Fractal Design Kelvin S24 Expandable AIO CPU Cooler
Dave Alcock / 10 years ago
Final Thoughts
Price
The Fractal Design Kelvin S24 is priced at around £90, this isn’t the cheapest 240mm AIO solution there is around but it is certainly one of the most stylish and it does have the added benefit that it can be expanded.
Overview;
As expected the Fractal Design Kelvin S24 is very aesthetically pleasing. It’s sleek, elegant and just generally looks excellent. It has no over the top designs or garish lights, it just sits there emitting a sense of style. Every part of the design has been thought about well, such as the hex topped fan screws, as already mentioned little additions like this just makes everything look just a little bit cleaner as you can’t see the tips of the screws as much and with a hex key supplied as well you know you will be good to go straight out of the box. Not only does the pump look great but it performs well too. It might not come top of our list, but it certainly contends with the main competition and brands something that I think the Fractal Design team will be very happy with.
The idea of expanding an AIO is something that I have seen many people asking about on forums and this is the first one that I have tested that has allowed the use of G1/4 fittings to allow you to add any components you want. I would expect you would be able to add a GPU in the loop and still have temperatures that wouldn’t cause too much alarm, which from an AIO really is amazing.
Then we come to the noise issue. The pump is loud, not deafening but compared to a lot of modern pumps it certainly is audible at 12v. I would imagine that you could run the Kelvin S24 at 9v all the time which does reduce the noise that is produced, but if you were to add another component such as a GPU I wouldn’t advise it. Would this be enough to put me off this cooler? No. I love how the Kelvin series look and I think this would make any computer build look clean and tidy and with the option to expand also to me the noise would be a non-issue.
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Great aesthetics
- Very simple to install
- Performs well
- Expandable due to the use of G1/4 threads
Cons
- Noisy pump when used at 12v
“The Kelvin S24 is the epitome of what Fractal Design stand for, excellent quality, amazing looks and great performance. With this AIO solution we see all of these qualities in abundance as well as the option to expand it. This is an excellent idea, bridging the gap between AIO closed loops and custom loops. With the extra options we have got a little extra noise, but it is worth it. “
Thank you Fractal Design for providing us with this sample.