El Mirage for the Bitaxe, the first mirage you can catch

I had expected similar test results here, even slightly worse because the El Mirage weighs less and has a significantly thinner socket plate. But don't judge a book by its cover – a perfect saying that fits here.

Ix Tech has truly created a small masterpiece, starting with the packaging itself. It really includes everything you need: screws, self-locking nuts, and a very stylish 3D-printed case to prevent damage to the cooler. The product presentation is more than successful. The price is also impressive - in my opinion, almost too cheap for such a well-functioning cooling concept.

I was very excited about the test because the geometry of the cooler is very reminiscent of the Northbridge cooler. But as is so often the case, the devil is in the details. The socket plate is significantly thinner and the El Mirage can now be easily attached to the bitaxe with screws.

I created an adapter for the Northbridge cooler a while ago, which you can download here for free. But that's actually no longer necessary.

In fact, Ix Tech is one of the few companies that is not just a seller, but also manufactures its own products and constantly surprises with innovations. They were the first to release both Bitaxe and NerdQaxe with a white PCB. This is quite unusual, as most PCBs are sold in black.

But it actually looks extremely classy and special. I am lucky enough to own a Bitaxe Gamma from the Ix Tech guys, which came with a standard aluminum cooler at the time. The raw aluminum really goes perfectly with the white PCB, which impressed me so much at the time that I printed a light-colored OC'axe just for this model to show off the design even more.

In reality, however, the small 40x40x15mm aluminum cooler wasn't really that great in terms of cooling performance. So I simply mounted a 40x40 copper cooler and ran this beautiful piece of hardware completely without a fan with a slight OC.

So this test of El Mirage should focus on testing the perfect Bitaxe cooling concept. Away from the problems of hot VREGs, towards full concentration on ASIC cooling.

As with all my tests, I use Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut extreme thermal paste and a Noctua fan. Since the El Mirage is a 40mm cooler, it was obvious to use the NF-A4x20 5V PWM as the fan.

The cooling performance was tested both with and without a fan. The semi-passive cooling with the OC'axe is actually very functional; you can run the Bitaxe absolutely silently, even with slight OC, but more on that later.

In addition to the already extensive test data on PlebBase, the focus was on comparing the El Mirage with similar coolers in its class.

El Mirage had to compete against the standard aluminum cooler 40x40x15, a massive 40x40 copper cooler, and the well-known 40x40 Northbridge cooler. All with and without fans.

The problem with the test was that it is currently summer. So far, I have carried out all cooler tests at an ambient temperature of approx. 23°C (73 F). However, it has always been so warm, sometimes up to 32°C (89 F), that an honest test was not possible. So I had to work a night shift and wait for the ambient temperature to drop to at least 23°C. I actually managed to do this at 4:30 a.m. :)

I started the benching right away at 625 MHz, using the Bitaxe Gamma from Ix Tech, which is the maximum setting within the AxeOS specifications. So if the setup works at 625 MHz, then all other frequency ranges that can be selected will automatically work as well.

The benchmarks turned out to be very interesting indeed. I was particularly surprised by the El Mirage. But see for yourself...

Of course, operation without a fan on the ASIC cooler and the results are due to the cooling concept with the OC'axe. But we are PlebBase, and only the best is good enough. At the very least, it shows the actual cooling performance of the El Mirage when the cooling concept is well thought out and optimized – i.e., the absolute cooling performance of the cooler itself.

850 MHz without a fan on the ASIC, and 945 MHz with a fan. Of course, it was pushed to the maximum; longer periods of time or ambient temperatures higher than 23°C would cause overheating. But it simply shows how brutally good this little powerhouse is.

The El Mirage can cool anything up to 30 watts of heat output without breaking a sweat – that's just a fact.

The question is why El Mirage performs so well. Even the massive copper cooler, weighing over 100g, has significantly poorer cooling performance. The same goes for the Northbridge cooler, which has more mass but also a significantly thicker base.

On closer inspection, the answer is as obvious as it is logical. The coolers mentioned above, which are undoubtedly very good, have one problem in common. The small 40 mm fan, which even at 100% cannot cool this material thickness quickly enough or extract the heat from the material quickly enough.

Ix Tech automatically ships all Bitaxe or Nerdaxe Gamma orders with the El Mirage, so you'll never have to worry about overheating again, even with light OC. This is definitely a very positive development that I've been trying to convey to manufacturers/retailers for over a year. The guys from the USA have actually implemented this request perfectly.

Oh, and before you say, “But I already have a Bitaxe,” yes, you can also buy the El Mirage separately. Ix Tech has thought of everything, so there's really no need to think twice if you're still using a poor cooler or have overheating problems.

A lot of material does not automatically mean that the cooling performance is perfect. This test proves that once again, and more than clearly. That's why actual tests, physical ones, not theoretical ones, are absolutely necessary. We all know that some retailers fib to sell their own products. That's not the case with the El Mirage. The guys at Ix Tech have really developed an extremely good and, above all, affordable product.

El Mirage is your solution.