Six heat pipes, a 120 mm fan and an all-black finish: Pause Hardware fitted our first CPU cooler on a Core i5-12600KF, at stock settings then overclocked. 8.3 out of 10.
- overall score, “Top Value for Money”
- 8,3/10
- in Aida64 CPU, Core i5-12600KF
- 47 °C
- in Aida64 FPU, the hottest test
- 63 °C
- dB(A) at 15 cm, fan at 25 %
- 32 dB
- retail price recorded by the review
- 39,99 €
Our first CPU air cooler
After the Serenity and Infinite liquid coolers, M.RED moves to air cooling.
The Zephyr Dark Pro is a single asymmetric tower : six copper heat pipes run through forty-five black fins, above a mirror-polished copper contact plate. The 120 mm fan, with hydraulic bearing and PWM, spins from 700 to 1,900 rpm.
Compact, it clears the memory, the graphics card and the SSD placed above the first PCIe slot. It is rated for 240 W TDP and covers Intel LGA1700, 1200, 115x and 20xx sockets as well as AMD AM4 and AM5.
Three scenarios, three verdicts
Pause Hardware measures the maximum processor temperature after three fifteen-minute runs under Aida64.
Its home turf
At 4.5 GHz with automatic fan control: 47 °C under Aida64 CPU and 63 °C under Aida64 FPU. This is where the Zephyr Dark Pro shines, quiet and efficient with a CPU at factory settings.
It holds up, with no margin
At 5.1 GHz at 1.25 V: 65 °C in CPU, 86 °C in FPU. The test passes, but the reviewer points it out: very power-hungry or heavily pushed CPUs need something bigger.
Compared at 45 dB(A)
All coolers set to the same noise level, at stock settings: 24.5 °C at idle, 45.5 °C in CPU, 61.5 °C in FPU. From 32 dB(A) at 25 % speed to 47.2 dB(A) at full speed, measured at 15 cm.
Two regrets
No screwdriver in the box, even though the top screw calls for a 15 cm one.
Fins shorter than the fan : 100 mm against 120, leaving a strip of about 2 cm where the air passes through no fins at all.
Nothing that dents the verdict: value for money the reviewer finds hard to beat.
What Pause Hardware says
Aesthetically, M.RED’s ZEPHYR DARK PRO has an elegant understated look.
Wael.KPause Hardware, 7 December 2023 With its price below 40 €, it efficiently handles the tasks it is given.
Wael.KPause Hardware, 7 December 2023
In the range: with or without light
The version tested is all black. A version with an ARGB fan has since joined it: same tower, same TDP.
| Zephyr Dark Pro |  Zephyr Dark Pro ARGB | |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 240 W | 240 W |
| Intel | LGA1700/1200/115X/20XX | LGA1700/1200/115X/20XX |
| AMD | FM1/FM2/FM2+AM2/AM2+AM3/AM3+AM4/AM5 | FM1/FM2/FM2+AM2/AM2+AM3/AM3+AM4/AM5 |
| Heatpipe number | 6 | 6 |
| ARGB | No | Yes |
| RPM | 700-1900 | 700-1900 |
| Noise level MAX | 30 dB(A) | 33.12 dB(A) |
| Pressure | 2.2 mmH2O | 2.2 mmH2O |
The full spec sheet
Dimensions, compatibility, noise level: it’s all on its product page. The full review can be read on Pause Hardware.
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