INTRODUCTION

   Many times when we get to test one of the latest CPU air coolers to hit the market i always point out that it's not really hard for a manufacturer to sit down and design one since the same basic concept has been used for well over two decades now. True the size and shape of a cooler may change but in the end performance is always tied with the total surface of a cooler and of course the supplied fan or fans that accompany it. What happens however when a manufacturer aims to release a completely passive CPU cooler? Well we've seen quite a few attempts in that field by some manufacturers but it wasn't until the excellent HR-22 (HighRiser series) by Thermalright that we really felt that you can have a small HTPC beast in your living room without having to worry about noise. Well today we'll be taking a closer look at what seems to be the successor to the HR-22 the Macho Zero.

   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.

   For a passive CPU cooling solution the HR-22 HighRiser was excellent but because of its massive size and weight it didn't fit in every HTPC case out in the market something which obviously Thermalright needed to improve on to cover even more consumers. Well the brand new Macho Zero is quite smaller, looks a lot better thanks to the nickel black coating placed on its entire body and comes ready with the same innovative 120/140mm fan ducts which improve the cooling efficiency of the cooler (semi-passive cooling) by connecting the rear of the cooler with your systems rear exhaust fan (wind tunnel concept). Of course what had all of us thinking is the size of the Macho Zero since being smaller and with less heatpipes compared to its predecessor the HR-22 probably means we're basically talking about a cut-down version and it's up to us to see if that's so.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Thermalright used a black box this time over that has a product picture at both the front and rear.

The specifications and features of the Macho Zero are listed at the two sides of the box.

There are 6 black foam pieces inside the box that keep the heatsink safe during shipping (the bundle is placed inside another cardboard box right beneath the heatsink).

Aside the Macho Zero inside the box you will find a screwdriver, pair of gloves (to avoid fingerprints), thermal paste tube, two 120/140mm fan wire mounts, 4 anti-vibration rubber fan pads, installation instructions, backplate and all the necessary screws and mounting hardware for Intel LGA 775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 mainboards. A fan duct is also included in the package when you purchase the Macho Zero (you just have to pick either the 120mm or the 140mm model).

THE MACHO ZERO

The Macho Zero might be quite large but it's actually smaller than the HR-22 so it weighs 162mm in height, 140mm in width, and 102mm in length and weighs 710g.

The design of the fins increases airflow while the large hole in the middle is used to mount the cooler using the bundled screwdriver.

A total of 31 black nickel plated aluminum fins (0.4mm thick) make the body of the Macho Zero (spaced 3.1mm from each other).

From the side it's easy to see why the design of the fins increases airflow and holds air between the fins (and also to see that there's zero interference with memory modules).

Although the HR-22 featured eight 6mm heatpipes the Macho Zero comes with six 6mm ones which of course start from the base of the CPU Cooler and through all of its fins.

Once again Thermalright has given their base of their cooler a nice mirror like finish.

You should be able to pick the fan duct of your choice when purchasing the Macho Zero but for our test we used the 140mm version like we did with the HR-22.

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

   Because of its larger size and thus fin surface the HR-22 should be able to surpass the Macho Zero with ease so since this wasn't the case (as you can clearly tell from our charts) we actually decided to go back and redo our tests just in case we did something wrong (took time but it's better to be certain). In the end we got pretty much the same results so although smaller the Macho Zero is indeed better compared to the HR-22 (although in some systems it may be just a tad better than the HR-22). We also thought of testing the Macho Zero without the 140mm fan duct but since we did use the one that came with the HR-22 back then we thought this was the logical thing to do (without the fan duct the performance of the cooler drops by at least 2 degrees Celsius). The only "downside" these fan ducts have is that you will most certainly experience slightly higher system temperatures (unless you have exhaust fans installed at the top) so do keep that in mind.

   For now the Macho Zero Passive CPU Cooler by Thermalright can only be purchased in the EU for a price of 54.99Euros (Mindfactory.de) with either the 120mm or the 140mm fan duct. By the end of the year this will change however so the Macho Zero should be available for purchase in most places. With that out of the way i really don't have anything to say about this latest offering by Thermalright not only because it looks great and is smaller compared to our passive cooling "champion" the HR-22 but also because it manages to outperform it (although the difference in performance will vary from system to system based on airflow levels). Bottom line Thermalright has launched what i think will become extremely popular amongst HTPC owners (primarily) and since we really can't find anything wrong with it (it's still quite large but we can't have it all) it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Black Nickel Color
- Size & Weight (Compared To The HR-22)
- Excellent Performance
- Passive Cooling (Silent)
- Zero Clearance Issues
- Sold With 120/140mm Fan Ducts
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Size (Overall)
- Current Availability (Until Mid-December)