The Phononic HEX 2.0 TEC CPU Cooler Review
by E. Fylladitakis on September 26, 2016 9:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Cooler
- TEC
- Phononic
- HEX 2.0
Conclusion
In this review we had a look at perhaps the only consumer CPU thermoelectric-based cooler that has been released after 2010. While Phononic has extensive knowledge and experience on various cooling and refrigeration topics, this is their first retail product aimed at household consumers. The use of a TEC to support the performance of a typical air cooler is not a new concept but Phononic has managed to offer an electronically controlled product that is both simple and safe to use right out of the box.
The most distinct advantage of the Phononic HEX 2.0 is its size. The 12.5 cm tall cooler can easily fit in narrow cases, even some Mini-ITX and desktop designs. When space is an issue and neither large air or liquid coolers are an option, the Phononic HEX 2.0 can provide very good thermal performance on a modern CPU. However, do note that the TEC of the HEX 2.0 will insert additional thermal losses into the case. We do not recommend using it with a case that has very limited cooling capabilities.
The thermal performance of the HEX 2.0 is a complicated matter. The presence of the TEC allows the HEX 2.0 to provide exceptional performance when having to deal with low thermal loads, but the performance degrades as the thermal load increases. For very high thermal loads, the HEX 2.0 is equivalent or worse than an advanced air cooler, hardly justifying its price and energy consumption. That being said, while the HEX 2.0 is good for low temperatures in low power environments, it does add another 20W to the power consumption, perhaps negating the point of a low power system. It should work wonders if installed on a modern energy-efficient CPU, even with some moderate overclocking, but it cannot compare against top-tier air coolers and liquid coolers for advanced overclocking. Bluntly put, if thermal performance is your primary concern and space is not an issue, this is not a product for you.
In summary, the Phononic HEX 2.0 is a very interesting product but it is clearly aimed at a very specific segment of the market, which is users that have serious space limitations and or cannot use liquid cooling solutions for any given reason. If large air coolers or liquid coolers can fit, it is highly unlikely that the HEX 2.0 will have any distinct advantage, let alone justify its $150 retail price.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
48 Comments
View All Comments
MrSpadge - Tuesday, September 27, 2016 - link
Cooling at low power consumption levels (up to ~30 W) is very easy with modern coolers, unless you are restricting the hot air exchange with the environment (those HTPCs which for some reason have to be super small). If you're interested in such cases it would make more sense to test the case & envirnonment rather than the cooler itself.60 - 100 - 150 W covers typical CPUs under load very well, with 200 - 250 W representing overclocked socket 2011 chips and 340 W the extreme.
BurntMyBacon - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
It would be interesting to see the crossover point between half on and full on. The aircooler isn't particularly large and doesn't seem to dissipate heat fast enough to keep up with the TEC. While providing a larger delta between the hot and cold plates, adding an extra 20W for the air cooler to deal with can, in some circumstances, actually increase the steady state temperature.A good test (that I'm not sure this kit would let you run) would be if you could test several TDP points at both half (20W) and full (40W) TEC power. I imagine you would see full power come in cooler up to the point that the air cooler starts failing to keep up. Switching to half TEC power would then be more efficient as it would dip back under that threshold. Once you increase thermal output to reach that threshold again, it would be interesting to see which mode works better with an overburdened air cooler. In the past, I've was told to use TECs with water cooling systems as air coolers at the time always got overburdened too early.
Avenger762 - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
Once again, this thing is no match for my old CM V10. BTW the V10 in my tower has been running since 2006 with the exception of a couple of motherboard and fan replacements.VeauX - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
it would be nice to see it compared to :1 - same size air cooler (comparable cu.cm or length / height / width)
2 - same price coolers including AIO Liquid Coolers
HomeworldFound - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
I used to own a Thermaltake Subzero 4g Thermoelectric Cooler, used on a Pentium 4. This does seem like an evolved version of that. The Thermaltake used up a PCI slot and was oversized by 3/4 of an inch. There wasn't any condensation to deal with but I can't really say that it worked well.andychow - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
Ask any physicist, and they will explain to you why thermoelectric cooling is a terrible idea. It's only if you need a specific solution, such as bellow ambient. Otherwise, it's super inefficient.powerarmour - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
Yo dawg, I heard you need a cooler to cool your cooler?RaistlinZ - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
I was interested in this until I saw the performance.Then I saw the price, and became even less interested.
benzosaurus - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
In which we learn that "refrigeration" and "heat dissipation" are distinct and incompatible concepts.jlk440 - Monday, September 26, 2016 - link
Thanks for an interesting review. I'm puzzled by your reversal of the meaning of thermal resistance. Lower number = lower resistance = fewer degrees difference per watt of heat. For heatsinks, you want thermal resistance to be LOW, which means heat conductivity is HIGH. For some reason your terminology incorrectly calls lower resistance numbers "higher resistance", so maybe you mean higher conductivity (the opposite of resistance).