Asus goes full fashion with CPU coolers

Product: Asus Amazing Axe Square
Website: www.asus.com

CPU coolers are usually a well hidden and not exactly pretty part of the big PC contraption - that has proven true especially since the top-end 'enthusiast' overclocker behemoths started using water, fridges, freezers and other more exotic stuff, leaving the air coolers down to the boring, price-sensitive mainstream.

However, there still seems to be market for high-end, good looking heat sink fan combos – the air coolers as we christen them here – at least according to Asus. They were among the first with a LGA1366 Core i7 compatible high end dual fan contraption, the Triton 81, and now, they got something even more interesting: the 'special edition Gold Aureate' Axe Square. The gold-coloured five heat pipe heat sink and silent fan combo looks like a work of art in itself, not to mention the noticeable 680 grams weight, but it is the packaging that takes the accolade:

Who'd ever think to wrap a heat sink, like this?

Reminds us of those fancy packed melons in Japanese supermarkets...

Anyway, I did a quick run on the Asus Rampage Extreme X48 mobo with the Intel QX9650 quad core CPU - simple mounting in about 3 minutes, and the system could boot at 4 GHz / FSB1600 without a hitch, including the usual benchmark runs. It was stable up to 4.12 GHz at 1.42 volts at the end, above that benchmarks would start crashing. Nevertheless, pretty decent for an air cooler - not the uber performer, but it does give you decent overclocking with little noise due to a 1,400 rpm fan, and, with its looks, a darn good reason to keep the case side open. Yeah, to show off a heat sink...

Notice, again, that this is a 'limited edition' product. Even Asus is not exactly committed to do more of those, as the LGA1366 takes over, with larger footprint and more demanding cooling in the future. I recommend this to the existing Intel Core 2 or upcoming AMD Phenom II users who'd want to have a really special heat sink with decent overclocking to boot.

It also makes a fitting shiny Xmas present to an 'enthusiast' - even the packaging box dimensions fit the typical 'present under the tree' format just nice. Not to mention the benefit for Asus' increasingly aggressive worldwide branding campaign - now, when the 'western' PC vendors are weak, is the time...

Good: Good looks of course, pretty packaging, decent performer
Bad: The small CPU attachment surface area won't allow LGA1366 socket cover
Ugly: the heat pipes should have been natural copper metal colour, not painted black
Bartender's Verdict: 8 out of 10