INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   A few days ago i happened to visit some of my all-time favorite forums online to see the hottest topics currently but while i was reading some of the latest and largest threads i noticed that the "war" between high-end CPU air cooler and AIO liquid CPU cooler owners still rages on with the first feeling especially happy that the AIO technology hasn't advanced much. Personally i never understood why people need to create "conflicts" for such meaningless things (take for example the typical NVIDIA VS AMD and Intel VS AMD ones we see all the time) since in the end we are all in the same boat and looking for the same thing, the best possible performance (for us) based on what we can afford. That being said today we can only cover one of those two "factions" since on our test bench we have the latest addition in the Archon line of CPU air coolers by Thermalright, the Archon IB-E X2.

 

   Thermalright is an elite design house that manufactures cooling products for computer components for the best quality and performance your money can buy. In 2002, AMD released its first generation Thunderbird CPU and since then we have been there every step of the way to counter high voltage and high heat with innovative design and highly acclaimed cooling solutions not only for AMD but for Intel as well. One of early well known solutions was the SK-6. With many positive and rave reviews under its belt Thermalright bolted to the top as the heat sink manufacturer mostly preferred by Overclockers and enthusiasts around the World. To this day, innovation never left our vocabulary as we keep coming up with leading edge designs staying ahead of the competition.

 

   The very first thing we did once we received the Archon IB-E X2 was to compare it with the Archon SB-E X2 model which we reviewed a while back and it doesn't really take long to see that it's shorter by 5mm (165.2mm vs 170.2mm) which means that Thermalright felt the SB-E X2 version was just too tall to fit in most cases and i don't really have a problem with their decision. The rest pretty much stays the same (including width, length and weight) so the Archon IB-E X2 features eight 6mm nickel plated all-copper heatpipes, C1100 pure-copper base and two TY-141 140mm mid-speed PWM fans in push and pull configuration. The real question is whether or not the new fin design is enough to place the shorter IB-E X2 model over the taller SB-E X2 model in our charts so let's move forward with our review.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well not really a surprise to see that Thermalright has once again used their typical cardboard box with their logo at the top and the model name on both sides.

 

 

Both the heatsink and the rest of the bundle are placed inside foam spacers for increased safety.

 

 

Along with the heatsink of the Archon IB-E X2 you will also receive two TR-TY141 140mm PWM fans, installation manual, Thermalright sticker, 4 wire fan clips, CF III thermal compound tube, Y-fan splitter, two sets (4 each) of silicone shock-absorbing pads and mounting hardware for Intel LGA 775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ compatible mainboards.

 

 

THE ARCHON IB-E X2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aluminum heatsink body of the Archon IB-E X2 measures 165.2mm in height, 155mm in width and 53.66mm in depth with a weight of 750g.

 

 

We see a total of 42 aluminum fins in the IB-E X2 as opposed to the 39 of the SB-E X2 model.

 

 

Both the design of the fins and the long hole in the middle of the heatsink are once again in place to reduce air-resistance and thus increase airflow levels.

 

 

The eight 6mm nickel plated copper heatpipes of the Archon IB-E X2 are differently placed compared to those of the SB-E X2 version to reduce the possibility of clearance issues with mainboard components.

 

 

One of the things we all like about Thermalright is that they always use a nice mirror-like finish on the C1100 pure-copper base used in their coolers.

 

 

The two 140mm PWM fans (TY141) can spin up to 1300RPM to produce airflow levels of up to 73.6CFM with just 21dBA of noise.

 

 

Before you mount the two 140mm PWM fans you should stick the 8 silicon pads on the 4 corners of each side as seen above.

 

 

With both fans mounted the Archon IB-E X2 is not only much thicker (105mm) but it also weighs quite more (1134g).

 

 

TEST BED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESTING METHODOLOGY

 

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

 

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

 

 

TEST RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   When we received the Archon IB-E X2 i was hoping to open the box and see something larger that could easily surpass the cooling efficiency of the already excellent Archon SB-E X2 model but as you all know that didn't happen and after wrapping up all our tests i can say that it's really a good thing that i was wrong. You see gaining a few degrees in the performance section is never a bad thing but it's even better to get the performance of a larger sized cooler but in a smaller model and since the IB-E X2 is shorter (ok just 5mm but that's something i guess) compared to the SB-E X2 and performs roughly the same that's a win win scenario for consumers since the majority of PC Cases can easily accommodate CPU coolers up to 167mm tall. Noise levels are virtually the same as with the SB-E X2 model as expected since both models use the same TY-141 140mm PWM fans so nothing really new here.

 

   The Archon IB-E X2 CPU cooler by Thermalright just got released in the market so it's not really available anywhere yet. However if you happen to be inside the EU we should have a price tomorrow right in time for our giveaway with Thermalright. Overall the new Archon IB-E X2 CPU cooler may still not compete with some highest end dual heatsink models but since it's just a shorter version of the Archon SB-E X2 model with slightly better performance and roughly the same noise levels we can only say the best about it. Price may not yet be known but unless something really strange happens we expect it to retail for around the same price as the SB-E X2 model so for some people yes it will seem somewhat expensive. However everything else more than just makes up for that so the Archon IB-E X2 CPU cooler gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Near-Excellent Performance
- Size (No Clearance Issues)
- Height (5mm Shorter Compared To The SB-E X2 Model)
- Two 140mm PWM Bundled Fans
- Relatively Low Noise Levels
- Universal Compatibility

 

CONS

- Price (For Some)