Corsair A500 CPU Cooler review
Conclusion
In the time I spent with this cooler, I have grown to appreciate just how tough it is making a capable air cooler. We take AIO units for granted and the thermal property advantage of liquid cooling. However, there are times where that sort of cooling isn’t practical or feasible. Especially if you have a system that needs air flow over the various voltage regulation components and even perhaps the DRAM.
These are things AIO units cannot solve and are part of what necessitates the existence of such high-end coolers. To the A500 specifically, as a new entry into this high-performance air-cooling market, this is a making a splash alright. From the size I expected great performance, but that is could deliver near 280mm AIO matching performance is truly remarkable. All this done with a compromised fan profile as well. Height adjustable Fan mounts, easy installation and top tier performance are what define the Corsair A500.
Personally, I lament the absence of any LED lighting, but it is something I’m more than willing to live with. What I would have liked to see is perhaps cheaper RGB fans that could somewhat be quieter. As stated in the review body, fan speeds were pretty much kept to 50% of the maximum rotation rate so as to completely remove the noise issue that would otherwise plague the cooler, especially under heavy loads (CineBench R20 at 4.3GHz for instance). Pricing is on the steep side, but the performance is mighty so it balances out. From where I stand, air coolers don’t get much better than this at all, so this is an easy recommendation and well worth the hardware award.
