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.

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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~i3-550 For 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+ / AM2
CPU Support	Intel: Core™ i7 Extreme / Core™ i7 / Core™ i5 / Core™ i3 / Core™2 Extreme / Core™2 Quad / Core™2 Duo / Pentium / Celeron AMD: 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

Next: Specifications and Dimensions

Evercool recently sent us the newest model in their Transformer line, the Transformer 3. The Transformer series is known for their consistent silver aesthetics, which can complement the theme of a wide variety of custom rigs with ease. The Transformer 3 is equipped with a single 120mm fan for heat transfer. The heatsink itself is designed with 3 heatpipes that utilize heatpipe direct touch (HDT) technology.

The Transformer 3

The heatsink itself comes with mounting hardware for the following configurations:

Intel:

• Pentium 4 Socket T 505~571 / 620~672
• Pentium D Socket T 805~840 / 915~960
• Pentium 4 Processor Extreme Edition Socket T 3.73G
• Core 2 Duo Processor Socket T E4300~E8700
• Core 2 Extreme Processor Socket T QX6700~QX9650
• Core 2 Quad Processor Socket Q6600~Q9650
• Core i7 (LGA 1366) Processor i7-920~970
• Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition i7-965~975 / 980X
• Core i7 (LGA 1156) 860 / 870 / 880 / 860S /870S / 875K
• Core i7 (LGA 1155) 2600 / 2600K / 2600S
• Core i5 Processor 650~760 / 655K
• Core i3 530~560

AMD:

• AthlonPhenom II X2~550 / X3~720 / X4~965
• Athlon Phenom~9600 / Phenom X3~8750 / Phenom X4~9950
• Athlon 64 X2~3600+ / ~6400+(AM2)
• Athlon 64 FX-51 / 53/ 55 / 57 / 60 / 62
• Opteron ~154 / ~256 / ~890
• Dual-Core Opteron ~180 / ~290 / ~890
• Second-Generation Opteron™ ~1222 SE / 1222
• Third-Generation Opteron™ ~1356
• Sempron ~3800+ / LE-1250

Manufacturer’s Description & Specifications:

The three 6mm heat pipes are arrayed in a V shape, and the special fin design effectively increases airflow and cooling performance. Equipped with a 120mm PWM fan, it provides nearly-silent and performance while delivering excellent cooling capacity. For folks who want to improve the performance, an additional fan can also be added. Shock absorbing “rubber nail” design reduces both vibration and noise, and the cooler comes with an extra set of these to mount a second fan.

Overall Dimensions : 130 x 161 x 78.5 mm
DC Fan Size : 120 x 120 x 25 mm
Heat Sink Material : Aluminum Fin+Heat-Pipe
Bearing Type : Ever Lubricate Bearing (Long Life bearing)
Noise Level : <15 ~ <35 dBA
Fan Speed : 800±25% RPM-2200±10% RPM
Rated Voltage : 12 V DC
Weight : 630 g

Features:

Featuring a single 120mm PWM fan and 3 heatpipes, the Transformer 3 offers balance between efficient cooling and a silent computing experience. The contact area of the Transformer 3 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

The fan equipped on the Transformer 3 runs at a modest and adjustable 800-2000rpm. The fan is held in place by 4 rubber grommets that isolate it from the heatsink, cutting down vibration and noise. Controlled by PWM signal, the fan runs only as fast as it needs to to, keeping noise levels as low as possible.

Next: Specifications and Dimensions

Upon delivery, the first thing you are likely to notice is the sheer size of the SP2500 setup. These things have presence.

Packaging

The speakers arrive in a very, very large box. The SP2500′s packaging dwarfs that of other 2.1 speaker sets, such as the Logitech LS21. The packaging design is very simple and clean, with clear grid-work showing through the body copy; helpfully for overseas consumers, the marketing and specifications are written in multiple languages right on the box.

Manufacturer’s Specifications:

Specifications

• Frequency response: 35Hz – 20kHz +/- 3dB
• 232 Watts total power (measured via FTC “RMS” method)
• Subwoofer dimensions: 18.1 x 10.2 x 11.7 inches (46 x 25.8 x 29.7 cm)
• Satellite dimensions: 4.25 x 4.7 x 6.25 inches (10.8 x 12 x 15.9 cm)

Subwoofer:

• 8″ 120W (IEC60268-5 24hr continuous rating) subwoofer with durable rubber surround
• Fourth-order closed bandpass enclosure design
• Bridged dual 60 Watt class-D amplifiers with integrated DSP for 120 Watts of power (measured via FTC “RMS” method)
• Ultra-efficient integral power supply with 100V – 240V AC input

Satellites:

• Bi-amplified, two-way design with detachable audio cables
• 3″ 40W (IEC60628-5 24hr continuous rating) midrange drivers
• 1″ 16W (IEC60268-5 24hr continues rating) ferrofluid-cooled silk diaphragm tweeters
• 56 Watts per satellite (measured via FTC “RMS” method):
• 40 Watt midrange class-D amplifiers with integrated DSP
• 16 Watt tweeter class-D amplifiers with integrated DSP

I/O, Controls and Programming

• PC input on subwoofer
• Dual 3.5mm auxiliary inputs (one on subwoofer, one on desktop controller)
• 3.5mm headphone output with digital signal processing
• Wired desktop controller with high-resolution color 1.8″ (4.6cm) TFT display and multi-lingual interface (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese)
• Mod X™ theatrical audio processing for Blu-Ray and DVD audio that recreates the theater experience
• Dynamic DSP programs and EQ curves for late night listening, environment simulation, and optimal enjoyment of game and movie genres

Package Contents

• Subwoofer
• Satellites (Two)
• Desktop controller with 6′ / 1.8m cable
• 3.5mm to stereo RCA cable for PC input
• Two 6″ / 1.8m satellite audio cables with ATX4 connectors

Once the SP2500 is unboxed, you will find an array of cardboard inserts protecting the equipment. The packaging was organized, easy to unpack, and held everything extremely securely. All in all, this is exactly what we like to see from manufacturers here at TechREACTION.

In addition to the contents listed above, our review sample included two satellite risers used to aim the speakers exactly where your ears will be in order to make a crisper and more accurate “sweet spot” for listening.

Installing the speakers is as intuitive as possible, as the cables and components are color-coded, and include diagrams that are very easy to understand. The only comment we have to make in this area is that for someone looking to use the speakers for another purpose (like a home theater system) the 6′ cables for the satellites may not be long enough to provide a sufficiently spacious audio stage.

SP2500 Connectors

Cables, Cables, Cables!

Corsair made interesting cable choices for the SP2500. The power system does not utilize a standard C13/C14 coupler, it is a C17/C18 (see the images below). C13/14 cables are compatible with C17/C18 devices, but C17/18 cables are not compatible with C13/14 devices. This means that if you need a longer power cable, you CAN use any standard C13/C14 ones you have lying around, but you cannot use the cable supplied by Corsair for your monitor or printer or what-have-you.

SP2500 C17/18 Connector

C17/C18 coupler

C13/C14 coupler

In addition to the unique power delivery method, Corsair went with ATX4 connectors for the speakers. This is not completely unheard-of, as Sony has also done this for some of its entertainment centers that utilize dual-driver satellites.

SP2500 ATX4 Satellite Speaker Connector

SP2500 Subwoofer

The Subwoofer

The 8″ subwoofer is powered by a pair of 60-watt class D amplifiers which utilize a 4th-order bypass filter to refine the signal as it leaves the amp, resulting in clearer, more accurate sound.

SP2500 Satellite

SP2500 Satellite Connection

The Satellites

The SP2500′s satellites feature 3″ midrange drivers and 1″ tweeters. Corsair designed the SP2500 first and foremost, as a desktop sound system. What that means for the end user is these speakers are designed to be placed to the left and right of your monitor, a few feet from your ears, creating an acoustic sweet spot in front of your PC. This kind of focus is an advantage – your head will be more or less in the same place all the time (like in a car audio environment), which means they can tune the speakers to deliver their best sound with a fairly high degree of precision as to where the listener is likely to be.

The Remote

The wired remote Corsair has included with the SP2500 series has a wide array of settings, languages, and features.

• Wired desktop controller with high-resolution color 1.8″ (4.6cm) TFT display and multi-lingual interface .
• English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
• Mod X™ audio processing
• EQ settings: late night listening, environment simulation, and optimal enjoyment of game and movie genres

The Mod X™ and EQ settings will be discussed in further as we perform our testing.

SP2500 Remote in Use

SP2500 Remote Serial Connector

Next: Our Test System

Our friends at Noctua recently sent us their latest and greatest heatsink for review, the NH-C14. The NH-C14 is a top-flow heatsink of similar design to the NH-D14, which is a cross-blowing heatsink.

The Noctua NH-C14:

The NH-C14

The NH-C14 supports the following processor sockets:

Intel:

• LGA1366
• LGA1156
• LGA1155
• LGA775

AMD:

• AM2
• AM2+
• AM3

Next: Specifications and Dimensions

The ARCTIC Equipment Breeze Pro is the stylish USB-desktop fan giving you a light breeze on hot summer days. The integrated USB-hub comes in as a convenient feature too. Read on to learn more about the Breeze Pro and it’s functionality.

Packaging:

The Arctic Equipment Breeze Pro arrived in a rather unique blister packaging. The packaging is sealed using pressure and is easily reusable as a carrying case. Removing the fan from the blister pack was quite easy.

Fan Specifications:

• Limited Warranty 2 years
• Dimensions (Packaging) 130 L x 96 W x 223 H mm
• Dimensions (Product) 104 L x 95 W x 197 H mm
• Compatibility USB 2.0
• Fan (mm) 92
• Rated Fan Speed 800 – 1800 RPM
• itemnumber ABACO-BZP01-01000
• UPC 0872767003446
• Weight 362g
• Cable 1.8m

Next: Images & First Impressions