Introduction

Today we are lucky enough to have the NotePal Ax notebook cooler from CoolerMaster for review.

Since the boom of notebooks in the 21^st century, the accessory market has become very competitive. Manufacturers attempting to offer both quality and a good price often find themselves in a no win situation. CoolerMaster’s recent attempt at a quality Notebook cooler at a good price point is what we will be exploring today. Notebooks and Laptops in general are bursting with features which are tightly packed in a small portable unit. Obviously the result of the compact size leads to reduced lifespan of the components due mostly to the poor airflow designs. Overheating of a notebook will cause a multitude of problems including crashes, freezing and blue screens. Companies such as CoolerMaster are trying to combat this problem and have developed products to help reduce and eliminate overheating issues.

Companies and their employees rely on their notebooks and laptops to perform their jobs and they are important tools in today’s business world, largely because of the portability which allows people to perform job functions basically anywhere at any time. The CoolerMaster NotePal Ax is not the first Notebook/Laptop cooler they have produced and with their other models performing well it will be interesting to see if CoolerMaster has again lived up to it’s name.

Company background

CoolerMaster was established in 1992 with the aim of providing the industry’s best thermal solutions. Since the company was established CoolerMaster has had tremendous growth over the years and now offers a wide range of products, including cases, power supplies, and server cooling. All of CoolerMaster’s products are designed to offer the best cooling solution possible at a reasonable price.

Introduction.

Today we are going to be taking a look at another product from Innovation Cooling, the manufacturers of IC Diamond. It is another thermal compound, as you may have guessed, called IC Perihelion. Whilst it isn’t expected to perform quite as well as their IC Diamond compound, we have been informed that it retails for quite a bit less as it is ‘only’ a ceramic based compound. Having said this we do expect good results.

For those that were wondering “Perihelion” means, according to Keplar’s first law, it is the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid or comet where it is nearest to the sun (and hottest?).  With respect to this  review you might say the Perihelion point, or hottest point,  is the junction between the CPU and its cooler?

Company Background

Before taking a look at the IC Perihelion here is a little bit of information, regarding Innovation Cooling: -

Innovation cooling is a privately held company, established in 2007 with a an extensive background knowledge of electronics cooling disciplines related to air cooling, water cooling, phase change cooling, and materials and manufacturing. Innovation Cooling’s principle objective is to develop cost effective, competitive performance products and transition them from lab to market.

]]> http://www.overclockerstech.com/perihelion/feed/ 0 http://www.overclockerstech.com/netbook-cooler-shootout/ http://www.overclockerstech.com/netbook-cooler-shootout/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:59:24 +0000 admin http://www.overclockerstech.com/?p=4336

Introduction

In the age of the netbook, we have striven for smaller lighter notebooks, though in this quest some manufacturers have chosen to omit cooling systems inside their systems and are relying on the Atoms CPU low thermal load. One lovely example we have here is Dell’s Inspirion Mini 10v (1011). The cooling system employed in this netbook is a thermal pad on the chipset and CPU attached to the keyboard! This makes a very poor cooling solution, and can make typing uncomfortable when hot. Thus, the laptop if kept within specification cannot be used when the air temp is more than 30^oC. This could be a problem in hotter climates than Britain.

Company Background

Step in Coolermaster and Choiix. Coolermaster is most well-known for its popular HAF, Cosmos and Storm series of cases as well as other cooling products. From them today we have not one but two notebook coolers. One is passive and the other is active. Choiix is a less well known company but actually is a subsidiary of Coolermaster aimed at “offering a diversity of digital lifestyle products, with joyful, colourful, user-friendly and touching characteristics. Every simple yet quality design is for people who wish to create their own unique chic lifestyle.”

GA-H55N-USB3 Box + Board

You might have thought someone would have already done this? Apparently not,  just released this week is the worlds first USB 3 Mini-Itx motherboard from Gigabyte, the GA-H55N-USB3.

GA-H55N-USB3 Top Shot

Based on the H55 chipset for LGA1156 processors, the board supports up to a Core i7 870 processor with up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM. The board also features a single PCI-Express slot making it a possible to create a nifty little gaming rig in an unthinkably small enclosure. If you are just planning on lighter work you can use an i5/3 processor with integrated graphics and have the standard HDMI, DVI and VGA interfaces.

GA-H55N-USB3 Rear Panel

Not content with just USB3 support, Gigabyte have also included 3xUSB Power Boost, which allows you to charge that shiny new iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. You can charge your device while turned on, or take advantage of the special On/Off charge support which allows charging all the time, even when the PC is switched off!

For more info head on to the Gigabyte website. All images credit Gigabyte.

 

Introduction

What constitutes as a bang for buck cooler? First, It must be supplied with a decent fan (or two), have support for both Intel and AMD platforms, and further still must have the same high performance cooling as the elite coolers but without the same expensive price tag. Akasa must be one of those companies who have that very list pinned up on their walls at the technical office. As of late, they have produced an array of coolers and fans that provide the user the means to achieve higher overclocks and lower temperatures with coolers that cost near half the price of the big brand names in the business like Prolimatech and Thermalright. Today we are taking a look at Akasa’s lower end new cooler; the Freedom Tower. Both Venom and Nero S have graced our labs at OCT. Can the lower model of the three keep the trend running of performance without the cost?

About Akasa

Akasa design and manufacture a comprehensive range of high quality technology products including coolers, heatsinks and fans. They work closely with Intel and AMD to ensure the products match the complex demands of CPU and form-factor technology. So when new, advanced technology arrives, Akasa have the products and expertise to make it work for you.

Specifications

Heatsink Material: Aluminum fins, 4x Copper heatpipes

Weight: 774g

Cooler Dimensions: 160x120x65mm

Socket: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM3

Fan Speed: 500-1700RPM (PWM Controlled)

Noise Level: 18.3.9-27.18dB(A)

Introduction

We reviewed the Akasa’ Nero S CPU cooler only just last month dubbed their “premium cooler”. Now however Akasa have come to the market with a cooler capable of mounting two 120mm fans titled, the “Venom”, not to be confused with the Venomous X from Thermalright. Akasa state on the box “King of Cooling”. Now this isn’t to be taken offense but Akasa is more known for their low cost budget coolers delivering serious bang for buck for any consumer, CPU or GPU cooling. When a company takes a brave step to dub there cooler so, one can only be pessimistic. However, no doubt it will probably be the best cooler Akasa produce to date. With the tag line on the box, “unlock Venom GAME ON!”, we could be in for a real treat with a cooler offering a lot of cooling potential.

About Akasa

Akasa design and manufacture a comprehensive range of high quality technology products including coolers, heatsinks and fans. They work closely with Intel and AMD to ensure the products match the complex demands of CPU and form-factor technology. So when new, advanced technology arrives, Akasa have the products and expertise to make it work for you.

Specifications

Heatsink Material: Aluminum fins, Copper heatpipes

Weight: 805g

Cooler Dimensions: 120x96x160mm

Socket: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM3

Fan Speed: 600-1900RPM (PWM Controlled)

Noise Level: 6.9-28.9dB(A)

Introduction

While heatsinks have become a common feature at Overclockers Tech since the start of this year, Prolimatech’s Megahalems never really made much of an impact in our testing. That said we did review the more expensive Mega Shadow variant that wasn’t worth the extra £20 premium over the original and didn’t perform too well on AM3 based systems compared to the Venomous X or Titan Fenrir. The Megahalems was and still is a cooler capable of serious cooling with high performance, high static pressure fans. The introduction of Cogage (Thermalright’s sister company) and their new Arrow cooler based on an update of the IFX-14 has all but taken the crown from the big boys and now reigns king here at OCT. However such coolers like the Arrow and Noctua’s NH-D14 are huge twin tower cooling beasts that are not compatible for most people regarding space requirements. What Prolimatech have done is they have brought a small sized (not pocket-sized) cooler that still will pack a serious blow with its 6 heatpipes and the ability to mount two 140mm fans. The Armageddon has some pretty big shoes to fill, but can it still perform with the best?

About Prolimatech

Prolimatech (founded in 2008 and based in Taiwan) stands for Professionalism exceeding beyond all Limits. We are here to challenge any limits that stand in our way to achieve what was thought to be impossible. Prolimatech incorporates integration of the aerospace resource-saving technology and advanced heat conduction technology to create the best heat absorption and dissipation solutions while pertaining to the science of aesthetics. Our never-ending quest is to satisfy every computer overclocker’s and every enthusiast’s needs for high quality and performance oriented thermal solutions for their high-end computer components.

Specifications

Size (LxWxH): 144x60x160mm

Weight: 1.65 LBS (750 Grams)

Heatpipes: 6x 6mm Sintered

Fan(s): Supports 2x 140mm or 120mm fans

Socket: Intel LGA775/1156/1366

Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate

Base: Polished Nickel Plated Copper

Introduction

Choosing the right memory kit for you isn’t easy nowadays – especially if you factor in the recent hike in memory prices. It’s getting harder to decide just what is value for money, and what is cheap and nasty. Patriot’s 6GB (3x2GB) 1600MHz CL8 Vipers for X58 systems are reasonably priced currently at £150.00 Inc VAT (£120 before the memory hike) which is supposed to offer the enthusiast speed and performance, but without the price tag. Aggressive pricing – but are they actually aggressive?

About Patriot

Patriot Memory builds a full range of memory module and flash memory products, offering a perfect blend of quality and value. Established back in 1985, Patriot has since grown rapidly in the current market with their latest range of memory and SSDs. Patriot Memory ensures that every module meets or exceeds industry standards. The manufacturing process begins with high-quality components and ends with rigorous functional testing to ensure each module’s reliability and compatibility. Patriot Memory modules are approved by leading motherboard and system manufacturers such Intel, Tyan, Supermicro and Iwill.

Manufacturers Specifications:

• Extreme Performance PC3-12800 (1600MHz) 8-8-8-24
• Patriot Viper Heat Shields with integrated ACC (Aluminum Copper Composite) technology
• 100% Tested and Verified
• BTT Tested to ensure maximum performance
• 10 Year Warranty
• RoHS Compliant

Introduction

AKASA cooling in many people’s eyes has been a brand associated with decent low cost cooling for a while now. They may not shout about being the best, as they are not and they know it. What AKASA is good at is bringing cheap, bang for buck cooling to the market with their heatsinks and fans. Today though, we see AKASA step up a gear with their newest heatsink; the Nero S which they say is their Premier Cooler

Specifications

Size (HxWxD): 120 x 87 x 160 mm

Weight: 726g without fan

Material: Aluminium fins, copper heatpipes

Fan Size: One 120 x 120 x 25mm

Socket: Intel LGA775, LGA1156, LGA1366 | AMD 939, AM2, AM2+, AM3

Introduction

The Baram by little known Thermolab first graced the scene last year and scooped up a flurry of awards. In fact this reviewer saw a comparative review with the Baram leading the pack ahead of the usual top performance heatsinks including the TRUE, IFX-14, and Vendetta 2. Nothing much really became of the cooler though and was rather over-shadowed by the more well known brands and availability of their stock. Thermolab have been busy though. Today we are taking a look at the Baram 2010 – an update over its older brother!

Specifications

Size (HxWxD): 160 x 132 x 67 mm

Weight: 710g without fan

Material: Pure Copper and Pure Aluminium

Fan Size: Two 120 x 120 x 25mm

Socket: Intel LGA775, LGA1156, LGA1366 | AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3