Introduction

Enermax certainly isn't a newcomer to the PC world, having gotten their start back in 1990. Since then, they have striven to provide the highest-quality products possible, offering a diverse portfolio that includes everything from cases, coolers, fans, power supplies, and more, which has firmly established them as a recognizable brand. That said, in reality, it was the company's success with power supplies, such as the Revolution85+, Galaxy EVO, MAXREVO, and Platimax series of units, that helped propel them to prominence.


In today's review, I look at the Enermax ETS-T50 AXE ARGB CPU cooler. This single-tower, single-fan heatsink is a five heat pipe design that looks to be fairly similar on the surface to many other entries in the mid-range market. Where it differs is the extras. It of course offers ARGB illumination, but what truly sets it apart is the integration of a rotatable air guide that helps direct air exhausted from the heatsink. While I suspect it will have little impact depending on the situation, it may allow for some cooling of the VRM and MOSFETs or at the very least improve efficiency by better directing airflow towards the rear exhaust fan. So without further delay, let's take a closer look at what Enermax has to offer.

Packaging

The box is black, with the attention-grabbing color being the ARGB aspect of the cooler shown off front and center. The front of the box not only shows the cooler and its lighting in both the black and white versions. It also lists all the supported motherboard RGB software, which includes ASUS Aura Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and others. Flipping the box to the bottom, we find all the various design features the ETS-T50 AXE ARGB has built in, including its high-pressure fan blade design and rotatable air guide. Turning the box to the left side, you will find a short introduction to the product, which puts into words everything you see on the box.


Taking a look at the top, we find the cooler's specifications and features along with a list of supported sockets, which includes pretty much every socket except Intel's LGA775 and AMD's TR4. Finally, taking a look at the right side, we find the product name, QR codes, etc., but nothing interesting or noteworthy beyond that.

Contents

After opening the box, I was greeted by cardboard packaging. The cooler is situated in the center with cardboard dividers used to secure it. As for the mounting hardware, it's in a smaller separate box on the right.


The mounting hardware is quite simple because of the mostly universal design, which is nice to see as it should greatly simplify installation. When it comes to extras, you won't find much as only the essentials are included.

Common parts supplied for mounting include

• 4x Backplate screws
• 4x Stand-offs
• 4x LGA2011/2066 screws
• 4x Nuts
• 4x Backplate washers
• 2x Intel mounting arms
• 1x AMD mounting arms
• 1x RGB extension cable
• 1x RGB controller
• 1x 120 mm ARGB fan
• 1x Air Guide
• 1x Backplate
• 1x Tube of thermal paste
• 1x Heatsink
• 1x Installation manual