ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review

ID-Cooling's SE-207-XT Advanced CPU air cooler is definitely one to add to your shortlist of potential products to tame your CPU.

Published
Manufacturer: ID-Cooling
13 minutes & 8 seconds read time
TweakTown's Rating: 98%
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The Bottom Line

ID-Cooling has taken an older design and does much more than putting lipstick on a pig here. The SE-207-XT Advanced is the new air cooling champ, and sets a new level of competition for all others to try to meet or beat from here on out. If you have the room, we strongly urge you to consider it.

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 99

For those that follow our CPU cooler reviews, ID-Cooling is a name you should be acquainted with at this point. Over the years, we have seen eight of their SE coolers, everything from the SE-207-XT, various SE-214 models, SE-224, SE-225, SE-226, and even the SE-914, and while they may not be for everyone, we do not recall any of them being particularly bad. In those offerings, we have seen 120mm fan-based single towers; some were plain looking, yet some fancier.

We saw dual-tower models as well. Most of them were black, but there was one white model we saw, and we even saw a 92mm fan-based model. As you can see, ID-Cooling is trying its best to offer something to fit almost every build out there, but we can tell you that they are all easy to install and deliver adequate performance for the investment.

While it seems we have run the gamut with what they already offer, we are here to look at the latest design, which essentially takes what we saw in the SE-207-XT Black and delivers us a completely new appeal with some minor and some major changes to what we saw in the past. That means we now get a very similar dual-tower CPU cooler that, while keeping the same TDP and weight, the size has changed a bit. Still, the fan choice has improved, and rather than a textured plastic top that cheapened the overall appeal, this time, ID-Cooling stepped up the look and delivered something that we feel many more will appreciate.

That said, we may as well get right at it and cover what ID-Cooling is up to now. With their latest SE-207-XT Advanced, the game has been changed for ID-Cooling. Not only do they have a big boy cooler for the situations where a single tower design won't cut it, but with the addition of some upgraded fans and a much better-looking brushed metal top this time around, you can see where the Advanced portion of the name is derived. So while much of this might be a rehash to our avid readers, we do think there is enough now to convince those previously on the fence to give ID-Cooling a chance at cooling their CPUs.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 01

The chart we made offers all of the information we found on the product page for the Se-207-XT Advanced. It starts with compatibility, which has changed ever so slightly. With the release of the LGA1700 socket, support for it has been added, while all other HEDT and mainstream intel sockets still get supported, as does the AM4 socket from AMD. Next comes the mention of the 280W TDP of this design, and the 120mm width, 110mm depth, and 154mm dimensions follow. We then see that this tower comes with seven, that's right, seven 6mm diameter copper heat pipes run through two stacks containing fifty-five aluminum fins, with a thick top plate installed above them. With the fans, hardware, and fan clips, you will have a hefty 1300 grams of cooling mounted to your motherboard.

With this tower comes a pair of ID12025M125 fans. Both are 120mm variants that are 25mm thick and can run at speeds from 700 to 1800 RPM. At full speed, these fans deliver 82.5 CFM and 2.55 mmH2O of static pressure while trying to stay at 35.2 dB(A). Power-wise, we see they are 12V DC fans, but they can start with as little as 7V DC but typically operate in a range of 10.8 to 13.2V. These fans only require 0.25 Amps, but they draw 3 Watts a piece while spinning on their hydraulic bearings. And, of course, as most coolers do, the SE-207 -XT Advanced cooler uses a PWM signal to control the fans to deliver the least amount of noise while affording the best performance at said noise level.

Typically we would go to Amazon and find the coolers for you and use them as the baseline for pricing. When we cannot find products there, we tend to lean on Newegg, but again we came up empty-handed. So back to the search engine we went, to see if we could locate this cooler on this side of the pond, and did come up with a single option at this time. It is AliExpress, which has the SE-207-XT Advanced listed, and there we can see they require $62.80 for it. While not exactly the most affordable solution on the market, we have seen many single-tower offerings cost this much or more, so the price isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things.

Buy at Amazon

ID-COOLING SE-226-XT Black CPU Cooler

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$42.49$42.49$42.99
* Prices last scanned on 3/18/2024 at 2:10 am CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Packaging

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 02

The packaging is bright and will definitely attract your eyes with the use of bright orange and black. On the left is the SE-207-XT Advanced product name, while at the right is a glossy image of the cooler found inside, along with the ID-Cooling name, logo, and tagline.

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The right side panel of this box keeps to the matte black look, with just the thinnest line of orange at the bottom. On it, we find the CPU socket support in small bubbles, white with blue rings for Intel and black with red rings for AMD. The sticker that follows these contains the serial number for each cooler.

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The back mimics the look we saw on the front of the packaging, but this time it is used for specifications. To the left are six languages and descriptions of the specifications, while to the right, a sticker has been applied to deliver the details for each spec.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 05

The left end of the box is all orange, and using white text makes it hard to read. On the left, we see the manufacturer along with the ID-Cooling site and support addresses, while the right delivers the information for their Facebook page and YouTube channel.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 06

Inside the cardboard box, we find the cooler almost entirely encapsulated with open-celled foam as the protective layer should the package be handled roughly on the way to your door. On top of the foam, we find a box containing all the bits and hardware, while the two boxes to the right of the tower have the fans.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Cooler

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 07

Fresh out of the box, we had to remove quite a bit of foam from between the fins, and with the fans shipped in their own boxes, you can see that the tower can be compressed. Nothing a bit of flexing of the tower won't fix, but for now, it is what it is. From this angle, we see that the entire cooler is black, and we can see the thicker covers at the top and the covered pipe tips above that.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 08

Looking at the front of the tower, we can see all fifty-five aluminum fins, some of which are a bit bent near the edges but can be easily brought back into alignment. Looking below the fin array, we can see the wide group of seven heat pipes taking heat from the CPU and delivering it to the fin stacks.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 09

As we look at the second side of the towers, we can see that the lower eleven fins are cut much shorter to allow for better RAM clearance, much like what we saw from Noctua long ago. We can also tell that the middle fan cannot be attached to the cooler before installation, as the mounting bar runs parallel to both fin arrays.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 10

As we glance at the back of the assembly, we do not have much more to add except for one thing. If you look closely at the top of the cooler, you will find a layer of foam inserted before the top plate is installed, which we can only assume is done to absorb vibrations.

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Whether looking at the front edge, or the back, this is the design of the fins we get. The fins are highest at the edges, with three rows of hooks at either side. The bulk of the fins is cut shorter in the center, which allows the fan a bit of space to build up airflow and pressure before entering the fins. The lowest eleven fins on the cooler are flat on the edges.

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While you may have assumed the fins to be anodized, the rough texture alludes to this being a spray-applied coating. However, the main reason we are looking here is to see that the fins have been press fit to the pipes and to show that while they looked to be in a single row, the pipes run through the fins in two rows.

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The aluminum portion of the base is cut to deliver fins and can act as a pre-cooler, but the painted steel mounting bar covers the bulk of it, but airflow can still go through it. To mount the cooler to the hardware, we will show in a bit; you will need to use the spring-loaded screws at either end of the bracket.

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We already removed the plastic sticker, which was applied poorly and was folded onto itself inside the box, which is how we got fingerprints on the base. Even so, the base offers a unique texture. Not only can we make out the slightest hint of circular machine marks on it, but it is also slightly textured as if sandblasted. On the flip side, it could also just be the nickel plating covering the copper base plate.

Accessories and Documentation

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After opening the hardware box, we pulled out five parts to show first. On the left are the AMD brackets, which allow the cooler to be mounted. In the middle is the backplate for the mainstream Intel sockets, while to the right are the Intel brackets allowing the cooler to be mounted.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 16

Here we start at the left, with the AMD standoffs and provided screws to use with the factory backplate. Next, we see the knurled nuts used for Intel sockets, the Intel HEDT standoffs, and the mainstream Intel standoffs.

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While four wire fan clips are enough to get you going as designed, ID-Cooling offers six of them. This way, you can add a third fan to the mix, hopefully delivering enough performance to offset the cost of that optional fan.

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To make things as easy as possible for their customers, ID-Cooling includes stuff like the screwdriver and the three-way y-splitter cable to power the fans from a single motherboard fan headers. Along with those bits, we also get a metal case badge and a tube of Frost X25 thermal paste, and while the tube is large, there are maybe three applications worth of paste inside.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 19

The installation manual starts with a parts list that is visual and offers descriptions to ensure you are using the right parts for your installation. Things quickly move into the various Intel mounting situations with images and instructions, which is also done for AMD users afterward. At the end of the English section, we get a part about tips and how to go about replacement and support, with various addresses listed to contact ID-Cooling.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 20

Both of the fans that ship with the SE-207-XT Advanced are the ID12025M125 fans, which are entirely black. Both come with nine blades and the ID-Cooling logo sticker on the fan hub. The corners have large pads to isolate vibrations, and both use 4-pin PWM connections for power.

Installation and Finished Product

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 21

After removing the screws and top portion of the AMD motherboard hardware and leaving the backplate in place, we can continue with the SE-207-XT Advanced installation. To do so, drop on the AMD standoffs, orient the top brackets as shown in this image, and with the provided screws, lock it all to the motherboard.

ID-Cooling SE-207-XT Advanced CPU Air Cooler Review 22

We then applied thermal paste and secured the bracket at the cooler's base to what we installed in the previous picture. After that, we clipped the fans on as low as possible onto the tower, which leaves us with the view we have here, looking at things from the front.

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With the memory we use, we did not run into any issues with the way things go together. However, with the fan over the top of the RAM, should you have something like TridentZ sticks or anything taller, you will need to keep that in mind regarding the overall height of the cooler and case fitment.

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The tower does take quite a bit of room over the motherboard. At this time, we are blocking the view of the RAM once installed into a chassis, and should you want to opt for the third fan, you will have the same RAM clearance problem on HEDT systems, and it will also make accessing the 8-pin plug much tougher than it is now.

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With the SE-207-XT Advanced installed onto the test bed, you get a better idea of just how big it is. Even so, we thoroughly enjoy the upgraded appeal of the top of the tower, where the brushed metal and machined pipe covers stare back at you, deli8vering a high-end aesthetic we did not expect at this price point.

Test System Setup, Thermal Tests, and Noise Results

Chad's CPU Cooler Test System Specifications

  • Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO [Wi-Fi] (AMD X570) - Buy from Amazon
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X - Buy from Amazon
  • Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 4000MHz 4X8GB
  • Graphics Card: ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 6GB OC - Buy from Amazon
  • Storage: Galax HOF Pro M.2 1TB SSD
  • Case: Hydra Bench Standard
  • Power Supply: ASUS ROG Thor 850W - Buy from Amazon
  • OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit - Buy from Amazon
  • Software: AMD Ryzen Master, AIDA64 Engineer 6.25.5400, and CPU-z 1.92.0 x64

To see our testing methodology and to find out what goes into making our charts, please refer to our 2020 CPU Cooler Testing and Methodology article for more information.

Thermal Results

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We can see how well ID-Cooling did at the stock level of testing. In seventh place overall, in the mix with many AIOs and better than all of the air coolers in the chart, we can appreciate the 56.7°C average temperature.

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Once the overclock is applied, we see more of the same. Sadly the Se-207-XT Advanced did lose one spot in this chart, leaving it in eighth place now, but it is still battling it out with much larger solutions that should have seemingly outpaced this design. Even so, we landed with an average temperature of just 63.6°C, leaving ID-Cooling as the best air cooler to date.

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As we do, we allowed the fans to do their best at cooling the CPU, and with just 1.8°C of benefit to attempting this, the noise level will tend to steer many away from doing this. However, we like that they can still take on the chart toppers and stick to being the best performing option in air cooling.

Noise Level Results

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Although a glance at this chart makes it appear that ID-Cooling fails to keep noise at bay, at 32 dB, they are venturing into the audible range without being abusive. Let's be honest here. You have to give up something to get an affordable cooler that performs as well as the SE-207-XT Advanced. The fans were running at 1144 RPM as their maximum for this round for those wondering about speed.

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While on the overclocked run, noise does get much more noticeable at the 40 dB we saw on the meter while the fans were turning at 1308 RPM. By far not the worst option out there, but you can see that if you desire silence in all aspects, this may not be the best option for you.

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With 12V supplied to the fans, the fastest we saw them go was 1769 RPM, not exactly up to their rated speed, but well within the margin of plus or minus 10% that all fans state. At 54 dB, we dive into near annoying noise levels, which is why we said that the extra degree and change you get from doing so was not worth it.

Final Thoughts

On the most basic of levels, it is hard not to give ID-Cooling, and this SE-207-XT Advanced its dues. They came out of nowhere with a redesign of a cooler that did not do nearly as well and shows that with a bit more love from the fans, they could do so much better in our charts. When it comes to the thermal performance, you can't ask for more than it to be the best of the bunch when it comes to air cooling a CPU, and it achieves that feat handily.

Noise levels can concern some, but with the PWM function in control of things, we did not mind the noise we could hear. Keep in mind, too, that we judge them in an open-air environment, where many will have this inside of a case with more fans going, which can easily be as loud or louder than this SE-207-XT Advanced. All the same, ID-Cooling had to give up something to be able to accomplish what they have, and we are not mad at them for it.

While performance and noise were addressed, we want to address some of the oddities in hopes that ID-Cooling can do a bit better the next time we see products like this from them. Our first look at the cooler was of a dual-tower that was angled inward, likely due to shipping and the fact that there is nothing in the box to keep the two halves evenly spaced. The next part was all the chunks of foam that broke away from the inner packaging and were wedgesd inside the fins.

The last thing is that while many coolers do fine with similar packaging, we feel the overall weight is a bit much for the foam, as beyond what we already mentioned, we also found some of the fins bent near the edges. All these issues were fairly easy to correct but not something any customer should have to deal with. We get that it is an affordable option for the level of performance you get, but nobody likes it when the cooler comes damaged or is bent out of shape.

Looking back, we scan the charts again, and the realization hits of how affordable the SE-207-XT Advanced is. You get the performance of an AIOs that range in price from $125 on the lower-end to nearly $200 in some instances. That said, at roughly $63, it is tough to beat up on ID-Cooling for the minimal issues we did find. Along with the new aesthetic appeal that delivers a top-tear visual appeal, with about a third less the cost of others in a similar situation, it again lends to the fact that you should give ID-Cooling a chance if you want to obtain the best results commercially available from an air cooled CPU cooler.

While we will be taking a few points from this award here and there for what we did run into, we still feel that you are hard-pressed to look beyond a cooler like the SE-207-XT Advanced, as it has set the bar for every other cooler manufacturer to follow.

Performance

100%

Quality

95%

Features

95%

Value

100%

Overall

98%

The Bottom Line

ID-Cooling has taken an older design and does much more than putting lipstick on a pig here. The SE-207-XT Advanced is the new air cooling champ, and sets a new level of competition for all others to try to meet or beat from here on out. If you have the room, we strongly urge you to consider it.

TweakTown award
98%

ID-COOLING SE-226-XT Black CPU Cooler

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$42.49$42.49$42.99
* Prices last scanned on 3/18/2024 at 2:10 am CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Chad joined the TweakTown team in 2009 and has since reviewed 100s of new techy items. After a year of gaming, Chad caught the OC bug. With overclocking comes the need for better cooling, and Chad has had many air and water setups. With a few years of abusing computer parts, he decided to take his chances and try to get a review job. As an avid overclocker, Chad is always looking for the next leg up in RAM and coolers.

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