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Cooler Master Notepal X2
September 7th, 2009
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A while back we had the opportunity to take a look at Cooler Master’s Notepal Infinite laptop cooler, unique for its ability to support up to 17″ wide screen laptop, as opposed to the average 14~15.4″ limit. More recently, however, Cooler Master has release a new line of cooling options, and included is the Notepal X2, the Infinite’s big brother, so to speak, rivaling it as the second CM laptop cooler supporting wide screens. With a new look, new features, and new design, its time to see how the X2 stacks up in the harsh realm of notebook cooling.
Choiix Roundup
September 1st, 2009
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When it comes to laptop accessories you can find just about anything that you can imagine. Choiix a Cooler Master brand has recently been making a name for themselves by marketing what they call lifestyle products with a focus on style and comfort along with simplicity and portability. Most of their products focus on Netbook or Eee PC’s along with small notebooks, obviously a growing market. With the Cooler Master Brand backing them up I expect to see and hear a lot more from Choiix. Today I’m going to take a look at a few of their products just to get an idea of what Choiix is all about.
CoolIt Domino ALC
August 31st, 2009
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One of the breakout hits this past year at CES was hidden in the sands convention center in a small booth called CoolIt. CoolIt has been known for some of time for some of their water cooling and TEC cooling systems for system builders like Dell and Alienware, but with the introduction of the Domino A.L.C. at CES they got everyone’s attention. In fact they were so inundated with requests I just now received our review sample. So without any more waiting I’m going to jump right into it and see how it works.
Titan Fenrir Heatsink
August 27th, 2009
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When it comes to the enthusiast heat sink market there is a short list of manufactures who dominate the industry for the most part. Of course there are many other companies who are fighting for a spot trying to make a name for themselves. Today I have the chance to check out a heat sink from a company called Titan, being in the industry for twenty years has become a competitor in the IT market. Working on the high performance market they recently released a heat sink called the Fenrir. In Norse mythology Fenrir stands for a monstrous wolf, with a name with such meaning I’m curious to see how it will perform.
Cooler Master Notepal D1
June 29th, 2009
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A while back, Cooler Master sent us the Notepal Infinite, a notebook cooling solution to cover wider-screened models, sporting a self-claimed 17 degree difference. Recently, we received the new Notepal D1, a turn around of its sister product, per say. Designed specifically for increased mobility, the D1 is only about half as long as any laptop and wide enough to fit a standard size model. Sure, smaller is always better when it comes to those of constantly on the go, but how does it actually stack up against other notebook coolers, specifically the elder Infinite?
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
June 10th, 2009
Yesterday I took a look at Cooler Masters Hyper TX-3 entry level heatsink and was surprised considerably by its performance and value. Today I will be following that review by taking a look at what I can only call its older brother the Hyper 212 Plus due to the Hyper 212 Plus being the same design only larger. The Hyper 212 has been around for some time providing great performance in a mid range price. With the updated Hyper 212 Plus they have most likely updated the performance along with the added compatibility for the upcoming Lynnfield or i5 CPU later this year. I plan to put the updated version to the test and find out how it compares to a range of different heatsinks.
Cooler Master Hyper TX-3
June 9th, 2009
Running a expensive high end heatsink like the v10 or even the v8 is not feasible for everyone due to space or financial reasons. Also as crazy as it seems to me most people aren’t looking for the most extreme cooling solution, some are only looking for an improvement over stock cooling. Cooler Master has recognizes this and has recently released the TX-3 CPU cooler for that market. Today I will be taking a closer look at the TX-3 to see how well it compares to other heatsinks that we have tested in the past along with if it fits the needs of the entry level market that it is designed for.
Lamptron FC-2, FC-3, and FAN-ATIC Fan Controllers
June 1st, 2009
When you pay hundreds of dollars or even thousands for a gaming pc, you expect quality. That includes not having your machine sound like a sad excuse for a vacuum cleaner. Fans are a critical component in any machine, cooling your vital components and allowing for optimal performance. Unfortunately, typical stock fans or any fan short of the expensive ones often sound noisy at full power. This is the point where you pick up a fan controller, a device that in truth, controls the amount of power your fans get. Using one of these gadgets allows for minute adjustments in fan speed, allowing for a perfect balance of noise as well as cooling. Now, fan controllers are an age old pc accessory, but that doesn’t stop manufacturers from trying to perfect the technology. Lamptron has cooked up three different iterations of this tech, and graciously sent us one of each to tinker with.
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366
May 21st, 2009
With the socket 1366 platform becoming more and more popular many gamers have been looking for quality heatsinks to keep their rigs cool. This has been even more important with the overclockability of the i7 920. Our friends in Austria of course were on top of their game right away giving out free clips to owners of their heatsinks to anyone who wanted to upgrade to an i7 (this deal is still going on if you are interested). Of course, they have also brought out a special edition version of their NH-U12P specifically for i7 owners with a few small changes (socket 1366 mounting and dual fans included) to make sure keep everything cool. Today we will be taking a look at that model to see how it performs against a few other socket 1366 heatsinks.
Thermalright AXP-140
April 22nd, 2009
Thermalright is the top dog in the heatsink world. Their TRUE heatsink is still outperforming most efforts from their competition long after it was released. When you are on top it’s sometimes hard to figure out where to go next. Apparently they saw room for growth in the market for HTPC heatsinks. Because of that I’m here today ready to test their newest heatsink the AXP-140. Similar in looks to the Noctua NH-C12P that we tested recently, it’s the perfect size for most HTPC’s and cases that have side fans that interfere with large heatsinks.
Cooler Master V10 Hybrid Cooler
March 10th, 2009
The big news from Cooler Master at CES this year was the upcoming release of the long awaited V10 heatsink. Last year they showed off the V10 design at CES similar to what eventually released but without the TEC cooling that was included in the final product. Speaking of the TEC cooling, the idea of a hybrid cooling solution isn’t new, but has been far from perfected. Cooler Master believes they have the top dog in cooling performance with the V10. Today we will be comparing the V10 to Cooler Master’s V8 to see how much of an improvement the step up in price and size gets you.
Noctua NH-U9B 92mm Heatsink
March 9th, 2009
Today we are looking at the Noctua NH-U9B. This of course is far from the first product from Noctua that we have tested; in fact, we have looked at just about everything from their current product lineup. The NH-U9B is similar to the NH-U12p but smaller. Replacing the 120mm fan with a 92mm the NH-U9B is the perfect size for smaller more compact setups. If it’s anything like my past experiences I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.
Cosmos S Mods Part 2 – Fan upgrade
February 18th, 2009
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This past December I walked everyone through a few small mods that I did to our Cosmos S to help it stand out. The window and lighting really made the case look amazing. I did have some issues with the fans with vibration and overall noise. Infact it got so bad that I had to unplug most of them. Because of that I was on the market for replacement fans. I have reviewed a few fans in the past so my decision was hard, adding to that was the problem of my favorite fans running $20+. When you’re looking at 5 or 6 fans that adds up quickly. In the end, I decided to go with Noctua fans considering the amazing performance of them in the past. After working out a deal with Noctua, the next thing I know I had a box full of fans on my doorstep. Will they be an improvement?
Tuniq TR-1 Thermal Paste Remover
January 29th, 2009
Getting the best performance out of your heatsink depends on the perfect application of thermal paste. If there is old thermal paste left over or to much is used you can decrease the performance of even the best heatsinks. In the past I’ve just wiped thermal paste off with a towel, if it gets really tough I used rubbing alcohol. Tuniq realized that there is an issue where most people don’t clean their CPU off properly. They developed TR-1 as a reaction to that problem. Considering how often I am swapping heatsinks I am excited to see how this will perform. Read on to find out!
Coolermaster Hyper N520
January 28th, 2009
With our trip to CES this year I had a rare opportunity to get a closer look at Coolermaster’s current and upcoming heatsinks. They showed off their “Top Dog” the v10 mostly, and because of that coverage and enthusiasm the new Hyper N520 was slightly overshadowed. Targeted at the budget crowd who is looking to get the best performance for their money I don’t expect it to break any records. But we have been surprised before, will the Hyper N520 out perform its competitors?
Xilence Dual Heatpipe Ram Cooler
January 5th, 2009
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The other day I looked at the Xilence Xilent Blade Pro heatsink. Xilence produces a long list of cooling products. A good example of their wide selection is their Dual Heatpipe RAM Cooler. Designed to give great ram cooling for overclocking it’s a perfect match for dedicated gamers and overclocking geeks.
Noctua NH-C12P
January 1st, 2009
A few weeks ago I took a look at the NH-U12P from Noctua. I was very impressed with the performance of the NH-U12P. In fact it was one of our best performing heatsinks to date. Noctua also makes a different design that is a little more low profile called the NH-C12P. Today we are going to see how the NH-C12P compares to the NH-U12P along with other heatsinks we have tested. In the past we have had trouble finding problems with Noctua; will the NH-C12P perform the same?
Xilence Xilent Blade Pro
December 31st, 2008
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A few weeks ago I took a closer look at a fan from a relatively unknown company by the name of Xilence. Not knowing what to expect I was presently surprised by the quite smooth performance of the fan. They also sent out one of their heatsinks called the Xilent Blade Pro for us to check out. Now that we are past the Christmas craziness, we are going to look and see how it performs compared to the other heatsinks that we have tested in the past. With a similar look to the Gelid Solutions heatsink we tested recently, I don’t expect it to outperform the high end heatsinks, but I hope this will be a quite upgrade for a budget rig.
Cosmos S Mods Part 1
December 17th, 2008
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A few of you may have noticed that when I reviewed the Coolermaster Cosmos S a few weeks ago I didn’t use our normal test rig for the testing. I liked the case enough that I decided to move my personal rig over too it. I did have a few complaints about the case and I hope to post a few small updates on here as I work on making the case fit my style. My biggest complaint was the lack of a side window. Coolermaster was kind enough to send a new side panel with a window out to get me started on the updates to this case.’
VIZO XENA mini portable notebook cooler
December 15th, 2008
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In the past, we have reviewed a VIZO laptop coolers a few times. We did enjoy them; in fact, I still use the mini Ninja II when I have my laptop at my main desk. The problem is when you leave your desk they weren’t designed to be carried around with your laptop. Considering that’s the point of a laptop I was really excited to see that VIZO recently came out with a portable laptop cooler called the XENA mini. They shipped one out for me to check out. I plan to find out how helpful the ZENA mini is for people “on the go”.
Xilence 120mm Red Wing Fan
December 11th, 2008
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If it is one thing that I’ve learned in the past 10 months of reviewing is to not count a company out just because you haven’t heard of them. New or relatively unknown companies have surprised me countless times and I think I have finally learned my lesson. Today we are going to look at a 120mm fan from Xilence. Xilence may not be a huge name in the industry, but they have been around since 2003. There range of products consists of cases, power supply units, case fans, notebook coolers, and a wide range of heatsinks. Expect to see more of their products on here in the near future.
VIZO Armada II ram cooler
December 10th, 2008
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We have seen VIZO products come through here many times; they have even been involved with our Lan Partys in the past. I’m sure you have noticed they make a wide variety of items ranging from lighting to laptop accessories. Today I am going to take a look at their new Armada II ram cooler. I’ve been known to push things on my computer to the limit and heat is always a concern. The Armada II is designed to cool down your ram to be able to get a little more out of your overclock. I plan to see how it performs in my personal computer and seeing if the kit adds a little more style to my rig.
Thermaltake Big Water 760i
November 20th, 2008
For most people the thought of running water through a box full of electronics sounds crazy. If you can get over that, it’s most likely intimidating enough that you may never consider the option. Thermaltake designed a few water-cooling kits that are designed to be easy to install and good performing. One of those kits is their Big Water 760i kit. Thermaltake sent us one of the 760i’s for us to compare it to all of the heatsinks we have tested up until now, and to find out if they succeeded at making an easy to use Water Cooling kit to get you started with H2O.
Thermalright TRUE Black 120
November 13th, 2008
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We have tested CPU heatsinks in many different shapes and sizes. Some are ugly and sin but perform amazingly. Others have lights and other features to get your attention but at the end of the day do not outperform comparable heatsinks without all of the flash. Thermalright, a well-known and respected heatsink manufacture has produced a stylized black version of one of their best performing models the TRUE 120. Today we are going to find out how it compares against the other heatsinks that we have tested in the past. If looks are anything to go by (and we have found in the past that they are not) the TRUE Black 120 from Thermalright should blow everyone out of the water.
Noctua NH-U12P CPU Heatsink
November 11th, 2008
In the past 6 months, I have gone from not knowing who Noctua is to having a great amount of respect for them. We have seen their thermal paste and fans amaze us repeatedly. Today we get to see if they can include the same level of detail and research that we have seen in their fans into their heatsinks. Noctua shipped us a NH U12P heatsink for us to check out. We are going to put it through our standard tests to see how it compares to heatsinks from other big name manufactures.
