Prolimatech Megahalems CPU Cooler Review

[AkG]

Value

Value

The term “Value” is such an amorphous term that it truly has different meanings for different people. For some a CPU cooler is only as good as it overclocking potential, for others it is how quiet it does its job; for others still it’s how effective it is for its cost. We here at HWC try to provide as many answers as possible for the term “Value”. Hopefully by this point in the review people looking at OC potential or loudness levels will have a fairly good idea of what its Value is. For the “best bang for the buck” crowd we have included a chart below showing how much each 1*c less costs when compared to Intel’s FREE stock cooler. No consideration has been made for noise levels, “looks” or any other extraneous factors; this is just raw performance vs. monetary cost. For any cooler which performs worse than the Intel stock cooler a rating of “FAIL” will be given. For any cooler which has a “Value” of more than $10 per 1*C a rating of “FAIL” will be used in the graph but the chart will list its actual “value”.

All prices are based on either their MSRP (if no e-tailer prices were available at review time) or the online price they sold for at the time of their review. IF a CPU cooler does not include a fan the price of a Scythe F has been included ($12).

To make it as easy as possible for you to modify this ratio we have also included the various coolers temperature difference so if you do come across one of them on sale you can easily modify its “Value” rating. We here at HWC are in no way saying this is the definitive answer to “Value”, rather it should be considered another tool to help you make your final decision. After all something is only as “valuable” as what you consider it to be.

Q6600 Cooling Value

Please Note: This chart has be calculated based upon the differences between Intel stock cooler’s average load at its highest OC on a Q6600 @3.0GHz versus various after market coolers average load temperatures (in their stock configuration with stock TIM) also on a Q6600 @ 3.0GHz.

There is no getting around the fact that this is an expensive cooler and no matter how good a cooler is, its awfully darn hard to overcome that. With that being said, its cooling potential is still there in spades.

i7 920 Cooling Value

Please Note: This chart has be calculated based upon the differences between Intel stock cooler’s average load at its highest OC on a 920 @ 3.42GHz versus various after market coolers average load temperatures (in their stock configuration with stock TIM) also on a 920 @ 3.42GHz.

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As with the older Intel Quad, the cost of this cooler really is a detriment to its value. If you are a cheap SOB and really need an excuse to get it…consider the old maxim “silence is golden” and break down and get the darn thing!

 

[AkG]

Conclusion

Conclusion

It seems that with the new Prolimatech Megahalems we have a real winner on our hands! This cooler has been engineered for excellence and it performs above and beyond expectations in nearly every test. We really can't help but be impressed that a company which is so new to the market (yes, they employ plenty of industry veterans) was able to release a heatsink that is literally among the best on the market today.

The real funny thing about the Megahalems is that the dual tower design flies right in the face of the usual "more is better" thinking of many other manufacturers out there. Prolimatech's engineers have actually used negative space to good effect to the point where the gap between the towers actually seems to help cooling. While it’s not the first INTEL cooler to try this approach, it is the first to really get it right.

Installation is also a huge step forward in terms of security and mounting pressure. When you tighten down this heatsink, its retention bracket applies the proper amount of evenly spaced pressure to the cooler (which is essential to great performance) and you don’t have to worry about the cooler sliding around on you. This slipping and sliding is usually a big complaint many enthusiasts have about another company’s flagship model. You will not have to resort to “washer mods” or other increased pressure tweaks to keep it in place and trust us, this alone is worth the price of the Megahalems.

Unfortunately, there was that little incident with the mounting brackets. We have been assured by Prolimatech that our issue with the size of the holes is a one in a million incident and that they are taking steps to ensure it never, ever happens again. We believe them as I think they were more shocked and embarrassed by this mistake than anything and truth be told you could easily hear the pride in their tone when they talked about this beautiful cooler. If someone had intercepted the conversations we are sure they would have thought Prolimatech was talking about their newborn child and not an inanimate object. Even if by some fluke or bad luck YOU get one of these growing pain examples, the fix is so darn easy it’s really not worrying about.

Getting back to the dual tower design: it may look different but it does work to the point where you don’t need high speed fans to get kick arse numbers. The Noctua NF-P12 is many things but high speed is not one of them, yet when two of them were paired together with the Megahalems, it brought even the mighty TEC based V10 to its knees.

When you add it all up: great performance, great engineering with an excellent level of quality you end up with a cooler which can only be called one thing: king of the AIR base CPU coolers. We here at HWC are proud to present the Prolimatech Megahalems with our most coveted award: the Dam Good Award. If you are looking for low noise solution, overclocking beast or even if you just want something better than the Intel Stock this cooler should be on your list. In fact the Megahalems is darn near a perfect fit for nearly everyone and selecting it for your next system is a fast and easy way to ensure great performance without worrying about making a bad choice. Pair it up with a NF-P12-1300 or Scythe E/F…or even a Delta (depending on your needs) and you in for one heck of a ride.


Pros
- Great quality
- Great performance
- Easy installation
- Good price / performance ratio

Cons
- No fan included
- No second set of wires included to mount a second fan
- It is a BIG cooler

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