INTRODUCTION

   We've mentioned plenty of times in the past that CPU Coolers come in many sizes and designs but what happens if you take one of the top performance tower (U-type) models and shrink it just enough to fit virtually every PC case? Well we know that you will not have nearly the same cooling efficiency as the regular sized model but you should get better results compared always to a top-down (C-Type) CPU cooler. Noctua did this with their NH-U9S CPU Cooler which we reviewed a while back so it was really a matter of time before we came across other similar models by the leading manufacturers in the field and so just days after that review with us we have the brand new Macho 90 by our friends over at Thermalright.

   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.

   As clearly stated by its name the Macho 90 is part of the Macho line of CPU Coolers but compared to the Rev.B or the Zero it's less than half in size so it's no surprise that Thermalright markets it primarily for small mATX/mITX systems (so for example support for LGA2011-1/3 systems is not available unless you purchase the extra mounting kit). Also as stated by its name the Macho 90 is bundled with a 92mm high-speed (800-2000RPM) PWM fan (the cooler can accommodate up to two 92mm fans) which according to Thermalright is actually quite silent (just 27dBA max) making the cooler ideal for use in HTPC systems. So let’s see how the Macho 90 (Macho Junior as i like to call it) does against other similarly sized CPU coolers aimed primarily for use with mATX/mITX systems.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product image is present on both the front and rear of the box right next to several awards for Thermalright by German media and above the product name.

The specifications list is printed over at the left side in 3 languages.

On the opposite side we see several drawings pointing to the main features of the Macho 90.

Inside the box you will find another cardboard box with the bundle while the cooler itself is placed inside 4 pieces of foam.

Along with the Macho 90 heatsink and its 92mm PWM fan the box also contains two fan mounting clips, 4 rubber fan pads, pouch of thermal conductive material, full size screwdriver, installation instructions and mounting hardware for Intel LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE MACHO 90

Thermalright has given the Macho 90 a suitable size for the task so it measures just 135.15mm in height, 102mm in length and width and weighs just 450g.

Much like with previous Macho coolers the large hole at the top is there to make installation easier (along with the bundled screwdriver) while the many other small holes are actually places where the fins are bend to increase airflow passing through them.

The heatsink of the Macho 90 has a total of 27 aluminum fins a number which is really good for the size of the cooler.

Four 6mm nickel plated copper heatpipes start from the base of the cooler and pass through all of its fins.

The base has a nice mirror-like finish without any visible machine marks whatsoever.

The TR-9225BW-1 fan used by Thermalright features EBR bearing and can reach speeds up to 2000RPM with 39.36CFM of airflow and 27dBA of noise.

Prior to installing the fan you need to mount the 4 rubber pads as seen above.

With the fan mounted the Macho 90 weighs 552g and measures 127mm in length.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   As we have stated in the past the Intel I7-3770k system is not placed in our lab and so it's obviously not our primary choice when testing CPU Coolers. Still since HTPC oriented models shouldn’t be used with our overclocked Core I7-3930k we have decided to take this path whenever one such model lands at our doorstep. As always our first concern is ambient temperatures so once again we keep the room temperature to around 21-23 degrees (not really hard but unfortunately not 100% accurate as in our lab) and as always to successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application (for around 6-10 minutes) to push the processor to its limits so we can record its temperatures. After that is done 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 was then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results were off. As many of you have pointed out time and again this procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures are 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.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Up until recently compact top-down CPU coolers like the AXP-200 or the L9i were the way to go if you had a very small HTPC system but with the arrival of the Macho 90 and the NH-U9S that seems to have changed. Things get even better if your case has very high airflow levels like the one in our tests (although that's a midi tower with front, rear, top and left side panel fans) since solutions like the Macho 90 will have no problem going up against single 120mm AIO liquid models. The only downside such models have is that they simply can't do much when paired with high-end CPUs and although the NH-U9S did relatively well when tested with our Core i7 3930k let's not forget that our 900D has a total of 12 fans in it and you can feel the airflow even from outside the tower. That being said we can't deny the facts and so both the Macho 90 which we reviewed here today and the NH-U9S should outperform 9 out of 10 top-down CPU coolers in the market today and with far less noise levels.

   Thermalright just released the Macho 90 (was announced today actually) but it's already available inside the EU for just 29.99Euros (PC-Cooling.de) a price tag which is roughly half the one of the NH-U9S. Unfortunately we don't have a direct comparison between these two coolers but judging by the cooling efficiency of the NH-U9S when used with the Core i7 3930k we think its performance could be slightly better. With that out of the way if you own a mATX/mITX system and you want a small CPU Cooler that can perform better than a top-down model and you don't really want to spend much in the process then the Macho 90 by Thermalright is the one for the job and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Small Size (no clearance issues)
- Very Good Performance (for its size)
- Noise Levels
- Dual Fan Solution
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Current Availability