A Roundup of High-end SocketA Coolers. Q1-2`2003
Thermaltake Volcano 11 Xaser Edition
Here is a flagship model among coolers made by Thermaltake for SocketA processors. I must admit I've been looking forward to the release of this model quite eagerly, since the combination of full copper radiator and a 80 mm fan gave every reason to expect a high efficiency. So once Volcano 11 appeared in the retail, I immediately ordered it.
The cooler is packed into a quite large box having two transparent windows: through the first you can see the cooler itself, and the speed regulator through the second. Like Aero7, this cooler allows the user to select the fan's rotational speeds.
However, the regulator in Volcano 11 is positioned on the rear panel of the case; and unfortunately there is no 3" panel. Actually, it's not hard to make it on your own - you've got to drill a hole of the right diameter and glue a radiator (which already has a glue base). Nice to note that the rotating handle is made of metal is large enough.
The cooler exterior is impressive - a copper radiator, black case (also a guideline for the airflow) and a formidable grating (that hides the fan).
The grating is in fact a decorative item rather than a real protection of fan against foreign matter. If you remove the grating, you will see the already familiar 80 mm Thermaltake fan of rotation speeds between 1300RPM and 4800RPM; the air flow varies between 20.55 CFM and 75.7CFM. But the noise levels vary between 17 dBa and 48 dBa at the maximum rotation speed. Frankly, I took the so high specifications, especially the maximum airflow (a bit too overstated, in my view) and the noise level (definitely understated) with some skepticism.
Then, if you remove the fan, you see a copper radiator with a metal frame attached on top of it. This frame guides the airflow and at the same time is a base for the 80 mm fan.
Removing the frame and taking a close look at the radiator. It has small dimensions (almost the same as in Volcano 7+).
The processing quality is very good, albeit not of mirror gleam. At the same time, grinding traces are visible on it.
Then, I didn't like the way the fins are fastened to the base. While in Volcano 7+ the radiator was something integral, the fins in this case are positioned mechanically on thermal glue or other thermal interface.
Once I detected this shortcoming, my joy of purchasing it almost vanished. It then disappeared completely once I started installing the cooler. The major issues are very tight clip (with a hook for 3 teeth) which is very difficult to catch on. Besides, the installation may leave scratches on the black cooler case, so it may lose its marketable look. Finally, to complete the installation, the user might need a screwdriver. At the same time, the clip has a stop with limiters (at least, this part of installation has nothing to complain about).
Once I started up the cooler I was really annoyed by the high noise level. While at the maximum speed the main noise component was air whistle, at the minimum speed the motor was rattling quite annoyingly.
By and large, this is not a big deal - we can replace the fan with another one (fortunately, there are lots of 80 mm fans out there on the market).
But replacing it with another one, we lose quite an interesting feature: the Thermaltake fan is able varying its speed depending on the processor temperature. For that, just plug in a special flexible thermal sensor that comes in the package bundle.
Along with the thermal sensor, the box has a tube of thermal paste, a Molex power adapter, and a brief description of the cooler and its operation modes.
Wrapping it up, I'd like to note that high retail price of the cooler which by the time it was tested amounted to $24.
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