The Verdict
As stated in the introduction, we certainly had our reservations in the past about liquid metal based coolers, but every product deserves a fair chance and as such we happily took a shot at it and started a review. Admittedly, I do appreciate the Superleggera LMX cooler, the package is quite remarkable in the sense that it's a very well thought through concept. From A to Z, Danamics certainly applied proper R&D with a product that is unique in every way. You receive a cooler that is impressive looking, easy to install and sure, it's quite something else. It really is different alright. But different does not necessarily mean better.
Performance wise we definitely see nice numbers. The Superleggera LMX cooler reaches numbers that can be compared with high-end heatpipe based coolers. So overall I am fine with what I am seeing cooling performance wise.
Once we overclocked the processor towards 4200 MHz and fired off 1.5 volts at the processor there's where things got a more worrisome (in terms of CPU temperatures under full stress). But in Danamics' defense, very few coolers take this test well. So there's definitely a decent amount of cooling capacity inside the Superleggera LMX. Mind you that this was based on a cooler with two fans. We heard that there are SKUs out there with and without fans. Had we removed one fan and then compared it to the CPU coolers in our tests, the results definitely would have been a notch worse and perhaps even average for the Superleggera.
The noise levels then. The two fans on this product will rotate at roughly 60 to 70% RPM on your average baseline usage. At that level we measured roughly 44 dBA at 75cm distance, and that is a lot. If you are a bit of a noise freak like me, you could probably fix that by using two silent fans, but yeah, the noise levels are an extensive negative with this product.
In the end though, the performance of the Superleggera LMX is good enough, and can be compared to a high-end heatpipe cooler, but performance wise it really is just that. On a positive note, when introduced, the biggest downside of these products were their price. If memory serves me right the original product was 175~200 EUR. Danamics realized, probably the hard way, that there's just no market for a product of this level in that price range.
The company heard and listened, they released the socket 775, 1156, 1366, AM2, AM2+, AM3 compatible Superleggera LMX at 99 EUR. Though that is a much better price level, it remains a lot of money for a CPU cooler that competes with much less noisy, and less complex heatpipe CPU coolers. We can recommend the Danamics LMX Superleggera if you are on the lookout for something new, innovative and different. But sure, we did expect to see a little extra bite in cooling performance coming from a cooler with so much innovation, if you purchase it please do put proper silent fans on it.
If interested you can pick up these products here at www.FreezingHardware.eu and www.HighFlow.nl
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