Thermaltake Golden Orb II
Performance Analysis and Final Thoughts
Performance Analysis: The Golden Orb II proved to be an excellent CPU cooler in our testing scenarios and offered better overall performance than the Vapochill Micro ULN cooler. With the fully loaded testing, the Golden Orb II ranged from 8 to 11C cooler when comparing the stock cooler at the same fan speed and 3-5C cooler than the Vapochill Micro ULN. With overclocked load testing, both big coolers were in the same range, offering a much cooler ride than the stock AMD package. More so, the Golden Orb II provided a much quieter experience overall, keeping the fan noise to virtually non detectable levels, even with the fan running at full speed.
The Golden Orb II from Thermaltake proved to be an excellent CPU cooler all the while looking sharp doing its job. The unit offered superior performance versus other reference coolers and kept ambient noise levels very low. We were impressed with the simplicity of installation on the AMD side of the picture, but found the Intel setup slightly more involved. We're fairly certain the weight of the Golden Orb II is what defined how the cooler mounts in an Intel-based environment, but once in place, the cooler is mounted very securely. Nonetheless, it would have been quite an achievement if all we had to do was snap the cooler mounts in place before securing the Golden Orb II to our Pentium test bed.
Intel mounting issues aside, we were quite impressed with the cooling ability of the Golden Orb II and its exceptionally quiet performance too. The universal design makes the Golden Orb II even more attractive, with its one size fits all approach, while the LED fan adds to its overall glitzy appearance. Considering all factors, the Golden Orb II fell just short of our Editor's Choice award based on the Intel installation methods. If Thermaltake can come up with a way to avoid motherboard removal on the Intel platform, the Golden Orb II would be one of the most effective and easy to install coolers available. Priced from $25, the Golden Orb II is a great value and its performance will not disappoint.
We give the Thermaltake Golden Orb II cooler a Hot Hardware Heat Meter of 9...
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| • Superb Cooling Performance • Near Silent at all Speeds • Universal Design • Motherboard Removal not Necessary for AMD • Fantastic Pricepoint |
• Motherboard Removal Required for Intel • Huge |
