Arctic has long been a well-known manufacturer of CPU coolers, GPU coolers and case fans. The CPU coolers of the Freezer series and GPU coolers of the Accelero series in particular have made this brand famous worldwide. In addition to these classic cooling solutions, Arctic has now expanded its portfolio in June 2024 to include an SSD cooler. We are testing the Arctic M2 Pro today.
Arctic advertises the M2 Pro SSD cooler with efficient heat dissipation, easy installation for single- and double-sided SSDs and a high level of compatibility, including the PS5. The manufacturer also offers the heatsink in a silver and a black version. Read on to find out how the Arctic M2 pro SSD cooler performs.
Arctic M2 Pro test: Technical details
General specifications |
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| Dimensions | 73 x 24.2 x 10.5 mm (L x W x H) |
| Weight | 40,5 g |
| material | aluminum |
| Warranty period | 6 years |
| Number of thermal pads | 2 |
| Price | € 7.99 * |
Packaging & scope of delivery
Arctic packs the M2 Pro SSD cooler in a very compact cardboard box. This is printed in color and, depending on the variant, the colors white or black dominate. In addition, the manufacturer’s logo, the product name and a small table with technical data are printed on the packaging in white or black. Inside we find the two-part heat sink with an already applied and an additional thermal pad, which is used for double-sided SSDs. The assembly instructions are only available in digital form on the website. A corresponding QR code for scanning can be found on the packaging.
Design & processing
Arctic remains true to its line and does not dare to experiment with the design of the heatsink. As already mentioned, the heat sink consists of a top and a bottom side that can be slid into each other. Both elements are made of aluminium, which is either anodized black or silver, depending on the variant. On the top of the cooling block, we can see the greyish printed manufacturer’s logo and three slightly offset cooling fins. Compared to the rest of the material, these cooling fins have a subtle shine and the rest of the aluminum has a matt finish.
In terms of its workmanship, the Arctic M2 Pro leaves us with a mixed impression. The actual cooling block is well made in both color variants. The anodization of the black version is also neat. Unfortunately, we could see two scratches on the back of the second element of the anodized version. However, these are not visible when installed. The silver version without anodizing, on the other hand, left a flawless impression.
Arctic M2 Pro test: Assembly
Before mounting, you should first determine whether you are using a single-sided or double-sided SSD. In our case, the SSD has no components on the underside, so we don’t need the second thermal pad. The first step is to remove the protective film from the pre-applied thermal pad and then place the top of the SSD on the heat sink so that both the contacts and the attachment point at the rear end are still accessible. We then place the back of the heat sink over the SSD and simply clip it into place. That was it!
If you are using an SSD with double-sided mounting, you would of course have to prepare the second thermal pad before attaching the back, place it on the SSD and then attach the back. But even this doesn’t really mean much more effort during assembly, as the thermal pads stick very well.
Disassembly, on the other hand, is much more complicated, especially if you have installed the Arctic M2 Pro on an SSD with chips on both sides. In this case, the back cannot simply be pushed off with a little effort. Instead, the back of the heat sink must be loosened with a thin slotted screwdriver. This process not only scratches the heat sink but can also lead to injuries. Arctic therefore explicitly advises the use of work gloves for the disassembly process in the assembly video.
Cooling performance
A test system is used for the review, which is mounted on a benchtable. This allows us to rule out factors such as heat build-up in the housing. The test system consists of the following components.
- AMD Ryzen 7 5700X*
- ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus*
- Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray 32 GB DDR4-3000*
- Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6G*
- LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum Series 550W*
The Arctic M2 Pro was tested with the following SSD.
| Scenario | Idle result | Full load result |
| without heat sink | 37 °C | 47 °C |
| Mainboard heatsink (ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus) | 28 °C | 43 °C |
| Arctic M2 Pro | 25 °C | 41 °C |
In conjunction with the SSD used, it quickly becomes apparent that the differences between the results with and without Arctic M2 Pro are quite significant. This is despite the fact that the SSD we used is not one of the fastest and warmest PCIe 4.0 SSDs. Compared to the pre-installed heat sink on the mainboard, however, the differences are much smaller and should hardly make a difference in everyday use.
Conclusion of the Arctic M2 Pro test
So who is the Arctic M2 Pro SSD cooler suitable for? If the motherboard already has an integrated heat sink, then you probably don’t need to think about buying the Arctic M2 Pro. Modern motherboards now have such heavy and large heat sinks that they should have at least an equivalent if not better cooling potential.
Nevertheless, there are also cheaper motherboards on which such SSD coolers are not pre-installed. In such a case, the Arctic M2 Pro at a price of € 7.99 * is actually a no-brainer, as the temperatures improve significantly under continuous load and the service life of the SSD can potentially be extended as a result. In addition, the heatsink is visually appealing and relatively simple in design and the Arctic M2 Pro is very easy to install.
However, this SSD cooler is also particularly interesting for owners of a PS5. The big advantage of the Arctic M2 Pro is that it is very compact and therefore fits easily into the Nvme slot of the PS5. If you can live with the somewhat unwieldy disassembly and don’t have to constantly dismantle the cooler, then the Arctic M2 Pro SSD cooler is definitely worth a look and with a price of € 7.99 * it won’t break your wallet.
Arctic M2 Pro
Design
Processing
Performance
Assembly
Price-performance ratio
85/100
The Arctic M2 Pro is a good SSD cooler and is particularly suitable for use with motherboards without pre-installed SSD heat sinks or in conjunction with a PlayStation 5. However, compromises in terms of workmanship and the disassembly process must be accepted.
