A Closer Look

The NZXT Respire T40 is a standard tower-style cooler. It uses four 8 mm heatpipes that extend up through 48 aluminum fins. The fan is held on by solid fan clips that fit the fan to the cooler tightly. The NZXT logo is stamped onto the top fin of the heatsink.


The overall design is not something to get excited about as it's just a standard heatpipe tower cooler. NZXT, however, made a few interesting additions to this tried and true design. Seamless Direct Touch (SDT) leaves no space between the heatpipes that are staggered to offer better dissipation over each of the aluminum fins.


The fan NZXT used is also nothing to write home about. Spinning at a maximum RPM of 1800 and pushing 68.8 CFM, it's not terrible but, again, nothing special. NZXT has labeled the fan as the Respire Series FR-120SB; however, the OEM's model number is DF1202512ELN. There are no special airflow grooves or special fan blades; this fan is without a doubt a typical everyday fan.


I am pleased to see no large gaps between the fins or heatpipes. Everything feels rather solid. However, the base could use some work. It is, to say the least, a little rough around the edges. While workmanship here won't cause any performance issues, it is lacking the quality of other competing products.


The base is flat on my sample, and I am glad to see that the lack of qualitatively appropriate packaging has fortunately left the base unscathed. That said, what you see is what you can expect: four heatpipes with no serious gaps.