Thermalright Macho Zero Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]Conclusion

After a very interesting testing period, it is time for me to give my final thoughts on the Macho Zero and let me just say if I hadn’t seen it first-hand I probably wouldn’t believe the results!

Jumping right into the performance as this is where the Macho Zero really shines, it performs so well it is near unbelievable. Taking a look back at the thermal benchmarks the idle performance was average but when upping the voltage and adding a nice overclock to my 4770K the Macho Zero showed me what it was made of. While using the Macho Zero as a passive cooler with no other fans in the case at all it managed to keep my OC 4770 to a delta temperature of just 56.5, beating out half of the coolers we at Play3r have previously tested which included fans on them! This is truly an amazing feat and almost seemed to good to be true. I restarted my PC a couple of times to make sure something wasn’t wrong and every time I ran my tests I got likewise results.

Now here is the kicker, and one most won’t believe! When installing the duct with a rear 120mm exhaust fan the results at the stock speed and voltage was better than that of all but one cooler Play3r have tested! I really don’t know how it is possible for this cooler to work this well but trying it again and again getting similar results I had no choice, but to believe them! What was also nice to see is that when pushing the OC and voltage up the duct managed to knock another 6.5c off of the thermal results, making it well worth purchasing in addition to the Macho Zero.

Design wise the Macho Zero is a thing of real beauty, the black nickel plated finish is absolutely amazing to look at and if you have any LEDs in your case the way they will shine off the cooler is equally amazing. All around this thing is designed to be a beast of a cooler as it is designed to be used semi-passively it must be able to handle the heat and it can. I don’t know what Thermarights R&D department got up to with the Macho Zero, but they did it all right. In terms of design, the only thing that can compare to its looks is its performance. This cooler is designed to be an ultimate beast and that it is.

The value aspect of the Macho Zero is a bit of a tough spot. Not only does it perform amazing well, it is also only being sold by one company in one country at the moment! In my opinion it is very hard to put a price on something of the sort, all I can say is if you get the opportunity to buy one and it’s not at a crazily inflated priced – you will not regret it! The performance it offers and the fact that it is silent makes it an exceptional value in my eyes.

When it comes down to it if you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of these bad boys, do all you can not to let it go. If you are looking for a passive/semi-passive cooler than this will definitely fit the build, as long as it will fit in your desired case.

I would like to thank Thermalright for sending the Macho Zero in for review and look forward to seeing more from them in the future.