![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Thursday , March 05, 2009
- Author:
- Marc Adams
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Thermaltake SpinQ, A1VX and BigTyp 14 Pro
Overall, the world of air cooling has gotten to be fairly stagnant simply due to the quality and efficiency of the products on the market. That said, for those of you that are looking for good cooling that carries with it a good dollar value and some aesthetic value as well, there is always something new to look at.
Thermaltake SpinQ
The only thing I most admire about Thermaltake is how they are not afraid to try new designs. It costs a lot of money to design a new heat sink, build it, and market it. Most companies would rather just stick with a design that is tried and true and modify it just enough to make it their own. That may be fine for most companies but for Thermaltake they are willing to try something new and that helps push the industry forward. It is also what brings us the Thermaltake SpinQ. With its six copper heat pipes and unique design this heat sink can cool almost your entire motherboard in addition to the CPU.
Package & Specs
The packaging of the SpinQ is very similar to the V1 AX save for the colors. The new color scheme works really well in my opinion and gives the SpinQ a high quality feel to it even before opening the box.
Dimensions: 121.63 (L) x 90 (W) x 151.85 (H) mm
Weight: 667g
Material: 50 Aluminum fins, copper base and heat pipes
Heat Pipes: 6 x 6mm heat pipes
Compatibility:
- Intel LGA 775
- AMD 754
- AMD 939
- AMD AM2/AM2+
Fan:
- Size: 80 x 85mm
- Speed: 1000 ~ 1600 RPM
- Noise Level: 19 ~ 28 dBA
- Max Air Flow: 86.5 CFM
- Power: 5.4w
Contents & Flatness
The SpinQ continues the Thermaltake tradition of minimalism and provides only what you need to install the unit. Whatever helps keep the costs down is fine with me.
The base of the SpinQ is one of the finest I have come across. The lines are perfectly straight right up to the edge and makes the base of V1 AX look wavy by comparison.
Photos
Installation
Because of the unorthodox design of the SpinQ I made sure to refer to the instructions when installing the heat sink to ensure correct orientation. The instructions direct you to mount the cooler with the heat pipes on the memory side of the CPU socket. In this way some of the heat will be exhausted out the top of your case and some of the air flow will serve to keep your northbridge from melting.
For reference, I tested the cooler by turning it 90º to the left as well as to the right and neither of these orientations resulted in improved performance, but keep in mind our testing does not take place inside a chassis.
Contact with the CPU is solid and even as shown by the patch of thermal paste. This lets us know to expect optimal performance from the cooler.