Introduction
Finding a right cpu cooler could be as hard as figuring out what kind of spark plugs needed for your hot rod. As the CPU speeds race up almost every half a year we need to keep up with a new and innovative ways to cool them. Picking the right one could be a problem and the only way to find the best one out of the rest of the barrel is by going directly to the reviews. This is were we come in:). Today we are going to be taking a look at the newest CPU cooler by Thermaltake, SpinQ VT. SpinQ VT is designed to cool Intel sockets as well as AMD sockets. Let us take a closer look at the SpinQ VT and see what kind of temperatures we get with i7-860 Intel LGA1156 chip.
About the Product
Following information is taken from the Thermaltake website.
Features
- Universal Socket Compatibility & Easy Installation
-Support latest Intel socket LGA1366 & LGA1156
- Excellent Cooling Performance
-3pcs U shape heat pipes ensure ultra high efficiency
-Classic cylinder heat sink and spiral aluminum fins
-80mm blow fan with brilliant Red LED
-Premium thermal grease
- Optimized Structure & Smart Airflow Design
VR™ Fan allows the users to adjust the fan speed from 1000 to 1600 RPM
Dissipating the heat with Multi-direction
Specifications
| Compatibility |
Intel® Core i7 Extreme (Socket LGA1366)
Intel® Core i7 (Socket LGA1366/LGA1156)
Intel® Core i5 / i3 (Socket LGA1156)
Intel® Core 2 Extreme (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Core 2 Quad (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Core 2 Duo (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Pentium D (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Pentium 4 (Socket LGA 775)
Intel® Celeron D (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Celeron (Socket LGA775)
AMD® Phenom II X4/X3/X2 (Socket AM3/AM2+) AMD® Phenom X4/X3 (Socket AM3/AM2+)
AMD® Athlon 64 FX (Socket AM2/939)
AMD® Athlon 64 X2 (Socket AM2/939)
AMD® Athlon 64 (Socket AM2/939/754)
AMD® Sempron (Socket AM2/754) |
| Heatsink Dimension |
120.1 (L) x 120.1 (W) x 159 (H) mm
4.73 (L) x 4.73 (W) x 6.26 (H) inch |
| Heatsink Material |
50 Copper Fins + Copper & Aluminum Base |
| Heatpipe |
Ø 6mm x 6 |
| Fan Dimension |
Ø 80 x 85 mm |
| Fan Speed |
1000 ~ 1600 RPM |
| Bearing Type |
Sleeve |
| Noise Level |
19 ~ 28 dBA |
| Max. Air Flow |
86.5 CFM |
| Max. Air Pressure |
2.22 mmH2O |
| LED Fan |
Ruby LED Fan |
| Power Connector |
3 Pin |
| Rated Voltage |
12 V |
| Started Voltage |
7 V |
| Rated Current |
0.45 A |
| Power Input |
5.4 W |
| MTBF |
50,000 Hours |
| Weight |
495 g |
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Now that we got basic information out of the way, lets take a closer look at SpinQ VT.
Closer look
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Front Shot |
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Rear Shot |
SpinQ VT comes in a very stylish packaging. This particular box if filled with useful information about the actual unit inside. Pretty much on every side of the package we found Thermaltake logo and some kind of description of the SpinQ VT. SpinQ VT is an active cooler with a variable fan speed control. Some of the other features and specifications could be found on the packaging.
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Features and Specifications |
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Multiple languages |
What makes SpinQ VT different from a lot of coolers is that it performs and provides best cooling for Intel and AMD sockets. SpinQ VT is not your stock cooler which you may find in the same box as your cpu. This is one of the biggest cpu coolers around and that's one of the reasons why it keeps temperatures very low. Since Thermaltake is a world wide company, we found description of the SpinQ VT in many different languages on one side of the box.
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Out of the box |
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SpinQ VT |
Unpacking the SpinQ VT was quick. Just a few pulls and the box came apart as we found the actual unit within. SpinQ VT comes with an accessories box where we found installation mounts for Intel and AMD sockets. For more information please visit Thermaltake website to see if your socket is supported. We also found an instructional manual which was very helpful with the installation.
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Intel and AMD mounts |
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Front Shot |
Each bag is labeled with the proper labels for the right socket. We are going to be using socket Intel 1156 and found the right mount fast. The majority of the SpinQ VT is made from the non corrosive aluminum so you don't have to worry for your heat sink to corrode over the time. As you can see from the following shots, SpinQ VT has a very unique structure which helps to disburse heat.
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Heat sink block |
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High Performance Fan |
SpinQ VT has three heat pipes on each of the sides of the CPU block. These heat pipes are designed for one reason and one reason only, to transfer heat from the CPU block to the whole cooler. SpinQ VT is powered by 120mm fan which pulls air from the top and the bottom and pushed it trough the side of the entire cooler. Interesting design.
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Heat pipes |
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Brush less fan |
The heat pipes are made from copper for better heat transfer. It maybe not much to look at but it is an effective way for fast cooling. As we mentioned earlier in the review SpinQ VT is powered by a 120 mm fan. This fan has a brush less design which makes a big difference in the sonar levels. The rotational speed of this fan is between 1000 and 1600 RPM with 19 to 28 dBA respectfully.
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Attached Intel 1156 mounts |
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Adjustable Fan Control |
Just like every heat sink, SpinQ VT comes with a warning label warning the user to remove the sticker before applying thermal paste. Installing the mount is very easy. Just a couple of screws on both sides of the unit and we are ready for the installation. As we mentioned earlier in the review, SpinQ VT comes with the adjustable dial for the rotational speeds of the fan. It is very useful if you are concerned with power consumption and noise.
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Thermaltake Thermal Paste |
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Size comparison |
Thermaltake has included a thermal paste for the installations. This is their own signature compound which is a much better substitute than a stock thermal paste. Take a look at the shot above. As you can clearly see SpinQ VT is a monster comparing to the stock Intel heat sink. SpinQ VT takes up roughly 20% of my entire motherboard. Luckily the SpinQ VT is not a heavy unit as i would be worried it could snap off the motherboard and damage my cpu.
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Thermal paste application |
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Great Clearance |
Prior to the installation we have removed any of the old thermal compound from the stock cpu cooler and applied the Thermaltake's compound. Installation of the SpinQ VT is as easy installing any other Intel cooler. Just a few turns with the screwdriver and the unit was installed.
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Ram Clearance |
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Capacitors Clearance |
The clearance between the components of the board could never been better. Since the SpinQ VT has a high rise, the motherboard components were well out of reach. The last thing you want is for the heat to transfer from your CPU cooler to the board components.
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Powered on |
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Powered on |
SpinQ VT is a big Cooler. Here are couple of shots its being installed in a mid tower. The installation wasn't hard but consider bigger case than a mid tower. The actual fan glows with light red color. Never seen a red fan on the CPU cooler before heh.
Testing
| ASUS P7P55D-E LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard |
| SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP CrossFire |
| Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor |
| Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 7200 RPM SATA-300 Hard Drive |
| CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory |
For our testing purposes we are going to use Prime 95 benchmark software to load up all 4 cores of the i7 860 chip. We will perform the same benchmark in the period of 2 hours for the stock Intel cooler and SpinQ VT. To take readings we will use Core Temp application for precise temperature.
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Stock Intel Cooler |
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SpinQ VT Cooler |
After our benchmarks on both Intel and SpinQ VT we have out clear results. Under the full load of the i7 860 on stock Intel cooler the temperature has gotten up as high as 74C degrees on some of the cores. This temperature is for the cores only and not over all of the CPU. Overall temperature of the CPU is about 2-3 degrees higher.
SpinQ VT has performed very well under the full stress of the CPU. The temperatures we got were as high as 50C degrees. You can clearly see that the temperature under maximum load has dropped around 25C degrees. Very impressive.
Conclusion
What can I say, Thermaltake did it again. With SpinQ VT on your side I feel strongly that there wouldn't be any problems with running some of the most recent processors on the market. What makes this CPU cooler a high performing one is its size. Being rather large CPU cooler SpinQ VT uses unique air cooling to get rid of the hot air from the actual heat pipes. Thermaltake took an extra step to add a color to the fan which is worth of mentioning is a brush less and comes with adjustable dial for the rotational speed. Overall performance of the SpinQ VT is very much satisfying as it out performs the stock Intel cooler and some of the market leading coolers. Our experience with the SpinQ VT has been pleasant and I personally would like to recommend SpinQ VT for any computer enthusiast. A very well build product! Good job Thermaltake!
Some pros we found:
Easy to install and maintain.
Light and quiet.
Provides great cooling under the heavy CPU load times.
Adjustable fan speed.
Color fan.
Some cons we found:
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