Specifications, Availability and Pricing

Samuel 17 arrives to your door in a very small box, at least for what I am used to seeing. Inside the box you will find a 45mm tall cooler made from aluminum that surrounds the six, 6mm, copper heatpipes. One thing you won't find in the box is a fan, just like with the Megahalems I received. They do recommend a 120mm fan that runs somewhere between 1000 and 2000 RPM. Since the fan noise may be an issue in a HTPC build, a slower fan may be desired to fit on any of today's current processors. For those looking for ultimate performance with the smallest cooler on the market, a 2000RPM fan may be just what you are after to keep your SFF build cool during gaming.

The Samuel 17 draws heat out of the processor via the direct contact of the aluminum base and pre-cooler that surrounds the heatpipes. The heatpipes exit the base and in 27mm they make a u-turn and pass through the aluminum fins. Prolimatech states that there should be no compatibility issues on any motherboard. Seeing for myself how compact it really is, I can say I tried on some really tight motherboards and I had no issues getting the cooler on either board.

Currently, we still haven't seen stock of this cooler arriving on shelves yet. Via emails with them I was told to expect it in late June and well, that time is upon us, so I expect them to show up any day now. With no shopping or pricing available either, all I can go by is the MSRP of $42 set by Prolimatech. Under $50 for a good aftermarket cooler is a fair price, especially for those in a "tight spot". Even though the cooler may fit where some others can't, for that 50-ish dollars, the cooler still needs to be better than stock, or what is the point in going aftermarket, right? - With our Goliath just waiting for the pre-fight imaging to commence, let's get to them so we can sit back and watch the battle ensue.