Xigmatek Achilles S1284C - initial inspection
The Xigmatek Achilles weighs roughly 660g with the bundled 120mm fan attached, and its 159mm x 120mm x 60mm dimensions make it relatively small and light.
The cooler's four 8mm nickel-plated copper heatpipes blend into the array of fins well, making for an easy-on-the-eye appearance.
From above, the retention mounts for a 120mm fan can be seen clearly, and the jagged-fin design is said to increase surface area and air turbulence. We just reckon it looks cool.
The base, once again, features Xigmatek's HDT technology. The theory is that the base of each of the four flattened-and-lapped heatpipes is able to directly contact a CPU's IHS (integrated heat spreader) - allowing for it to rapidly transfer heat.
We're still unsure about the technology as the amount of contact with a CPU's IHS is going to be less than that of, say, a traditional flat nickel-plated copper base. Nonetheless, Xigmatek remains adamant that HDT has its merits, and we'll let the performance results do the talking.
Adding to the all-round flair of the Achilles S1284C is a bundled 120mm fan sporting translucent orange blades and an integrated white LED. It'll attach to the cooler using anti-vibration rubber mounts, and it'll plug in to a motherboard via a four-pin PWM-controlled connector.
Xigmatek's bundle is fairly basic - but purposefully so. The Achilles S1284C is fitted using push pins on Intel LGA775 boards, and the lever design for AMD boards. A sachet of thermal paste is included, but spreading it on the cooler's base continues to be tricky - we recommend applying a thin layer to both the cooler and the CPU.
