Don't rip the Volcano 5 anymore!

[AaronP]

I got a volvano 5 on my xp1600 and I have only overclocked it to 1450 mhz, but at 1450 with 3dmark2001 running, the hottest it gets is about 39 celcius. this is just using the thermal pad too, no compound.

 

[AaronP]

and its really not that loud

 

[Mikewarrior2]

are you claiming that the volcano 5 is a good heatsink?


Mike

 

[Egrimm]

I don't understand what people have against ThermalTakes products either, they sure aren't the best but they aren't the crap some people say that they are.

That being said, a 50mhz increase ain't THAT much, and 39C for such a little increase isn't that impressive. Plus what case temp do you have? If you have a low case temp it makes it even less impressive. My Alpha PAL8045 with a Papst 46,5cfm fan keeps my 1600+ oc'ed to 1680mhz at 41C under load.
I suppose that you have the low-performance version since you say it isn't loud, the 7000rpm comes with the same fan as the DragonOrb3 as far as I know, and that is definitely loud.

But even though it might be that impressive it's still okay, it shows that while ThermalTake may not be the best oc hsf's they get the job done.

 

[Mikewarrior2]

Egrimm,

There are lots of reasons why Thermaltake products are piss-poor at times.

Lets start with the Super/Chrome Orb. Crap base quality, warped bases, uneven ocntacts with AMD pads, the list goes on and on, in addition to poor performance.

Copper Chrome orb: Uneven matching of copper and aluminum portions. They appear to be manufactuered separately, the put together. Uneven bases.

Dragon Orbs: Upper "fan" area has no cooling effect. Same potential gaps between copper and aluminum portions. Base quality is better however.

Volcano 5: varying base quality... leaves quite a bit to be desired, but still leaves some qc issues to be desired

Volcano 6CU/CU+: Same copper-aluminum issue. I know that cost is the driving reason behind not forging the copper and aluminum at the same time. So for cost cutting measures, the quality of product suffers.

Now the infamous blue orb: Everyone likes this product, however, it really isn't that good. Manufactuered in 2 pieces that do not have good thermal contact between each other, as well as extremely poor base quality.

If you're looking for a mild o/c or just your basic heatsink, thermaltake products are fine. HOwever, if you are looking for high end, it is highly suggested to look elsewhere.


Mike

 

[AaronP]

I turned the OC down just because I didnt need to overclock, and heres what MBM says

CPU = 1409 mhz
CPU fan RPM = 4821
case temp = 32
cpu temp = 39

 

[Emo]

For the money, the Volcano 5 is a good buy. I got one for $6.99 at Fry's a couple of weeks ago (it's worth that just for the fan).

 

[tjwenger]

I will no longer Buy thermaltake products, I just put in a thread about My chrome orb throwing a fan fin, and then the fan dying, no overclocking, No abnormal use, Just threw a fin and died, killing my cpu. I will NOT buy thermaltake again.

 

[MustangSVT]

<< I got a volvano 5 on my xp1600 and I have only overclocked it to 1450 mhz, but at 1450 with 3dmark2001 running, the hottest it gets is about 39 celcius. this is just using the thermal pad too, no compound. >>



why are u using just the thermal pad to O/C again?

 

[Rahminator]

I won't buy a Thermaltake again. I've had a blue orb working fine for a few months and then it started making grinding noises so it was basically dying. I wasn't overclocking or anything. It was good while it worked fine tho - very quiet.

 

[MrHelpful]

Besides everything people just pointed out, I would like to state that Thermaltake flat-out INFLATES their fan specs (not sure about heatsink efficiency).

 

[damocles]

Mikewarrior2 don'tforget the fact that they just 'make up' their specs (my biggest gripe) . They always have the quietest heatsinks, with the biggest CFM - on paper, that is.

I admit that i like the Volcano 6CU as a good basic heatsink, but it will be a long time before I buy anything with the word 'orb' in it

 

[EBM]

From the reviews I've read about the new Volcano 7 HSF. Thermaltake might have actually have a decent product for once. However, I won't buy any of their products again.

 

[Egrimm]

I never said that ThermalTake products were good, I just said that they work, that's all. I know about them not having as good finish as most other products and I know of the problems with the fans they use, but the question is if it's only their fault since they don't manufacture the fans themselves.
I've never had any problems with the two TT-hsfs I've owned, a Volcano II and a DragonOrb3 but they did perform that well either. The shop said that the Volcano II was a great hsf (yeah right!) so I bought it and it allowed me to run my 1,2Ghz T-Bird at 1,4Ghz, but it was hot. It was pretty easy to install though.
Then I read the great reviews of the DragonOrb3 and got one (the 7000rpm version), and while it cooled better than the Volcano II it weren't nearly as great as the reviews said and it was very loud and hard to install
So when my 1,4T-Bird died for some reason (it was chipped, the DO3s fault, but had worked for months, then I got a bad ECS K7S5A which burned my harddrive and after that the cpu didn't work either) I got a Molex Radial Fin for my XP1600+ since I wouldn't risk anything with the DO3 again, and later I got an Alpha PAL8045 and I definitely won't to back to TT products.

 

[FlowerMan]

Keep in mind that different mobos give different temps. Position of thermistor in socket and use of thermal compound on it can affect accuracy as well. 3dmark isnt exactly a CPU stresser Try TOAST or Prime 95.

 

[Blain]

This one's for you, AaronP