Thermalright Archon IB-E X2

Introduction

For those of you who haven't a clue,Thermalright is a leading brand that specializes in producing high quality cooling components for the PC of today. Since 2001, Thermalright have brought us a few innovative solutions such as the wire fan clip mounting, the introduction of Heatpipes, the first 120mm fan mount and convex copper contact points which we are familiar and widely used today.With the Archon IB-E X2 Thermalright presents a revised version of one of the most powerful single tower coolers in the world, which has been modified to meet current customer requirements.Thermalright was able to reduce the total height of the cooler by about 5 mm, by means of reducing the height of the heat sink and the use of two TY- 141 (140 mm) fans.This means that the cooler can also be used in Midi-towers, for which the predecessor was simply too high.The Archon IB-E X2 doesn't comes with the Venomous-X "Pressure Vault Bracket".The Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 with the new mounting system is relatively straightforward to install.

http://i57.tinypic.com/2ed5s9i.jpg

The new Archon IB-E X2 comes with eight 6 mm thick heatpipes.This means that the flagship of the Archon series still does not need to fear comparison with considerably more expensive models.

http://i58.tinypic.com/dlkbxg.jpghttp://i59.tinypic.com/rqx920.jpghttp://i62.tinypic.com/2w74dip.jpg


Packaging,Contents & Fans

Thermalright have certainly kept the packaging simple, clearly they expect the product to speak for itself as the front of the box contains very little information.The Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 is supplied in a plain brown cardboard box which gives little away about what lies within.The front of the box is bare except for a Thermalright logo in the centre.

http://i58.tinypic.com/2ag66p.jpg

Turning the box around reveals little else, apart from some basic branding.The box is fairly substantial, though, and should provide a good deal of protection for the cooler during transit.

http://i62.tinypic.com/5xrddu.jpg

Opening the flap reveals the Instruction booklet and sticker on top of the accessory box.Setting those aside, you find soft foam that covers the included fans.

http://i57.tinypic.com/2ue61dd.jpg

And finally, removing the fans will reveal the Archon heatsink which is further protected with an extra wrapping of clear plastic with a pack of "do-not-eat" to keep things dry.

http://i57.tinypic.com/1sik4z.jpg

As always, let's start with what is inside the small white box made to hold the additional accessories. All of the additional accessories arrived carefully packed in separate nylon bags just to ensure that all of the parts will arrive and to provide a clear view of what parts are needed for which socket.

http://i61.tinypic.com/16gzrc.jpg

After I took all of the accessories out of their packages and arranged them for taking pictures, this is the view I got.The standard package features:
-Painted in black metal backplate needed for both Intel and AMD sockets
-A semi-transparent white isolation pad for the backplate to protect from short circuit between the motherboard and the metal backplate
-Silver metal square frontplate needed for both Intel and AMD sockets
-Silver metal bar made to hold the cooler attached to the front plate needed for both Intel and AMD sockets
-4 x Nut screws with rubber dumpers
-4 x LGA 2011 screw pillars
-5 x M3 L10 screws (one is spare)
-7 x M3 L6 screws (one is spare)
-4 x fan clips for installing up to 2 fans
-4 x Intel backplate washers
-4 x AMD backplate washers
-8 x anti-vibration pads for installing on 2 fans
-Backplate cap
-One tube of Chill Factor iii Thermal paste
-An installation manual
-2 x TY-1410 fans
According to my experience it is very typical for Thermalright to provide very extensive package content so the cooler can be compatible with every modern or even older socket and provide the best possible cooling performance.And here I saw that the small wrench was removed from the standard accessories pack but to be honest for me it was completely useless when I tested Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E and Thermalright Silver Arrow SB-E Extreme.It is meant to be used when fastening the cooler to the motherboard but I always fastened those bolts with a regular screwdriver.

http://i57.tinypic.com/mc6e15.jpg

PWM fans, provides simple and easy adjustment of fan speed with the latest ETC IC .

http://i57.tinypic.com/1zogs3n.jpg

Seven Silent Torpedo Blades-"submerges", gives most quiet and efficient airflow.

http://i60.tinypic.com/2q059hf.jpg

Two Ball Bearing-to ensure consistent and stable rpm, prolonged lifetime of usage.

http://i60.tinypic.com/huk7ih.jpg

Aerodynamic body-Less friction around the edges and give more centered and concentrated airflow.

http://i62.tinypic.com/28vc8dl.jpg


A Closer Look

From the side we can see that the Archon IB-E X2 is actually very slim.I certainly didn't expect this, let's hope the performance doesn't suffer because of a relatively thin heatsink.

http://i60.tinypic.com/120t8d1.jpghttp://i57.tinypic.com/2w402ed.jpg

The heatsink consists of 42 fins.The distance between the aluminum fins was chosen so that the cooler provides a well above-average performance, even at lowest fan speed.

http://i60.tinypic.com/k5k7p.jpghttp://i61.tinypic.com/sxeivk.jpg

The pipes are soldered to the fins, which is where Thermalright products are superior to most of their opponents.

http://i58.tinypic.com/9qh85h.jpg

From the top you can see the eight 6mm heat pipes.

http://i58.tinypic.com/mh6jpz.jpg

The bottom fins of the heatsink do not have contact with all of the pipes.You may also be able to make out the little Thermalright holographic sticker, this is to mark the cooler and say that it is a genuine Thermalright product.

http://i62.tinypic.com/2vama35.jpg

The "spaghetti junction" of heat pipes.They arranged in a U-shaped, zig-zag array which is divided into different sections of the fins stack ensures even distribution of heat out of the CPU.A look from the bottom shows the unique distribution of heatpipes spread into different sections of the fin stack.The heatpipes of the Archon IB-E X2 are differently designed(compared to those of the SB-E X2 version)to reduce clearance issues.

http://i59.tinypic.com/icpjwj.jpg

The heat pipes are soldered to the cooler's base, too.The base is machined flat coated with polished nickel.It is beautifully finished and makes very good contact with the CPU as a result of its flatness and smoothness.

http://i57.tinypic.com/154d84o.jpg


Installation Process

I believe it is time to describe and later prepare the mounting kit and these are the parts which I will need so I can install the cooler on my Intel motherboard.To do so, I examined in detail the mounting procedure in the installation manual.As always, first thing to do is to prepare and later install the backplate to the motherboard.To prepare the backplate I had to add the semi transparent isolation pad for avoiding short circuit with the motherboard, the bolts which will be used to hold the back plate to the motherboard and the four plastic washers.With the backplate assembled let?s attach it to the motherboard.

http://i57.tinypic.com/6olk46.jpg

And to do so, I had to fasten it using the four nut screws with rubber dumpers and fasten them by hand.And the final step before installing the cooler is to attach the front metal plate to the motherboard and fasten it with four small bolts using a screwdriver.

http://i59.tinypic.com/2nu2ceo.jpg

I must warn you that when installing the fans you should be wary of scratching the top of the heatsink with the fan clips.

http://i61.tinypic.com/33kd3s0.jpg

And this is what the cooler looks like installed on the motherboard.The sides of the product are dominated by the aesthetics of the TY-141 fans.

http://i60.tinypic.com/2d9ocib.jpghttp://i57.tinypic.com/20jke1y.jpg


Installed - Memory Clearance

The Archon IB-E X2 features a slim tower design that is aimed to provide clearance to tall RAMs without sacrificing the cooling potential.

http://i60.tinypic.com/2nk6uxx.jpg

As you can see from the picture below,when the heat sink is installed on the motherboard the design of the cooler, combined with the standard fans attached will not block any of the DIMM slots and will provide full low and high profile RAM compatibility for all slots.

http://i60.tinypic.com/25iu3vs.jpg


Test System & Methology

Test System:

Processor: Intel Core i7 3570k-4.5GHz (1.35v)
Motherboard:Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H
Memory: 16GB Mushkin
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD 6970
Power Supply: Antec HCG 750W
Boot Drive: Ocz Vector
Storage Drive: 3TB Seagate Barracuda
Boot Drive: Ocz Vector
Chassis:dimastech Bench Table Easy V2.5

http://i59.tinypic.com/2dqk5m8.jpg

Software:

CPUID HW Monitor 1.23
CPUID CPU-Z 1.65
Prime95 v27.1

I am testing the performance as follows:

Ambient temperatures are kept at 23C throughout my tests.
The CPU Fan is set to 100% to eliminate inconsistencies as a result of PWM control.
Idle temperatures are obtained after booting the PC and idling on the desktop for 30 minutes.
Load temperatures are obtained after running Prime95′s Small FTTs test for 15 minutes.
To measure noise levels i disable the two front in-take fans, rear exhaust and GPU fan.

On the following pages you'll have the opportunity to read what Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 is capable of.


Temperature

These temperatures are very impressive for a single tower cooler, especially when the system is overclocked to this extent.It will be ideal for those looking for a better performing cooler than the Noctua NH-U12S, without sacrificing RAM compatibility.

http://i57.tinypic.com/28gqmxk.jpg


Noise Level

The Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 delivers great results proving that it is well suited to those users who are looking to built a very quiet system.


http://i57.tinypic.com/2pzgxvl.jpg


Conclusion

It's the part of the review that you have all been waiting for, so lets wrap up with my thoughts on this cooler.Thermalright Archon series already offers very interesting and very well performing coolers and with the latest arrival I can say the series is really well evolving.After I spent some hours unpacking Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 and all of the additional accessories included, which are forming a very extensive accessories pack which will be needed for Intel and AMD sockets, arranging them for taking pictures, installing the cooler and finally after I?ve finished testing, I can say that I am really amazed with the overall cooling performance, features and appearance.The cooler itself features a very slim design which will not block anything around the socket and will provide easier operation inside the case.The cooler itself handled keeping my processor working at all kinds of frequencies without any trouble, which made me think that Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 can handle keeping every modern processor working cool and stable at idle or under load at default or overclocked frequencies.The Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 was relatively straightforward to install.The fact that this cooler can be mounted on a variety of different sockets is also a big selling point for Thermalright.The two Thermalright fans only adds to the excellent value of this cooler,as these Thermalright fans on the market are generally retailing around the 10 Euro's mark(Each). When you bear in mind that this cooler is on the market for 65 Euro's, then over 25% of the price are the fans.Speaking of the fans, during testing they were very silent, only becoming audible at extreme loads but this was not enough to cause me much concern though and was not as loud as some of the other coolers i have had on test in the past.

http://i62.tinypic.com/2wdccoi.jpg

Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 is a cooler made to combine very serious cooling capabilities and motherboard compatibility done with very slim and elegant looking heat sink,very low noise level and most of all very decent price.

http://i58.tinypic.com/2meby1e.jpg