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Product:
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Cooler Master Aero 7+ CPU Cooler |
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Price:
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$45 (CAN) / $34 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Cooler Master
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Author:
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BigDaddy
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Date:
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June 13th, 2003
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Rating:
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Aero 7+ copper heatsink base
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Click image for larger view
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The contact surface is protected by a large sticker to guard against scratches or contaminants. Removing
the protective backing, the contact surface is typical of Cooler Master heatsinks; no mirror finish,
heavy machine marking and swirls, but still acceptable for most users.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Before moving on to the installation and testing, I wanted to highlight one design change present in the
Aero 7+. The Aero 7, along with other heatsinks like the Heatpipe and the X-Dream, has a large thumb
clip to help with a tool-free installation of the heatsink. While the thumb clip certainly helps in that
regard, it has also caused some problems. The thumb clip protrudes out a good distance from the heatsink,
and both I and other reviewers have noted how it causes real installation problems in systems with a
rotated socket, or systems with components close to the socket. The two biggest problems are that the
thumb clip ends up inside the fan grill of the power supply on rotated sockets, or that it obstructs the
DIMM sockets, making it impossible to fully populate them. The newly revised Aero 7+ has an improved
thumb clip design. The clip itself is much smaller and is also angled back towards the heatsink. In a
side-by-side comparison of the Aero 7+ in the foreground and the X-Dream SE behind it, you can clearly
see how vast an improvement this is on minimizing the true "footprint" of the unit. I commend Cooler
Master for implementing this new design in the Aero 7+, and can only hope that there other popular
heatsinks will eventually follow suit.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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While the improved thumb clip design does lower the total footprint of the heatsink around the socket,
the blower adds some extra height to the heatsink. Compared to the X-Dream SE, the Aero 7+ is easily a
good inch taller. While this makes it a little bit bulky compared to traditional designs, it’s a far cry
from some of the more unique designs, like units from Zalman for example. The only real issue is that
the wiring for the fan controller, along with the RPM monitoring and power cables, does generate a fair
bit of cable clutter around the socket.
Installing the unit was a relatively painless process, especially when compared against its first
generation siblings. Given the orientation of the blower, having adequate airflow from a hard drive
cooler, for example, would probably further increase the cooling on the unit. The unit will be compared
against another "technology-improved" heatsink from Cooler Master, the HHC-001 Heatpipe. The test system
was comprised of the following:
- AMD XP1600 + AGOIA
- Asus A7V133-C Raid
- Crucial 256 MB PC2700 DDR
- Plextor 24/12/40 CDRW
- Maxtor 20 GB 7200 RPM HDD
- 3dfx Voodoo 3 AGP
The system was run at its stock speed of 1.4 GHz as well as a mild overclock to 1.55 GHz. Overclocked
settings also included increasing the core voltage to 1.85 volts. Artic Silver Ceramique was applied to
the core of the processor and allowed to cure for its recommended minimum of 8 hours. All temperatures
were gathered using Motherboard Monitor 5.2.1.0 and Sandra by SiSoftware was used to stress the CPU
under load by means of a 30 minute CPU Burn-In test. The system was powered down for 15 minutes between
each test. Here are the results:
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Click image for larger view
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Needless to say, the results were impressive. Up to 4 degrees difference in cooling performance shows
the blower really does add an extra element into the cooling of the unit. While all tests were performed
with the blower at its highest setting, load conditions in an overclocked environment with the blower
at minimal settings resulted in very quiet performance, and temperatures which peaked at 51 degrees.
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Conclusion:
Coincidentally, I have covered all of the CPU coolers from Cooler Master for MTB, and frankly, each time
I’m impressed with each new product release. The Aero 7+ is no exception, especially considering the
revised thumb clip which has always been a personal pet peeve of mine. The unit itself is attractive,
and the blower not only performs well, but catches the eye as well. Dual mounting options for the fan
controller make will be sure to accommodate most users. The heatsink itself is a proven performer, with
skived fins to maximize cooling. However, the contact surface is far from perfect, with highly
discernable machine marks and swirls present on the base. Additionally, the adjustable fan controller
and RPM monitor are nice features, but do introduce an element of cable clutter around the socket.
Aside from a few minor issues, I rating the Cooler Master Aero 7+ CPU Cooler a final rating of
9 out of 10, and would recommend this product
to users looking for a performance cooler at a reasonable price. If you have any questions regarding
this review be sure to visit the Cooler Master
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Blower eliminates dead zone at heat sink’s center
- New lower profile thumb clip
- Externally available fan controller
- Skived fins for maximum thermal transfer
- 3.5" drive bracket or PCI bracket included
- Price
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Cons:
- Contact surface far from mirror finished
- Wiring creates some cable clutter.
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