Thermalright Macho 90 and Macho Rev. B Reviews

Thermalright Macho 90 and Macho Rev. B Reviews

Manufacturer: Thermalright
Macho 90 UK price (as reviewed): £37.08 (inc VAT)
Macho 90 US price (as reviewed): Currently unavailable
Macho Rev.B UK price (as reviewed): £44.38 (inc VAT)
Macho Rev. BUS price (as reviewed): $54.95 (ex Tax)

It's been a fairly long time since you've seen cooler reviews here on bit-tech, but we're back up and running now with three new test systems. And, yes, that includes an AMD one. As such, we're going to start clearing through our backlog as well as getting newer models in for testing, and CPU coolers will again be more regularly featured now.


First up, we have two models from Thermalright. Both are tower coolers that form part of the company's Macho series. The Macho 90 (above) is a smaller model (the shortest in the Machro range, in fact) suitable for micro-ATX and mini-ITX systems that perhaps don't have enough room to house coolers akin to the second model here, the Macho Rev.B (below), which is a reiteration of the Macho Rev.A that we looked at way back in 2012.


Other than size and a few other details, the Macho 90 and Macho Rev.B share the same overall design, so we'll discuss them together whilst noting the differences. They have a fairly standard tower cooler design with copper heat pipes that are threaded through a copper baseplate and pass up into a single stack of aluminium fins, which are perforated to reduce air resistance and increase airflow and heat dissipation. The top fin is anodised in black and all copper elements are nickel-plated, giving the coolers a bit of shine as well as a neutral colour scheme.


The biggest difference between the two coolers is simply size. Designed for smaller, less powerful systems, the Macho 90 comes in at 135mm while the Rev.B stands at 162mm – you'll need to check your case's clearance before buying. The Macho Rev.B's fin stack is also deeper and wider, meaning it can accommodate six 6mm heat pipes compared to four on the Macho 90. It also has a much larger baseplate, allowing all six heat pipes to pass through it on one level rather than in a stacked design. All of this of course means the Rev.B has a significantly higher cooling capacity than the Macho 90. In fact, Thermalright specifically highlights that the smaller model is not designed for Intel LGA2011 systems – it's incompatible out of the box, though a separate mounting kit is available.


Both coolers ship with a single fan and are not designed to be used with a second – there are no additional fan clips supplied. The fans have a black frame and seven white blades, again sticking to a neutral colour scheme. The cable is nicely braided and terminates in a 4-pin PWM connector, and anti-vibration pads are provided with both coolers for dampening noise, so we've no complaints here.


Since it weighs only 450g (including fan), the Macho 90 has no need of a backplate. To install it, you put screws through washers from behind the motherboard and secure them with double-sided nuts – the only difference between Intel and AMD is the washer size. Using these nuts, you can then screw into place the universal mounting bracket to which the cooler is then attached. This is achieved via a locking plate and two more screws, which need to be lowered through the cooler itself using the supplied magnetic tip screwdriver. It's helpful that this is included, but it's still a fiddly process trying to keep everything aligned. If the locking plate had spring-loaded screws pre-attached, for example, it would be a lot easier. Installation is possible within the confines of a case provided you lie it flat. The fan clips are nothing special but we do like that they stay locked into the cooler once installed. Lastly, note that because the heatsink is centred over the baseplate, the Macho 90 will sit above some of your RAM slots – low-profile modules are well advised.


The Macho Rev.B, meanwhile, tips the scales at 880g, fan included. This necessitates the use of a backplate, and the one supplied is a universal metal one that's extremely sturdy. In this instance, the screws and washers go through the backplate and its protective film before the motherboard, but otherwise installation is the same as with the Macho 90. For LGA2011, a different set of nuts screw directly into the motherboard. The heatsink of the Rev.B is not centred, instead sitting towards the rear of your PC to leave your memory slots clear, albeit barely, and not on LGA2011 systems since modules are installed on both sides of the CPU. It also means you only have to drop one screw through the cooler fins (a magnetic screwdriver is again supplied) as the other side of the locking plate is accessible.

Thermalright Macho 90 Specifications

• Compatibility Intel: LGA1366, LGA115x; AMD: AM3(+), AM2(+), FM2(+), FM1
  
• Size (with fans) (mm) 127 x 102 x 135 (W x D x H)
  
• Fan size (mm) 92 x 92 x 25 (W x D x H)
  
• Fan(s) 1 x 92mm (included), 800 ~ 2,000 RPM
  
• Stated Noise 21-27 dB(A)
  
• Extras Anti-vibration fan mounts, magnetic screwdriver

Thermalright Macho Rev.B Specifications

• Compatibility Intel: LGA775, LGA1366, LGA115x, LGA2011(-3); AMD: AM3(+), AM2(+), FM2(+), FM1
  
• Size (with fans) (mm) 129 x 152 x 162 (W x D x H)
  
• Fan size (mm) 140 x 152 x 25 (W x D x H)
  
• Fan(s) 1 x 140mm (included), 300 ~ 1,300 RPM
  
• Stated Noise 15-21 dB(A)
  
• Extras Anti-vibration fan mounts, magnetic screwdriver