Overclocker Cafe - Gigabyte Volar Cooler Review

Gigabyte Volar Cooler

Manufacturer: Gigabyte
Supplied by: Gigabyte
Street Price: $40

by Dean Barker (10/07/2007)

Introduction

Gigabyte's diversity of the past few years into the cooling market is well known. In that time, they have brought a number of products to market showing a unique blend of style, performance and innovation. Their latest release, the Gigabyte Volar has the usual expected qualities of a 120mm fan and copper heatpipes but puts these into play from a different angle. A 45 degree angle to be exact. Today, we are fortunate enough to have a close up look at the Gigabyte Volar Cooler that demonstrates that smarter cooling is better cooling. Our thanks go out to the Gigabyte folks for sponsoring this review. Let's get started.

Specifications

Application: Intel LGA775, AMD K8 and AM2
Dimensions: 122 x 125 x 141mm
Weight: 640 gms
Construction: Aluminum fins with copper base
Fan Size: 120 x 38mm
Fan Speed: Variable rate (1500 ~ 2000 RPM)
Fan Noise: 18 ~ 23 dBA
Single three pin connector

What you get

The Gigabyte Volar like most other high end coolers is a universal application design. Meaning it fits both Intel and AMD sockets. This are limited to current LGA775 and AMD AM2 and K8 only. As such, we find mounting hardware and a multilanguage installation manual included with the Volar. Also included is a blister pack of thermal grease and a 'Fan Speed Control Cable.' This cable has an inline resistor in it that drops the Gigabyte's stock fan speed of 2000 RPM down to 1500 RPM.

Voila, the Volar

The Gigabyte Volar cooler differs in appearance than most other coolers with its main assembly being elevated and on a 45 degree angle. This angle allows better air circulation around the cooler and components nearby. Personally, I like coolers that blow air down and across mainboard components which can benefit from a little extra cooling. The Volar's 120mm fan with it's angled mounting allows the end user to do just that.

The fan and convection fin structure is suspended above the base via two six millimeter heatpipes. Flipping things over we can see the aluminum convection fins that radiate away from a central aluminum ring of sorts. This ring provides a mounting point for the heatpipes and a rapid conduction of thermal energy off the heatpipes and out to the convection fins.