The newest CPU cooler from the traditional manufacturer, Cooler Master, is the TPC 812, which has a tower heatsink with a 120 mm fan, six U-shaped heatpipes, and two vapor chambers. Let’s see if it really offers the “True Performance Cooling” that its name suggests.

The vapor chamber is a heat-transfer device where a phase-changing compound flows. This compound receives heat on one end, becoming vapor. It flows along the chamber and, when it reaches the “cold side,” it condenses again to the liquid state, releasing the heat previously absorbed. For all practical purposes, it is actually a “flat heatpipe.”

Unlike most Cooler Master products, the box of the TPC 812 uses black and bordeaux tones, as you can see in Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Package

Figure 2 shows the contents of the box: heatsink, fan, a small tube of thermal compound, manuals, and installation hardware. The cooler comes with only one fan, but you can install a second optional 120 mm fan; the plastic frame to install the second fan is included.

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Figure 2: Accessories

Figure 3 displays the TPC 812 heatsink.

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Figure 3: The TPC 812

This cooler is discussed in detail in the following pages.