Thermaltake Air Cooling... Looking for feedback

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

Many of you im sure have seen a Thermaltake cooler offering, possibly many and may have even used them at one point or maybe many times. Please tell me about your experience, feel free to let us know anything you would like to see, implemented, changed, improved, etc.

let us know how we can make it better for you.

[SXRguyinMA]

I've got a Big Tphyoon Pro 14 that I've used for a while. Performance was great. The only thing I didn't like was after a while the little plastic rivets that held the fan on the main plastic housing loosened up and it started vibrating like crazy. I ended up drilling out the plastic rivets and using recular screws and nuts with some rubber washers to put it back together and it's been fine ever since. Looks good and works good though :D

I did a review on it (before I was a Journalist actually):
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22511

I also had a Bigwater 735 system a few years back that worked perfectly. I went to the Big Tphyoon Pro from that actually because I was sick of draining and refilling the system anytime I wanted to change something lol.

[Aldersan]

I had a couple of Bigwater 760 systems for a while, they worked good and I didnt have any problems until I decided to go to a custom system. They didn't work as well as the custom system, but were much cheaper, so there's always a trade off.

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

I had a couple of Bigwater 760 systems for a while, they worked good and I didnt have any problems until I decided to go to a custom system. They didn't work as well as the custom system, but were much cheaper, so there's always a trade off.

I think tahts the common misunderstanding is that the Bigwater is designed as an intro to liquid cooling.... for those who are not ready to jump in with both feet building a complete custom loop.

its mostly all in one, to make it easy to "start" on the LCS path.

Thank you for mentioning that!

[Aldersan]

I think tahts the common misunderstanding is that the Bigwater is designed as an intro to liquid cooling.... for those who are not ready to jump in with both feet building a complete custom loop.

its mostly all in one, to make it easy to "start" on the LCS path.

Thank you for mentioning that!

It was definitely a great start, I ended up replacing the tubing and the cpu water block while still using the system, but it allowed me to get a good feel for how water cooling worked before jumping in to a custom loop. Definitely worth the money for the experience, in my opinion!

[slaveofconvention]

I have the original Frio in my main system right now - as it happens it's the only item I've ever reviewed that has impressed me enough that it has remained in my main PC (the Noctua I did recently was also very good, and lives in my Media Centre). Other than an installation issue where it shorted out my motherboard (ouch) due to poor insulation on the backplate, I haven't got a bad word to say about it. (It should be noted that I believe Tt have already addressed this insulation issue so it shouldn't put anyone off buying one if they were thinking about it)

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

I have the original Frio in my main system right now - as it happens it's the only item I've ever reviewed that has impressed me enough that it has remained in my main PC (the Noctua I did recently was also very good, and lives in my Media Centre). Other than an installation issue where it shorted out my motherboard (ouch) due to poor insulation on the backplate, I haven't got a bad word to say about it. (It should be noted that I believe Tt have already addressed this insulation issue so it shouldn't put anyone off buying one if they were thinking about it)

Thats excellent to hear that the cooler impresses you enough to keep it running in your main rig after testing many others for review.

Thank you for that, and I hope we can make even better for you in the future.

[Twigsoffury]

I've got a thermaltake Volcano 12 thats been in use every day since about 2004.

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/7729/dscf8908wl2.jpg


Yall need to make that fan again, because damn... Thats a hell of a fan

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

I've got a thermaltake Volcano 12 thats been in use every day since about 2004.

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/7729/dscf8908wl2.jpg


Yall need to make that fan again, because damn... Thats a hell of a fan

HAHAHA wow that is awesome!

[TheGreatSatan]

I love it whenever heatsinks have lots and lots of COPPER!!

[msmrx57]

I've got a Max Orb that's been running 24/7 for almost 2 years now and I love it.
Running at max speed it's quieter that my PSU.

[Twigsoffury]

HAHAHA wow that is awesome!

Does Tt Still make the Volcano line of heatsinks?

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

I love it whenever heatsinks have lots and lots of COPPER!!

haha so do i, but lots and lots of copper costs lots and lots of dollars.... copper price is crazy recently. and dissipation of heat thru aluminum fins is very good.

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

Does Tt Still make the Volcano line of heatsinks?

no taht one has been discontinued for awhile now.

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

I've got a Max Orb that's been running 24/7 for almost 2 years now and I love it.
Running at max speed it's quieter that my PSU.

awesome to hear!!! :D

[farlo]

only experiance with Tt aircooling is an old volcano 2 i have on a 2800+ years ago. worked well i recall.

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

only experiance with Tt aircooling is an old volcano 2 i have on a 2800+ years ago. worked well i recall.

Thank you for the feedback the volcano was definitely a popular cooler in its day.

also nice sig :D

[blueonblack]

Being staff here I've had the chance to test the SpinQ, the SpinQ VT, the Jing, and the Prowater 850i, and I have to say I've liked them all. The Prowater was my first step into water cooling and it worked very well, though I was (and still am) a little bit leery of any mixed-metal system. The Jing, while not the best performer I've used, excelled in noise level. The SpinQ and its sibling were good in both cooling and noise level and their appearance added a lot for me. (The switch from blue to red LED in the VT model was especially welcome. I am sick to death of blue LEDs.)

Overall, in my experience, an excellent lineup.

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

Being staff here I've had the chance to test the SpinQ, the SpinQ VT, the Jing, and the Prowater 850i, and I have to say I've liked them all. The Prowater was my first step into water cooling and it worked very well, though I was (and still am) a little bit leery of any mixed-metal system. The Jing, while not the best performer I've used, excelled in noise level. The SpinQ and its sibling were good in both cooling and noise level and their appearance added a lot for me. (The switch from blue to red LED in the VT model was especially welcome. I am sick to death of blue LEDs.)

Overall, in my experience, an excellent lineup.


Thank you for the feedback,

and I do understand the concern with Galvanic corrosion but with a correct corrosion prevention additive the problem will not show up... If you look at any of the All in one kits out there they have aluminum radiators with copper cold plates and they are just fine...

The issue i see more than most is when someone decides to use straight water in a mixed metal system.

btw I agree on the fans back when LED's became popular seems like ALL you could get was blue on anything.

[diluzio91]

I loved the Spin Q and the SpinQ VT. There just arent that many coolers that look cool. most companies have slacked off and just jumped on the tower wagon. Zalman has some of the coolest designs for coolers (the orb series just look awesome..) maybe experiment with some different form factors. and the base is important. it needs to be flat, even though the IHS may be concave (convex? I can never remember which is which) the people who buy high end coolers don't want to have to lap the processor AND the cooler.

Also, if you're using aluminum fins why not do some cool anodizations? You don't really see much these days besides black, silver, and copper. Make some coolers with different color fins, match the lighting to the fins and call it a day.

Another note, green is almost impossible to find for lighting. We like green, not as much as people seem to like blue, but still.

[SXRguyinMA]

Good call Alex. Soem cool custom annodized colors would look sick. Pair that with different lighting colors - either different models for different colors, or one model with selectable colors (think Cooler Master V6GT) would make for a nice cooler. I would suggest it have red, green, blue and off at a minimum, maybe mix colors (for orange and purple or white even) as well. RGB LEDs are getting cheaper by the day, and a mass-production setup would drop the prices even more

Tt used to have the Zalman style coolers - enter the Max Orb series (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=thermaltake+max+orb&FORM=BIFD)

[dr.walrus]

My experience with Tt stuff has been a bit meh, but doesn't apply to cooling products. I thought the design of the Armor LCS case was, to put it lightly, backwards - very strongly put together, but with almost zero thought for usability. Also the cooling pump was extremely loud.

This was several years ago though, I imagine things have got nicer since then - certainly the Frio has got near universal positive reviews.

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

I will see what I can do for more LED lighting color options on coolers see if we can impliment something similar to our chassis fans...

would that be cool?

[SXRguyinMA]

I will see what I can do for more LED lighting color options on coolers see if we can impliment something similar to our chassis fans...

would that be cool?

yes, but only if they keep the setting when powered off. It'd be really annoying to have to open up your case everytime you turn it on to change the color back :facepalm:

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

yes, but only if they keep the setting when powered off. It'd be really annoying to have to open up your case everytime you turn it on to change the color back :facepalm:

Its not annoying we just wanna make sure you notice if its dirty :p

will help you keep your chassis dust free :twisted:

[crenn]

For HSF over 500 grams, I'd suggest backplate and the HSF screws into it via an adapter, with HSF less than that, any mounting works.

Suggestion comes from experience with a friend's Big Typhoon VX falling off during transit due to trouble with the Intel styled mounting system. I personally don't like the intel mounting system, but use it for lightweight heatsinks.

[AmEv]

Perhaps dust filters ON/AROUND the heatsinks?

[Twigsoffury]

For HSF over 500 grams, I'd suggest backplate and the HSF screws into it via an adapter, with HSF less than that, any mounting works.

Suggestion comes from experience with a friend's Big Typhoon VX falling off during transit due to trouble with the Intel styled mounting system. I personally don't like the intel mounting system, but use it for lightweight heatsinks.



adjustable struts with ball joint and flanges ends....include a couple self tapper screws to attach to your chassis.

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

adjustable struts with ball joint and flanges ends....include a couple self tapper screws to attach to your chassis.

This is a cool idea and something ive done on my own personal chassis when traveling but most wont use but due to the look honestly

[Kayin]

I agree your mounting needs work, but the Big Typhoon is still an incredible heatsink. Still easily capable of coping with 980X.

I can poke around here and see if I have any of my old heatsink research along with my block research. I also might have a .skp of a better mounting somewhere, if you're interested.

[Twigsoffury]

This is a cool idea and something ive done on my own personal chassis when traveling but most wont use but due to the look honestly

I bet if you offered different veneers (like carbon fiber, flat grey, chrome, gold or painted with color) that matched the fan assembly or what not more people would be inclined to use them?

[Tt-Enthusiasts]

I bet if you offered different veneers (like carbon fiber, flat grey, chrome, gold or painted with color) that matched the fan assembly or what not more people would be inclined to use them?

its possible but unless free standing as its own entity I believe many would not really go for it..

but you never know i could be wrong... I know I have been before :)

[SXRguyinMA]

maybe sell different colored shrouds as an accessory to the cooler? Take the Frio for example. If youw ere to make the shrouds for it in different colors and styles then sell them for $6 or $7 or whatever it'd be a neat way to customize the product