The latest NVMe SSD cooler to hit our test bench is the G-M2HP04-F (loud isn’t it?) from the German manufacturer. Graugir. If you’re not familiar, Graugear specializes in niche storage peripherals such as thefunky SSD cooler for PlayStation 5 that takes advantage of the console’s CPU fan. Its line also includes a variety of internal and external storage adapters, USB hubs and other types of coolers and radiators for SSDs.
What makes the G-M2HP04-F different from its competitors? Two copper heat pipes, aluminum fins and a fan for active cooling. Is this enough to become one of our recommended SSD coolers and radiators? Let’s dive into the specifications and features of this device, then look at its thermal performance and our recommendations.
Cooler characteristics
| Cooler | iHTP M.2 SSD cooler |
| Recommended retail price | US$29.95 |
| Radiator material | Aluminum fins |
| Heat pipes | Two copper heat pipes with a diameter of 5 mm. |
| Fan speed | Up to 8500 rpm |
| Fan size | 25 mm x 25 mm x 10 mm |
| Air flow | 2.87 cubic feet per minute |
| Lighting | Nobody |
| Guarantee | Two years |
Packaging and included contents
The packaging is quite simple: the refrigerator comes in a small box just large enough to hold the product. The package includes a heatsink and fan, a base, two sets of thermal pads, a screwdriver and documentation.
Features of Graugear G-M2HP04-F
▶️ Two copper heat pipes
The first thing that sets the Graugear heatsink apart from its competitors is the presence of two 5mm copper heatpipes.
▶️ Aluminum fins like a mini CPU cooler
The SSD cooler’s copper heatpipes are connected to aluminum fins, like a mini CPU cooler. In fact, with a little tinkering, you can adapt this product for low-power CPU cooling!
▶️ Active 25mm fan
But heat pipes and aluminum fins aren’t the only tools the Graugear SSD heatsink uses to cool your drive—it also features a small 25mm fan to draw heat away from the NVMe drive.
Configuration and Test Methodology – LGA1700 Platform
Today’s review will be the last of the heatsinks tested on my latest generation platform, which was limited to PCI-4.0 speeds. To test the efficiency of an SSD heatsink or cooler, I run a custom IOMeter script that stresses both the SSD controller and the NAND. The SSD heatsink is installed in the M.2 slot next to the processor, which is cooled by the AIO.
Cooling an SSD on a PCIe 5.0 system can be more challenging, and whether your CPU is cooled by an AIO or an air cooler can affect the performance of your SSD heatsinks. To see how this can impact results, I encourage you to visit my recent iHTP SSD heatsink review, which features testing on a modern Arrow Lake platform supporting PCIe 5.0 speeds, as well as tests performed with both air-cooled and AIO cooler.
Keep in mind that if you’re wondering whether you even need an aftermarket SSD heatsink, the answer is likely no. These types of devices will be most useful for those users who have storage- and I/O-intensive workloads in high-temperature environments, such as servers. For most casual users, the benefits of a more powerful SSD heatsink will be limited to increasing the lifespan of your SSD.
| CPU | Intel Core i7-13700K |
| Motherboard | MSI Z690 Pro DDR4 |
| solid state drive | TeamGroup Z540 |
| Happening | Be calm! Silent Base 802, system fans set to speed 1. |
| power unit | Cooler Master XG Plus 850 Platinum power supply |
| Test method | IOMeter custom script, test duration 30 minutes. |
Radiator installation
Installing an SSD heatsink is simple, and if you’ve seen it, you’ve basically seen them all. There are very few differences in installation procedures due to the similarities of these devices.
1. Take the base of the device and apply the first thermal pad. Then place the SSD on top of the first thermal pad.
2. Place the second thermal pad on top of the SSD.
3. Place the heatsink over the top thermal pad and secure it with the included screws.
4. Finally, place the device into the M.2 slot on the motherboard and then connect the PWM cable. I installed this unit in the slot between the GPU and CPU cooler, but you may need to use a different slot if you have a particularly wide air cooler.