Prolimatech Genesis CPU Cooler Review

When we observe the facts these cooling ‘big boys’ are eating the 4.4GHz overclock for breakfast (albeit while getting heartburn by lunch), we decided that there was need for an even higher overclock to separate the men from boys, the high end from the extreme, the coolers from the refrigerators.

With our goal being to provide realistic results of what end users are likely to be able to achieve and successfully run with their processors, we decided a dynamic 4.7GHz overclock was a great frequency to aim for. Upping the 2600K CPU’s core voltage to a BIOS set 1.340V which peaked at 1.40V under load conditions, would be perfect for testing the overclocking headroom available with these heat dissipation monsters. The idle temperature will remain low due to the dynamic overclock’s ability to decrease the multiplier under low CPU load condition. This is different to our static 4.4GHz overclock.

Note: Unfortunately, we are unable to show the Corsair H80 CPU cooler’s results at this CPU frequency due to an absence of the required data.

At 4.7GHz the Genesis brings in a losing performance with a delta temperature of 59.5°C. The Frio Advanced, NH-D14 and Megahalems all outperform it by a margin of around 5%. Phanteks‘ and Thermalright’s class-leading dual-tower coolers offer around 13% and 11% performance benefits, respectively. While the Genesis may trail the pack, its ability to actually complete this enthusiast-level test is a worthy achievement in its own right; an achievement that very few CPU coolers can manage.