Friday, December 21, 2007

22/12: Thermaltake Extreme Spirit II CL-C0034 CPU Heatsink & Fan, Chipset Cooler

Introduction

I, for one, am very glad of the current trend towards using passive heatpipe motherboard cooling. Those cheap-made little NB cooler fans have always been the loudest fan in my rig. They often start making weird noises within a couple of months, or just die altogether. Though they do an ok job of cooling the NB, they don't do a great job of it.

I've tried one very popular passive NB cooler, and though it kept my chipset at a reasonable temperature, I was kind of scared of it. Any time I had a problem, the first thing I'd do would be check the NB temp. I have enough on my mind without having to worry about something else, so I just stopped using it.

Personally, I feel that the only time you should ever have to worry about Northbridge temperature is while overclocking. I've never had a big problem with NB temps while overclocking, but I'm not really into the extreme stuff. Even with the passive heatpipe cooling, you really should have additional active cooling, such as a fan blowing directly on the radiators, if you are pushing your system to its limits.

What we need is an active NB heatpipe cooler that can do the job silently, efficiently, and with a fan that will last. The guys at Thermaltake have taken care of this problem with their new NB cooler, the Extreme Spirit II, an actively cooled heatpipe cooler for your Northbridge. Let's see if it will give me some peace of mind in the NB department.



Specifications

Heatsink Dimensions: 48x40x70 mm
Fan Dimensions: 40x40x10 mm
Rated Voltage: 12V Started Voltage: 7V
Rated Current: 0.1A
Power Input: 1.20W
Fan Speed: 4500 +/- 10% RPM
Max. Air Flow: 3.47 CFM
Max. Air Pressure: 1.61mmH2O
Noise: 19dBA
Life Expectation: 30,000 Hours
Connector: 3 Pin
Weight: 169 g


Features


Heatpipe technology provides efficient cooling.
All copper structure provides effective heat conductivity and dissipation.
Seamless soldering process provides best contact for heat transfer.
A universal clip design fits all motherboard.
Multi-direction installation:
- Rotatable clip can adjust to any direction for the best system air flow.
40x40x10mm Silent LED fan, 19dBA.

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