A Closer Look

ID-Cooling's SE-225-XT Black features a slightly more simplistic heatsink design than its larger sibling, the SE-207-XT. The fins do not have any fancy cutouts or sawtooth-like designs along their edges. However, as the name implies, it does sport a black coating. On the outside edges, a small folded section of the fins maintains proper fin spacing.


The cooler has a maximum height of 154 mm, making it a good fit for entry-level cases that may not fit taller options. As for the fin-stack, it has 56 aluminium fins, which should provide ample surface area for heat dissipation, but only if the black coating doesn't act like an insulator and the heatpipes can adequately transfer heat.


The black top plate is rather plain with only the ID-Cooling logo adding a bit of contrast. While I do appreciate high-contrast designs, it would be nice to see a black cooler that is actually entirely black for those wanting full-on stealth looks out of the box. As for the heatpipes, there are five, and they directly touch the CPU IHS and transfer heat to the fin stack. Since this is an HDT cooler, the base is unlikely to be perfectly flat, and in my own test with a razor blade, I noticed multiple small high and low points. However, that didn't seem to affect performance as much as anticipated.


When it comes to the fans, ID-Cooling chose the same 120 mm offerings for the SE-225-XT Black as for the SE-207-XT Black. In regards to specifications, the fans have an RPM range of 700 to 1800 with a maximum CFM of 76.16. The model number is ID-12025M12S.