CoolerMaster Mars CPU Cooler

Introduction:

As the summer fades away into the scrap book and the holiday season fast approaches, Coolermaster has been working behind closed doors finding new ways to cool the hottest computers and just in time for the holidays. New processor models are filling the shelves from both AMD and Intel in the never ending battle of market share. As all these new processors are purchased, you might be left wondering if that stock heat sink is really what you want to use. Well, let us make a suggestion or two.

If you thought the Zalman and Artic-Cooling 64 Freezer Pro CPU coolers were big, then you're in for something new.  Today, we have the new Coolermaster Mars (RR-CCX-W9U1-GP) which has recently turned a few heads literally and proverbially. The Heat Pipe craze continues as it proves to do much better than a stock solid copper base and fins. It's the preliminary battle of the new titans. And if you stay tuned, we will have another Coolermaster cooler to add to the options.

Impressions:

First impressions make the biggest statement, and this heat sink does exactly that. It comes in the Coolermaster clear packaging weighing in at just 1.5 pounds! The very first thought that came to my mind was the Steven Spielberg movie, Close Encounters. Now, don't get me wrong this isn't a bad thing really. Here at Virtual-Hideout we can appreciate the new, different, and even the odd. This is some where in the middle of all three characteristics.

Package Front	Package Back
Specifications	Manual & Hardware

The Mars Cooler is one very large heat sink with about a 4.5 inch radius and has about 200 aluminum fins around the entire circumference from top to the base. There are three copper heat pipes that are intended for helping the main cooling feature: two pipes round up from the wire side and one pipe from the opposite. The base is also made of copper and while it's not completely polished it is very smooth and flat which is what really tends to matter for any heat sink or cooler.

Back

Front

Top

Coolermaster did well to taper the bottom fins wrapping the base. In the past, many o' coolers from every maker had a bit of trouble as the size and width of the bases and fins encroached on vital motherboard real estate. The tapered fins should allow enough room to maneuver, service, and install other vital components such as the memory.

Front Pipe Closeup

Back Pipe Closeup

Many Fins

Perfect Round

Base Finish

Wrapping the circumference of the Mars just inside the middle of the aluminum fins is another empty heat pipe to help with thermal dissipation. Within the very center is the 90mm fan that pulls and pushes are throughout the entire heat sink. The closest thing to resemble this fan I can recall was the old school Thermaltake Orbs with a fan within the heat sink fins that wrapped up around it.

Now, the other feature that might be something you're looking for in a CPU cooler. Within the center of the heat sink and fan there are two blue LEDs that are intended to give it that extra special affect. You'll get to see that effect in action later on in the testing after we finish up some details.

Fan Speed Jumper

4-pin Connector

The Coolermaster Mars has the latest typical 4-pin power connector which of course works on any motherboard and if it just so happens it doesn't there are cheap wire adapters at any local PC store. Getting back to the fan, there is a 2-position speed jumper. The default setting 1-2 is the fastest speed bringing the fan to 3000 RPM. Setting the jumper to 2-3 sets it to the lowest speed at around 900 RPM. If you leave out the jumper and enable your system's automatic cooling in the BIOS, such as AMD's Cool n' Quiet, the fan will then be controlled automatically as well.