Home

    News

    Coolers

    Audio/Sound

    Articles

    Download

    Guides

    Forum

    Links

    Site Info

    Feedback

    Price

The Global WIN IStorm / IStorm II

Overview: IStorm / IStorm I

Noise	+
Air flow	++
Dust protection	+

++ is best, -- is worst

Advantages
+ cross-flow fan that provides lots of airflow
+ HDD activity LED (IStorm II only)
+ audible alarm (IStorm II only)
+ looks cool (for those who care)

Disadvantages
- sticks out of the case
- a bit hard to install on some cases

The Design

When I first saw the I-Storm cooler on CeBIT '98, I was really astonished - it is so radically different from other hard drive coolers, and it certainly looks cool. The black cooler is very visible from the outside, it sticks out of the case by about 4.5 cm.

The reason for this is that the I-Storm doesn't use conventional fans, but a so-called "cross-flow fan". These fans are relatively large; they provide good airflow even at a low rpm, which means that they are exceptionally silent. These fans are usually used where good cooling at a low noise is required, for example in some overhead projectors. Another advantage of the cross-flow fan is that it delivers air flow not just at one spot, but over a larger surface, making it particularly suitable for cooling hard drives.

The fact that the cooler sticks out of the case might be a disadvantage if you install it directly over your CD-ROM drive: It'll really be in the way when changing the CD. Also, it is not possible to install two IStorms directly over each other; therefore the IStorm is not suitable for servers with several hard drives.

By now, the IStorm has been replaced by the IStorm II. What are the differences between the IStorm and the IStorm II? Well, the IStorm II has a HDD activity LED, plus an audible fan failure alarm. The IStorm was available both in black and white, whereas the IStorm II is only available in white. What a pity, I found the black IStorm very cool.

A view from below, plus a picture showing the disassembled IStorm with the cross-flow fan.