A Closer Look

Overall, both heatsinks have the same straightforward design. Both are comprised of an aluminium tower cooler with U-shaped heatpipes. The heatpipes carry heat to 42 aluminium fins which are cooled by the 92 mm fan. In order to improve memory clearance, the SE 914 XT has a slightly offset design making it ideal for cases that can't fit larger heatsinks.


Since both coolers use the same base design, they differ in a couple of ways besides the ARGB lighting. The Basic model has nickel-plated heatpipes; meanwhile, the ARGB model has a black coating. As can be seen in the photos, while both are very similar, the addition of an ARGB top plate means that particular model is slightly taller, so if your case won't accommodate a larger cooler, it's worth keeping that in mind—after all, SFF builds can be derailed by just a few millimeters of clearance.


Looking at the top of the cooler: it's easy to spot the different designs. The Basic model uses a simple black top fin with the ID-Cooling logo, while the ARGB model features a chunkier design that encapsulates the heatpipes and is illuminated via LEDs. Said illumination includes an X-design on top, along with a few accent marks improving the visual appeal alongside the rectangular diffuser that goes around the entire top of the heatsink. As for the base, it uses a Heatpipe Direct Touch design comprised of four heatpipes. As noted earlier, the SE 914 XT Basic has nickel-plated heatpipes vs. the black heatpipes on the SE 914 XT ARGB. The base itself is flat at least, based on a razor blade test. It is also smooth to the touch, and while machining marks are visible, they are not overly noticeable.


The fans are where the biggest differences can be seen. Both coolers use the same ID-9225M12S fan, which spins at 600–2200 RPM and has a maximum airflow of 45.8 CFM. Since both coolers are essentially the same, I expected similar performance, which the tests confirm. If the cooling performance fits your needs, the only real question is whether you prefer ARGB lighting or not at a very slight premium.