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By Trace at 2010-04-05 20:50
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Cogage has once again raised the bar for function and design with their new Arrow CPU cooler which supports sockets 1366, 1156, and 775. Released to deal with the massive amounts of heat that the i7 produces, it sports backwards compatibility for even the hottest running socket 775 CPUs. I will be putting this cooler through the firing squad and see how it performs. Against it will be other leading air coolers and Intel’s stock heat sink solution. Read on to find out how it stacks up.
Introduction and Installation:
Cogage’s new Arrow CPU cooler has a unique design with twin-towers that allow support for 3 fans for extreme cooling. 4 heat pipes from the base carry heat away to each tower. Because of the sheer size of this cooler, Cogage includes a back plate standard. Mounting is a bit difficult and required 2 people. The fan mounting uses the standard wire fan clip method which also is a pain to mount. Once the fans are mounted however, they are on tightly.
The base is polished from the factory, however not as polished as some heat sinks come. This heat sink is big, as you can see by the pictures below. There is no way that this heat sink will fit into smaller cases; it is strictly for the enthusiast which explains the 3-fan mounting system. The looks of the actual heat sink are pretty good. It has a cool fin design that Cogage claims allows cool air to pass rapidly while maintaining a quiet operating volume. While the volume didn’t stay exactly quiet, it did keep my i7 quite cool, even when overclocked.
Features:
4 x 8mm heat pipes
Nickel Plated
Double fin stack design
Support for 1366/1156/775
3 Fan support
Unboxing:
Here is the packaging…
The Arrow cooler is shipped with brackets for 1366/1156/775, fan clips for 3 fans, thermal paste, fan, and necessary nuts and bolts…
The size related to a standard 12oz can
The size related to a standard 12oz can
The polish of the base, reflecting the Pepsi logo…
Testing Methodology:
I applied fresh AS5 to both the stock heatsink and the Cogage Arrow cooler and ran OCCT for 30 minutes.
The Arrow was tested at 3.6Ghz (with turbo enabled) and stock clocks with 3 fans. The stock heatsink and the Arrow were tested with 1 fan at only stock speeds to keep temps down and prevent damage to the test chip.
Test System:
| CPU | Core i7-920 D0 | | Motherboard | ASUS P6E SE | | RAM | 6 * 1GB Crucial Balistix Tracers | | PSU | 1kW Rosewill PSU |
Test Results:
Results of testing at standard clocks
Results of testing at overclocked speeds
At stock speeds, the Arrow is beaten out by both the Frio and the Armageddon. However, on the overclocked trial, the Arrow sits between the Armageddon and the Frio. So as the speed increases, the Arrow seems to perform better.
Conclusion:
The Cogage Arrow cooler manages to hold its own, especially against the stock heatsink. As far as air coolers go, I can recommend the Cogage Arrow as it will provide the cooling necessary for the hottest running i7’s, but is still no match for water. The noise with 3 Thermalright fans does sound somewhat like a tornado coming; however, it’s not as bad as some coolers. The whole time the tests were running, turbo was active which equated to an actual speed of 3780Mhz for the overclock 2793Mhz for the standard clock. The cooler does a great job and allows for overclocking. I have to give this cooler a TBCS Approved 4/5. I had to dock a point for the not so easy installation. Improve the installation, and this is an excellent choice for a cooler.
Pros:- Destroy's Intels Solution
- Allows for overclocking
- Looks great
Cons:- Installation
- Loud with 3 fans
You can buy the Cogage Arrow from Newegg.com for around $65.00.
This product was provided by its manufacturer free of charge for the purpose of review.
Pepsi and any and all logos associated with Pepsi are registered trademarks of Pepsi, Inc and are in no way affiliated with TheBestCaseScenario.com or Cogage
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