Prolimatech Panther
Prolimatech became a well-known manufacturer for their high performance Megahalems air cooler, then went on to create other competitive products such as the Mega Shadow, Super Mega, Armageddon and Genesis. At the time of their arrival all these products had one thing in common: their high cost. In general, they were all expensive heatsinks costing upwards of $70 without a fan.
The company did very well for a number of years, but like Thermalright it seems Prolimatech has also been forced to go with the times and as such has begun developing budget-minded products.
The Panther comes at a more bearable $55 and even includes a 120mm fan and mounting kits supporting both AMD and Intel platforms. Last time we checked, Prolimatech was asking $75 for their high-end Genesis cooler which supports dual 140mm fans, but didn't include a single one for that price.
However the two are not to be confused, as the new Panther and the older more expensive Genesis are two very different animals. Whereas the Genesis tips the scale at a meaty 800 grams, the Panther is nearly 30% lighter and that means a lot less area of dispersal of heat.
The Panther measures 130mm long, 50mm wide and 161mm tall making it a smaller than the True Spirit 140, though being 5% shorter does mean it will support a broader range of cases. It also only receives four 6mm copper heatpipes which have been nickel plated.
Included in the package is a 120mm red LED fan which spins at between 800 - 1600RPM depending on processor temperature, and mounting kits for AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 and Intel LGA1155/1156 platforms. There are separate mounting brackets and back plates for AMD and Intel CPUs, while the Intel LGA775/1366/2011 platforms are not supported.
The installation is relatively straightforward with the Panther, though the user will require rear access to the motherboard tray. Overall we found the process to be quick and easy on both platforms. Given the design and size of the Panther we feel it should suit almost all motherboards.