Reeven Ouranos CPU Cooler Review

 

The name Reeven may not be new to pcGameware, but it’s new to me as this is the first time that I have ever laid my hands on one of their products. pcG Mike has already been impressed with both the Hans and the Okeanos and pcG Terry with the Justice, but today it’s my turn as I take a look at the Reeven Ouranos.

The Reeven Ouranos is a medium sized tower cooler measuring in at (143mm (W) x 161mm (H) x 95mm (D)) with its single 140mm fan. The PWM controlled fan has a rotational speed of 300-1700RPM, or 300-1300RPM with the supplied Speed Switch Adapter fitted. Total cooler weight with the fan fitted is approximately 1030g. The Reeven Ouranos supports the following Intel sockets: LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366 & LGA2011 and the following AMD sockets: AM2(+)/AM3(+)FM1/FM2(+).

 

 

 

The Reeven Ouranos arrived at pcG in a slate coloured box with a large image of the Ouranos on the front. The front of the box features a Reeven logo on the right and a central product name and rather oddly highlights Intel Core i3/i5/i7 & Haswell compatibility on the bottom left, odd because the Cooler supports most of the common AMD sockets too!

Looking at the back of the box we see various specifications and features of the Reeven Ouranos in various languages. Please see Specifications/Features below for more detail.

 

 

The left side of the box shows us another large image of the Ouranos as well as a full socket compatibility list: Intel LGA 755/1366/1150/1155/1156/2011 & AMD AM2/AM3/FM1/FM2/AM2+/AM3+/FM2+. In addition to this the left side of the box also highlights the following features:

The top of the box provides further details on the Reeven Ouranos (RC-1401) as follows:

On the right side of the box we find four small images of the Ouranos providing us W/H/D information (143mm (W) x 161mm (H) x 95mm (D)) as well as a list of advisories.

 

 

On opening the box we’re presented with an impressive top view of the Ouranos Cooler hiding within, with the Reeven Name (effectively) embossed into the top of the stack.

Within the box we find the main Cooling stack, a 140mm yellow/black fan and a box of fittings.

 

Fittings Box Contents

 

 

At the time of this review, the Reeven Ouranos has limited availability, but is available for import from Varitem for €42 (approximately £31.00) and comes with a 2 year warranty.

 

Specifications/Features

courtesy of Reeven

* Additional details available here

 

First Impressions

 

First impressions of the Reeven Ouranos are really very impressive, the cooling stack itself is very well made and with the embossed Reeven logo in the top the Ouranos is already looking the part. The fan looks good too, although I’m personally not a lover of the colour and yellow doesn’t tend to match in with many rig builds either. But I have to admit at this point I’m pretty impressed and now I can also see why pcG Mike has been prattling on about Reeven Coolers recently… 😉

 

Looking at the Reeven Ouranos from the side we can see that the stack is made up of 54 aluminium fins with a thicker top blanking plate also made from aluminium. From this angle you can also appreciate the number of heatpipes used in the Ouranos; a total of six are used x2 8mm pipes and x4 6mm pipes.

With the 140mm PWM fan attached by way of two, of the four clips provided, we can see the Ouranos’ full depth at 95mm. Also note the nicely braided cable hanging from the fan. This cable can also be optionally connected to the supplied Speed Switch Adapter (SSA) that drops the maximum fan speed from 1700RPM to 1300RPM.

 

 

Looking at the heatsink/fan assembly from a couple of other angles we can appreciate the supplied 140mm fan. The fan itself with a black shroud and yellow fan has a maximum rotational speed of 1700RPRM. At this speed the Reeven Ouranos’ fan emits 36dB of noise while producing approximately 92CFM of Static Pressure.

Clipping the fan, using the supplied metal spring clips at first appeared to be a bit of a chore! This is due to the fact that the clips are both quite strong and tight. While pulling on the tab of clip the clip has to be pulled so hard it just tends to deform, making it very difficult to clip into the square cut-outs on the heatsink stack. I found that pushing the middle section of the clip made it easier as there was less deformation.

 

 

Looking at the base of the Reeven Ouranos we can see that the cold-plate has been both machined and polished, please peel off before fitting also! 😉 In the shot below we can also clearly see the six nickel-plated heatpipes, with the two large (6mm) ones in the centre and the four smaller (6mm) ones on the outside (two each side). It certainly looks impressive…

With a side by side comparison of the Reeven Ouranos and our regular test CPU Cooler the Raijintek Themis, we can see a considerable size difference in Width, Height and Depth. Measuring in at 161mm(H) x 143mm(W) x 95mm(D) Vs 158mm(H) x 122mm(W) x 78mm(D) of the Themis, we can see that the Ouranos is bigger in all dimensions. The Reeven Ouranos is also considerably heavier weighing in at 1030g (with fan) Vs 590g (with fan) for the Themis. However we should find (hopefully!) that the increase in size (in both the stack and the fan) should help the thermal performance too…

 

 

Having performed a whistle stop tour of the Reeven Ouranos I have to admit I’m pretty impressed with what I’ve seen so far. The cooler looks good (especially that logo in the top) and seems to be very well made, although I have to admit I’m still not convinced about the yellow fan. Anyway, let’s see what it’s like to fit shall we…

 

 

Hardware Installation

 

Test Rig Setup

Case	Cooler Master HAF XB	Power Supply	Corsair Professional Series AX 760i
Motherboard	ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer	CPU	Intel Core i5-4690K
CPU Cooler	Reeven Ouranos	RAM	HyperX Savage 2400MHz 8GB Kit
Graphics Card	XFX AMD Radeon R9 290X DD Black Edition	SSD	HyperX FURY 120GB

 

The first task before installing the Reeven Ouranos was to identify the parts required for our Socket 1150 installation on our TestRig’s motherboard the ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer. The first parts that I assembled were the parts for installing the CPU’s backplate, shown below left. This assembly compromised of the main black backplate, 4 bolts, 4 silicone washers and 4 spacers. The bolts are threaded through so the indentation of the central cut-out faces up along with the bolt’s threads, the four silicone washers are then added, this stops the bolts falling back out. Note that the bolts have keys in them so they lock into a specific position on the backplate, to stop them rotating. The backplate can then be threaded though the motherboard and the spacers placed over each of the four protruding bolts on the other side.

 

 

The next task is to install the mounting bracket, WARNING the bracket will actually fit either way up, make sure you install it as shown in the image far right above. The instructions provided are clear on this although the instructions are a little difficult to read at times. With the backplate in place it can then be secured using the four nuts and the wrench provided. The wrench is a nice touch, but in practice it was fiddly to use, and I found it didn’t actually fit the nuts all that well either!

The end result is a nice secure, sturdy platform ready for us to mount the Reeven Ouranos to.

 

 

The final task was to mount the Stack/Fan assembly to the bracket; the fan needs to be removed from the heatsink to do this, which means messing with those pesky clips. But now I have discovered a better method this should be easier. After applying some thermal paste we use (Arctic MX-4) the cooler can be mounted. The supplied mounting bar is threaded through the base of the stack (paying attention to the orientation of the Reeven logo) and the cooler positioned atop the CPU. The two bolts were then inserted and tightened in turn until just finger tight. Note: Using a ‘man sized’ screwdriver for this sort of work is asking for trouble (pcG Mike!), please be careful… 😉 The 140mm fan was then reattached (and yes it was easier second time around!), and the fan’s PWM power cable was plugged into CPU_FAN_1 on the ASRock motherboard. We should be good to go then…

 

 

As you can see from the images above Memory/RAM clearance is very good on the Reeven Ouranos, even the front DIMM slot can be used. Memory height isn’t an issue either, although taller memory may encroach on the air flow around the base of the fan.

 

Testing Methodology/Setup

 

* Please note: To ascertain the maximum and minimum noise levels produced by our CPU test coolers. The dB is recorded at a distance of 1 metre from the cooler, with all case fans unplugged to isolate the sound in question.

 

 

Processor speed is set using the OC Tweaker tab of the UEFI, “Disabled” for stock speeds (3.5GHz) and “Turbo 4.0GHz” for the minor overclock tests. It should be noted that changing the OC settings resets the Fan Speeds, so these are checked on the next reboot and reset to “Full Speed” (see below).

 

 

All the fans installed in the system are set to 100% speed using the displayed settings, this is simple with the ASROCK UEFI with the option of “Full Speed” being available for all system fans (bar the Power Supply Fan header).

 

 

Hardware Performance

 

As stated above, to make our performance tests easier to follow and to get the most accurate recordings, all of the following tests have been carried out with case fans set at 100% and the Reeven Ouranos fans also set at 100%.

 

• Intel Core i5-4690K – 3.5GHz (stock)

 

 

CPU Cooler	Air/Liquid	Fan Speed	Ambient Temperature	Max CPU Temperature (core average)	Delta Temperature	Noise Level
Deepcool Gamer Storm Maelstrom 240	Liquid	100%	24.00	43.50	19.50	50dB
Noctua NH-D15	Air	100%	25.00	44.75	19.75	44dB
Fractal Design Kelvin T12	Liquid	100%	25.00	46.00	21.00	40dB
Reeven Okeanos	Air	100%	22.00	43.75	21.75	45dB
SilverStone Tundra TD03-E	Liquid	100%	25.50	49.25	23.75	51dB
Corsair H105	Liquid	100%	23.00	46.75	23.75	60dB
Reeven Justice	Air	100%	21.50	46.50	25.00	39dB
Reeven Hans	Air	100%	26.00	51.50	25.50	34dB
Raijintek Themis Evo	Air	100%	21.50	47.50	26.00	37dB
Noctua NH-U9S	Air	100%	24.00	50.00	26.00	38dB
Scythe Mugen Max	Air	100%	22.00	48.50	26.50	36dB
Reeven Ouranos	Air	100%	22.00	48.50	26.50	43dB
Raijintek Themis	Air	100%	21.50	52.25	30.75	47dB
Cryorig C1	Air	100%	23.00	56.25	33.25	42dB
Noctua NH-D9L	Air	100%	25.00	55.75	30.75	33dB
SilverStone Argon AR06	Air	100%	23.50	79.50	56.00	28dB

* Thermals Explained

 

As you can see from the data presented above the Reeven Ouranos falls pretty much middle of the air cooled pack, but I have to admit that I didn’t expect to see it lower than its smaller sibling the Reeven Hans. Although if you study the data carefully you’ll notice that there are a group of six coolers in the middle of the pack that are separated by just 1.5 degrees! To be fair it’s also making a fair bit of noise at this point too, at 43dB (with the fan at 100%) the Ouranos is not exactly quiet either…

 

• Intel Core i5-4690K – 4.0GHz (OC Tweaker)

 

 

CPU Cooler	Air/Liquid	Fan Speed	Ambient Temperature	Max CPU Temperature (core average)	Delta Temperature	Noise Level
Fractal Design Kelvin T12	Liquid	100%	26.50	53.75	27.25	40dB
Deepcool Gamer Storm Maelstrom 240	Liquid	100%	24.50	52.50	28.00	50dB
Reeven Okeanos	Air	100%	23.50	51.75	28.25	45dB
Noctua NH-D15	Air	100%	24.00	52.50	28.50	44dB
Corsair H105	Liquid	100%	23.00	53.50	30.50	60dB
Scythe Mugen Max	Air	100%	22.00	54.75	32.75	36dB
SilverStone Tundra TD03-E	Liquid	100%	26.00	58.75	32.75	51dB
Reeven Justice	Air	100%	22.00	55.25	33.25	39dB
Reeven Hans	Air	100%	25.00	59.25	34.25	34dB
Reeven Ouranos	Air	100%	24.00	58.25	34.25	43dB
Raijintek Themis Evo	Air	100%	21.50	58.00	36.50	37dB
Noctua NH-U9S	Air	100%	23.50	60.25	36.75	38dB
Raijintek Themis	Air	100%	21.00	59.50	38.50	47dB
Noctua NH-D9L	Air	100%	24.50	67.00	42.50	33dB
Cryorig C1	Air	100%	23.00	65.75	42.75	42dB
SilverStone Argon AR06	Air	100%	23.50	92.50	69.00	28dB

* Thermals Explained

 

Performance increases a little (when compared to the other coolers) as we add a little voltage and dial in our 4.0GHz overclock. The Ouranos climbs a couple of places beating the Raijintek Themis Evo and the Noctua NH-U9S. But it still cant seem to match either the performance of the Reeven Hans or Justice, thermally or acoustically…

 

Acoustics

 

I was hoping for better acoustic performance from the Reeven Ouranos, but unfortunately it was still a little louder than expected. With its fans at 100% the Ouranos produced approximately 43dB of noise, more than both of its siblings the Hans and Justice. Of course there’s the supplied Speed Switch Adapter (SSA) that can also be used. This drops the rotation speed of the fan from 1700RPM to 1300RPM, the knock on effect is an additional drop in noise, bringing the noise output of the Ouranos to a more palatable 39dB. Of course the knock-on effect of this is likely to be a degradation in thermal performance.

 

Final Thoughts

 

This is the first Reeven product that I have ever seen personally and I have to say I’m impressed, the Reeven Ouranos is one good looking well made CPU Cooler and the performance is pretty good too! But although the price is very reasonable, there’s still of couple of things that let it down…

The Reeven Ouranos arrived at pcG in smart box, with all of the components well packaged. Once out of the box it was evident that the Ouranos was not just a damn good looking CPU Cooler (thanks mainly to that embossed top plate), but it’s also beautifully made. In the hand the cooler stack feels very substantial and those fins are nice and thick, which means that not prone to bending, like on some other coolers that we have seen. The inclusion of a 140mm PWM fan is also a bonus and should help to cool the CPU that little bit more than your regular 120mm fan. From a pure looks point of view the Reeven Ouranos scores ten out of ten, that’s as long as (a) you like yellow, or (b) you’re building a yellow themed Rig. Unfortunately neither of these statements are ever likely to be true for me…

Installation was easier than I first thought as I had concerns over the number of parts required. But to be honest the instructions were clear (if not perfect) and the installation went well, just be careful you don’t put the silver bracket up the wrong way! 😉 Also I’m not a lover of the included wrench and the use of hex nuts!? This just made things more awkward, especially as the wrench didn’t seem to fit properly either. Then we have the fan and its associated clips that I’m normally not a lover of, and initially I wasn’t! But after figuring out an easy way to clip then on, I almost started to like them, woohoo!

Performance wise the Reeven Ouranos didn’t perform as well as I was hoping for to be honest, but that’s mainly down to its visual position in the charts. In the 3.5GHz stock test the Ouranos performed better than our stock Cooler the Raijintek Themis, but was below all of is siblings the Okeanos, Justice and Hans. Considering its physical size and its 140mm fan it’s a little disappointing, but if you look at the data you’ll see that it’s actually only 1.5 degrees behind the Justice that’s placed five positions higher! With an overclock to 4.0GHz the Ouranos performs better rising up the chart by a couple of places, it’s better but it’s not great.

Overall though I’d be happy to have the Reeven Ouranos in my Rig; it looks awesome, its build quality is very high and it cools well enough for most of us, even when overclocking. Its biggest issue here is actually the other Reeven Coolers, which of course is somewhat ironic!

 

Verdict

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Many thanks to Reeven for providing this sample for review