TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
Easy to fit
- +
Amazing price
- +
Performance
Cons
- -
Not one for overclocking
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Apart from the new fan, the other major change with the Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo is that this latest version doesn't support the oldest AMD Sockets; 754, 939 and 940 have dropped off the list.
It will support every AMD socket up from them with all Intel sockets from the 775 up to, and including LGA 1155 are also supported.
The cooler comes with a 92mm fan attached but should you require more cooling then Cooler Master includes mounts in the box for a second 92mm fan. The fan mounts are made of plastic and look rather like the fan mounts you find in some PC cases. This makes a nice change from the usual sprung wire mounts, often a source of irritation when it comes to sticking the fan on the cooler.
Performance-wise the Evo keeps up the family tradition by offering very good result at a very keen price point. Although it's not quite as efficient as some of its more expensive rivals when it comes to keeping the CPU cool when worked hard or overclocked.
TechRadar Labs
CPU standard clock (2600K @3.4GHz)
CPU Idle load performance
Degrees Centigrade: Lower is better
Be Quiet Dark Rock Advanced C1: 24
Cooler Master GeminII M4: 25
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 EVO: 22
Gelid GX-7: 22
Enermax ETS-T40-TA: 21
CPU full load performance
Degrees Centigrade: Lower is better
Be Quiet Dark Rock Advanced C1: 52
Cooler Master GeminII M4: 61
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 EVO: 63
Gelid GX-7: 55
Enermax ETS-T40-TA: 50
CPU Overclocked (2600K @ 4.6GHz)
CPU Idle load performance
Degrees Centigrade: Lower is better
Be Quiet Dark Rock Advanced C1: 25
Cooler Master GeminII M4: 26
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 EVO: 24
Gelid GX-7: 22
Enermax ETS-T40-TA: 22
CPU full load performance
Degrees Centigrade: Lower is better
Be Quiet Dark Rock Advanced C1: 72
Cooler Master GeminII M4: 83
Cooler Master Hyper TX3 EVO: 85
Gelid GX-7: 78
Enermax ETS-T40-TA: 70
To be fair though it's not aimed at overclockers and performs better than its price tag suggests. The TX3 Evo certainly gets a major thumbs up when it comes to how easy it is to fit, mainly due to the fact that once you've attached the Intel push pin assembly then it's a direct swap-out for the standard Intel cooler.
It's also very quiet, a far bit quieter in fact than its predecessor thanks to the new sleeve bearing fan it uses.
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