[Hardware] Low-Profile LGA1700 Cooler Tames Mighty Core i9-12900K

[D.CraZy]

Jonsbo may not be a household name in the world of coolers, but the company has just introduced what could be the highest-performing low-profile solution for Intel's 12th generation Alder Lake processors. The device is designed for small form-factor (SFF) PCs and can dissipate up to 140W of power, which is enough to handle Intel's Core i9-12900K. 

Jonsbo's miniature HP400S cooler is just 36 mm high (as discovered by TechPowerUp), yet it has 40 thin aluminum fins, four 6-mm heat pipes, and a 90-mm PWM fan that spins at 800 ~ 3000 RPM ± 10% to generate an airflow of up to 48.3 CFM and wind pressure of up to 3.24mm H2O. Fan noise can reach up to 33 dBA, which may not be the most comfortable level for an SFF desktop. However, due to high airflow, this cooler can cool down CPUs with an up to 140W TDP/PBP (processor base power). 

The design of the HP400S from Jonsbo is tailored to offer the maximum performance possible in such a small form factor. For example, Noctua's low-profile NH-L9i-17xx (which is 37 mm tall) only has two heat pipes, a fan that spins at up to 2500 RPM and generates airflow of up to 33.9 CFM. Noctua typically does not publish TDP/PBP ratings, but the NH-L9i-17xx has an NSPR rating of 59, indicating entry-level performance. 

While a 140W rating does not guarantee that the Core i9-12900K will operate at its turbo clocks for a long time (i.e., it will not offer the same performance as higher-performance coolers), it should not overheat even in a very compact PC. 

Low-profile PCs and low-profile coolers typically are not designed for high-performance CPUs. However, the recent trend towards miniaturization calls for hardware developers to develop components that accommodate flagship CPUs in tiny mini-ITX or mini-STX chassis. 

In addition to LGA1700 CPUs, Jonsbo's HP400S is compatible with AMD's processors in AM4 packaging as well as Intel's CPUs in LGA115x and LGA1200 form-factors. The pricing of the cooler is currently unknown.