The Swedish manufacturer Fractal Design ventured into the compact water cooling market with the Kelvin series. His newest product is the Fractal Design Celsius S24 Wasserkühlung* water cooling.
What we appreciate most about the Celsius S24 from Fractal Design is the special way in which unnecessary ballast was avoided. So this model has been completely concentrated on the features. We are spared unnecessary LEDs as well as unnecessary software. The Celsius S24 only requires a motherboard header that runs out below the pump. Despite the simple design, the pumphead looks great thanks to the reflective top and rotating rubber dial. The two operating modes PWM and Automatic are available for selection. However, as the auto control is relatively slow and reacts very late, we recommend using PWM.
Technical Data of the Fractal Design Celsius S24
| Product | Fractal Design Celsius S24 |
| Pump unit material | Plastic, copper |
| Material of the radiator | Aluminium |
| Radiator dimensions (W x H x D) | 284 x 122 x 31 mm |
| Diameter pump unit | round 78 mm |
| speed pump unit | 1950 to 3150 RPM |
| Height Pump unit | round 30 mm |
| Length of the hose | 40 cm |
| Fan dimensions | 120 x 120 x 38 mm |
| fan speed | 500 up to 2000 RPM |
| Air pressure | 2.3 mm H2O |
| Compatibility AMD | AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, AM4, FM1, FM2, FM2+ |
| Compatibility Intel | 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-v3, 2066 |
| Price | € 59.90 * |
In addition to the water cooling Fractal Design Celsius S24, two 120 mm fans, a mounting kit for different sockets, thermal paste and instructions are included in the scope of delivery. The all-in-one water cooling is already filled, so it can be installed immediately.
Design & Workmanship
The Fractal Design Celsius S24 Wasserkühlung* has a radiator with a black finish. The heat sink is made of aluminium and has a width of 122 mm, a height of 31 mm and a length of 284 mm.
Below are two G ¼ inch threaded connections. The user can use these to expand the water cooling circuit if required. On the part of Fractal Design all components of the water cooling system are guaranteed for five years.
The three four-pole fan connections located in the spaces between the hose connections allow operation of the two fans and the pump. This eliminates the need to lay additional fan cables. The two fabric-covered hoses emanating from the G ¼ inch connections have a length of about 40 cm.
These flow directly into the pump unit. The surface of the same captivates by its black high-gloss optics. In addition, the pump is easily recognisable by the manufacturer’s distinguishing mark – the snowflake. Equipped with a soft-touch surface, the outer frame of the pump unit allows the pump to grip relatively well. We noticed particularly positively that the outer ring of the pump can be rotated. This makes it easy to switch between auto and PWM mode for cooling. While in PWM mode the fan and pump are controlled by the mainboard, in Auto mode the temperature of the water circuit is used to determine these values.
The copper underside of the pump is already factory-fitted with the heat conducting paste. The workmanship of the Fractal Design Celsius S24 is flawless.
Assembly
The complete water cooling Fractal Design Celsius S24 Wasserkühlung* is easy to install and is therefore also feasible for beginners. The four spacers are turned into the socket of the mainboard. The pump unit is then pushed on and fixed in place using four cross slot nuts. The radiator fan can be attached directly to the heat exchanger with four screws each. This must then only be tightened with about eight screws in the PC case. Thanks to the illustrated instructions included in the delivery, the installation can be carried out without difficulty.
Cooling Capacity
With regard to the cooling capacity of the Fractal Design Celsius S24, we can make a clear recommendation. Both amateurs and advanced users can benefit from high performance and very quiet operation. A positive feature is the possibility of optional control via included automatic control as well as via PWM. The fans work very quietly. Even under heavy load, only a slight noise can be heard. When the housing is closed, however, this no longer matters. If you are not yet satisfied with the noise, you can reduce the volume even further with Noiseblocker NB-eLoop fans*.
In the idle test, the decapitated Intel 4770K processor reaches temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius. Under full load it reaches 56 degrees Celsius. The PWM setting “Standard” of an ASRock mainboard was used for measurement. These are perfect temperatures and the processor can be overclocked to 4.4 GHz with a clear conscience.
Conclusion of the Fractal Design Celsius S24 Review
The Fractal Design Celsius S24 water cooling system scored very well in our test. In contrast to the predecessor model of the Kelvin S24, the volume of the pump could be significantly reduced. However, not only the pump works pleasantly quietly. The fans are also quiet, so that they don’t interfere even under load.
The Celsius S24 also convinced us in terms of cooling performance – the most important criterion. The optional expansion of the cooling circuit has also attracted positive attention. In addition, the water cooling from Fractal Design scores with the fan header on the radiator. This allows a reduction of cables in the housing.
With a price structure of around 110 euros, there is an appropriate price-performance ratio. We can recommend the Fractal Design Celsius S24 Wasserkühlung* in good conscience.
Pro
- excellent workmanship
- easy to mount
- good cooling capacity
- high compatibility
- circuit expandable
- two operating modes can be set on the pump
- Radiator with fan connections
- very quiet operating noise
Contra
- Aluminum radiator
Fractal Design Celsius S24
Features
Design
Assembly
Cooling
Excellent!
The Fractal Design Celsius S24 provides good water cooling, making it easy to install even for beginners. The cooling capacity is excellent.
