Fractal Design Kelvin S36 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Fractal Design Kelvin S364. Installing the Fractal Design S365. Testing Methodology and Overclocking6. Thermal Performance7. Acoustic Performance8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

Today we are going to take a look at one of the first ever liquid CPU coolers from Fractal Design – the Kelvin S36. This particular model sits at the top of their range and is designed for those who are looking to get achieve the best possible cooling performance for their CPU.

Fractal Design are a well respected manufacturer among PC enthusiasts. They are renowned for producing high quality cases which deliver excellent acoustics. We are excited to see if they can achieve products of the same quality in the PC cooling market with their new ‘Kelvin' range.

General Specifications:

• Block/pump assembly measurements: 69*69*40 mm
• Tubing Measurements: 320mm long, 11mm outer and 8mm inner diameter
• Fitted with anti-kink coils for worry-free installation
• Kelvin S36 Radiator Measurements: 30*124*397mm
• Thread class for fill port and all tube fittings: G 1/4″
• Supported sockets: Intel: 775,1150,1155,1156,1366,2011; AMD: AM2,AM2+,AM3,AM3+,FM1,FM2,FM2+
• Fans included: 3 pcs
• Fractal Design Zero™ Thermal Paste ; 1 g syringe, sufficient for multiple mountings
• Colors Available: Black
• Net weight – Base unit only, not including mounting or fans: 1.4 kg
• Net weight – SS-HP fan, per fan: 165 g
• Net weight – Total excluding packaging and manual. Includes fans, mounting kit for all platforms, cooling paste (including packaging for the cooling paste) and adapter cable: 2.2 kg
• Package dimensions – W x H x D: 350*250*151 mm
• Package weight: 3.0 kg

Fan Specification:

• Fractal Design Silent Series HP 120 mm
• 800 – 1700 RPM
• PWM control
• Max air flow: 62.4 CFM
• Max pressure: 2.33 mm H2O
• Acoustical noise: 26.9 dB(A)
• DC 12V, 0.18A

Pump Specification:

• Ceramic bearing
• 2400 RPM
• Voltage control
• Maximum water flow: 72 l/h
• Maximum pressure: 1.0 m H2O
• Acoustical noise: 25.0 dB(A)
• DC 12V, 0.27A

The Fractal Design Kelvin S36 is supplied in a large box which reflects the size of the cooler within.  The box is decorated in a black and blue livery and features a large image of the cooler on the top.

Turning over the box reveals a further image of the cooler, alongside some information about the cooler.

Inside the box, the bundle comprises of all the accessories required to install the cooler on to all major platforms.

The basic design of the Fractal Design Kelvin S36 is very similar to the vast array of liquid CPU coolers which are currently on the market. That said, the Kelvin S36 boasts a 360 mm radiator – something that is quite uncommon among all-in-one liquid coolers.

We are interested to see whether this brings significant performance benefits over the 240mm models we have tested previously.

Fractal has designed the Kelvin S36 so that it can be upgraded in the future if required, meaning that all of the fittings are standard sizes.

The fill-port and radiator fittings are G1/4″ and feature compression fittings which connect the 8/11mm PVC hosing which spans the radiator and CPU block. Fractal Design have chosen to pre-install anti-kink coils to the hoses which should improve durability.

The CPU block and pump combination unit appears to be a unique design to Fractal Design – this contrasts with many competing models which use a standard OEM design from Asetek.  This unit is fairly low profile and features right-angled compression fittings to attach the hoses.

Turning the unit over reveals the large copper CPU block which has a brushed finish. Unlike many competitors Fractal Design does not pre-apply the thermal paste, meaning that you can easily use your preferred brand if you want to deviate from the standard tube that is supplied.

As its name suggests, the Kelvin S36 features a 360mm radiator.  This is a fairly thin model, only measuring 30mm thick.

The compatibility of this model will be restricted to a small portion of cases though as there are not a great deal of models out there which support 360mm radiators. It is worth bearing in mind that the end tank on one end of the radiator is quite large too which may hinder compatibility further.

Fractal Design include three 120mm fans with the cooler which are PWM models that spin between 800 and 1700 RPM.  There is a three way fan splitter included in the box which means these can all be connected to the CPU fan header on your motherboard.

While the installation process of the Kelvin S36 is not quite a simple as Corsair's, Fractal Design include an excellent installation guide with the cooler which guides us through the process with all platforms.  We will be documenting the installation process on a Socket 2011 motherboard.

Firstly we are instructed to attach the retention brackets to the CPU block.  These simply clip together around the CPU block.  Please bear in mind that with other Intel platforms, you will also need to attach a backplate to the motherboard.

Then we can attach the spring screws into place in each corner of the retention brackets.  The position of these will also vary depending on the particular platform that you are using.

The block can then be secured into place on the motherboard after applying thermal paste to the CPU and securing the thumbscrews down into place.

Finally the fans can be attached to the inside of the radiator and the radiator can be screwed into the case.  For some reason Fractal Design has chosen to include Allen screws for the fans – they provide a tool for this but we would prefer to see them using standard screws.

To test the performance of the Fractal Design Kelvin S36, we built a powerful X79 based system on an open test bench to push the cooler to the limits.  As we were testing on an open test bench, we directed a Be Quiet! Shadow Wings 120 mm fan at the VRM circuitry to better simulate the airflow generated in a case.

For our extreme tests, we manually overclocked the i7-3930K to 4.7 GHz by increasing the multiplier to 47x, leaving the baseclock set at 100 MHz.

We set Load Line Calibration to ‘High', and increased the CPU Current Capability to 120% with a minor voltage increase.  Speed stepping was disabled for both stock and overclocked tests.

We tested the Kelvin with the fans connected to a 12V header on our motherboard.

Coolers Tested

• Fractal Design Kelvin S36 (fans at 12V)
• Cooler Master Nepton 240M (fans at 12V)
• Corsair H105
• Corsair H110 (fans at 12V)
• Corsair H90 (fan at 12V)
• Phanteks PH-TC14PE (fans at 12V)
• Noctua NH-D14 (fans at 12V)

For temperature tests we loaded the system for 10 minutes using Prime 95 and recorded the CPU temperature using CPUID HWMonitor.  We then restarted the system and left it idling at the desktop for 10 minutes before recording temperatures. The temperatures recorded are based on an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C.

It is quite clear from the graphs above that the Kelvin S36 offers absolutely excellent performance.  It is only outperformed by the Raijintek Triton with its fans at full speed, although noise levels are close to unbearable. In contrast, the Kelvin S36 is very quiet in operation and would be easy to live with on a daily basis.

In our noise level tests we switched off all the case fans and replaced the AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics card with a HD 5550 passive model so were  just taking into account the noise generated by the cooler fans themselves.

We measured the noise level with a Digital Noise Level meter at a distance of 1 m from the front of the system.

Here we can see the Kelvin S36 offers great acoustic performance, meaning it offers an excellent balance between acoustics and cooling performance.

Overall we are very impressed with that the Fractal Design Kelvin S36 has to offer.  It is is a refreshing to see a manufacturer entering the all-in-one liquid cooling market with a product which actually offers something different to the existing products on offer.  Not only does the Kelvin S36 offer a 360mm radiator, it also offers flexibility to customise the water cooling loop and potentially add new elements in the future.

The build quality and design of the cooler is nothing short of excellent – it is certainly on par with with the likes of Corsair.  We particularly appreciate the small details like the inclusion of standard sized fittings and anti-kink coils for the hoses. Perhaps the only significant downside of this model is the restricted compatibility of the 360mm radiator.

The mounting mechanism is not quite as refined as Corsair's, however the installation process is fairly simple.  This is aided by the excellent installation guide which provides easy-to-follow instructions for all platforms.

Fractal Design include three fans with the cooler which are very competent – delivering a great balance between cooling performance and acoustics.  The cooling performance of the Kelvin S36 is very impressive indeed and outperforms the best coolers we have tested in the past.

The Fractal Design Kelvin S36 is available for £120 from Ebuyer.  This is quite expensive compared to other all-in-one liquid coolers, but is sure to appeal to enthusiasts thanks to the gigantic 360mm radiator.

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Pros:

• Impressive cooling performance.
• Very quiet in operation.
• Decent build quality.
• 360mm radiator.

Cons:

• Quite expensive.
• Restricted compatibility.

KitGuru says: An excellent first attempt at an all-in-one liquid cooler from Fractal Design which is sure to appeal to many enthusiasts.

 

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