ThermalTake Products (specifically Volcano7+)

[Elcs]

Im just about to purchase a new cpu/motherboard/ram and amongst all the research I chose the Volcano 7+ to take pride and place atop my new XP. What I noiced in a review was he fac it carries its own Thermal Paste in the box. I was wondering how this paste compares to AS3 if any one has tried it. I know AS3 is only about £7 but I need to save as much money as possible whilst making a good system.

I also came across ThermalTake Smart Fans. 80mm case fans that spin in accordance to how hot it is around the sensor. I was also wondering if anyone has tried these fans and how well they seemed to perform.

If anyone knows where I can pick up some AS3, a Volcano 7+ and some 80mm Panaflo Case fans in the UK (must be in the UK) Id be very grateful

Thanks for any reply to this post.

PS. No one can change my mind about cpu/motherboard/ram choice so dont try please

 

[Adul]

but we may try on the heatsink fan choice. That 7U+ is an ok heatsink fan. but they are better ones out there.

 

[esc]

the temperature sensor is annoying because my volcano 7 always spins at top speed. especially where i live because it's hot and humid here almost all year round. i eliminated it by just replacing the smart fan. the heatsink itself works well but adul is right, there are better ones out there. as for the paste, i have no idea because my set didn't come with any (volcano 7). the HSF looks cool unmodified.

 

[Elcs]

Thanks for the info. I settled on the Volcano 7+ since Im really into something that sounds good and catches my eye. After reading a few reviews, it was rated highly. Once Ive modded my case to accomodate the speed controller, Ill be using that to keep it cool and quiet.

 

[Comp625]

Out of a scale of 5 with 5 being the best, lowest is 1.

I rate the Volcano 7's cooling performance with a 4. It definitely gets the job done but it's not top dawg as far as lowest temperatures are concerned.

I rate the Volcano 7's noise ambience with a 2. I have a Volcano 7 and the noise is obnoxious and annoying but you'll get used to it after a while. I remember once when I took off the Volcano 7 and stuck on a retail HSF fan (just for kicks) and my comp didn't make any noise after a powerup. I thought the computer didn't power up properly. Turns out it was just the fan that was really quiet making my whole system really quiet.

Suggestions:
Being a Volcano 7 owner, many fellow computer enthusiasts have suggested to me that I should replace the current fan on the 7 with quieter 80mm fan. I read a few reviews of the V7 around the net and when they did change the fan to a quieter but less effective fan atop the V7, the temps did rise a little but the quiet noise was the tradeoff. The temps only risen about 2 degrees higher with a less effective fan if I remember correctly.

 

[Elcs]

Too many decisions to try and make. Confusing. I still think that the Volcano 7+ can handle what Ill have in my PC. No o/c yet until games start to get hard to play maxxed out. I think Ill order AS3 and just use that instead of try ThermalTakes own brand. Around £8 to assure quality isnt breaking my smallish budget.

Think a 400W PSU can supply a nice XP system with 2 case fans and the HSF ?
If any, would I have the spare power to supply any more than 2 fans on 400W ?

 

[Elcs]

Bump. Any one else got anything to add here or not?

 

[hominid skull]

You can get every thing you want here. I have used that place a couple of times, never had a problem.

The volcano 7+ is the next heatsink i'm going to try, i have the zalman now and it's quite good but i think the 7+ is better..
The only other heatsink i considered was the Thermalright AX7 with a slow 80mm fan but i chose the 7+, unless something better comes out before i order.

Artic silver from above, £4.95.

 

[hominid skull]

About the fans, on thermaltake's web site, here, each fan takes about 0.5A(5.4W) at full speed. So you can have quite a few on a 400W power supply and not worry about it.

 

[SteelyKen]

I think the volcano 7+ is a decent choice, except maybe if you plan on moving the computer around much (i.e. lan parties). The heatsink is very heavy and mounts with a clip, so there is danger of it coming loose if jarred. I would hate to think what kind of damage could be done by a chunk of copper bouncing around inside that new puter of yours!