Gelid Slim Hero Low Profile CPU Cooler Review

At stock with PWM speeds we can see the Gelid Slim Hero performs admirably for its height and price point.

Its acoustic performance was exception and the provided slim fan is virtually silent when operating at PWM speeds.

Overclocking saw the Gelid Slim Hero fall back quite a lot. Indeed it wasn’t really cut out for this but it still managed to survive our testing procedure and keep an i5 3570K at 4.5GHz with 1.3 volts for 10 minutes. With PWM speeds it performed similarly to the more expensive but smaller Noctua NH-L9i. With maximum fan speed it shaved off a further 4 degrees and managed to come close to the Noctua NH-L12. The performance of this unit is very impressive given the size, price and noise levels.

Here you can see the noise levels. At PWM it was whisper quiet and at 100% while loud, it certainly isn’t uncomfortable. Inside most cases you’d barely notice it. Even though certain coolers can have the same dBA level, the pitch of the noise is very important too, the pitch of the Gelid Slim Hero fan is very subtle unlike some fans which can be high pitched and “whiny”.