in price. Also, it’s amazing look. The performance it displays in cooling makes it a great choice for most gamers and enthusiasts.

 

Pros:

• Great Design
• Good Temperatures
• H.D.T. works well
• Supports many CPU’s
• Comes with a beautiful fan
• Easy Installation
• Price

Cons:

• A bit Louder then Some Coolers 

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