INTRODUCTION

   Despite what may or may not apply in other areas size does matter when it comes to cooling systems so as we’ve mentioned countless times already in our reviews the easiest and most efficient way for any manufacturer to improve cooling performance is to increase the total fin area (faster heat dissipation). Of course, just increasing the total surface of a cooler may not be quite enough so the addition of thicker heatpipes (faster heat transfer) and extra fans is always recommended (push & pull) for optimal results. Noctua and Thermalright were among the very first manufacturers to release dual-fan models roughly a decade ago but since then pretty much everyone else has also done so and the latest name on that list is none other than CORSAIR with their brand new A500 model.

   Founded in 1994, CORSAIR has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market into one of the world’s leading providers of high-performance gaming and streaming products. CORSAIR offers a complete range of products to equip gamers, enthusiasts, and esports athletes, including mechanical keyboards, precision gaming mice, wireless headsets, premium PC components, and the CORSAIR ONE fully-integrated gaming PC. With a company-wide commitment to quality, innovative design, advanced features and high-performance, CORSAIR products have won thousands of media and industry awards, earning their place in gamers’ hands and PCs following years of development and engineering by a team dedicated to building great products that they themselves would want to use. In 2018 CORSAIR acquired Elgato Gaming, a manufacturer of streaming products. In 2019 CORSAIR acquired Origin Computers, a manufacturer of custom high-performance gaming PCs and laptops, and SCUF Gaming, an innovator and creator of high-performance gaming controllers.

   The A500 is a massive CPU cooler based on a single large heatsink which CORSAIR has paired with two of their high-speed ML120 (magnetic levitation bearing) 120mm PWM fans (2400RPM/75CFM/4.2mmH2O/36dBA) in push & pull configuration. This design is of course not something new in the market so to spice things up CORSAIR has added an intuitive slide-and-lock fan mount system which allows for compatibility even with very tall memory modules (lowest 45mm - highest 85mm), top gunmetal grey brushed aluminum plate (removable), direct-contact nickel plated copper heatpipes and a pre-applied layer of their latest XTM50 high-performance thermal conductive material. I have to admit that i was somewhat surprised to see that CORSAIR chose not to use any of their latest RGB/ARGB fans with the A500 (would be nice to have control over the fans via iCUE) so that probably means there's another model on the way, time will tell.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

CORSAIR ships the A500 inside a large yellow and black box that has a very large product picture at the front right beneath the company logo.

Super chilled are the words CORSAIR chose to use for the A500.

The bundle contents and mainboard compatibility are printed at the base of the box.

Both the features and specifications of the A500 are printed at the rear of the box in 9 languages.

Packaging is excellent with the cooler placed between two pieces of clear plastic.

Along with the A500 CPU cooler (comes with both ML120 pre-mounted) you will also get a long Philips screwdriver, PWM fan y-splitter, XTM50 thermal paste tube, 3 cable ties, installation instructions and all the necessary bits and pieces to mount it onto Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM3/AM4/F1/FM2 mainboards.

THE A500

Measuring 169mm in height, 144mm in width and 171mm in depth the 1460g heavy A500 is truly massive.

The brushed aluminum gunmetal grey plate at the top can be removed (just pull it upwards) so you can use the bundled screwdriver to mount the cooler onto your mainboard.

From the side we can see that the heatsink features a total of 48 aluminum fins.

As mentioned already CORSAIR has used a slide-and-lock fan mount system which allows the end user to move the fans upwards (here you can see a RAM clearance of 85mm which raises the height of the cooler to 209mm).

The ML120 bundled fans are not from any of CORSAIR's RGB lines but with a maximum speed of 2400RPM, airflow of 75CFM and air pressure of 4.2mmH2O they pack quite the punch.

CORSAIR has used two 8mm and two 6mm thick nickel plated copper heatpipes with the A500.

Turning the cooler over we see that it features a direct-contact nickel plated copper base with a thin pre-applied layer of their XTM50 thermal paste.

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 is more time consuming 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

   Exactly like with the Scythe Mugen 5 ARGB Plus the CORSAIR A500 achieves excellent cooling efficiency by using two high-RPM (and high-pressure) fans which also produce high noise levels. Needless to say, that performance is also directly tied to the massive heatsink, the direct-touch copper heatpipes and even the top aluminum plate which holds air coming from the front fan in the heatsink but without those two fans performance just wouldn’t be the same. Performance and noise aside the slide-and-lock fan mount is very easy to use but you do need to keep in mind that the A500 is a tall CPU cooler and so by using that system it gets even taller (thus a combination of tall memory modules and the A500 may result in the latter being too tall to fit inside your case). As for installation largely thanks to the large hole in the middle of the heatsink and the bundled screwdriver the entire process of mounting it onto our LGA 2011 system didn’t take more than 3 minutes tops.

   Currently the A500 Dual-Fan CPU Cooler by CORSAIR retails for no less than USD99.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is actually well justified both by its performance and its high build quality. Unfortunately, the lack of RGB lighting is something which will probably disappoint quite a few potential buyers (not really a drawback in our book however) but people looking for the best possible performance should have no problem with that whatsoever. Overall the A500 is a great CPU Cooler yes, it’s certainly not perfect but it’s the highest performance model in our charts to date (out of 70 models that says a lot) and that’s enough for us to give it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Excellent Performance
- Zero Mainboard & RAM Clearance Issues (Slide & Lock Fan Mount System)
- Easy Installation
- Dual Fan Solution
- 5 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Size (For Some)
- Price (For Some)
- Noise Levels