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Fiesta

Core i7 air cooler performance roundup

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http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?opti...5&Itemid=62

 

Anyone planning a new Core i7 setup will want to follow this. Those guys did a very good and thorough job, I can't commend them enough. There is one thing that's bothering me, though; from another forum at which this was posted, one comment detailed the following after I noted that the reviewer lapped (sanded to a flat finish) the CPU's integrated heatsink (IHS) for the overclocked test, but didn't run the overclocked tests without the lap work:

 

Lapping the CPU and not the TRUE can actually cause negative results. If you lap one, it's best to lap the other. Very strange that they didn't do the coolers too.

 

This interested me, and makes me wonder why the site doesn't lap the coolers themselves.

 

Other than this point, very good review, very solid guidelines to follow. Please keep in mind though, if you have the time and patience to sand down and pressure-mod (which is fitting rubber washers on the bolt-through screws to increase mount pressure) the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme and fit high static pressure and CFM fans to it, that that particular cooler will outperform literally every other air cooler on the market. No joke, no lie. It's been the king of the hill for several years now, and nothing seems to be able to change that just yet, although the Megahalems shows a LOT of potential to finally claim the title. Too bad it's not widely available at the moment.

Edited by Fiesta

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I find the Cooler Master V-10 the most unique design. It's unorthodox design is able to cool rams too! However it is not compatible for enthusiasts who installed high rams.

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The V10 falls behind top-shelf traditional coolers (mostly due to the TEC not getting enough heatpipes), and you have to remove the cooler to change your RAM. The price is also really stupid.

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The V10 falls behind top-shelf traditional coolers (mostly due to the TEC not getting enough heatpipes), and you have to remove the cooler to change your RAM. The price is also really stupid.

 

Yea, I just wanted to point the V-10 out just for its unique design. That's all. However I'm wondering when is Cooler Master launching its V-12. At least V-12 will have V-8's similar design with more heatpipes and 2 preinstalled fans and you could add another 2 additional fans which makes it 4 fans for a cooler!

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The V12 was concept only. They cancelled production plans sometime around CES.

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What? They cancelled V-12? It's so much better than the V-8 and yet they cancelled it? Noooooo!

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Well as you can see from the article I've posted, the V12 holds no relevance anymore (even though, if released, I felt it would have made Thermalright very worried). I'm very glad, honestly, that Prolimatech FINALLY has a design that can outperform the TRUE. For the last couple years Thermalright has led the field in CPU air cooling and I was really getting bored of that. Xigmatek's new Hammer's performance is as close to identical to Thermalright's proven design as well, so they have earned my respect for that, as well as a place in my summer Core i7 upgrade. The Noctua performed far below expectations on Core i7, and I was surprised to see that. As such, as implied, the NH-U12P no longer has a place in my upgrade roadmap, now taken by the Xigmatek. In light of the last few months' worth of reviews, I'm now seeing a "Big 3" benchmark being firmly seated in the market; the Megahalems, the TRUE, and the Thor's Hammer. If a company bests any of these 3 coolers on Core i7, then they've performed a supernatural feat. At least that's how I see it.

Edited by Fiesta

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