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Cooler Xtreme : Coolers : Graphics / VGA Cooler : Full Review Of Blue Orb


Rating and Conclusion
Ease of Installation (4/5)
The installation of the blue orb can be difficult depending on the type of card you have, but because some manufactures do not use the holes that the orb needs isn't really the fault of Thermaltake. Thermaltake does include frag tape you could use, but if I had to go that route I would use some thermal epoxy instead. The only other problem with installation is that, if for some reason, you needed instruction the ones included aren't very good. But, as I said, most people would be able to figure out what’s going on.
Performance (3.5/5)
The blue orb didn't draw the heat away as well as I hoped it would have. While it did drop it 10º celcius from the stock heatsink, I think part of the reason the stock didn't perform so well was because the original thermal paste was poorly applied at the time of manufacturing.
Quality (2.5/5)
This is where I think the blue orb could be improved. The first problem is the obvious weakness of design: the pins, as well as the clip that’s holds the orb to the board, are easily bent. Sure the orb is made out of aluminum, which is a pretty weak metal, but so are a lot of heatsinks -- many of which are much sturdier than the blue orb is. Secondly I think the fan runs louder than its rated. It's rated to run at a quiet 26.4 decibels, but I have some 80mm case fans that run at 28 decibels and the orb was definitely louder then they were.
Main Features (4/5)
While the orb didn't really have any "features" since all heatsinks generally include the same general setup: a heatsink, someway to secure it, and maybe a fan. So the features I’m going to count for the orb are; the frag tape, the thermal grease, and the 3 pin to 4-pin adapter. A lot of companies/manufacturers don't include one or any of these, so Thermaltake definitely gets the nod here.
Pricing (4.5/5)
I picked up the blue orb for RM60.00 at Overclocker's Paradise RM60.00 for a heatsink with all the things that this one includes I think is a good price, and couldn't get much cheaper without Thermaltake starting to lose money on the deal.
Overall 3.5/5.0
Conclusion
So is the orb worth it? For a buck per degree drop in celcius I’d say yes. But you have to factor in the soft design, and making sure it will fit where it needs to go - either on your graphics card or chipset. As for the somewhat feeble design, I don't think this is an inferior product, it could just be better.