Coolermaster GeminII

[Dread]

I wonder if you would get better cooling performance on that if you were
to reverse the fan so it is pulling air up through, instead of back down onto the heat source.

Anyone gets one of these monsters, be sure to do a write up on it for us :)

[Panda Man]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

I foresee a lot of incompatibilities with this cooler. Look how it hits right up against the back of the case in that one picture, you can't use an exhaust fan on the case.

Perhaps there would be a way to setup the fans vertically? Despite how it looks, it would really only be a half fan closer to the top. I don't think that many midATX cases will have alot of issues.

But yes, that thing is a beast!

[Capper]

I'll be posting my review of this monster probably Friday.....I will say its an awesome product. As to compatibility, the fan mount can be loosened, and adjusted on the cooler....allowing you to slide the fan quite a bit.
Also, this is not just a "CPU cooler", its a "motherboard cooler" that is perfect for boards that use the passive heat pipe cooling (Gigabyte GA=965P-DQ6...many ASUS boards). I saw a noticeable drop in every monitored temperature using this thing....and as to weight, it has a good mounting system, and is not nearly as heavy as it looks

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by TTPete

Anyone think that the efficiency of single fan coolers has reached its limit so thats why dual fan coolers are coming out?

You bring up an interesting point. I think they may getting close to the limit, but I can't see that this limit could really be increased much (if at all) by adding more fans. I think (hope) we'll see better heatpipe technology before companies go the way of SLI when it comes to cooling (more is better).

[Capper]

Well, in this day and age, its about more than just cooling the processor.......its been shown that cooling the caps, mosfets, and chipset make a big difference as well.

What this does, besides cooling the processor, is provide good cooling for everything above the video card to include the mosfets, caps, chipset, and memory. Think about the $50 or so this will retail for, and its a great idea

[Quakindude]

You'll definitely want to make sure you don't jostle your case any. Heck, my CNPS9500 only weighs in the 500g range and I take great care when moving it.

That being said, I can see the huge advantages this would provide for those that don't already have a 250mm side fan in their case like I do. My mainboard runs at least 8-10 degrees C cooler than a lot of others with the 680i.

[JazzyJake]

Originally Posted by TTPete

Anyone think that the efficiency of single fan coolers has reached its limit so thats why dual fan coolers are coming out?

dual core, dual video cards, dual channel, dual HDD's, (RAID's), dual PSU's, dual monitors...
whats left soundcards, wireless cards, and motherboards...
but that CM cooler looks really cool, the idea of cooling EVERYTHING seems great.
Can't wait to read the review, capper. I figure someone has to one-up TT and Zalman.
Btw has anyone used/read reviews of CM's current coolers?
the appollo, or mars or venus or whatever it was...
But TTPete, i'd really like to commend you for being a rep from one company and not A. bragging, and B. saying, 'Yea, well, TT is better, so PSHT!'
anything you can leak to us

[Capper]

Is bigger really better? Today, HardwareLogic takes a look at one monster cooler.....so big in fact its marketed not as a merely a CPU Cooler, but a CPU and motherboard Cooler.

The Cooler Master GeminII supports two 120mm fans, and covers virtually half of your motherboard.....but before you dismiss the Gemini II as over the top....look at the big picture. As high end air cooling has seemingly hit a plateau, what better way to improve your products visibility than to provide additional benefits to its users.

Cooler Master GeminII CPU Cooler Review

Editor's Update:

Tonight I looked around the web, to compare my review to those at some of the more reputable websites......and was a little surprised at what I found.

first, let me say I take a lot of pride in my work. I run tests over and over again for consistency, then check and recheck my results to make sure my data is accurate, and that I'm giving people a very good/honest/unbiased impression of the product reviewed.

After Matt's V1 article, I felt like maybe I had screwed up, as my results over a variety of coolers was a bit different than his, and my impression of the GeminII was for the most part very positive, while the few reviews I had seen on it were a mixed bag.

I figured I'd wait a few weeks after my review, than revisit the issue to see what others were seeing........and its still a mixed bag. People that used low CFM fans for better noise management were generally disappointed, while people that focused on performance fans were generally extremely happy, and noticed a big difference in temperatures around their boards (not just the CPU).

Having said that, I feel a little more comfortable that my review was very accurate, although a few complained about an installation I found to be very simple.

XbitLabs.com
OverclockersOnline.com
Anandtech.com
Hi-TechReviews.com
ClubOverclocker.com

[Beetle Bailey]

I'm with you on this Cap. I think with a little time and more effort, others will also see the light. Not trying to brown nose here, just offering my opinion. The way you guys test and offer your findings up for everyone to see, is one of the main reasons I stick around. I like the no nonsense approach you guys take.

[Capper]

No worries, looking at those other reviews more in depth, I notice most use either high CFM or Low CFM fans....instead of going with high quality.

I specifically picked the Arctic Cooling fans I used because they were liquid bearing and offered a great trade off of performance and acoustics, which i think most users would really look to do if they were to buy a product like this.