Packaging and Overview
The first look we get at the Black Edition is right on the front of the box in the form of a slightly downsizes photo to go along with the coolers logo is recognizable Gelid neon green. The rear has more information for us in the form of socket compatibilities, the included installation kits and the basic air flow concept for the cooler.
All four sides of the box are packed with information and graphics to grab your attention with one side offering some more pictures of the Black Edition and features while the other side tackles additional features and the specifications for the cooler. All in all the outer shell is nice from a consumer stand point acquainting you with the product.
With the outside covered, we can dive right in to the good parts where we first find a small white box filled with all our packed in installation goodies. Clamps, nuts, spring screws and our backplate are all there to go along with the fan clips for the Silent PWM fan and a two-in-one PWM hookup to power both fans simultaneously. The included tube of GC-Extreme thermal compound is enough for a few installs so mind your usage.
Once we set aside the extras we can take a look at the Black Edition fully. The first thing of note is the enclosed sides of the fins meaning any air you push through the cooler will make it all the way across the fins increasing efficiency.
Rotating the cooler we can now take a look at the heatpipe arrangement. The Black Edition sports a trio of 8mm as well as four 6mm pipes all made of nickel-plated copper and running through the base. As you can see upon closer inspection, the base is made of solid copper with no plating and machined to a mirror finish. The layout of the heatpipes within the base is meant to take advantage of each individual pipe while dissipating heat from the most concentrated part of the base.