Performance and Conclusion
| Test Platform | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6600K |
| Motherboard | ASUS MAXIMUS VIII GENE, EVGA Z170 Stinger |
| Memory | Crucial Ballistix Sport 8 GB 2400 MHz DDR4 |
| Graphics Card | XFX AMD Radeon 5450 (Fanless) |
| Storage | OCZ Vertex 460 120GB SSD |
| Power Supply | Corsair TX 650W PSU |
| OS | Windows 8.1 64-bit |
CPU Temps
I knew the Le Grand Macho RT was a very high performer while I was testing it, but to see it against these other results? Just...wow! To only be bested by two very high performing liquid coolers is pretty amazing.
Noise Levels
When the noise results between this Le Grand Macho RT and the Scythe Ninja 4 within 0.5 dBA of one another, and with a +/- 1.5 dBA margin of error from my SPL meter, we can consider these two ultra-quiet coolers virtually tied. The Ninja 4 is still the quietest cooler I've ever tested, but only very slightly. When placing my ear almost against the side of the fan I can hear just a bit more turbulence from the Le Grand Macho RT's fan - which makes sense considering the fact it's moving more air.
Conclusion
Thermalright's Le Grand Macho RT is simply the most impressively powerful (and nearly the quietest) cooler I've tested. At the lowest fan speeds it's almost silent, and it has the capability of besting a powerful liquid cooler at the highest fan speeds - which are still ultra-quiet!
Simply put, the Le Grand Macho RT offers staggering performance for an air cooler, and does it with whisper-quiet noise output. If you have space for it in your case, and if you have the budget for a $79.99 cooler, buy it.
I clicked on this article
I clicked on this article just to look at Sebastian’s beautiful photography.
PCPer should sell these shots to Thermalright since they are better than the ones on Thermalright’s website haha
Indeed!!
Indeed!!
I second that.
I second that.
Too kind! 🙂 Thank you.
Too kind! 🙂 Thank you.
Noctua has been my go to big
Noctua has been my go to big ass air cooler for quite a few years now. Looks as if Thermalright has taken back the crown, based on installation, noise, performance, and space constraints, and will be near the top of my short list for my next one. Thanks for the review.
Don’t you have the cooler
Don’t you have the cooler mounted the wrong way around? And isn’t the Grand Macho supposed to operate well fanlessly? It would be useful to see those results.
Wait! I’m macho. I must have
Wait! I’m macho. I must have this
With how popular the Hyper
With how popular the Hyper 212 is I’m surprised to find it missing from these charts.
Check back in a few days once
Check back in a few days once I've had a chance to test it on the Intel system. I haven't revisted the 212 EVO on Intel since way back when I had it face off against a low-cost liquid cooler.
Impressive, looks like
Impressive, looks like Thermaltake actually put a lot of thought into this cooler. And that is saying a lot, because I have never much cared for their products. But I would definitely consider this one if I need such a huge cooler. Bummer you didn’t have the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO to benchmark against this.
THERMALRIGHT makes some of
THERMALRIGHT makes some of the best heatsinks available. (If not the best) THERMALTAKE makes junk.
So let me get this straight,
So let me get this straight, this review only tested the CPU at stock????? Why would anyone buy such a cooler unless they were going to do some overclocking? Stock i5’s can be cooled passively if need be. Also why not compare it (in testing) to the NH-D15 instead of the NH-D14?
I was so excited seeing the
I was so excited seeing the performance and noise charts I totally missed that. I certainly buy big ass coolers, noctua for years, so I can overclock easily with low temps and low noise levels. The overclocked results have to be added to make this review useful and complete. Many coolers perform well at stock and terrible with overclocking. The conclusions might change dramatically when the over overclocked results are added to the review, though I hope not. Thanks in advance Sebastian.
Working on overclocking
Working on overclocking results now. I have results from this cooler, but nothing to compare against until all available coolers are re-tested using the same OC. I've overclocked the i5-6600K from this test setup to 4.50 GHz, and those results will be included in either an update, or an overclocking roundup.
I am very happy with my
I am very happy with my Thermalright Macho rev. B and this one looks just as good.
how hard is it to clean?
how hard is it to clean?
I bought Le Grand Macho RT
I bought Le Grand Macho RT because I own a BitFenix Neos case and not all the coolers had the right dimensions.
I do overclock with my i5-6600k, and I must say that this macho is a true miracle.
I recommend it to all those who want the most for air cooling.
It also does not make any noise and runs almost always the middle of the turns, in smart mode.
I second that! This is maybe
I second that! This is maybe the best air cooler, my overclocked system is now (after years of struggle(!) finally stable with 4GHZ OC. i7 950 @ 4,009 MHz, power-hungry chip needs 1,35V to achieve this OC and with previous cooler the temps were in very dangerous region! VRM were too hot and air-flow around MOBO was zero, and my previous cooler was not some junk, it was arctic cooling freezer extreme. With the same settings (maybe one step voltage higher) the temps went down from 85 to 70-73 °C after one hour of linpack OCCT torture. Also, there is ZERO noise! I am looking forward to build my next PC this year, I am sure this cooler will handle well any modern CPU.
I bought this thing recently
I bought this thing recently and slapped it on an AMD 8370. It keeps my CPU cooler than my H100i V2 water cooler. I get idle temps at 25C (77F) and max out at 44C (111F).