Thermalright had been quiet for a while but their new foray on the expanding CPU cooler market has left us with the fearsome Venomous X. Performance wise, it delivers exactly what we expect from Thermalright. The only cooler that manages to outperform it is the Noctua NH-D14 but once we start considering the size advantage of the Venomous X and its price, the lead Noctua has, can be disregarded in favour for Thermalright\'s offering. The tremendous gap the Venomous X develops over its other competitors definitely warrants its price. Its design is testament to Thermalright\'s attention to detail, from the packaging to the fin arrangement. The mounting system is also an improvement over its predecessors and the adjustable pressure mounting bracket is an innovative way to maximise contact between the heatsink and the CPU.
The Venomous X does have one or two minor issues though. While it may seems very reasonably priced, it lacks a fan. The problem is not that it ends up a lot more expensive than its competitors because it doesn\'t. With 2 additional fans, it still outperforms the similarly priced Prolimatech Megahalem and although the Thermolab Baram may be cheaper, the Venomous X has a clear enough lead to justify its price. The problem lies in the fact that the older Ultra Extreme can be purchased for £10-£15 less. Then again, without having one to test, it is hard to compare the new Venomous X with its older brother both price and performance wise. Those with socket 1156 might also have compatibility problems with the cooler if their ram exceed 43mm in height but at least it does not end up covering the majority of the RAM slots like the Noctua NH-D14. So what we have here is an alternative to the Noctua that not only allows you to use any fan you want, but one that does not take up half of your motherboard\'s real estate. Would I recommend one to consumers? Without a shadow of doubt, YES.
Pros
[+]Class leading performance and efficiency
[+]Compatible with all Intel sockets
[+]Very easy to install
[+]Attractive finish
[+]Excellent packaging
Cons
[-]Size may be an issue for tall RAM installation on socket LGA1156
[-]No fans provided
It should come as no surprise that today the Venomous X earns the Vortez Hardware Gold Award today!
The Venomous X does have one or two minor issues though. While it may seems very reasonably priced, it lacks a fan. The problem is not that it ends up a lot more expensive than its competitors because it doesn\'t. With 2 additional fans, it still outperforms the similarly priced Prolimatech Megahalem and although the Thermolab Baram may be cheaper, the Venomous X has a clear enough lead to justify its price. The problem lies in the fact that the older Ultra Extreme can be purchased for £10-£15 less. Then again, without having one to test, it is hard to compare the new Venomous X with its older brother both price and performance wise. Those with socket 1156 might also have compatibility problems with the cooler if their ram exceed 43mm in height but at least it does not end up covering the majority of the RAM slots like the Noctua NH-D14. So what we have here is an alternative to the Noctua that not only allows you to use any fan you want, but one that does not take up half of your motherboard\'s real estate. Would I recommend one to consumers? Without a shadow of doubt, YES.
Pros
[+]Class leading performance and efficiency
[+]Compatible with all Intel sockets
[+]Very easy to install
[+]Attractive finish
[+]Excellent packaging
Cons
[-]Size may be an issue for tall RAM installation on socket LGA1156
[-]No fans provided
It should come as no surprise that today the Venomous X earns the Vortez Hardware Gold Award today!
I would like to thank Thermalright for providing us with this sample and hope to see more of their products in the future. To discuss this article, please visit our forums.
