INTRODUCTION

   We've officially entered the winter season (if we don't see more climate changes) which as some of you know is my favorite one not only because it makes working with computers easier (lower temperatures, higher overclocks) but also because i happen to love snow. Actually if you think about it pretty much every single thing out there that happens to have overheating issues in the summer performs way better during winter (for example turbo charged engines work a lot better in the winter). So because of that i thought that it would be nice if we started testing on some of the latest CPU Coolers to hit the market starting from Xigmatek and their latest VENUS XP-SD1266 CPU Cooler (or Air Cooling System as Xigmatek calls it).

   XIGMATEK Co., Ltd. was established in 2005 with the aim of becoming one of the world leaders in the computer Peripheral field. In XIGMATEK, the major members of management have many years’ experience in Computer Peripherals, Thermal industry, manufacturing and other applications. Pursued an aggressive growth strategy, XIGMATEK invests heavily in R&D, has strategic alliances with suppliers and academia, builds up an integrated presence in major economic regions, and hones one of the world’s most efficient manufacturing operations. A team of over twenty R&D engineers, product designers and technical people (one main team in German), XIGMATEK is full with confidence to offer excellent quality products and service to meet your needs. Regards as the consumer market, as well as distributing electrical appliances through the usual channels, XIGMATEK will continue to develop new sales channels to cater to ever-changing consumer trends and demand. With our fruitful experience, we have full confidence that we can provide not only the best, reliable, environmental and performing Computer Peripheral products but excellent service also to fulfill global user’s demand.

   Xigmatek continues to name their products after mythological beings (Gods and Heroes mostly) and so since Venus is not only the second planet from the Sun but was also the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory (a direct copy some say of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite) this time over they are clearly emphasizing on the "victory" aspect. However much like most CPU Air Coolers in the market the VENUS XP-SD1266 is nothing really exciting in terms of design since it follows the typical U-type design (or tower design) used with most. In the end we don't really look at the name nor at the design of a CPU Cooler since these matter very little to not at all, what we do look at is the end performance and so let's see what this modern VENUS has to offer.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Venus is placed inside a medium sized box with a star as background (zodiac?), a product picture, the CPU Compatibility list and a few words about it.

Three small pictures at the right side showcase the fins, fan and base of the unit.

The units specifications table is placed on the left side of the box.

At the rear we see three more pictures showcasing the mounting hardware, dual fan (push & pull) feature and the anti-vibration rubber fan mounts.

As you can see the Venus is securely placed inside a clamshell package.

Inside the box you will find the Venus XP-SD1266 heatsink, 120mm LED PWM Fan, user's manual, warranty card, thermal paste pouch, 8 anti-vibration rubber fan mountings, allen key and installation brackets for Intel LGA775/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1 CPUs.

THE VENUS XP-SD1266

The Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266 is a medium sized CPU Cooler measuring 156mm in Height, 133mm in Width and 75mm in Depth while weighing a total of 803g without the fan installed.

The heatsink is made by a total of 47 aluminum fins.

Part of the side of each fin is closed in order to keep as much air as possible inside without it leaking from both sides.

Each fin has a large X shaped whole in the middle cut after the Xigmatek logo obviously.

You can add up to two 120mm fans in push & pull on the Venus to further improve performance or to keep it the same with both fans running at low RPM for reduced noise levels.

The unit features 6 nickel plated copper 6mm diameter heatpipes.

Unlike most Xigmatek CPU Coolers the Venus doesn't feature an H.D.T base (Heatpipe Direct Touch) but a normal one with a mirror like finish.

Thanks to the new design of the blades the 120mm LED PWM fan included can reach speeds of up to 1800RPM and produce airflow of up to 90.3CFM at just 26dBA.

Instead of using the usual wire clips Xigmatek chose anti-vibration rubber mountings. With the fan installed the unit now measures 156mm in Height, 133mm in Width and 100mm in Depth while weighing a total of 924gr (Reported Weight/Size on both the box and site seem to be off).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     I 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 so 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 i plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end users who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database will be tested with its bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at 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 we will not be measuring their dBA levels. For the dBA test 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 or 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 CPU, the Intel Core i7-3930k 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

   Just like most tower type CPU Coolers designed and manufactured by Xigmatek the Venus XP-SD1266 managed to keep up with some of the best units out there without breaking a sweat, however it did so at the cost of noise since 51.7dBA at full load is quite high for a single fan CPU Cooler no matter how one sees it. On the other hand the Venus XP-SD1266 is quite smaller than let’s say the NH-D14 by Noctua or the Silver Arrow by Thermalright so it's without doubt a more ideal solution for midi tower cases and generally for people who don't want to use up much space in the interior of their systems. Finally the ability to add a 2nd 120mm fan in push & pull configuration is also something very useful and can be used to keep the performance of the unit in the same high levels but with lower noise levels.

   The Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266 currently retails for around USD60 inside the USA and 59.90Euros inside the EU (Caseking) a price tag which is almost on par with the balance between performance and price Xigmatek CPU Coolers have achieved in the past. Of course it could be better but taking into the performance factor i think it's quite reasonable. Bottom line Xigmatek has designed and manufactured yet another great performance CPU Cooler which can get even better with the addition of a second 120mm fan in push & pull but as mentioned before its Achilles heel is the high noise output which makes it a valid choice mostly for enthusiasts and overclockers who care first about the performance and price of a product and then everything else. Because of all the above the Xigmatek Venus XP-SD1266 CPU Coolers receives our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Performance
- Overall Size
- LED Fan 

CONS

- Noise Levels