INTRODUCTION

   All in one liquid CPU coolers already count many years in the market and although they haven't actually managed to surpass regular CPU air coolers in terms of sales (and even performance in some cases) they have become the popular choice among gamers, professionals and even enthusiasts all over the world. Unfortunately as many of you are well aware we haven't witnessed any serious advancements in AIO liquid CPU coolers so leaving out some slight improvements primarily on the fans and pumps used (both performance and visual enhancements) there hasn't been any sudden boost in cooling efficiency. The increase in competition however has sliced prices over the years so currently consumers can even find affordable yet high-performance dual 120mm AIO liquid CPU coolers in the market and one such model seems to be the Kuhler H2O H1200 Pro by our friends over at Antec.

   For 30 years, Antec, Inc. has been the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, being the pioneer and market leader for quiet, efficient and innovative products such as the P280 and SOLO II enclosures as well as for their award-winning PSUs having the lowest returns in the industry. Antec continues to further the industry with performance-rich enclosures, efficient power supplies, reliable cooling components, the cutting-edge Antec Advance accessories line, and the Antec Mobile Products (A.M.P). Founded in 1986, Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in The Netherlands, Germany, China and Taiwan.

   Just like with the single 120mm Kuhler H2O H600 Pro model and its predecessor the Kuhler H2O 650 the Kuhler H2O 1200Pro is also quite different with its predecessor the Kuhler H2O 1250. The main difference is clearly the two separate 120mm PWM blue LED fans (1800RPM @ 35dBA) which can be easily replaced/exchanged if they are too slow for you or if they stop working something which you couldn't do with the built-in fans (intergrated fan/pump combo) of its predecessor. Another difference (not as important) is the use of 315mm long FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) tubes instead of the 300mm long PA (polyamide) ones found in the 1250 model. Just like the H600 Pro model the H1200 Pro features a 3-phase liquid engine with graphite pump bearing which always according to Antec increases durability while at the same time reducing noise levels (unfortunately again no performance numbers are available). So who wants to see just how good the H1200 Pro really is compared to its predecessor?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 Typically the CPU compatibility list is printed at the front of the box right beneath a picture of the products pump.

The contents of the bundle are listed on the left side of the box in 5 languages.

Moving on the right side of the box we find the specifications table again in 5 languages.

A somewhat in-depth explanation of all product features is placed at the rear.

Packaging as usual involves a formed piece of cardboard and several plastic bags.

Along with the KUHLER H2O H1200 Pro you are also getting the two 120mm PWM LED fans, thermal paste tube. two small plastic bags with 8 long and 8 short fan mounting screws, installation instructions, backplate and all the necessary bits and pieces to install the cooler onto INTEL LGA 775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 mainboards.

THE KUHLER H2O H1200 PRO

 The H1200 Pro is based on a 271mm long, 120mm wide and 25mm thick 240mm radiator and thus its slightly thinner than the smaller H600 Pro.

As you can see fin quality is very good and just like the H600 Pro the H1200 Pro also has a high density count of roughly 16FPI (fins per inch).

The radiator of the H1200 Pro doesn’t have aluminum plates beneath the mount spots but that shouldn’t be a problem with the bundled screws.

FEP tubes may not be as flexible as PA ones but we've experienced no real problems with either type in all these years.

The Antec logo is placed on the pump and right over a blue activity LED (the pump is powered by a SATA connector).

As usual both tubes can swivel (in this sample we found that they could swivel for roughly 160 degrees) to simplify installation.

The copper base doesn't feature a layer of thermal conductive material so you will need to use either your own or the bundled one.

The 7 blade 120mm PWM blue LED fans are identical to the one used with the H600 Pro and so they can reach speeds of up to 1800RPM to produce airflow of up to 78.9CFM with 2.19mmH20 static pressure and up to 35dBA of noise.

With both 120mm PWM LED fans mounted the thickness of the radiator increases to 50mm.

Prior to mounting the H1200 Pro onto our test rig I wanted to see just how bright the LEDs of the fans were and as you can see they are quite bright.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Testing complete water cooling kits or individual radiators is no different than testing CPU Coolers and since we want all of you to be able to compare similar products we created new and separate charts (you can still cross-compare results however since we are using the same test rig). So once again single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests complete water cooling kits or radiators with bundled fans are 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 on 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. When testing complete water cooling kits we use the Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. Finally much like when testing CPU Coolers it's very important to point out that just because a water cooling kit outperforms another when tested with our test rig (when we test complete water cooling kits) 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 (when fans exist in the bundle) are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the radiator. 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

   After testing the H600 Pro AIO liquid CPU cooler by Antec roughly one month ago we pretty much knew what to expect from its larger brother the H1200 Pro so our results didn’t really come as a surprise. Of course as expected from the two 120mm PWM LED fans since they rotate at slower speeds (and at the same time are much quieter) they don’t offer the same performance levels as the ones used in the 1250 (or other similar AIO models for that matter) but what is interesting is that the temperature results we recorded from the H1200 Pro land near the ones we recorded from the 1250 model. My sole problem with the Kuhler H2O H1200 Pro has nothing to do with its performance but rather with its looks since it would be nice if the fans had an on/off switch for their LEDs. Personally I don’t really mind (and if I did I’d just swap both fans for others) but after spending a bit of time searching online I noticed that some people do so such a feature would probably cover them as well.

   With a current price tag set at USD87 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 75Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the Kuhler H2O H1200 Pro AIO Liquid CPU Cooler by Antec is a very tempting proposal. True it may not be the highest performance AIO model in the market today but it performs extremely well without producing high noise levels and since we do think Antec has released a very balanced product it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Cooling Efficiency
- Low Noise Levels
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- FEP Tubes (Flexibility)
- No On/Off LED Switch