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Sponsored by 11/23/04
Thermaltake has sent Marns CDA one of their universal CPU coolers designed to fit on AMD socket A, AMD 64 Bit, and Intel P4 chipsets. Thermaltake is one of the most widely known PC cooler manufacturers and well respected in the modding and gaming community. This particular cooler appears to be similar to their Volcano series but with a few twists. This cooler has multiple fan controls, solid copper sink, a 80mm auto temperature controlled 2 ball bearing fan and their TT fan grill. Let us see if it holds up to the test.
Specs:
Price: Newegg price is $32.99 Purchase Link $32.99 is a good price for an all around CPU as long as the performance is what Thermaltake promises this is a good buy..
Installation: The install of the sink itself is pretty standard. Thermaltake uses a pressure bar design and it comes with a few different bars to fit all of our major CPU's. The power for this system is your standard 4 pin Molex connector.
The fan controls have a standard 3 pin adapter that allows you to have multiple installation configurations. There are 2 fan dial controls to choose from: one uses a rear IO card port and the second uses a 3.5 from bay (floppy) You can only choose one of these. Take special care to note when to use and not use the jumpers for the fan controls. If you are using the manual fan controls, you will not need the auto thermal probe part of this installation.
The temperature control probe can be installed via a 3 pin connector as well. Please note that this option is not available on the Intel P4 chipsets, only the AMD. Thermaltake provides thermal tape to connect the probe in the proper location. Please refer to the documentation concerning the ideal location of this probe on whichever chipset you are using. One part of the install I wanted to talk about is the pressure bar. In order to install the bar you must first remove the fan and the blue shield around the sink itself. This is a draw back but understandable due to the multi-use configuration. Below, I have shown exactly what I mean, so you have a better idea of how to install it yourself.
The installation is a bit tricky when deciding what configuration you want to install for the cooler, but all options are documented well. All in all, Thermaltake does a satisfactory job with the Polo 735 when discussing installation.
Appearance: The POLO 735 is like the little brother of the Volcano series. It is a slightly smaller sink, 66 fins with blue aluminum side panels.
The packaging and fan controls are spiced up with some etching and raised logos for that extra flare. Overall, the fan and sink are not bad to look at, but the red & black fan on a copper and blue sink might clash with some motherboards or case themes. If looks matter in a window case keep this in mind.
Performance: We are going to test the performance of the Thermaltake POLO 735 3 in 1 cooler, the same way we do all of the others. Using a 2500+ AMD CPU and our test machine, we will run a series of load and idle test with fan controls settings. We will start with an internal case temp of 80(f) or, in other words, a zone to simulate a stress scenario or high risk. If you want more details concerning exact procedures feel free to contact us at preitschky@marnscda.com . We are more then happy to answer any questions. Please note all tests are static. The load situation is done identical from cooler to cooler to accurately collect data on multiple hardware pieces. Here are a few screen shots of the ASUS probe used to collect the data. I know they are a bit tough to read, but the resolution is pretty high so you can view them well if you print this at home, or just right click - go to properties - copy the URL and paste it in a Explorer address window.
Illustration 1.1 Polo 735 cooler on high setting wit 100% CPU load 37(d) Celsius Idle temp was 29(d) Celsius
Illustration 1.2 Polo 735 cooler Low setting with 100% CPU Load 47(d) Celsius Idle temp was 34(d) Celsius
As you can see from the illustrations and the chart above, the Thermaltake POLO 735 is a fine product and performs very well in an stress environment. Even at its lowest fan setting, the CPU remains cooler then using the stock CPU cooler provided in the AMD combo box.
The fan itself runs very quiet on low RPM settings and pushes air quite well. I was impressed with the range that the speed controls provided. The fan had a range of 2235 RPM's on low and high went up to 5921 RPM's. This is one of the fastest 80mm fans I have encountered.
Quality: Let's begin with the packaging. This product comes in a fold over plastic casing. All of the parts are held into place preventing any damage in shipping. Everything is easily viewable from the package, so if purchased in a retail location, it is easy to see any tampering or damage that might have occurred before the purchase.
The sink itself is a solid piece well made. There are no sharp or rough edges to speak of. The multiple fan controls are well made and the extra time taken to place logos on the controls shows Thermaltake puts time and thought into their product appearance and quality.
The cooler's fan is quality grade. The dual bearing design and multiple hook up makes this a fine product. With their anti-turbulent design airflow is maximized to reduce backflow and keep the heat sink cool. The overall quality of this product is more then what is promised.. Thermaltake has made a nice Cooler and the easy to read instructions makes for an easy install..
Pros: Cools the CPU very well at High speed fan settings. Can be almost silent for people that want a quiet heat sink. Price is relatively inexpensive for the amount of configurations. Documentation is well done, illustrations explain allot. Multiple fan controls is a plus. Cons: Installation is a bit tricky. The heat sensor is not easy to install on the K7 series of CPU's. Color scheme might clash with some case themes.. Conclusion: Thermaltake has manufactured another fine heat sink. I would definitely recommend this sink to any Modder that plans on upgrading from a K7 to K8, or anyone that wants nice control and a lot of cooling power. Though there are a few drawbacks to making this sink multi chipset compatible, it is still a solid sink that performs well. Marns CDA awards Thermaltake POLO 735 3 in 1 cooler the "Blue Ribbon Seal of Approval".
Rating
5 out of 6 Stars Review Date 11/23/04 Reviewer pr101j (Paul)
Company Info:
Marns CDA By Paul (pr101j)
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