Conroe heatsink group test

Cooltek Auras 775

Price: £18.49 inc VAT
Supplier: KustomPCs
Manufacturer: Cooltek

The Auras 775 is almost exactly the same heat sink as the Freezer 7 Pro. It also uses three heatpipes, which are bent into a U, with the ends passing through a set of aluminium fins, and the middle of the U passing through the copper base.

Unlike the Freezer 7, it doesn’t direct air towards the motherboard’s VRMs, instead it blows all the heat from the CPU into the path of the rear case fan.



Base: The Auras uses Intel’s standard LGA775 mounting pins, which lock directly into the motherboard. Because the retaining clip is screwed to the heatsink, the unit is very easy to mount. It’s still a bit fiddly, though because two of the pins lie underneath the front fan making them slightly difficult to access.

Noise: The Auras’ 92mm fan may not be caseless or use a 4-pin connector, like the Freezer 7 Pro, but it’s still almost as quiet. Running at full speed it’s whisper quiet, but if you lean in close it does still make a small whooshing sound.

Performance: As you might expect from the designs, the Auras 775 and the Freezer 7 Pro perform identically, both managing a massive 20°C cooler than the Intel reference temperature. However, since the Auras directs all its exhausted heat straight out the back, instead of cooling the VRMs, it kept the motherboard temperatures 8°C lower than the stock Intel cooler managed, and 3°C cooler than the Freezer 7 Pro.

Conclusion: If the Auras was the same price as the Freezer, then the prize for best cooler would probably go to the Auras, as it managed to keep the case temperature incredibly cool. The lack of four-pin connector is disappointing, but the supplied fan is impressively quiet even at full speed.

Score:

Value 4
Performance 4
Noise level 4
Assembly and mounting difficulty 3
Quality and aesthetic 3

Overall 4