AMD Wraith CPU Cooler (FX-8350) Review

A Closer Look

AMD’s previous design looks rather dated by today’s standards and features a fairly ghastly 4-pin CPU fan cable. The visible wiring and industrial appearance aren’t going to make anyone proud to deploy this cooler in their personal rig. Saying that, it’s bundled with the CPU and the target market unless they’re overclocking, won’t be overly fussed providing it keeps the processor within thermal limitations. Unfortunately, the older model’s small fan and restricted heatsink surface area make it a real challenge to attain good thermals. This means, the top-loaded fan ends up running at a very high RPM value and creates a surge of noise which can actually be heard from a shockingly large distance.

The cooler’s mounting system might not be the most elegant design on the market but it’s extremely simple to attach and only takes a matter of seconds. All you have to do is fix the clips into position and tighten the lever.

Here we can see the unit features a much larger copper base than Intel’s stock cooler and has a decent fin array. Of course, it’s no match for a something like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo and is notorious for struggling to cool AMD CPU’s with a high TDP cooler under extreme load.

The Wraith cooler incorporates an 80mm fan capable of 41.6 CFM and rated to a maximum noise output of 39dBA. As you can see, the fan cable now has an attractive sleeving and the build quality through is exponentially improved.

To dissipate heat in an efficient manner, the cooler sports 4 copper heat pipes, and a large surface area which feels more reminiscent of a well-received third-party product. It’s astounding to think this comes at no additional cost and is rated to 125 watts of cooling power.

The noticeably larger heatsink surface area which allows heat to be expelled rather quickly leads to greatly reduced temperatures.

Here we can see the cooler’s size in relation to the memory kit.

Once powered on, the cooler display a subtle illuminated AMD logo which adds an elegant touch. It’s not overly bright and which means capturing the vibrancy on camera is challenging. This is a positive concept though because the lighting isn’t ostentatious and won’t distract those who prefer a more neutral design philosophy.

The following images illustrate the size differences between the Wraith and the model it’s replacing: