CONCLUSION

   I don't really think there's much for us to say about the AXP-200 Muscle by Thermalright not when a quick look at our charts is more than enough to see that it's performance is virtually identical to that of its predecessor the original AXP-200. Sure you are missing the nice looking aluminum heatpipe caps/covers and you can't use the larger 150mm TY-150 fan (at least not without purchasing the frame separately) but the entire idea behind this was for Thermalright to produce a lower cost AXP-200 for people who are not willing to spend much. The color combination is also a nice change since i think most people will opt for a black and white fan rather than the usual "jungle camo" colors used by Thermalright.

   The Thermalright AXP-200 Muscle currently retails for USD56.28 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 34.99Euros inside the EU (PC-Cooling.de) meaning that it's roughly 30% cheaper compared to the original AXP-200 and so i really can't think of a reason for anyone to choose the AXP-200 over the Muscle edition. Of course if you like the heatpipe caps/covers A LOT and you also want the ability to mount a 150mm fan on the cooler the AXP-200 is a one way but if not then everything points to the AXP-200 Muscle. Performance, size and price the latest AXP-200 Muscle by Thermalright has it all including our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Quality
- Size / Low-Profile
- Excellent Performance (Rivaled Only By Its Predecessor)
- Socket Compatibility
- Noise Levels
- Color Combination (B/W)
- Price

CONS

- None