LGA1366 Heatsink Testing Update

Thermalright Venomous-X CPU Cooler Re-Review

Manufacturer: Thermalright
UK Price (as reviewed): £46.87 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $63.99 (ex Tax)

The Venomous-X, the long awaited update to the Thermalright Ultra Extra 120 (aka the TRUE) disappointed in our initial review and even with our new test kit still struggles to decisively unseat its predecessor. Fitted with a low noise Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000RPM fan a load delta T of 56°C is still disappointing considering the Venomous-X’s £50 price tag. Adding an ultra high CFM six amp 120mm fan changes things around though, with the Venomous-X delivering a top end delta T of just 48°C when at load.

Clearly the cooling potential is there then, but is very much reliant on which fan you choose to use with the cooler. It’s still very, very expensive though, some £15 more than the TRUE and £20 more than the Titan Fenrir, making the Venomous-X still a hard sell, especially as we imagine these competing coolers would have the better of the Venomous-X if fitted with a similarly high CFM fan as the one we’ve used here. Lots of potential then, but the high price and keenly priced competition still don’t do the Venomous-X any favours, and it remains an expensive product that offers little advantage over its predecessor or the competition.

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Performance
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Ease of Use
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 4/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• -
• 6/10

Score Guide

GELID Tranquillo CPU Cooler Re-Review

Manufacturer: GELID Solutions
UK Price (as reviewed): £22.81 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $39.00 (ex Tax)

The only bad thing we had to say about the GELID Tranquillo in our original review was its LGA1366 performance, so it’s great to find that the cooler delivers surprisingly capable LGA 1366 cooling for a cooler that not only costs just over £20, but remains very quiet while doing so.

A load delta T of 55°C is just 4°C more than the Titan Fenrir with its voltage step down cable fitted, a great result considering the GELID is so quiet even with its fan at full speed. Setting your system to PWM fan control would see the fan run even quieter, although obviously at the cost of some performance. This is all great news for us though, as it means we can now recommend the Tranquillo as an affordable, quiet and capable heatsink on LGA 1366, LGA 1156 and AM2.

• Features
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Performance
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

• Ease of Use
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• -
• 7/10

• Value
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
• 8/10

• Overall
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• 9/10

Score Guide