Thermaltake DuOrb CL-G0102 VGA Cooler Review

[Capper]

At this point in the game, Thermaltake needs no lengthy introduction. With extensive product lineups running the gamut from computer cases to CPU cooling and everything in between, Thermaltake remains one of the most active (and sought after) component and cooling manufacturers. With nearly a decade of experience under their belt, they've proven themselves over and over in the enthusiast community with innovative designs, and today's review marks another notch in their belt.

Thermaltake DuOrb CL-G0102 VGA Cooler Review

[Parker]

Excellent review Blair!!! Read it all the way through, and it was well worth it.

I have been anticipating this review for a couple weeks now, and I'm glad to see that this is an excellent performing cooler.

BTW, at the end of the review in the "Other Reviews of Note" I noticed that the link to the review from "XBitLabs" is broken.
Just heads up.

Again, Great Review!!!

[simple_inhibition]

thank you :) i cant believe i completely missed this thread >.< D'oH!!!

[Parker]

Originally Posted by simple_inhibition

thank you :) i cant believe i completely missed this thread >.< D'oH!!!

Haha, no problem!
It was an excellent read! And helped a lot, it's also helped to back up recommendations to people.

Good job S_E!!

[Dread]

Perfect timing in that just last week I stepped up to a hot (literally) GF XFX
8800GT in my primary gaming system.

My only question is, what can I expect once I start taking my OEM HSF unit/
assembly etc off my card? I've never taken an enclosed GPU card apart, and to be frank am a little weary of doing so; even with the promised gains in
cooling over the stock.

[simple_inhibition]

im not familiar with the 8800GT's HSF mounting setup, but for the HD3870, theres 4 screws that pass through a backplate, through the mounting holes on the card and finally into the stock HSF itself. to me, it appears as if you'll have to remove all of the screws on the back of your card, but i could be wrong. i believe someone here has removed the HSF from an 8800GT, so they would be a much more reliable source than i.

once you get the HSF off, installation of the duorb is really straight forward. you install 2 brackets on the bottom of the duorb, then depending on the video card, you install either the hex screws from bag a (ati) or bag b (nvidia) on the mounting holes (mounting hole 1 is closer the the center of the duorb. its used for ati cards. mounting hole 2 is further away from the center of the duorb and is used for nvidia) on the bracket you installed in the previous step. put some thermalpaste on the cpu core. i find it easiest if you use a plastic bag over your finger to spread the AS5 evenly over the core. i used ICD7 and used there method (not a pea sized amount though :-P) line up the duorb with the mounting holes, put the plastic washer over the screw then attach the hex nuts.

you need to be very aware of the fact that the gpu core is exposed as in theres no IHS. if your not careful you could crack the core killing your gpu. you shouldnt have to worry about this too much with the duorb so long as you dont try to over-tighten the screws.

[polobunny]

Both Parker and I removed their 8800GT 'sinks without problem. It's a very straight forward process. Remove all the screws you see on the back of the PCB and the heatsink comes off.

Here's a link that should help you. Although it's an HR-03 installation guide you can see how they remove the stock 8800GT cooler.
http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_pa...ler_hr03gt.htm

[Dread]

Thanks, great link BTW.