[Test] Corsair A500, when the manufacturer wants to tackle Noctua |Specs | Price

Hi all !

Do we really need to introduce Corsair? After his first love with memory modules which had a great success, the manufacturer tackled many markets. Whether it is gaming peripherals, boxes or even AIO kits, in addition to the takeover of other brands such as Elgato and SCUF Gaming, Corsair has feverishly attacked aircooling. Indeed, it has been 10 years since there was a new Corsair cooler, the latest being the A50 and A70. But with the new A500, the manufacturer has decided to tackle head-on with high-end brands like Noctua. Available at 100 €, it is a direct competitor of the NH-D15 and NH-U12A, two monsters that will be difficult to dethrone.

Technical characteristics

As we can see, Corsair clearly did not go hand in hand with its brand new A500. Indeed, and even before having the beast in front of the eyes, we can immediately say that it is a monster. But what can qualify him as a monster? Would it be rather its height of 16.9 cm, or the 17.1 cm deep? What about the huge 1.45 kg at the weigh-in? For comparison, the A500 is taller, deeper, and heavier than the Noctua NH-D15. And yet, the latter is a dual radiator model while the A500 is content with a single radiator sandwiched between the two fans.

The latter are models of the ML range, the manufacturer’s most upscale with a magnetic type bearing supposed to reduce friction noise. And having already had some in my hands (see our test of the ML140 Pro RGB), the ride is indeed perfectly silent. On the other hand, with 2400 RPM at most for these 120 mm models, we strongly doubt the 36 dB announced, or maybe at 5 meters, but we will see that later! They are responsible for cooling the aluminum radiator crossed by four heat pipes (two of 6 mm and two of 8 mm), it is not enough compared to the six and seven that one finds at its main competitors.