INTRODUCTION

   While most of the industry is attending Computex just half around the world away the surprisingly high temperatures where i live (31+ degrees Celsius) keep reminding me of just how good winter really is (snow addict). Because of that and also because lately we've been receiving quite a large number of CPU Coolers (some of which are also showcased in Computex right now) i decided to spend the better part of this week testing all of them one after the other (time is quite important). The first of those CPU Coolers to get mounted on our test bench is no other than the latest Dark Knight SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition by XIGMATEK.

   XIGMATEK Co., Ltd. was established in 2005 with the aim of becoming one of the world leaders in the computer Peripheral field. In XIGMATEK, the major members of management have many years experience in Computer Peripherals, Thermal industry, manufacturing and other applications. Pursued an aggressive growth strategy, XIGMATEK invests heavily in R&D, has strategic alliances with suppliers and academia, builds up an integrated presence in major economic regions, and hones one of the world’s most efficient manufacturing operations. A team of over twenty R&D engineers, product designers and technical people (one main team in German), XIGMATEK is full with confidence to offer excellent quality products and service to meet your needs. Regards as the consumer market, as well as distributing electrical appliances through the usual channels, XIGMATEK will continue to develop new sales channels to cater to ever-changing consumer trends and demand. With our fruitful experience, we have full confidence that we can provide not only the best, reliable, environmental and performing Computer Peripheral products but excellent service also to fulfill global user’s demand.

   XIGMATEK products may not be amongst the top ones in terms of raw performance but aside always looking great they do usually hit a very good price/performance ratio which is what most people (especially the ones on a tight budget) are after. Now the Dark Night SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition may follow the same tower design (U-Type) as do most CPU Coolers by XIGMATEK but it features a brand new ceramic coating which according to the people behind it should improve its cooling efficiency quite a bit. Other features include three 8mm heat-pipes, H.D.T (heatpipe direct-touch) technology and room for up to two fans (push & pull). Based on the main features of the SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition i don't really expect it to hit the big boys but since I’ve never encountered this new ceramic coating in the past i am truly curious to see the results.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

An F-117 stealth airplane drawing, the main product features and part of the fan can be seen at the front of the box.

The features of the unit are showcased on both sides.

At the rear of the box we see the specifications table and a few words about the new ceramic coating.

The entire unit is placed inside a small piece of Styrofoam with the rest of the bundle placed right ontop.

Inside the package you will find the SD-1283 Night Hawk heatsink, 120mm LED fan, user's manual, warranty information paper, small pouch with thermal conductive material inside, Allen key, 8 anti-vibration rubber fan mountings, backplate and mounting clips for Intel LGA775/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1 compatible mainboards.

THE SD-1283 NIGHT HAWK EDITION

The 120mm LED fan used with the SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition can reach speeds of up to 2000RPM and product airflow of up to 89.45CFM at 30.1dBA.

As always the rubber fan mountings are extremely easy to use.

Size-wise the SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition is quite small measuring just 120mm in width, 76mm in depth and 159mm in height while weighing a total of 490g.

Taking a look from the side you can easily see that XIGMATEK has closed the center area of the cooler in order to keep air coming from the fan inside the fins for better heat dissipation.

All of the 52 aluminum fins are covered with the new ceramic coating which actually looks great.

You can add a second 120mm fan in push & pull for maximum cooling efficiency.

The XIGMATEK logo is engraved on the top and bottom fins.

The three large 8mm ceramic coated copper heat-pipes should help this unit a lot.

H.D.T (Heat-pipe Direct Touch) may lack the mirror like finish other coolers have but it should provide improved cooling efficiency.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     I always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels so we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that i plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end users who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database will be tested with its bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan we will not be measuring their dBA levels. For the dBA test every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting. PWM fans do that or their own without our intervention. Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig CPU, the Intel Core i7-3930k that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Part of me still can't really believe that such a small CPU Cooler actually managed to get so close to the Dark Rock Pro 2 by be quiet! so i guess the new ceramic coating does work, at least partially. Of course such performance comes at a cost especially with rather small CPU Coolers that lack the extra surface and so the 120mm 2000RPM fan of the SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition almost reached 54dBA at full load which may not be the worst number ever and it certainly is not extremely audible (especially if you have a loud graphics card) but it's a full 6dBA more than the Dark Rock Pro 2. On the bright side a few years back XIGMATEK fans used to be a lot louder so 54dBA is really not that bad.

   If you are interested to check out the latest Dark Knight SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition CPU Cooler by XIGMATEK it currently retails for USD49.99 inside the USA (Newegg) and 43Euros inside the EU (Overclockers UK) a price tag which is actually what you'd expect from a product aimed at price/performance. Overall i can't really say anything bad about this CPU Cooler since it performs very well for its size, it's not really loud, can accommodate a 2nd fan for push & pull and it looks great thanks to its ceramic coat and LED fan. Because of all the things mentioned the Dark Knight SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition earns our Golden Award. Finally it goes without saying that i really hope that XIGMATEK uses the same ceramic coating on a really massive CPU Cooler (curious about the end result).

PROS

- Build Quality
- Good Performance
- Ceramic Coating
- H.D.T Technology
- Dual Fan Solution
- Size
- Price 

CONS

- Noise Levels