Thermalright goes in a slightly direction with the Archon SB-E, an unusually tall and wide 8-heatpipe cooler with an equally unusual 15 cm fan.
June 18, 2012 by Mike Chin & Lawrence Lee
Product | Thermalright Archon SB-E CPU Cooler |
Manufacturer | Thermalright |
Street Price | US$80 |
For the past few years there has been a lack of real innovation in the field of performance CPU heatsinks. The market is mature, to the point where we can often tell without even testing a heatsink how well it will perform. Standard designs have been well established and success can be almost guaranteed by adhering to them: As many heatpipes as possible through as large a fin stack as possible, as large a fan as can be fitted, and a mounting system that applies high pressure to a slightly convex base, to make as much contact as possible with the CPU heatspreader, which almost invariably has a slight concave shape.
Until something revolutionary comes along, heatsink makers seem content to follow these guidelines and just play with the shapes and forms of their coolers, trying to figure out the optimal design for their purposes. For example, Noctua, Prolimatech and Thermalright took their thick fin-stack towers coolers and split them up into two sections, giving each one its own fan, which resulted in the NH-D14, Genesis, and Silver Arrow coolers. The Thermalright Archon SB-E is another variation on the theme.
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The Archon SB-E is the second version of a model that is actually a two years old, and its design isn’t unique. A few months before its original release, Prolimatech came out with a similar product, the Armageddon. Both heatsinks were meant for use with 14 cm fans, but the new version of the Archon adds two extra heatpipes, a bigger fan, and LGA2011 support out of the box (SB-E stands for Sandy Bridge Extreme). These updates may give it an edge over the Armageddon.
The Archon SB-E looks like another imposing, shiny metallic tower, difficult to differentiate from say an Ultra-120 eXtreme, at least not at first glance. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the side of the heatsink fin stack that faces the fan is unusually large. The fin stack is also substantially thinner than normal and there eight heatpipes hidden in its lanky mass, a total of twelve heatpipe paths running between base and fin stack. The distance from the “intake” side of the fin stack to the “exhaust” side is just 53 mm at its maximum, about 20% less than the highest performance 120mm fan heatsinks. This translates to lower impedance to airflow, which is a good thing, especially when a fan is spinning very slowly.
The stock fan looks similar to the model found on the Silver Arrow, but not quite. This fan is larger, an unusual 17 x 15 cm to cover more of that big mating surface presented by the fin stack.
Important Note: the Archon SB-E is not yet listed on Thermalright’s website. Below are the details of the Archon Rev.A, which is very similar except it is 2 mm shorter, along with the differences noted above. Most of the remaining features and specifications are identical.
Thermalright Archon Rev.A: Key Features (from the product web page) | |
Feature & Brief | Our Comment |
Armor style heatsink fin array, with mirrored copper base, elevates heatsinks overall quality. | All of Thermalright’s heatsinks are well constructed and most importantly, very shiny. |
Large heatsink fin array provides dissipating area of up to 150*125mm, making complete use of the airflow, with 150mm 140mm or 120mm fan. | A big, nonstandard sized fan is included to complement the heatsink’s large area. 14/12 cm fans likely do not perform as well. |
With the max width of 55mm, tall memory heat spreaders are avoided. | The shorter width makes DIMM interference less likely. |
Six sintered heatpipe design, all heatpipes are nickel plated, to slow the oxidation deterioration to the heatpipe, to ensure longer usage and performance of the heatsink for the CPU. | Nothing new here. Various Thermalright heatsinks are equipped with the same. Note that the SB-E adds two more heatpipes. |
Supports Multiple-Platforms, and can be used on Socket 1366/1156/775 (Socket 2011 optional) Platform, and AM2/AM3 Socket. For Intel sockets pressure is adjustable (40~70 lbs.) | Previous Thermalright heatsinks have had multiple socket support, but this is the first time using a single backplate for both Intel and AMD mounts. |
Includes one Thermalright TY-150 PWM fan, Ultra low noise at 23 dBA at max rpm (50cm testing distance) | A fan similar to the 14 cm models included with the Silver Arrow and the Shaman. |
Fan-clips are compatible with TY-150/TY-140 140mm and 120mm fan. | If you find the stock fan unsuitable for whatever reason, both 14 and 12 cm fans are supported. |
The Archon package includes a tube of CF III Thermal paste, to provide the best combination for use with Archon. | We can’t comment on the quality of Thermalright’s thermal compound as we use our own as a control. Most TIMs perform within a few degrees of each other. |
Thermalright Archon Rev.A: Specifications (from the product web page) | |
Heatsink | |
Dimension: | Length 155mm x Width 53mm x Height 170mm (175mm with TY-150) |
Weight: | 806g (excluding fan and mounting brackets) |
Heatpipe: | 6mm heatpipe*6 units |
Copper Base: | C1100 Pure copper nickel plated with mirror shine |
Fan | |
Dimension: | L170mm x H150mm x W26.5mm |
Weight: | 180g |
Fan speed: | 500~1100RPM (PWM controlled) |
Fan noise: | 19~23dBA |
Airflow: | 38~84CFM |
Connector: | 4 Pin (PWM Fan connector) |
PHYSICAL DETAILS & INSTALLATION
The Thermalright Archon SB-E is composed of a copper base, 8 x 6 mm thick copper heatpipes soldered to 44 aluminum fins, all nickel-plated. The heatsink measures 172 mm tall or 6.8 inches which exceeds the clearance limit for some smaller cases and it should be noted the stock fan, depending on how it’s mounted can increase the height further.
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TESTING
Before thermal testing, we took some basic physical measurements.
Approximate Physical Measurements | |
Height | 172 mm (without fan) |
Fin count | 44 |
Fin thickness | 0.49 |
Fin spacing | 2.33 mm |
Comparison: Approx. Average Fin Thickness & Spacing | ||
Heatsink | Fin Thickness | Fin Spacing |
Thermalright HR-01 Plus | 0.45 mm | 3.15 mm |
Scythe Ninja 3 | 0.39 mm | 2.64 mm |
Noctua NH-U12P | 0.44 mm | 2.63 mm |
Noctua NH-C12P | 0.47 mm | 2.54 mm |
Noctua NH-D14 | 0.43 mm | 2.33 mm |
Thermalright Archon SB-E | 0.49 mm | 2.33 mm |
Prolimatech Armageddon | 0.51 mm | 2.08 mm |
Prolimatech Megahalems | 0.50 mm | 2.00 mm |
Zalman CNPS10X Quiet | 0.40 mm | 2.00 mm |
Scythe Kabuto & Zipang 2 | 0.34 mm | 1.94 mm |
NZXT Havik 140 | 0.41 mm | 1.91 mm |
Scythe Mugen-2 | 0.31 mm | 1.89 mm |
Swiftech Polaris 120 | 0.43 mm | 1.85 mm |
Thermalright Venomous X | 0.53 mm | 1.84 mm |
Noctua NH-C14 | 0.38 mm | 1.79 mm |
Scythe Yasya | 0.32 mm | 1.78 mm |
Cogage TRUE Spirit 1366 | 0.40 mm | 1.70 mm |
Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme Rev.2 | 0.30 mm | 1.70 mm |
Scythe Grand Kama Cross | 0.38 mm | 1.66 mm |
Zalman CNPS9900 MAX | 0.16 mm | 1.59 mm |
Thermalright Silver Arrow | 0.32 mm | 1.57 mm |
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus | 0.43 mm | 1.54 mm |
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C | 0.56 mm | 1.52 mm |
Zalman CNPS10X Extreme | 0.42 mm | 1.50 mm |
Testing on larger heatsinks are done on our
LGA1366 heatsink testing platform, while smaller coolers tackle our LGA1155 heatsink testing platform. A summary of the test system
and procedure follows.
Key Components in LGA1366 Heatsink Test Platform:
- Intel Core i7-965 Extreme
Nehalem core, LGA1366, 3.2GHz, 45nm, 130W TDP. - Asus
P6X58D Premium ATX motherboard. X58 chipset. - Asus
EAH3450 Silent graphics card. - Intel
X25-M 80GB 2.5″ solid-state drive. Chosen for silence. - 3GB QiMonda
DDR3 memory. 3 x 1GB DDR3-1066 in triple channel. - Seasonic X-650 SS-650KM
650W ATX power supply. This PSU is semi-passively cooled. At the power levels
of our test platform, its fan does not spin. - Arctic Silver
Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface material, designed
specifically for test labs. - Noctua 140 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 140x25mm
fans) - Nexus 120 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 120x25mm
fans) - Nexus 92 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 92x25mm
fans)
Key Components in LGA1155 Heatsink Test Platform:
- Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge core, LGA1155, 3.1 GHz, 45nm, 95W TDP, overclocked/volted to 3.6 GHz and 1.300V.
- Intel DP67BG ATX motherboard.
P67 chipset. - Asus
EAH3450 Silent graphics card. - Kingston
SSDNow V 30GB 2.5″ solid-state drive. Chosen for silence. - OCZ Platinum Extreme Low Voltage DDR3 memory. 2 x 2 GB, DDR3-1333 in dual channel.
- Seasonic X-400 SS-400FL
400W ATX power supply. Passively cooled - Arctic Silver
Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface material, designed
specifically for test labs. - Noctua 140 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 140x25mm
fans) - Nexus 120 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 120x25mm
fans) - Nexus 92 mm fan (used when possible with heatsinks that fit 92x25mm
fans)
The systems are silent under the test conditions, except for the CPU cooling
fan(s).
Normally, our reference fans are used whenever possible, the measured details
of which are shown below.
Reference Noctua 140mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
12V | 28~29 dBA | 1250 RPM |
9V | 21 dBA | 990 RPM |
7V | 15~16 dBA | 770 RPM |
6V | 13 dBA | 660 RPM |
Reference Nexus 120mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
12V | 16 dBA | 1100 RPM |
9V | 13 dBA | 890 RPM |
7V | 12 dBA | 720 RPM |
Reference Nexus 92 mm fan Anechoic chamber measurements | ||
Voltage | SPL@1m | Speed |
12V | 16 dBA | 1470 RPM |
9V | 12 dBA | 1150 RPM |
Measurement and Analysis Tools
- Extech 380803 AC power analyzer / data logger for measuring AC system
power. - Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply, used to regulate
the fan speed during the test. - PC-based spectrum analyzer:
SpectraPlus with ACO Pacific mic and M-Audio digital
audio interfaces. - Anechoic chamber
with ambient level of 11 dBA or lower - Various other tools for testing fans, as documented in our
standard fan testing methodology. - SpeedFan,
used to monitor the on-chip thermal sensors. The sensors are not calibrated,
so results are not universally applicable. The hottest core reading is used. - Prime95,
used to stress the LGA1366 CPU heavily, generating more heat than most real applications.
8 instances are used to ensure that all 4 cores (with Hyper-threading) are
stressed. - CPU-Z,used to monitor the CPU speed to determine when overheating occurs.
- Thermometers to measure the air temperature around the test platform
and near the intake of the heatsink fan.
Noise measurements are made with the fans powered from the lab’s variable DC
power supply while the rest of the system was off to ensure that system noise
did not skew the measurements.
Load testing was accomplished using Prime95 or CPUBurn to stress the processor, and the
graph function in SpeedFan was used to ensure that the load temperature is stable
for at least ten minutes. The temperature recorded is the highest single core
reading. The stock fans were tested at various voltages to represent a good
cross-section of airflow and noise performance.
The ambient conditions during testing were 10~11 dBA and 21~23°C.
Stock Fan Measurements
Specifications: Thermalright Archon SB-E | |||
Manufacturer | Power Rating | 2.4 W | |
Model Number | TR-TY150 | Airflow Rating | 38~84 CFM |
Bearing Type | N/A | Speed Rating | 500~1,100 RPM |
Corners | Open | Noise Rating | 23 dBA@50cm |
Frame Size | 170 x 150 x 26.5 mm | Header Type | 4-pin |
Fan Blade Diameter | 142 mm | Starting Voltage | 4.7V |
Hub Size | 41 mm | Weight | 180 grams |
Data in green cells provided by the manufacturer or observed; data in the blue cells were measured. |
The Archon SB-E’s stock fan has an unusual shape and size. The frame has a mix of both round and straight edges and it measures 17 x 15 cm, so it’s longer on one side. The model number on our sample reads “TR-TY170” but this is a misprint. According to Thermalright, it’s a 15 cm fan, the TR-TY150. The fan has a nonstandard thickness of 26.5 mm. The blades are also unusual, not swept forward as much as usual, with rounded ends that make it look more like a propeller on marine vessel.
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The 14 cm TR-TY140 included with the Silver Arrow and Shaman has the same shape and color scheme, but the TR-TY150’s fan blades are more rectangular and overlap slightly near the motor.
Stock TY150 Fan Measurements | ||
Voltage | Speed | SPL@1m |
12V | 1050 RPM | 27 dBA |
9V | 890 RPM | 20 dBA |
7V | 730 RPM | 15 dBA |
5V | 550 RPM | 11 dBA |
Measuring mic positioned 1m at diagonal angle from the center of the heatsink. Ambient noise level: 10~11 dBA. |
The PWM drive makes the TY150 fan suitable for connection to the 4-pin CPU fan header on any modern motherboard, and it will easily start at below 400 RPM, at which speed it is silent. The noise signature at full speed is mostly wind turbulence, and too noisy for any quiet PC. At 890 RPM, it is much more subdued but still noisy, and some tonal elements are more audible, along with a lower frequency hum. The next step down brings the fan noise to a near inaudible level, but from very close up, that hum is still audible, as are some tonal elements. At the lowest speed, it is effectively silent, the close-up sound being little more than a whispery turbulence. The lowest trace in the spectrum capture below is the ambient of the anechoic chamber, which shows no significant change when the TY150 fan is spinning at 550 RPM.
At under ~800 RPM, the Thermalright TY150 is very quiet. Below 700 RPM, it is effectively silent. |
TEST RESULTS
Thermalright Archon SB-E | |||
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Fan Voltage | SPL@1m | Temp | °C Rise |
Stock Fan | |||
12V | 27 dBA | 58°C | 38 |
9V | 20 dBA | 59°C | 39 |
7V | 14 dBA | 60°C | 40 |
5V | 11 dBA | 63°C | 43 |
Reference Noctua 140mm Fan | |||
12V | 28~29 dBA | 55°C | 35 |
9V | 21 dBA | 57°C | 37 |
7V | 15~16 dBA | 60°C | 40 |
6V | 13 dBA | 62°C | 42 |
Reference Nexus 120mm Fan | |||
12V | 16 dBA | 62°C | 42 |
9V | 13 dBA | 63°C | 43 |
7V | 12 dBA | 69°C | 49 |
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (20°C) at load. |
The Archon SB-E’s cooling proficiency is superb for a single fan heatsink, keeping the thermal rise of our test CPU quite low relative to the measured noise. 40°C above ambient is the point where a good cooler becomes excellent and the Archon surpassed this mark, albeit only when using a large fan.
Though the stock fan might have a somewhat “muddier” sound than our reference Noctua 140 mm model, it is slightly lower in SPL and actually ran quieter at slower speeds. Our reference Nexus 120 mm fan, which often outperforms the larger Noctua, was clearly out of its element mounted on the Archon. When its speed was reduced from 9V to 7V, the temperature shot up by 6°C; the best heatsinks we’ve tested typically show only a 2~3°C increase. This shows clearly that the Archon SB-E is optimized for use with a larger fan.
Heatsink Comparison Tables
CPU Coolers (ref. 120mm fan): °C Rise Comparison | |||
Heatsink | Fan voltage / SPL @1m | ||
12V | 9V | 7V | |
16 dBA | 13 dBA | 12 dBA | |
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C | 38 | 40 | 43 |
Thermalright Venomous X | 38 | 41 | 43 |
Prolimatech Megahalems | 38 | 41 | 44 |
Noctua NH-U12P | 39 | 42 | 44 |
Scythe Mugen-2 | 39 | 42 | 45 |
Cogage TRUE Spirit 1366 | 40 | 42 | 45 |
Prolimatech Armageddon | 40 | 42 | 46 |
Zalman CNPS10X Quiet | 40 | 43 | 46 |
Noctua NH-C14 | 39 | 42 | 48 |
Scythe Yasya | 41 | 43 | 47 |
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme | 40 | 43 | 48 |
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus | 41 | 44 | 48 |
Thermalright Archon SB-E | 42 | 43 | 49 |
Thermalright Ultra-120 | 42 | 45 | 49 |
Titan Fenrir | 43 | 46 | 50 |
Scythe Ninja 3 | 44 | 47 | 49 |
Noctua NH-C12P | 43 | 47 | 51 |
Zalman CNPS10X Extreme | 43 | 47 | 53 |
Swiftech Polaris 120 | 46 | 49 | 54 |
Zalman CNPS10X Flex | 45 | 50 | 54 |
Cooler Master V8 | 46 | 50 | 54 |
Antec Kühler H20 620 (pump at 7V, almost inaudible) | 52 | 52 | 53 |
Scythe Grand Kama Cross | 45 | 52 | 57 |
Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme Rev.2 | 49 | 52 | 58 |
Scythe Kabuto | 51 | 53 | 60 |
When paired with a 120 mm fan, not all of the Archon’s cooling fin surface receives airflow, making it fairly ineffective for an US$80 heatsink. Compared to other performance CPU coolers using the same fan, the Archon’s performance was middling.
CPU Coolers (ref. 140mm fan): °C Rise Comparison | |||
Heatsink | Fan voltage / SPL @1m* | ||
9V | 7V | 6V | |
18~21 dBA | 13~16 dBA | 11~13 dBA | |
Thermalright Archon SB-E | 37 | 40 | 42 |
Prolimatech Armageddon | 39 | 42 | 45 |
Thermalright Venomous X Silent Edition | 40 | 43 | 44 |
NZXT Havik 140 | 40 | 43 | 47 |
Noctua NH-C14 (top mounted) | 40 | 44 | 48 |
Noctua NH-C14 | 40 | 44 | 49 |
Thermalright Silver Arrow | 39 | 45 | 49 |
*Note: there are minor differences in measured SPL due to the variety of fan orientations and mounting methods offered by the compared coolers. |
The Archon is a completely different cooler when using a bigger 140 mm fan, topping our chart with a clear margin of victory over the Prolimatech Armageddon, another lanky tower deisnged for a large fan. Heavyweights like the NZXT Havik 140 and Noctua NH-C14 don’t match up either, but to be fair, they are optimized for dual fan operation.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Though not marketed as such, the Thermalright Archon SB-E is an exceptional CPU heatsink for low noise operation. Most top tier heatsinks have bulky fin stacks with tight spacing, making it difficult for fans running at low speed to expel the heat. A high pressure fan is best for such heatsink. The Archon employs a somewhat different strategy to great success. Its surface area is very large, and the tall, wide dimensions allows the output of a large fan to reach all of the fins surface area even at very low speed. The distance from the “intake” side of the fin stack to the “exhaust” side is just 53 mm at its maximum, about 20% less than the highest performance 120mm fan heatsinks, which lowers airflow impedance. When tested with our reference Noctua 140 mm fan, the Archon SB-E beat out all comers. The larger stock 150 mm fan had similar effectiveness.
Still, our main caution is about size. At 172 mm, it’s one of the tallest heatsinks on the market, too tall for even for fairly big ATX cases. By our measurements, its height exceeds the clearance limit of popular noise-conscious cases like the Corsair Obsidian 550D, Fractal Define Mini, SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E, and Cooler Master Silencio 450/550. Its US$80 street price is hefty, though it isn’t unreasonable given its superb performance. Still, there are countless heatsinks that offer good cooling proficiency for much lower cost; the law of diminishing returns is evident in this case. We also are slightly peeved with the tweaked mounting system — specifically the removal of the thumbscrews which made assembling the mounting bracket on the Silver Arrow incredibly easy. There was no reason to meddle with a system that was almost perfect.
Our thanks to Thermalright for the Archon SB-E CPU cooler sample.
Thermalright Archon SB-E wins the SPCR Editor’s Choice
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SPCR Articles of Related Interest:
Antec Kühler H20 620 & 920 CPU Water Cooling Units
Havik 140: NZXT’s First CPU Heatsink
Thermalright Venomous X Silent Edition CPU Cooler
Prolimatech Genesis CPU Heatsink: Retaking the Crown
Swiftech Polaris 120 CPU Heatsink
Zalman CNPS9900 MAX & CNPS5X CPU Coolers
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