Premium Low Profile CPU Cooler for SFF — Jonsbo HX6200D

For the past few months, my enthusiasm for small form factor setups and micro form factor was growing a lot and this resulted to me buying things related to anything SFF including multiple low profile. That is why I'm planning to share some of my insights and do reviews as well on these coolers for you to be able to decide which of the following coolers is right for your compact setup. We'll start this mini series with the Jonsbo HX6200D.

Design & Specification

Starting out with its looks and dimension, The HX6200D comes in two models, a white version with ARGB fan and a blacked out version that I got here for today's testing. It consists of six copper heatpipes that is directly connected to a smooth nickel-plated copper base. Height wise, this is not the shortest of the bunch as this measures 63mm tall while length and width is at 120mm each. For comparison, AMD's Wraith Stealth is at 55mm while the Wraith Prism is at 93mm. This cooler looks and feels solidly built as well with a total cooler weight of 500g. To cool this heatsink, a 15-inch 120mm fan is included to push in air towards its fin array. They've also included a small tube of Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut which is a nice touch from Jonsbo. Design wise, I like the black one more as it fits more on those stealthy looking setups.

Compatibility & Installation

Compatibility is a mixed bag, it's great as this supports Intel's latest LGA1700 socket an AMD's AM5 socket. Though make sure that you're getting the AM5 version as there are older models like mine that doesn't come with the appropriate backplate. But one thing that is surprisingly and disappointingly missing here are the mounting screws for standard 25mm fans. While not a deal breaker, I do want options to swap out my fan, let's say opting for Noctua's A12x25 for a better and quieter option. Another thing that users might need to check out is both the VRM and RAM heatsink clearance. I've tested this on my Gigabyte B450i motherboard and so far it is fine as it has shorter VRM heatsink but there was a clearance issue with my Corsair Vengeance memory. As long as your VRM heatsink is under 30mm and RAM heatsink is under 45mm, you should be fine.

One thing that is common with most low profile coolers, is the mounting mechanism and this Jonsbo cooler is no exception. Basically just install the appropriate bracket whether you are using an Intel or an AMD motherboard, then flip it at the back and install the nuts directly at the back of the motherboard. Pretty straightforward process but I do hope that future iterations would include back plates both for added rigidity and so you can reuse this cooler around to other boards as the washers included in this cooler has an adhesive for a one time only installation at the back of your motherboard. One trick that I've been doing for my other coolers is by attaching the washers invertedly and sticking it instead in the nuts or bolts.

Thermals & Noise

Our test setup consists of 2 scenarios under 2 fan speed setting. I went with fan speed as opposed to a normalized noise level to also compare the noise level between various coolers when either in 50% or 100% fan speed. We will be comparing today's cooler with both AMD's Wraith Stealth and Wraith Prism on a manually clocked Ryzen 5 5600 running 4.1Ghz at 1.15v first. Based from our testing, the HX6200D is pretty much neck and neck with AMD's Wraith Prism at 100% fan speed but beats it slightly when running on a slower fan setting. Gaming also sees better temps at 50% fan speed meaning we could see longer boosting with the HX6200D. The Wraith Stealth on the other hand loses in all scenarios with an alarming averages at 98° Celsius on 50% fan speed which is actually not recommended anymore.

My other test scenario is just letting PBO run its course while testing it and we can see that they are also both identical in terms of cooling performance in our CBR23 load test. And similar to my first test scenario, we are getting better average gaming temps when running our Jonsbo cooler with as much as 5° Celsius difference when running at 100% fan speed. Weirdly enough, temps reached to as high as 85° Celsius despite only pulling 120w of CPU package power. I am quite doubtful that this thing can even sustain a consistent 150w pull from the CPU hence their 200w TDP marketing is clearly false.

Fan noise on the other hand is a clear winner for the HX6200D given that this one uses a much wider 120mm fan as compared to the Wraith Prisms 92mm fan. With a 41dBa ambient noise, the Jonsbo got a 43 dBA against 45 dBA on 50% fan speed while a 3 dBA difference when on max speed. There is also a noticeable difference in the perceived sound as the Jonsbo cooler is still on the manageable side even at full speed.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the Jonsbo HX6200D retails at 2,200 PHP or roughly around 40 USD which is not cheap to begin with. While it outperforms the Wraith Stealth, it is still just neck and neck with the Wraith Prism which of course is still a stock fan from AMD. But opting for the HX6200D, you'll get better case compatibility with its lower height, a much quieter experience as compared to the louder wraith prism and a sleeker, more minimalistic cooler design. Just do note though that you should only run this on 120W CPU or less as the their 200W box claim is inaccurate.
You can also watch the video version of our review over at Junkyard Summit Youtube.