Thermalright Macho Rev.A review

Performance Analysis

In our LGA1155 test system, the Macho Rev. A was on par with the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro, which is slightly more expensive, producing a delta T of 40°C, just 1°C behind the three best air coolers we've seen. It also has to be said that the low noise advertising of the Macho Rev.A is entirely accurate. Whether at idle or under heavy load, it was difficult to pick out the noise over the rest of the hardware in our case, and we're always fans of coolers that are easy on our ears.


As the AMD system couldn't be used with the Macho Rev. A, all that was left to test was the super demanding overclocked LGA2011 test. In this test, the cooler's result of 62°C placed it on par again with the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro, this time right at the bottom of the charts. The cooler remained very quiet once again here, and we're always keen to stress that this test setup is incredibly demanding. While the result is by no means great, it's always an achievement for a cooler to pass the test and keep our CPU from hitting its thermal limit and downclocking itself as a result.

Conclusion

In many regards, the Macho Rev. A is similar to the CNPS14X. Noise levels with both are pleasingly quiet, and the delta T results achieved by both were only 1°C apart in both Intel tests (once again the Macho Rev. A could not be mounted to our AMD system). The Thermalright cooler may be a tad more expensive, but it's also an easier cooler to install, and could thus save you a good deal of frustration.


For LGA1155 systems then, the Macho Rev. A is a great choice. It's just as easy to mount as a Phanteks PH-TC14PE, is similarly very quiet and produces temperatures that are almost as good. It may lack the secondary fan and the fan control of the Phanteks cooler, but it's a good deal cheaper as a result. As with the CNPS14X, however, those looking to run uber hot overclocked LGA2011 systems will want to save up for heftier cooling, either in the form of the Phanteks PH-TC14PE or an all-in-one liquid cooler like the Corsair H80 or H100.