Up for review today is the Ear Force X12 headset. This headset is designed for use on the Xbox 360 and supports PC use as well, more on this later. The Ear Force X12s, come in Turtle Beach’s signature green packaging.
Packaging
The X-12′s arrive in black and green packaging with a clear dicut for viewing of the headset, and controls. The X-12′s packaging is structurally strong enough for shipping, with many piece of cardboard taped together. Below are Specifications for the set, direct from Turtle Beach.
Packaging 02
Manufacturer’s Specifications:
Headset
- 50mm diameter Headsets with neodymium magnets
- Headset Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, >120dB SPL @ 1kHz
- Condenser Microphone Frequency Response: 50Hz – 15kHz
- Cable length: 16 ft. (4.87m)
- Weight: 6.4 oz (233g)
In-line Amplifier
- Headphone Amplifier: Stereo DC-coupled, 35mW/ch, THD <1%, Frequency Response: DC – 30kHz
- Bass Boost: Variable up to +12dB@150Hz
- Mic mute switch
- Maximum analog input level with volume control on maximum setting: 2Vpp (700mV rms)
- 3.5mm plug for line input
- 3.5mm plug for mic output
- 2.5mm XBOX 360® controller input jack
- USB connector for power (5VDC @ <60mA max)
- Dimensions: Height .5in (1.27cm), Width 2in (5.08cm), Depth .75in (1.905cm)
System Requirements
- Xbox 360 console with AV cable to support analog audio output:
- HDMI Configuration- HDMI audio adapter cable (dongle)
- Standard Def- Advanced SCART AV cable
- Available USB port
Package Dimensions
- 8.75 x 6.75 x 3.75 (inches)
The packaging was relitivly easy to unpack, and held everything securely.
Packaging 03
The manual for the headset is easy to understand with intuitive illustrations.
Ear Force X12 Manual
Cables
Turtle Beach provided cables X-12 for connecting your headset to the XBOX360. The headset requires power via a USB connection, this works well for both the XBOX 360 and PC.
Ear Force X12 Cables 01
Ear Force X12 Cables 02
Controls
The Earforce X12 headset has a control hub on the cord that allows you to control your Chat Volume, Game Volume, and Bass as well as a toggle allowing you to mute the headset.
Ear Force X12 Cables. Connectors, and controls
The Ear Pieces
The Ear Pieces on the X12 headset are made from a soft mesh fabric that provides enough clearance between the driver and ear that long gaming (3+ hour) sessions were comfortable.
Turtle Beach tastefully placed its logo over the drivers.
Ear Force X12 In ear Decal
Headset Adjustments
The X-12′s is quite adjustable, the ‘neck’ of the set adjusts about an inch, as well as pivoting about 15 degrees in either direction. This makes the X-12s quite secure.
Next: Testing
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- H100 packaging
- H100 packaging
The Corsair H100 comes in Corsair’s signature Blue and White packaging that is present throughout Corsair’s other products such as the Corsair SP2500 Speaker system..
- H100 packaging
The Corsair H100 is well packed in plastic to protect the heatsink during shipping. The Manual, mounting hardware, and thermal paste are all conveniently stored in one box.
Next: Analysis
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Gelid GX-7 Packiging
Gelid GX-7 Packiging
The Gelid GX-7 comes in Gelid’s signature Blue and Green packaging that is present throughout Gelid’s other products such as the Gelid Icy Vision Rev2 GPU Cooler.
Gelid GX-7 Packaging
The Gelid GX-7 is well packed in plastic to protect the heatsink during shipping. The Manual, mounting hardware, and thermal paste are all conveniently stored in one box.
Next: Analysis
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DAS Model-S Professional
Packaging & Contents:
The Professional arrived in minimalistic white packaging with a a to scale photograph of the Keyboard itself. The keyboard is packaged very well, suffs and damage are unlikely without an incredible amount of mishandling.
DAS Model-S-Professional Packaging Top Front
DAS Model-S-Professional Packaging Top
DAS Model-S-Professional Packaging Back
DAS Model-S-Professional Packaging Inside
Specifications:
- Cherry Blue Switches
- USB (2.0) hub
- both USB, and PS2 adaptors (USB required for USB hub)
- 6 key rollover via USB, Full N-key rollover via PS2
- Interface: USB/PS2
- Operational systems: Windows 7/Vista/XP
- 2.0 USB port: 2
- Cable length: 2m
Next: Accessories & First Impressions
]]>Here’s what they have to say about it:
- World leading thermal resistance performance of 0.09°C/W.
- VGF (Vortex generator flow) technology to greatly increase air convection.
- SEF (Stack Effect) design to enhance heat transfer.
- Unique air path creating high VEF (Vacuum Effect) to optimize the airflow.
- HDT (Heat Pipe Direct Touch) Technology to ensure rapid thermal conduction and eliminate CPU hotspot.
- Side flow type with four 6mm high performance heat pipes.
- Unique T.B.Silence PWM fan to adjust the power efficiently and keep the silence.Dual fan installed option and solid springs attached.
- Anti-vibration rubbers prevent fan vibration and absorb noise.
- Universal bracket for Intel® 775/1155/1156/1366 and AMD® AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1.
- High thermal conductivity grease to ensure the best thermal conduction between CPU and the heat sink.
The ETS-T40 carries on the legacy of providing a great balance of performance and noise level during high and low speed operations. ETS-T40 is Enermax’ first cooler to be equipped with an all-in-one mounting solution that includes LGA 1156 and 1366. Direct Contact heat-pipe is now also utilized in this latest update.
Enermax ETS-T40-TB Packaging
Enermax ETS-T40-TB Packaging
The packaging utilizes quite a bit of whitespace in the design.
Enermax ETS-T40-TB Packaging
The Enermax ETS-T40-TB packaging is a sturdy cardboard that protected the cooler quite well.
The ETS-T40-TB
Once removed from the packaging our first thought was how much of how “airy” the ETS-T40-TB is, you can see through the widely spaced fins more than other heatsinks we have reviewed. The Enermax branding on the fan is even visible through the heatsink, as seen in the photo above. We will see how this design choice effects the performance later on in the review.
AMD/Intel Mounting hardware
The Enermax ETS-T40 ships with mounting hardware for both Intel and AMD components.
Enermax ETS-T40-TB Heatsink
The fins on the Enermax ETS-T40-TB are straight and reflective, aiding the “airy” look mentioned above. The fins on the ETS-T40 are the same thickness as the Cooler Master Hyper. Because of the wider spacing of the fins, we were concerned about damaging them at first, as the review went on it became apparent that they were more than strong enough to put up with any physical stress we put on them .
4 Pin Fan Connector - ETS-T40-TB
Front View ETS-T40-TB
The fan included with the Enermax ETS-T40 has a 4-pin power connector. Style wise, the fan has “Enermax” cut into the side, which is a feature that seems a little neglected without a backlit fan. Don’t worry though, Enermax has you covered: they also make a version of the ETS-T40 (the ETS-T40-TA and VD) which have backlit fans.
The fan included with the ETS-T40 features a double concave design as seen in the photos above. We will see how this design choice effects the performance of the heatsink later in the review when the heatsink is paired with our aftermarket fans.
Base Heatpipes - ETS-T40-TB
The 4 heatpipes on the ETS-T40-TB are staggered to allow the fins of the heatsink to saturate more evenly, allowing a lower overall temperature than if the pipes went through the same part of the fins.
Base Flatness - ETS-T40-TB
The ETS-T40-TB is relatively flat, though some space can be seen between the heatpipes and base. Extra care was taken to ensure the heatsink had just the right amount of TIM applied to make good contact.
Base Reflectiveness - ETS-T40-TB
The base of the ETS-T40-TB has a slight reflectivity to it, the photo shows Enermax took care to provide a smooth contact area on the ETS-T40-TB.
Next: Tests, Tools and Methodology
]]>Some words from Cooler Master about their newest HSF:
Succeeding the popular Hyper 212, the Hyper 212 Evo carries on the legacy of providing a great balance of performance and noise level during high and low speed operations. The Hyper 212 Evo is Cooler Master’s first cooler to be equipped with an all-in-one mounting solution that includes LGA 1156 and 1366. Direct Contact heat-pipe is now also utilized in this latest update.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Packaging Front View
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Packaging Rear View
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo utilizes the same purple packaging that is present throughout all of Cooler Master’s current line of products.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Packaging
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is well packed in plastic to protect the heatsink during shipping.
Next: Analysis
]]>Some words from GELID themselves:
The “Rev. 2 ICY VISION” cooler contains 5 power heatpipes in a unique heatpipe constellation. The heatpipes are interlaced into 85 optimized high-quality Aluminium fins. Together with a flat stack fin soldered Copper base, they enable the most efficient heat transmission and dissipation from GPU core in its class. Besides the heatsink, two 92mm UV-reactive fans with 11 blades in S-shape generate 20% additonal air flow than traditional fans. The fan contains a high-quality ball bearing to ensure a longer lifetime in high temperature environments.
The Icy Vision is packaged in blister style packaging. The design heavily utilizes the the light green that has come to be associated with GELID. It protected the cooler well.
.
GeLid Icy Vision front packaging
GeLid Icy Vision rear packaging
The Belly of the beast:
The very first impression we were struck with after removing the Gelid Icy Vision Rev2 from its packaging was, “Wow, this is light.” We anticipated something much heavier considering the sheer weight of the stock coolers on high end GPUs these days.
In the photo below, you can see the 5 heatpipes of the cooler and how they disperse to the dual heatsinks.
Gelid Icy Vision underside
The top view of the cooler showcases the dual 90mm fans.
Gelid Icy Vision top view
From the side, you can see that the Gelid Icy is actually quite tall. We will discuss what this means for the clearance of the heatsink a bit later on.
Gelid Icy Vision side view
The Icy Vision Revision 2 ships with mounting hardware for over 25 different video cards. If you have pretty much any of the last three generations put out by ATI/AMD or Nvidia, they have you covered. One caveat for owners of 6900 series hardware: you’ll need to pick up an additional pack of RAMsinks, called the Enhancement Kit.
Heatsinks and Backplates
Next: Our Test Bed
]]>Recently, Evercool sent us their latest ultra low profile product, the HPL-815 Low Profile cooler. After taking the HPL-815 out of its box I felt like a giant. It is possible to hold the fan and heatsink in the palm of your hand while your fingers and thumb touch opposite sides of the contact area. Evercool claims this feisty cooler can tame the most brutal processors on the market. Today we will put the Evercool HPL-815 to the test.
Here is an overview of the impressively diminutive cooler’s specifications, provided by Evercool:
<INTEL SERIES>
For Intel LGA 1366
• Core™ i7 i7-920~i7-960• Core™ i7 Extreme Edition i7-965~i7-980X
For Intel LGA 1156
• Core™ i7 i7-860~i7-870
• Core™ i5 i5-680~i5-750/i5-750S/i5-655K
• Core™ i3 i3-530~i3-550For Intel LGA 775
• Core2 Duo up to~E8600
• Core2 Extreme up to~QX9770/X6800
• Core2 Quad up to~Q9650
• Pentium D up to~960
• Pentium Dual Core up to~E6500/E6500K
• Pentium Extreme up to~965• Pentium 4 up to~672
• Pentium 4 Extreme up to~3.73G Hz
• Celeron up to~365/E3300<AMD SERIES>
For AMD K8/AM2/AM2+/AM3
• AMD Phenom™ II X6 Black Edition 1090T• AMD Phenom™ II X6 1055T
• AMD Phenom™ II X4 805~965/B93~B95/900e~905e
• AMD Phenom™ II X3 710~720/700e~705e/B73~B75
• AMD Phenom™ II X2 545~555/B53~B55
• AMD Athlon™ II X4 620~635/600e~605e
• AMD Athlon™ II X3 425~440/400e~405e• AMD Athlon™ II X2 215~255/235e~240e/B22~B24/250u~260u
• AMD Phenom™ X4 9500~9950/9100e~9450e
• AMD Phenom™ X3 8450~8750/8250e~8450e
• AMD Athlon™ X2 up to 6400+/7850/BE-2400/5050e
• AMD Athlon™ 64 up to 4000+/LE-1640
• AMD Athlon™ 64 FX up to FX-62• AMD Sempron™ up to 3800+/140/LE-1300
• Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ up to 1389/1224SE/1218HE
Overall
Dimension :106 x 95 x 45 mm Heat Sink Material
:4 Heatpipes + Al Fin + H.D.T. Core Bearing
Type :EL long life bearing (Life Expectancy at 25°C 50000HR)
Rated Speed : 1000±25%~4000±10% RPM (PWM) Noise Level
:12~40 dBA Rated Voltage : 12 V.DC Weight : 320 g
The HPL-815
The Evercool HPL-815
Next: Specifications and Dimensions
]]>For review today we have the GeminII S524 cooler by CoolerMaster. This 5 heatpipe cooler features aluminum fins designed to maximize surface area while allowing all RAM slots to be occupied for AM3 and Socket 1155/1156/1366 computers.
The GeminII S524
Manufacturer’s Description & Specifications:
Specifications
CPU Socket Intel Socket:
LGA 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 *AMD Socket:
FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2CPU Support Intel:
Core™ i7 Extreme / Core™ i7 / Core™ i5 / Core™ i3 / Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Quad / Core™2 Duo / Pentium / CeleronAMD:
Phenom™ II X4 / Phenom™ II X3 / Phenom™ II X2 / Phenom™ X4 / Phenom™ X3 / Athlon™ II X4 / Athlon™ II X3 / Athlon™ II X2 / Athlon™ X2 / Athlon™ / Sempron™Dimension 144 x 144 x 105 mm (5.7 x 5.7 x 4.1 inch) Heat Sink Material Copper Base / 5 Heat Pipes / Aluminum Fins Heat Sink Weight 490g (1.08 lb) Fan Dimension 120 x 120 x 25 mm (4.7 x 4.7 x 1 inch) Fan Speed 800 – 1800 RPM (PWM) ± 10% Fan Airflow 34.2 – 77.7 CFM ± 10% Fan Air Pressure 0.43 – 2.46 mmH2O ± 10% Bearing Type Long Life Sleeve Bearing Fan Life Expectancy 40,000 hours Fan Noise Level (dB-A) 15.1 – 31.6 dBA Connector 4-Pin Fan Weight 104g (0.23 lb) Note * Supplied accessories may differ by country or area. Please check with your local distributor for further details.
The GeminII S524
Cooler Master GeminII S524
Cooler Master GeminII S524
Features:
Featuring a single 120mm fan and 5 heatpipes, the GeminII S524 comes in at an overall height of 10.5cm. The contact area of the GeminII S524 features a lapped contact area that appears to be nickel-coated copper for effective transfer of heat from the processor to the cooling fins, and from there to the air of your computer case and wherever that’s exhausted to.
The Fan
The fan equipped on the GeminII S524 runs at between 800 – 1800 RPM. The fan is held in place by 4 finely threaded metal screws that isolate the fan and any vibrations it generates from the heatsink, therefore cutting down on noise. If an aftermarket fan is used that is narrower than the stock unit, rubber grommets can be used to help quiet it.
Cooler Master GeminII Fan
Next: Specifications and Dimensions
]]>
- Silent Low Profile CPU Cooler
- Balanced performance
- Ideal for HTPCs
The Low-7000 R2
The heatsink itself comes with mounting hardware for the following configurations:
Socket:
- LGA1366
- LGA 1156
- LGA 1155
- LGA 775
- AMD AM3
- AMD AM2
Nexus Low-7000 Fan 02
Manufacturer’s Description & Specifications:
The Nexus LOW-7000 cooler combines some of the most advanced technologies in the market used for CPU coolers. Heat pipes, SkiveTek and ultra-thin fins combined with a near-silent 12cm PWM controlled fan delivers ultimate performance which has never been this quiet before. LOW coolers are crafted out of the purest aluminum and copper materials. The heat sink covering the heat pipes and the copper base is made using SkiveTek technology. We have managed to apply the best technologies at the best position on the cooler. And the result is astonishing… The 120mm fan is PWM controlled and the speed can vary between 500 and 2000 RPM creating a noise-output of an inaudible 15 dB(A) up till a still truly quiet 24 dB(A) The LOW-7000 is an ideal cooler for your HTPC the ultra low, only 7cm high, CPU cooler with a silent 120mm fan. Now also compatible with AMD AM3/2 and Intel Core i5!
Featuring a single 120mm fan and 4 heatpipes, the Low-7000 R2 comes in at an overall height of 7cm. The contact area of the Low-7000 R2 features heat-pipe direct touch (HDT) technology for the most effective transfer of heat from processor cores to the cooling fins, and from there to the air of your computer case and wherever that’s exhausted to.
The fan equipped on the Low-7000 R2 runs at between 500-2000rpm. The fan is held in place by 4 soft plastic retention pins that isolate the fan and its vibrations from the heatsink, cutting down on noise. Controlled by PWM signal, the fan runs only as fast as is needed for optimal cooling and noise levels.
Nexus Low-7000 Fan