Aorus atc800 review in Spanish (full analysis)

We have already tested the AORUS ATC800 heatsink, which was introduced during COMPUTEX 2019 and will soon be available for sale. It is a heatsink with aluminum block and 6 heatpipes natural evolution of ATC700, the same and improving in all aspects its flagship. The lighting also makes an appearance in the upper area and the two 120mm fans integrated into the block.

We will see what this heatsink is capable of doing with our Intel Core i9-7900X with socket LGA 2066. And before we continue, we thank AORUS for their trust in us as a partner, and send us this heatsink to be able to do our analysis.

AORUS ATC800 technical characteristics

Unboxing

The presentation of this AORUS ATC800 completely lives up to the value of the product, a whole top range of high performance that comes in a high quality rigid cardboard box. All of it is painted in the corporate colors gray and orange with a nice full-color photo of the heatsink with its lighting on and plenty of information on the back.

We open the box and find the heatsink tucked inside a cardboard mold along with all the accessories for mounting in different sockets. Best of all, the entire system has completely installed, including fans and lighting, much easier for the user.

In the bundle we find the following elements:

• Heatsink AORUS ATC800 Brackets compatible with AMD and Intel sockets Fixing screws Wrench for tightening screws Thermal paste syringe Assembly instructions manual

Block design: with RGB lighting and more compact

First, let's look at the design of this spectacular AORUS ATC800 heatsink, which is the natural evolution of the ATC700. And a very great evolution we can say, because it practically does not look anything like the previous model. Now we have a more compact block if possible and much more careful in aesthetics, one of the best we have seen in quite some time.

The heatsink is made up of a single aluminum block in the central area. Two fully integrated 120mm fans have been installed on both sides in a plastic frame that is perfectly integrated into the set and is matt black. It is not all, because another plastic block has also been installed on the top with a chrome panel that integrates RGB lighting in it.

The total measurements of the set amount to 1 39 mm long, 107 mm wide and 163 mm high. Thanks to these measures, it will be compatible with the vast majority of chassis that are at least 210 mm wide (supporting 167 mm atura) and absolutely all the motherboards on the market. We only have to worry about the DIMM slot that remains in the internal area, and that a module with a profile greater than 37.4 mm and thick heatsink will have problems to be installed. The aluminum tower block without fans measures 52.7mm thick.

It is worth remembering the measurements of the ATC700, with 139 mm long, 109 mm wide and 169 mm high. The bare block on the other hand was a little wider, 59 mm thick. From this we made it clear that it was taller despite having a smaller useful block, and also somewhat wider, so the space for RAM was reduced. AORUS has done a good job on this update, with a more compact, higher-performance design.

Regarding the fixing system of the fans, we have both integrated on a plastic frame, in this way we will only see the blades, leaving everything else hidden. They will be fixed by means of four internal screws directly on the aluminum block, and behind the blades, so it is not exactly easy to remove them.

Aluminum block with 6 copper heatpipes

If we stand on the side, we can see that, in addition, part of the area is covered by plastic. This is not a drawback, but quite the opposite, since the two fans are installed in such a way that they create a positive air flow through the fin system. Of course the expelled air will come out directly from the back of the chassis, so it will be important to take into account the orientation of the AORUS ATC800 when installing it on the CPU.

We still have the lower area, which in this AORUS ATC800 has been increased by 20% compared to the previous model. This translates into measurements of the cold block 60 mm long and 50 mm wide, well above the IHS of the compatible processors.

This block is entirely made up of 6 copper 6mm diameter heatpipes that will make direct contact with the CPU. All of them exit on both sides towards the finned aluminum block, in order to distribute the heat in the best possible way. This configuration is one of the most efficient that we can find on the market, only surpassed by double-block designs with 8 tubes from other manufacturers.

This block is designed to cool processors with a TDP of up to 200W, including the new Ryzen 3000 top range up to 3950X, all Intel processors up to 9900K.

Complete RGB Fusion 2.0 lighting system and temperature and RPM control

Now we stand at the top of the heatsink to see that in the central area we have another block finished in a chrome plate with the AORUS falcon screen-printed. Of course this logo has RGB lighting in the central area, which, along with the fans, has Gigabyte RGB Fusion 2.0 technology.

But it is not all, since in a lateral area (where we see TEMP / RPM) we have 5 bands that will also light up, but in a special way. The AORUS ATC800 has an intelligent system that actually registers the CPU temperature and the RPM of the fans. The color will indicate the temperature precisely, in 6 steps from blue to red. And the amount of illuminated bands will indicate the speed of the fans.

Fans

Let's move on to see a little more detail about the specifications of the AORUS ATC800 fans, which do not belong to a specific range or family, but have been manufactured exclusively by AORUS for this heatsink. The bearing system consists of two ball bearings that will provide a life of up to 70, 000 hours. Of course they will be controlled by a PWM signal between 600 and 2, 000 RPM.

These are two 120mm fans without external edges and provided with lighting. Its 9 blades are made of white plastic with a fluted and curved surface to improve air flow by up to 33% according to the manufacturer. For its connection a 4-pin header to the board is used, while a system located inside connects both fans simultaneously.

The most important specifications give us an air flow of up to 51.7 CFM in each unit, an air pressure of up to 2.0 mmH2O and a maximum noise of 31 dBA. The power consumption of each will be only 1.44W. Let's not forget that the heatsink has an internal USB 2.0 connector to manage lighting.

As a general reflection, they are not fans that are at the level, for example, of the Noctua, neither in efficiency nor in durability, but at least they are quiet and their 2, 000 RPM will give us good performance.

Mounting and compatibility

We now turn to see the assembly of the AORUS ATC800 and the possible platforms where we can use it.

Let's start with just that, its compatibility, and it's quite broad as you might expect.

• For Intel we have compatibility with the following sockets: LGA 1366, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011 and 2066 And in the case of AMD, the following: AM2, AM2 +, AM3, AM3 +, AM4, FM2, FM2 + and FM1

Of course we note the absence for the TR4 socket of the Threadripper, or previous Intel sockets, such as the 775. In any case, they are a logical loss, since a heatsink of this type is not going to give us enough performance to cool Optimal an AMD Threadripper. For that we already have liquid cooling or double tower heatsinks.

The assembly has been done in a LGA 2066 socket for an Intel Core i9-7900X. The system in this case will be very simple, since the socket has a metal backplate already integrated and we only have to place a few extenders for the cold block to fit the CPU.

After placing these screws, two brackets follow each end, which will be responsible for fixing the heatsink to the socket. These two brackets will be fixed again with four other screws at their ends.

Now it will be the turn to distribute the thermal paste well through the processor, being an LGA 2066, better to add three lines so that there is a good distribution. Let's not forget that the AORUS ATC800 comes with a small component syringe, although nothing about its composition or conductivity is specified.

Now it only remains to place the heatsink on top and screw it to the two central threads of the brackets. The truth is that this last step is going to be quite annoying when we have an EMI protector on the board and XL heatsinks in the VRM. In addition to the thickness of the heatsink itself, we have a reduced space in which it will be difficult to put your fingers to tighten the screws. The included key does not improve things much either, but let's be patient and everything will be fine.

In the previous images we see the final result, with enough space to insert memory modules except in the last slot, since the ones used are quite large. Remember, once again place the heatsink so that the air is expelled towards the back of the board (where the I / O panel is), in this way the chassis fan will collect the hot air and expel it.

Performance testing with the AORUS ATC800

We now turn to show the temperature results with this AORUS ATC800 on the test bench, which this time will be as follows:

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel Core i9-7900X
Base plate:	Asus X299 Prime Deluxe
Memory:	16 GB @ 3600 MHz
Heatsink	AORUS ATC800
Graphic card	AMD Radeon Vega 56
Power supply	Corsair AX860i

To test the performance of this heatsink with its two fans installed, we have subjected our Intel Core i9-7900X to a stress process with Prime95 for a total of 48 uninterrupted hours and at its stock speed. The entire process has been monitored by the HWiNFO x64 software to show the minimum, maximum and average temperature throughout the process.

We must also take into account the ambient temperature, which we have permanently maintained at 24 ° C.

The heatsink has done an excellent job with a 10-core CPU stressed for so many hours at its maximum stock frequency. We have an average of 77 ° C which is not bad for such a compact single tower heatsink. The recorded peak temperature is 81 ° C, also very good considering that the CPU TjMax is 95 ° C.

In any case, it has been shown that performance will also be assured on the LGA 1151 platform and on the new Ryzen, since AMDs tend to be cooler overall. Perhaps it would be interesting to try it with the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, a colossal top of the range performance that unfortunately we do not have in our hands.

Final words and conclusion about AORUS ATC800

As always, we first comment on the highlights of the AORUS ATC800, which is undoubtedly its excellent design and exterior appearance. It is a single tower heatsink more compact than the previous model and that practically improves on all aspects to it. Its height of 163 mm also makes it compatible with most chassis on the market.

We have a careful RGB Fusion 2.0 lighting system in the upper area and also in the two perfectly integrated 120mm fans with plastic housings. In fact, we have an intelligent system that monitors temperature and RPM through bars located in the upper area. Of course, AORUS warns that on boards other than Gigabytes, it may not work well.

We recommend our guide to the best heatsinks on the market

But it is not just design, it is also performance, since a single block has been able to keep at bay a CPU as powerful as this Core i9-7900X. With a cold block made up of 6 copper heatpipes in direct contact with the CPU, you could not expect less from it.

The only downside that we could take out depending on the price, is that the fans are not up to the standards of heatsinks from specialized manufacturers, such as Noctua or Cooler Master. Both in capacity and durability, they are still a little behind.

The mounting and compatibility system are fantastic, available for all current and a few years ago sockets, with a fairly intuitive and easy to mount system. We just have to take into account that the profile of the RAM memories must be less than 37.4 mm, although it will only affect the last slot.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ EASY MOUNTING SYSTEM AND HIGH COMPATIBILITY	- THE QUALITY OF FANS IS NORMALITE
+ COMPLETE LIGHTING SYSTEM MANAGE BY SOFTWARE	- IT WILL NOT BE A CHEAP HEATSINK
+ INTEGRATED RPM AND TEMPERATURE MONITORING SYSTEM
+ EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE FOR HIGH-END CPUS LIKE CORE I9 AND AMD 3000
+ COMPATIBLE WITH MOST CHASSIS ON THE MARKET

The Professional Review team awarded him the platinum medal:

AORUS ATC800

DESIGN - 95%

COMPONENTS - 89%

REFRIGERATION - 88%

COMPATIBILITY - 91%

PRICE - 87%

90%

Compact, high-performance tower sink with brutal aesthetics