Final Thoughts, Pricing, Conclusion
Final thoughts
After putting the ASUS Triton 81 through our torture tests and pairing it against some of our best air-based heatsinks, we ended up with some mixed emotions about the product. While the design and dual-fan system were top notch, the overall performance results and other small design flaws left us wanting more from the Triton 81. The universal design is also a huge selling point with this heatsink, but ASUS kinda shoots themselves in the foot by making the base too small to support many of the CPU socket types it lists in the installation manual. With a few tweaks, the Triton 81 could be a very respectable heatsink for any power user’s system.
Pricing
As of July 28, 2009, we could not find a single online reseller who is currently selling the Triton 81. Newegg is now selling the next version of this heatsink called the Triton 85 for $32.99 after MIB.
Conclusion
We’d like to thank ASUS for providing the Triton 81 universal heatsink for our review today. There are lots of pros and cons to purchasing the Triton 81, but overall it definitely handled our Intel Q8400 quad-core processor with ease and grace. Even during load testing, it kept the CPU well below the threshold of its thermal limits. Unfortunately, there were a few key issues that needs to be addressed in future revisions of this heatsink. The main two items I would suggest updating would be the smoothness of the copper base and the actual dimensions of the base itself. If this heatsink is supposed to be support a variety of CPU types then it needs to be able to completely cover any CPU that it supports. There shouldn’t be any parts of the CPU exposed or their will be serious heat issues after normal use.
Strengths
- Dual-fan exhaust system was quiet and functioned as advertised
- Unique design will appeal to enthusiasts, PC builders, and gamers
Weaknesses
- Small base won’t cover all CPU socket types it supports
- Non-polished base will have issues with creating good contact with CPU
