Of all the HDT designs that have come and gone there is no denying that Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 series has withstood the test of time. One could even argue that the original Hyper 212 put the HDT design on the map in the hearts and minds of system builders around the world. However, like any mature technology, the 212 series is a rather easy to clone design… as all the ‘secrets’ have been studied and copied. This is why over the past few years Cooler Master, amongst other actually innovative cooling manufactures, have been under attack by well-known clone manufactures. These companies simply purchase a given Hyper 212 variant, reverse engineer it, and rapidly create a ‘homage’ for less than the original. In this ongoing battle of original vs. clone Cooler Master has implemented many, many strategies… except for the most obvious: making a lower cost option that can compete with the Clones on price and still offer premium benefits not found with said clones. With the introduction of the $40 2023 edition of the Hyper 212 Black edition Cooler Master is correcting this oversight and returning to what made this series special in the first place: combining a low asking price with (relatively) great performance.
All we have to say to that promise is simple: it’s about darn time. While it may sound biased, as we are always biased in favor of consumers, the fact is the Hyper 212 series has suffered from ‘feature creep’ over the past few generations. Feature creep that has in turn inflated the Hyper 212 variants MSRP outside the realm of reasonable. Yes. There is no denying the elegance, grace, and ease of installation of say the Hyper 212 Halo B/W editions… but $50 USD is a lot for a 4x6mm HDT ‘thin’ air-based cooling solution. Especially when for only a few dollars more one can purchase a 6x6mm cooling solution like the Hyper 622. This is why the Clones have flourished as they know what the strength of a 4x6mm HDT really is – overall value. Not shear performance.
However, what if one could get that same durable and robust all black paint job as the Hyper 212 Halo Black? The same excellent, for its class, installation hardware as the Hyper 212 Halo B/W edition? Even a fan that puts to shame the Clone stock fans… and do all that while costing about the same as the Clones – at about $40 USD? Even if that meant giving up on dreams of a stock RGB fan done right would that be worth it? That is part of the argument Cooler Master is making with the 2023 Hyper 212 Black Edition. The other part is Cooler Master’s design team have added in an extra twist to the ongoing debate: improved performance. Unlike darn near all 4x6mm HDT thin coolers the new Black comes with a fan capable of 2500RPMs and over 3.6mm of static pressure and doing both without sounding like a buzz saw… and doing all that while still coming in at 40 USD MSRP.
On paper that all certainly sounds like one heck of a great argument, but the fact remains that the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black 2023 edition is ~20 percent cheaper than the last year’s “Halo” variant. In a time of (pardon the pun) Hyper-inflation that certainly is going to raise a red flag or three in the minds of experienced system builders. As such the real question we will endeavor to answer is simple: is the new Hyper 212 Black worthy of your time or has Cooler Master already perfected their argument against going the clone route with the previously released Hyper 212 Halo series? Let’s find out.
