Akasa Nero LX Low Profile 4-Heatpipe CPU Cooler
A 59 mm tall down-draught cooler with four copper heat pipes and a slim 120mm PWM fan for compact cases.
The Akasa Nero LX is designed for small form factor and home theatre PCs where a conventional tower cooler will not fit. Four direct-contact copper heat pipes carry heat from the CPU into a flat aluminium fin stack, and a slim 18 mm thick 120mm fan blows down through the fins. Because the airflow is directed at the motherboard, it also helps cool the voltage regulators and memory around the socket, which is useful in cramped cases with little case airflow of their own.
Cooling and noise
The PWM fan runs between 600 and 1900 rpm, giving a quoted noise range of 11.5 to 31.5 dB(A). At full speed it moves up to 64.12 CFM at 2.04 mm-H2O of static pressure. At idle and light load the fan slows to the point where it is barely audible, which suits media PCs and office machines. Akasa does not publish a TDP figure for this cooler, so it is best matched to mainstream processors rather than high-wattage parts.
Compatibility
This is an older-generation cooler and its mounting kit covers legacy sockets: Intel LGA775, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1200 and LGA1366, and AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2 and FM2+. It does not include hardware for Intel LGA1700 or LGA1851 or for AMD AM4 or AM5. The 120 x 120 mm footprint should be checked against nearby memory slots and heatsinks on small boards.
Build quality
The heat pipes are copper with aluminium fins, and the fan uses Akasa’s EBR bearing on a 4-pin PWM connector. The whole cooler weighs 298 g, which puts little strain on the motherboard. Punch can fit it when building a compact system on one of the supported platforms.
Ideal for
- Slim HTPC and small form factor cases with limited cooler clearance
- Quiet office and media PCs on older Intel or AMD sockets
- Replacing a noisy stock cooler on a legacy system
Specifications
- Model: Akasa Nero LX, AK-CC4011EP01
- Type: Low-profile down-draught air cooler
- Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 59 mm (W x D x H)
- Weight: 298 g
- Heat pipes: 4 x copper, direct contact
- Fins: Aluminium
- Fan: 120 x 120 x 18 mm
- Fan speed: 600-1900 rpm (PWM)
- Airflow: 64.12 CFM
- Static pressure: 2.04 mm-H2O
- Noise: 11.5-31.5 dB(A)
- Bearing: EBR
- Connector: 4-pin PWM, 12 V DC
- Intel sockets: LGA775, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1200, LGA1366
- AMD sockets: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+
- Lighting: None
