The Megahalems from Prolimatech is one of the biggest baddest heatsinks going around, and many have nicknamed it the Transformer. Not because of its size or robotic looks, but rather because it features what looks very much like the Transformers logo on the top. Despite the uncanny resemblance, this is now what has made the Megahalems such a sort after product.

Without a doubt the Megahalems is one of the all time greats of air-cooling, beating products such as the Cooler Master V8, Scythe Kama Angle, and Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme. Keep in mind however that with a retail price of $65 US before you even pick a fan, the Megahalems is far from affordable. Furthermore, AMD fans will be forced to pay another $10 US for the AM2/AM2+/AM3 retention mount adapter kit.

The Megahalems was an interesting product, largely because there was nothing special about it, or at least nothing that really set it apart from the countless other large high-end air-coolers. Prolimatech did employ heatpipe technology, just like every other cooling company these days. What was believed to make the Megahalems such a great performer was the use of so many heatpipes to direct heat into two separate series of fins.

Since releasing their first product earlier this year, Prolimatech has been quiet, with no further product releases. That was of course until now, as Prolimatech has just presented us with their latest creation, the Mega Shadow. Unfortunately this is not a completely new product, as it is simply a recreation of the original.

The Prolimatech “Mega Shadow” has been given a shadow chrome like finish, making it appear much darker than the original. This is a similar thing to what Thermalright did with the TRUE Black 120. In terms of performance we cannot see the new paint job doing much for the Mega Shadow, as this is likely just an aesthetic improvement. That said, this aesthetic improvement will cost you, as the already expensive heatsink will now retail for as much as $80 US.

The fins have been constructed from aluminum, while the base and heatpipes are made from copper. This makes for a total weight of 790 grams, which is very reasonable for a large high-end CPU cooler. The Mega Shadow is not a universal cooler and can only be installed on either the Intel LGA775, LGA1156 or LGA1366 platforms out of the box.

Those wishing to install either the Mega Shadow or Megahalems on an AMD platform will have to purchase an additional mounting kit at a cost of about $10 US. This is a little unfortunate, as this would be an excellent product for those looking to overclock their Phenom II processor. However once you consider having to buy a fan and then the mounting kit on top of the cost of the heatsink, you are almost half way to the value of a Phenom II X4 955 processor.

Prolimatech has decided to maximize cooling efficiency by using six dual heatpipes that extend through two separate and very large series of aluminum fins. Interestingly the heatpipes do not pass through the fins in an unusual formation, as they do in most high-end coolers. Rather, they form a perfectly straight line though the middle of the fins.

In total there are six copper dual heatpipes measuring 6mm in diameter that run through the copper base and up through the fins on each side of the heatsink. Although the base has been constructed from copper it is nickel plated, and therefore has a smooth finish.

Apart from the Intel mounting bracket kit, the Mega Shadow also comes with four fan clips, which will allow the user to install a pair of 120mm fans if they choose. For testing purposes we installed a single 1500-RPM fan, as this was the same configuration we used on the Prolimatech Megahalems and Thermalright TRUE Copper heatsinks.

In fact, the method used by Prolimatech is actually very intelligent, and it allows for very quick and easy installation on the LGA775, LGA1156 or LGA1366 platforms. Sadly its only short coming is its inability to support AMD platforms without having to purchase an optional kit.

Rather than supply three individual mounting kits, Prolimatech has managed to design a single kit that can support all three platforms. At first the design appeared very fiddly and we were not sure this method was the right way to go about it. However after proceeding with the installation process and installing the Mega Shadow, our opinion quickly changed.

There are three different sets of mounting holes on the bracket and depending on the platform you are using you will only use one of these sets. For testing purposes we first installed the Mega Shadow on an LGA775 motherboard, then an LGA1156 board, and finally an LGA1366 board, without a problem. Again the installation process for each platform is exactly the same, with the exception of the mounting holes which are in a slightly different position for each platform.

Installing the fan or fans on the Mega Shadow is quite a simple process, and Prolimatech has used clips much like you will find with most Thermalright products. There are two sets of clips included, allowing for a pair of 120mm fans to be attached to the heatsink. The fans must be installed once the heatsink has been secured to the motherboard, as they will block access to the screws.

Hardware - Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition @ 3.70GHz (LGA1366) - x3 OCZ DDR3 PC2-16000 CL8 Module(s) - Seagate 750GB 7200RPM (Serial ATAII) - ASUS GeForce GTX 285 (1GB) - ASUS P6T Deluxe (Intel X58) - OCZ GameXStream (700 watt) Software - Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) - Intel System Driver 8.4.0.1016 - Nvidia Forceware 190.38

Both the idle and stress tests are run for 20mins and then the lowest/maximum values are recorded. Prime95 is used to place all four cores under 100% load for the 20 minute period. The rooms ambient temperature is kept at 21 degrees.

Unfortunately the Prolimatech Mega Shadow performed no better than the Megahalems in our test. Prolimatech did inform us that in their tests the Mega Shadow was on average 1-2 degrees better than Megahalems, but we were unable to replicate those results. So as it stands, users will be paying more simply for the shiny paint job.

So getting your hands on the Megahalems and now the new Mega Shadow, should not be all that difficult. What has not changed is the price, as consumers can expect to pay at least $65 US for the original Megahalems. The new Mega Shadow, which proved to be in no way better, could cost as much as $80 US without a fan.

Prolimatech are calling the Mega Shadow their deluxe version of the Megahalems, and really other than the shiny dark paint job, there is not much else on offer here. The Mega Shadow is an impressive looking heatsink, but at around $80 US it is a grossly expensive version of an already expensive heatsink.

While we cannot make a case for the value of the Mega Shadow, as you appear to only be paying for an aesthetic improvement, the performance is still top notch. The Prolimatech Mega Shadow was able to keep our Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition processor, which was overclocked to 3.70GHz, at 65 degrees making it a degree cooler than the Thermalright TRUE Copper.

The new mounting system is impressive despite the fact that it only supports the more recent Intel platforms. Ideally we would have really liked support for AMD processors right out of the box, as the extra $10 US charge for the mounting kit is a bit of a low blow for an already expensive product.

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Reviewed By Steven Walton