Thermalright Archon SB-E X2 CPU Cooler Review

The included mounting kit can be seen below. It includes an AMD backplate, Intel backplate, backplate spacer, dual 4 pin to single 4 pin cable, Thermalright CF III thermal paste, four fan clips, mounting bracket, mounting bracket pressure clip and all the required screws and fittings.

I do not normally take pictures of things like this, but I decided to do so because I feel that the mounting bracket is quite big by most standards. However, it is still worth noting that the bracket stays entirely within the marked specifications of the LGA 1155 socket unlike the Sapphire Vapor-X CPU cooler.

From the top we can see the Archon SB-E X2 is quite large, this is mainly due to the dual 140mm fans. Installing the fans was a bit on the tricky side. A word of advice would to be ensure the “curved” sides of the fan face the top of the heatsink while the flat sides of the fan should face the sides of the heatsink. It is also worth noting that this CPU cooler is 170mm tall meaning it will not fit in most mid-tower cases, so double check your case compatibility if you are considering this!

VRM and motherboard heatsink clearance should be 100% on all motherboards.

RAM clearance is very tight in the first slot. You will be able to fit a tall module in, we were able to, but it was quite a squeeze to get it in there. If you have any RAM coolers then these probably won’t fit.