By: Qian Chen (Guest Editor)
June 20, 2025
Whenever people around my age talk about childhood TV shows, I often find myself not being able to join in on the conversation. I moved to Canada when I was around 5 years old, which put me in a weird situation for watching TV. My English was not good enough to watch the shows others watched here, but my Chinese reading skills were also not sufficient for me to watch Japanese shows with Chinese subtitles. My friends' childhood usually fell within watching shows from those two categories, but I mainly watched ones that were either made in China or ones with Chinese voice-over. In fact, I still very much enjoy Chinese animation, even though my friends find it unbearable due to the CGI graphics. To my surprise, I watch more Chinese than Japanese animation these days, which is very uncommon among my friends. From time to time, I would find people who tell me about a Western cartoon they think is incredibly good. The one I have heard about the most is Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do not really know much about it other than something changed when the Fire Nations attacked. The idea of bending air seems pretty cool, but the product for today's review, the Cooler Master Hyper 612 Apex, already does that by bending the air inside the computer case into the heatsink fins to cool the CPU. The question is, how skillful is this air cooler at air bending? Keep reading and do not miss out like I did with childhood TV shows!
Remaining in disguise, our product for this review sneakily made its way to our office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from Chino, California, United States through UPS Standard ground service inside one of Cooler Master's computer case shipping packages. Upon opening it, there was no case to be found, but rather it contained today's review unit of the Hyper 612 Apex alongside the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Pro, SickleFlow Edge 360 White edition, and MasterLiquid Core II 360 White. Other than the small puncture on the front of the Hyper 612 Apex packaging, the box was in great condition.
Like the other products it came with, the Hyper 612 Apex packaging has a background gradient consisting of black and purple. In the top right corner, there is a brightly colored pattern to contrast with the dark background. Below the pattern, the product name is printed in a big font. At the center of the package is a large picture of the product, which is a very accurate representation of it. To the bottom left corner, there is a different pattern, but using the same color scheme as the one on the top right. Below that, there is the Cooler Master logo. On the other sides of the packaging, there is some information and specifications for the product. Overall, the choice of a dark purple gradient background contrasted with bright patterns gives the package a fun but slightly mysterious feel.
Pulling from Cooler Master's website, we have the following specifications:
Specifications
CPU Socket: Intel® LGA 1851 / 1700 / 1200 / 1151 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 socket
CPU Socket: AMD® AM5 / AM4 socket
Dimensions (L x W x H): 127 x 114 x 159mm / 5.0 x 4.4 x 6.2inch
Fan Quantity: 2 PCS
Fan Speed: 0-2400RPM ± 10%
Fan Airflow: 75.2CFM (Max)
Fan Pressure: 3.63mmH₂O (Max)
Fan MTTF: >200,000 Hours
Fan Noise Level: 30dBA (Max)
Fan Bearing: Loop Dynamic Bearings
Fan Power Connector: 4-Pin (PWM)
Fan Rated Voltage: 12V DC
Fan Rated Current: 0.18A
Fan Safety Current: 0.35A
Power Consumption: 2.16W
Single Fan Dimensions (L x W x H): 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1.0inch
Warranty: 5 years
The unboxing experience of the Hyper 612 Apex is minimalist but also very pleasant. Upon opening the packaging, a toolkit made of cardboard sits at the top. The front of the kit displays all the contents inside, which are all the components needed for the cooler installation. There are four compartments inside the kit. The bags labeled "INTEL" and "AMD" each occupy a compartment, while a small bag with nuts used for both sockets occupies a separate one. The last compartment contains Cooler Master's CyroFuze thermal paste and a two-way fan splitter cable. Resting on top of all these compartments are the installation guide and warranty information.
Removing the tool kit from the package, there is a large black bag, which holds the Hyper 612 Apex air cooler. I am not the best at identifying fabric materials, but my guess would be the bag is made with synthetic cotton. With just the toolkit and the cooler, the unboxing experience is quite simple. However, despite the simplicity, the tool kit, combined with the bag holding the cooler, gives a rather premium feel to the experience.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware, Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
