Analysis

Looking over the results from the above tests you can see the effectiveness off Cooler Masters V10. When faced with high levels of stress this is a completely different story when compared to the initial stock results. Investigating this further revealed the reasons behind this and proved the worth of Cooler Masters flagship air cooling solution. During testing there was an apparent clicking escaping the V10. At first this was thought to be a faulty fan that was failing however under further investigation it became evident that this was instead the TEC engaging and disengaging due to the heat output of the CPU being too small to even warrant the TEC to be engaged permanently. Once the cooler was pushed during the high frequency/voltage test, the clicking ceased. This was due to the TEC engaging and remaining engaged, cooling the heat pipes and subsequently the CPU itself. From this we could see that the V10 was doing exactly what it had been designed to do and was managing this flawlessly.

Conclusion

Cooler Master’s V10 is a cooler of gargantuan proportions and has clearly performance to match. This however does come at a price nearing £90 inclusive of VAT. At this price it is hard to justify it over the Titan that can be found for sub £30 at many online stores. However,£90 for a level of cooling close to rival the performance of an £200 water cooling loop shows outstanding value for money. For this very reason it fills the void between air and water cooling perfectly. However, it only does so when high levels of overclocking are involved, otherwise the Titan becomes the far better alternative, it all depends on how you look at this. Does the V10 represent the glass half full or is the glass unfortunately half empty? With this question on your mind you will have to sit back and weigh up the pros and the cons, and whether or not you wish to use the cooler to its full potential or not.

Pros

• Cooling performance when put under extreme stress
• The ability to keep up with water cooling more than double the price
• Aesthetically pleasing, a real head turner

Cons

• Price compared to other air coolers
• Poor performance on cooling running CPU’s
• Size may prove an issue with your case
• Too loud when pushed

Overclockers Tech are pleased to announce that the Cooler Master V10 air cooler has scored a respectable 8/10 and the Overclockers Tech Silver Award. A price drop to £75 inclusive of VAT would see this cooler obtain Gold as it would then be directly competing with the likes of Noctua’s NH-D14 and other such coolers within a similar price range.

Overclockers Tech would like to thank Cooler Master for the review sample tested here today.