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Epic Showdown Between Two Unevenly Matched Heatsinks
In this mini review I am going to be comparing a Thermalright Venomous X to a Corsair A50. The reason I wanted to do this was because it's a pretty good demonstration of what exactly the difference between mid-tier and high end air cooling is and also the fact that I had both sitting around
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Is it worth the price difference?
Can they handle high overclocks?
These are the questions I wanted to answer with this little comparison.
Specifications:
Thermalright Venomous X:
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The Venomous X is quite a bit heftier due its size and the fact it is has twice the number of heat pipes. It also has quite a few more aluminum fins. But they are both nearly the same height and look pretty similar all things considered.
On paper the Thermalright is the winner by a healthy margin so lets find out if this translates into the real world.
Initial Impressions of the both heatsinks:
Thermalright Venomous X
This is a very heavy heatsink. It is your basic tower style heatsink and doesn't stray much from the norm. It has very good build quality and the fins don't feel like they will bend at the slightest pressure. It comes with four fan clips for push and pull, thermal paste and mounting for 1366/1156/775. It does not include any fans.
Corsair A50
This actually feels quite light compared the Ven X and it's no real surprise. It also a tower heatsink. Looking at the heatsink it just doesn't have the same feel in quality. The fins are spaced further apart so it feels easier to bend them. I like that the top fin is painted black which looks very nice and will help it match most peoples cases. It comes with a single 120mm fan, thermal paste and mounting for 1366/1156/775 and AM2+. There is no way to add another fan unless you want to use zipties.
Mounting System
I think how well mounting systems are implemented in heatsinks is a major thing to consider during purchase. It should hold the heatsink securely while being easy to install. Unfortunately this is where a lot of manufacturers make foolish design decisions that affect performance and ease of use.
Venomous X
I love this mounting system. Everything it comes with feels very solid and should since it will have to support up to 70 pounds of force. It is very easy to install and can be done in a few minutes. It has a pressure bar that allows you to adjust the amount of force put on the socket. This is an awesome feature and allows the end user to achieve the best temps for their particular setup. On the other side of things a big negative is the fact it does not come with any AMD support. There is no excuse for this.
A50
This is a very good mounting system. It is easy to use and is fairly easy to install. Although the metal bracket did feel a bit thin and also the back plate screws did not inspire a lot of confidence due to their length and thinness but in the end they proved more than capable. It is very similar to Thermalrights implementation since one back plate can accommodate all Intel sockets. It also comes with an AMD mount but it's somewhat bittersweet. You cannot mount the A50 on an AMD motherboard with the heatsink in a vertical position. You can only have it horizontally and the issue with this is that it can mess up case air flow if you have no top exhaust. But still I would rather have an AMD mount than nothing at all (looking at you Thermalright).
Test System:
Venomous X
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Corsair A50
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Conclusion:
The Corsair A50 was simply overmatched in the comparison. It could not even complete a 10min run of prime95 without a crash. Test 4 was the furthest I got before it would hit 90c and cause the computer to hard reset. The Ven X on the other hand was handling the heat impressively. Max temp was 71c after test 10 and it was not getting any higher. It was a very impressive showing from Thermalright. The A50 did demonstrate how effective direct heat touch coolers are during idle temps only being only a few degrees above the Ven X.
The A50's results are not really that surprising. It is not designed to dissipate so much heat with its 3 heat pipe design.
I hope this comparison showed just how much high end air can help in terms of keeping a high overclock stable. Don't cheap out if you want to get the most from your CPU.
In this mini review I am going to be comparing a Thermalright Venomous X to a Corsair A50. The reason I wanted to do this was because it's a pretty good demonstration of what exactly the difference between mid-tier and high end air cooling is and also the fact that I had both sitting around
Is it worth the price difference?
Can they handle high overclocks?
These are the questions I wanted to answer with this little comparison.
Specifications:
Thermalright Venomous X:
- MSRP: $60 (no fans)
- Dimensions:125 x 158 x 160 mm (L x W x H)
- Weight:755g (Heatsink only)
- Heat pipes:Six sintered 6mm heat pipes
- Compatibility:Intel Sockets LGA 775 / LGA 1156 / LGA 1366
- MSRP: $40 (120mm fan)
- Dimensions: 159.5mm x 124.6mm x 81.2mm
- Weight: N/A
- Heat pipes: Three 8mm copper direct-contact heat pipes
- Compatibility: LGA775/1156/1366, AM2, AM3
The Venomous X is quite a bit heftier due its size and the fact it is has twice the number of heat pipes. It also has quite a few more aluminum fins. But they are both nearly the same height and look pretty similar all things considered.
On paper the Thermalright is the winner by a healthy margin so lets find out if this translates into the real world.
Initial Impressions of the both heatsinks:
Thermalright Venomous X
This is a very heavy heatsink. It is your basic tower style heatsink and doesn't stray much from the norm. It has very good build quality and the fins don't feel like they will bend at the slightest pressure. It comes with four fan clips for push and pull, thermal paste and mounting for 1366/1156/775. It does not include any fans.
Corsair A50
This actually feels quite light compared the Ven X and it's no real surprise. It also a tower heatsink. Looking at the heatsink it just doesn't have the same feel in quality. The fins are spaced further apart so it feels easier to bend them. I like that the top fin is painted black which looks very nice and will help it match most peoples cases. It comes with a single 120mm fan, thermal paste and mounting for 1366/1156/775 and AM2+. There is no way to add another fan unless you want to use zipties.
Mounting System
I think how well mounting systems are implemented in heatsinks is a major thing to consider during purchase. It should hold the heatsink securely while being easy to install. Unfortunately this is where a lot of manufacturers make foolish design decisions that affect performance and ease of use.
Venomous X
I love this mounting system. Everything it comes with feels very solid and should since it will have to support up to 70 pounds of force. It is very easy to install and can be done in a few minutes. It has a pressure bar that allows you to adjust the amount of force put on the socket. This is an awesome feature and allows the end user to achieve the best temps for their particular setup. On the other side of things a big negative is the fact it does not come with any AMD support. There is no excuse for this.
A50
This is a very good mounting system. It is easy to use and is fairly easy to install. Although the metal bracket did feel a bit thin and also the back plate screws did not inspire a lot of confidence due to their length and thinness but in the end they proved more than capable. It is very similar to Thermalrights implementation since one back plate can accommodate all Intel sockets. It also comes with an AMD mount but it's somewhat bittersweet. You cannot mount the A50 on an AMD motherboard with the heatsink in a vertical position. You can only have it horizontally and the issue with this is that it can mess up case air flow if you have no top exhaust. But still I would rather have an AMD mount than nothing at all (looking at you Thermalright).
Test System:
- Intel Core i7 930 at 4.2ghz w/ 1.35v
- Asus Rampage II Extreme
- Lian Li A05B with High Speed Yate loons
- Corsair A50 (high speed yate loon)
- Thermalright Venomous X (high speed yate loon)
- Prime95 small fft's to test 10
- Ambient temp: 24c
- Idle temps were taken after the computer was sitting for 10min with nothing running.
- Thermal paste: Arctic Cooling MX-2
Venomous X
Corsair A50
Conclusion:
The Corsair A50 was simply overmatched in the comparison. It could not even complete a 10min run of prime95 without a crash. Test 4 was the furthest I got before it would hit 90c and cause the computer to hard reset. The Ven X on the other hand was handling the heat impressively. Max temp was 71c after test 10 and it was not getting any higher. It was a very impressive showing from Thermalright. The A50 did demonstrate how effective direct heat touch coolers are during idle temps only being only a few degrees above the Ven X.
The A50's results are not really that surprising. It is not designed to dissipate so much heat with its 3 heat pipe design.
I hope this comparison showed just how much high end air can help in terms of keeping a high overclock stable. Don't cheap out if you want to get the most from your CPU.
