X-bit labs

Gigabyte Volar CPU Cooler Review

Category: Coolers

by Sergey Lepilov

[ 01/21/2008 | 04:01 PM ]

Original cooler design will undoubtedly catch your eye if you come across it in a store. Let’s find out from our new article how good this solution actually is and if it will become an overclocker’s choice.

Table of contents:

• Package and Accessories
  
• Design and Functionality
  
• Installation Tips
  
• Technical Specifications and Price
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Cooling Efficiency and Acoustic Performance
  
• Intel Core 2 Duo Platform
  
• Intel Core 2 Quad Platform
  
• Acoustic Performance
  
• Conclusion
  

The processor cooling system called Gigabyte Volar (from Latin “volare” which means “to fly”) was first demonstrated at Computex 2007. It represents a completely new innovative approach to cooling of the around-the-socket area.

The thing is that the heatsink of new cooling system is not just kind of hanging above the CPU but is also angled at 45 degrees. This original design does make an impression that the cooler is flying, which may have given the idea for the cooler logo with two open wings.

However, if you remember the cooling solutions we have tested before that were also designed to ensure more extensive cooling of the area around the processor socket, we have concluded that these products are not very efficient overall. Scythe Kama Cross, Katana/II or CoolerMaster Sphere didn’t demonstrate any impressive results with overclocked processors. Moreover, the airflow they created and directed to the components around the processor socket didn’t really improve the CPU frequency potential in any way.

Today we are going to check out the new Gigabyte Volar cooler to see if it managed to break this rule.

Package and Accessories

The box of the new Gigabyte cooler is designed following the traditions of the best cooler packages :) It is made of thick carton with a transparent window showing the entire cooler:

It also lists all the supported socket types and features the pictograms for the key cooler features. They even mentioned the level of generated noise right on the box. The side panels are simply filled with cooler info:

The thorough cooler features description with photographs ends with a detailed list of its technical specifications. All in all, if you are an experienced overclocker, the package gives you a great opportunity to get a clear picture of what’s inside and estimate the efficiency of this solution without even opening the box.

Although if you dare open it and check out the cooler in practical experiments, you will have to work real hard on opening the transparent casing, because the clips on it are extremely tight:

On the other hand, this minor inconvenience makes the packaging very sturdy and secure minimizing the risk of cooler damage during transportation.

Above the cooler there is a small box with accessories that contains the following:

• Two plates for cooler installation on LGA 775 mainboards;
• Universal retention bracket for AMD K8 platform;
• A cable with a pre-soldered resistor lowering the fan rotation speed;
• Four screws for LGA 775 retention;
• SilMORE thermal grease;
• Assembly and installation guide in several languages.

The system is made in China.