Corsair Air Series A50 Performance CPU Cooler CAFA50

I recently installed a Corsair A50 on a Phenom II 965 BE processor (3.4 ghz quad core). It was simple to install on the AM3 socket -- it includes a mounting bracket that simply clips the unit firmly into place against the microprocessor. After applying a thermal interface compound, it literally took me less than a minute to install the unit.However, the unit could be a bit better for the price. The flat surface that faces the processor isn't nearly flat. The copper heat pipes are ground more or less flat, but they're finished pretty roughly. No mirror finish here. And the aluminum bracket around the pipes is recessed slightly, so the aluminum does not come into contact with the processor. This leaves you with three 6 mm copper pipes spaced a millimeter or so apart running across the microprocessor. That isn't the best surface to surface contact area. More surface area contact would allow this unit to transfer more heat away from the microprocessor. Corsair knows how to make a better interface -- they did it on their H50 unit, which has a completely flat metal plate that makes uniform contact once coated with a thin layer of thermal interface compound. Why they went cheaper on this unit, which isn't exactly inexpensive, is beyond me.The supplied 120mm fan is pretty quiet but isn't PWM equipped. No matter. I run it at standard voltage/full RPMs and cannot hear it in a Lian Li mid tower case. If you're dying for PWM control, you could probably slip another standard 120mm fan into the mounting bracket, which attaches to the fan with common silicone rubber "pins." (The fan is already mounted to the bracket, but you could remove the pins and reuse them.)In all, this cooler gets the job done (the AMD idles around 32c and gets to about 50c under full load), but you could probably do a bit better for your money with a CoolerMaster 212, which usually runs about a sawbuck or so cheaper and which seems to be pretty equivalent in construction and materials. I got this when there was a rebate that made it equivalent in price to the CoolerMaster. I wouldn't spend the full retail price to replace it -- I'd go with a CoolerMaster.

My stock AMD Athlon II X3 445 heat sink got pretty inadequate when I was able to core unlock it to a Phenom II X4. Temperatures would easily go beyond 60C with prime95 and even with PWM control the 70mm fan was pretty squeaky at low speeds. The Athlon II stock heat sink solution has to be the worst I have ever seen! I then saw the Corsair A50 being sold for close to twenty bucks after rebate and decided to try it out in light of the good reviews given to it for when it costed $40.One spec that is missing from the Corsair website and every review of this product is its weight. Just the heat sink without the fan assembly weighs around 500gms, so that a good amount of metal. Whats also missed frequently when comparing this to other (eg. CoolerMaster 212+) is that the A50 uses 8mm heat pipes vs. 6mm on most other solutions in its price range. Another thing to note is that the included fan is 3 pin and runs at 2 speeds, full speed 2000rpm and with inline resistance cable at 1600rpm. It will also need around 6.5 inches of clearance from the mobo so make sure it fits before you hit buy.Pros:1. Temperature doesn't go over 42C under prime95 load even when running with all cores unlocked at 1600rpm fan speed, 2000rpm was a little too noisy for me. I have also setup it up to use the bios pwm control and unless I play games the fan usually isnt even running2. On AMD AM3 mobo's can emulate push-pull by using a top case fan (see photos I posted)3. Good mounting, rubber screws and padding for fanCons:1. No PWM fan control (competitors have it)2. 2000rpm was too noisy for me unless you have a lot of other fans in your computerNitpicking:1. I don't like the clip based AMD mount design because there is no fixed place for the heat sink and it can actually slide around along the clip.UPDATE:Just got the rebate check!

Good:I've been very impressed with the cooling power of this fan. It seems to be well made, quiet and even came with its own tube of thermal paste in the box as well as all the fittings for Intel or AMD processor types.But watch out for:However, it's MASSIVE! I built a gaming PC with a large case but still had to make a few modifications to the layout in order to get it to fit in.If you're reading this I'm sure you know a powerful fan is going to be large by definition and probably already have this covered, but be careful - the product height is over 15cm and that sits ABOVE your CPU on the motherboard. Your case may be wide enough, but check your layout - I had to remove a fan from the side panel of the case to fit this in. It's very wide too and could easily stop you from accessing disc drive slots or make it very awkward to complete your build around it.

Bought of these about 6 months ago now to replace my stock cooler as i noticed my temps were starting to get a little hot for my liking.I know corsair have a good reputation for quality and products that work, so i put my money on them.Well 6 months on i havnt been disappointed, temps dropped over 20c, and barely move under heavy load (Im a gamer running a high end rig, so temp is important)Easy fitment, looks well good in a cable managed case.The only catch in my case, was that my corsair dominator ram has tall heatspreaders on it, so i had to unclip two of the heat spreaders to keep the ram in, as the cooler sits lowish to the board, unlike some which account for them but put extra strain on the motherboard.Would and have recommend this cooler to fellow gamers and hi-end system builders.

Firstly occupies a very large area, I am using dominator memory on a socket 2011 board fortunately I could take the top fins off the chips and the fan fits well, I believe that the fins are mostly cosmetic anyway. I have my system in an NZXT Lexa case and in the same way as previous cases had to remove fan from the side of the case, I now have it mounted on outside of case blowing air in, makes it look nicely industrial. As for cpu fan I have installed with variable resistor to control fan speed because at full power it can be a bit noisy, dropping the speed it is almost silent.Very happy with purchase and a very good performer, regulates temperature well with minimal noise, good stuff.

this cooler is great, keeps temps in check at anything up to 4.5ghzim going to upgrade soon though as im able to get my i5 2500k to 5ghz but the temps go too highhowever this is a great cooler for pretty much anyone, it clears my ram easily.

If you're planning on gaming, I recommend you get this cooler. It is perfect. I have an Asrock eXtreme3 Gen3 motherboard and the cooler fits perfectly with the lga1155 socket. My idle temps are typically 31-33, load temps are about 58. I am currently overclocking my i5 2500k at 4.3Ghz and have had a stable overclock at 4.6Ghz getting similar temps. I highly recommend this cooler for anyone who needs an after market solution who doesn't wish to spend the top dollar on a cooler, but wants the performance of one.