The Enermax ETS-T40-TA arrives with a single fan bundled which gives it its distinguishing characteristic. While the heatsink itself appears no different to numerous tower coolers already on the market, the blue T.B.Apollish fan raises its profile and aesthetic values. Those interested in turning their PCs into a lightshow should look no further than the T.B.Apollish fans and Enermax have targeted this market on purpose. The dimensions of the cooler including the fan is nothing out of the ordinary and in reality feels quite compact to the high-end coolers we have tested over the last year. As such, the cooler should cater for the mid-range mainstream market as the price suggests.


Looking at the heatsink on its own, nothing striking is immediately noticeable, the detail being in the small design features instead. The T40 is a fairly standard tower heatsink featuring four 6mm U-shaped heat pipes. The fins exhibit a unique angular shape with rectangular grooves cut out to produce a more distinctive finish. Whether this was for aesthetic reasons or for improved performance is up for debate, which we will explore later on. On the whole, the construction feels very solid thanks to the aluminium fin array and nickel-plated copper heat pipes. Unlike its rival, the Cooler Master 212+, there’s nothing to suggest that Enermax employed cost-cutting measures.


Taking a closer look at the fin array, we observe that all the fins are flat and are stacked in parallel. The 52 fins are separated by a 2mm gap thus favouring fans with high static pressure over simply high airflow. Through the middle we can see the streamlined triangular protrusions that produce the stack effect flow to allow hot air to rise up and cool air to be drawn in. We also see the heat pipes rising in columns to produce two clusters of 4.


The fins display an angular pattern, depressing progressively from the sides. The side protrusions allow the 120mm fan to sit snugly on the cooler even without the wire clips attached. However, the inner rectangular depressions don’t seem to have a purpose other than making the cooler look more pleasing.


From an angle, we can see the pattern more clearly. All the fins are identical in nature and are stacked in parallel with no lateral offsets between each.


The side profile shows that the centre of the stack has closed fins whereas the edges are still open. This is to create the Vacuum Effect Flow such that cool air is sucked in as a result of the pressure difference generated by low pressure inside the heatsink and higher relative pressure outside. The closed fins are also interlocked to provide structural support. The side profile also reveals a symmetrical structure.


Again, at an angle we can see the open fins on the edges that allow Vacuum Effect Flow to work effectively. The closed fins ensure airflow is more focused through the heatsink.