Enermax ETS-T40 H.D.T. Tower CPU Cooler Review

Final Thoughts of the Enermax ETS-T40-TA

This was my first look at an Enermax cooler, and overall I was very happy with the whole experience. The cooler is well made. The instructions were easy to follow, which made installation easy. One thing that Enermax did that I really liked is that they have 3 styles of the same cooler, thus allowing the end user the ability to pick a style that fits them. The ETS-T40-TB for those that don’t want/need extra light in their build from LEDs, the ETS-T40-TA with blue LED fan and nickel plating for a little bling, and the ETS-T40-VD with the blue+red LED for those that want LED light but are not big on the nickel plate look.

The fin design of the ETS-T40 is definitely different. The spoilers redirect air to the dead space behind the heatpipes for what Enermax calls Vortex Generator Flow. The center bumps act like plane wings and use Bernoulli’s Law to enhance the air flow through the cooler for what Enermax calls Stack Effect Flow. Then, the side of the fin stack creates what Enermax is calling the Vacuum Effect Flow that pulls additional air in the cooler on top of what the fan is pushing in.

Overall performance of the ETS-T40-TA was nice, as well. It outperformed the stock Intel HSF by over 20 degrees at the stock settings for our Intel Core i7-930. Throughout all the testing the ETS-T40-TA was slightly behind the Corsair H80 on its low speed setting. With the H80 on low and the ETS-T40-TA at full speed the noise levels are very close. So, with both having similar noise levels and similar performance, the difference comes in price. The EST-T40-TA is half the price of the Corsair H80. Granted, with the Corsair H80 you can bump the fans to “high” and get a bit more performance, but on high the Corsair H80 fans are noisier. So if you’re wanting a sub 30dBA cooler and were looking at the Corsair H80 and running it on low or the ETS-T40-TA, save the extra $50 and get the ETS-T40-TA.

In shopping for the Enermax ETS-T40-TA I had some difficulty finding a store that had it in stock. The folks over at Xoxide have all three ETS-T40 models listed but not available. At Xoxide the ETS-T40-TA is listed for $49.99. Directron has the ETS-T40-TB on sale for $29.99. With the ETS-T40-TA at the $49.99 mark it’s in the midrange pricing, and that is where it performed. The ETS-T40-TA is a nice little cooler. It is a solid performer with a little bling that would make for a nice stock cooler upgrade.

Legit Bottom Line: The new Enermax ETS-T40-TA is a solid cooler that performed well and has flash for those that like it. Costing $49.99 with a 1 year warranty, it won’t break the bank and will give a nice jump in performance over stock cooling.