t_ski
11-09-2007, 11:06 PM
[page=Introduction]
Introduction
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/logo.gif
I would like to thank Gigabyte (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/) for supplying the review sample.
Features:
Convex curves widen air range for both CPU and MOSFET cooling
12cm high air bandwidth silent fan for heat dissipation
Pure copper-base, nickel-coated for durability
Back-end blue atmospheric LEDs
Heat pipe array comprising of 8mm-thick heat piping
Dual speed feat from acoustic to performance
Fan speed adjustment by voltage bridging cable
Compatibility:
Intel Core 2 Extreme processor series
Intel Core 2 Duo processor series
Intel Core 2 Quad processor series
Intel Pentium Extreme Edition processor series
Intel Pentium D processor series
Intel Pentium 4 processor series
AMD AM2
AMD Athlon FX series
AMD Athlon 64 X2 series
AMD Athlon 64 series
AMD Sempron series
Specifications:
<blockquote><table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Dimension:</th>
<td scope="row">121 x 126 x 162mm (D x W x H)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan dimensions:</th>
<td scope="row">120 x 120 x 25mm (W x H x D)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Number of heat pipes:</th>
<td scope="row">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Base composition:</th>
<td scope="row">Copper</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fin material:</th>
<td scope="row">Aluminum</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Rated Voltage:</th>
<td scope="row">5V / 12V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Rated Current:</th>
<td scope="row">0.2A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Speed:</th>
<td scope="row">700 / 1500 RPM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Acoustic:</th>
<td scope="row">16 / 23 dBA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Bearing type:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">EBR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">MTBF:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">30,000 Hours</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Total Weight:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">642g</td>
</tr>
</table></blockquote>
[page=Packaging & Contents]
Packaging & Contents
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro01sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro01.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro02sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro02.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro03sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro03.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro04sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro04.jpg)
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro comes in a matte-black box with color images, detailed features and specifications on all four sides.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro05sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro05.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro06sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro06.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro07sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro07.jpg)
The heatsink itself is packed in dense foam and covered with a plastic piece that protects it during shipping, but allows the cooler to be viewed in a retail environment. Below the cooler is a white cardboard box that that contains all the accessories and the installation instructions.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro08sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro08.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro09sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro09.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro10sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro10.jpg)
Gigabyte includes with the heatsink a power adapter cable which allows the use to supply the G-Power 2 Pro with 12V or 5V. To help maintain that shiny finish, there is even a small polishing cloth. The rest of the hardware is for mounting: LGA775 brackets and backplate, AMD brackets and mounting clip, screws, nuts, washers and thermal compound.
[page=A Closer Look]
A Closer Look
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro11sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro11.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro12sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro12.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro13sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro13.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro14sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro14.jpg)
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro features a proprietary 120mm x 25mm fan with three blue LEDs and a chrome-looking shroud around it. Gigabyte has designed the G-Power 2 Pro to aid in the cooling of Mosfets located around the CPU socket. By angling the fan down slightly, the airflow points almost directly at the Mosfets, blowing exhaust air from the cooler over them. The downside to this design is that it makes the cooler very large. In fact, at 162mm it is taller than the Thermalright IFX-14 or Ultra 120-eXtreme. Due to this size, Gigabyte recommends installing the cooler only in cases that are 200mm or wider.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro15sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro15.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro17sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro17.jpg)
Sticking out below the fan are five 8mm heatpipes that wrap around to the copper base. On top of the base are some small fins that will help to remove additional heat from the CPU.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro16sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro16.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro18sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro18.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro19sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro19.jpg)
To protect the base during shipping, there is a large red warning sticker covering it. After removing the sticker, the nickel-plated base is exposed. The base is very flat and polished well, but there are minor distortions evident in the reflection.
[page=Installation]
Installation
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro20sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro20.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro21sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro21.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro22sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro22.jpg)
To install the Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro, the motherboard needs to be completely removed from the system. For an LGA775 installation, the two Intel brackets, four screws, four nuts and the backplate are required. The two brackets get attached to the base with the four small screws.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro24sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro24.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro23sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro23.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro25sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro25.jpg)
Like many backplates, the one included with the kit has an adhesive layer on it to secure it into place while mounting. The paper cover gets removed and the backplate needs to be lined up with the mounting holes around the socket and pressed into place. The next step was to place the heatsink over the CPU and tighten down the nuts from the bottom of the motherboard, which proved to be incredibly awkward. The best solution was for me to hold the base of the heatsink in my hand with the cooler upside down, lay the motherboard on top, then attached and tighten the nuts. When placed upside down the heatsink cannot stand upright on a work surface. It would have been so much easier if the screws were attached to the backplate instead of the brackets. That way, the backplate could be attached to the motherboard, then the heatsink could be tightened down from the top of the motherboard. However, I was told by Gigabyte that the mounting system was designed this way due to limited amount of room around the socket, as there were concerns of how to get a screwdriver into the area. Also, they felt mounting from the bottom provided a more secure mounting, especially when transporting the system.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro26sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro26.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro27sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro27.jpg)
Immediately the heatsink was removed and the contact area was inspected. The compound had spread nicely, and there was a suction effect when the cooler was removed.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro28sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro28.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro29sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro29.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro30sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro30.jpg)
With the heatsink reinstalled, the motherboard seems dwarfed by the presence of the G-Power 2 Pro. However, it is clearly visible that Gigabyte's intention of Mosfet cooling will definitely be accomplished.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro31sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro31.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro32sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro32.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro33sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro33.jpg)
There seemed to be no clearance issues around the CPU socket. When the motherboard was installed on the motherboard tray, there was only a small gap of less than 1/2" between the heatsink and the rear case fan. The view from above shows that the heatsink comes right up to the top of the motherboard.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro34sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro34.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro35sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro35.jpg)
When trying to slide the removable motherboard tray back into the case, a problem occurred. The Lian Li PC-A10 has a security loop at the top of the case, and the extra case material around it came in contact with the fan shroud. If the loop was not located in this position the tray should have been able to slide in all the way, but another issue would have occurred. Again, the Lian Li PC-A10's unusual design meant the top mounted fan would come in contact with the cooler. The only solution to this was to leave the tray sticking out about three or four inches so testing could be completed. However, I was able to install the G-Power 2 Pro in a different full tower case without any problems.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro36sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro36.jpg)
When powered on, the three blue LEDs behind the fan light up brightly. At 5V, they are considerably dimmer.
[page=Performance]
Performance
The system being used to test the heatsink is as follows:
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel E6850 Core2 Duo</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">9 x 333 MHz = 3.0 GHz, Memory at DDR2-667</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Asus P5W DH Deluxe</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2 x 1GB G.Skill F2-6400PHU1-2GBHZ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Sapphire HD 2900XT PCI-e</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 in Matrix Raid 0/5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ThermalTake ToughPower 750W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Case:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Lian Li PC-A10B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP Pro SP2, Catalyst 7.10</td>
</tr>
</table>
Ambient temperature was kept to 22 degrees Celsius (+/- 1 degree) and was measured by a standard mercury thermometer.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/graph2.gif
At stock speeds the G-Power 2 Pro does very well at both 12V and 5V, only being beaten out by the Zerotherm Nirvana 120 Premium.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/graph3.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/graph4.gif
When the CPU is overclocked and the voltage is increased, the G-Power 2 Pro has a little harder time keeping up. This is probably due to the fact that the heatpipes are are single-sided, which tend to not perform as well as dual-sided heatpipes. Still the performance is decent, and it is only 4 degrees behind the leaders.
Fan Noise
To measure fan noise we used an IEC Type 2 sound level meter on the dBA setting. Measuring distance was 10 cm from the heatsink fan hub. The short distance of 10 cm is necessary to get proper readings with very silent fans. All fans were tested outside of the case at 12V supplied by a lab PSU. On fans that come with a fan controller or allow control of fan speed in any other way, "low" and "high" indicate the settings on the fan controller.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/fannoise.gif
When the fan is run at full speed it is rather loud. Fortunately, Gigabyte has included a power adapter that allows the fan to run at 5V, which quiets the fan down considerably. In fact, at 5V the fan was the quietest so far in the test group. Since most motherboards are capable of supplying the full 12V to the CPU fan, it would have made more sense to allow the power adapter to supply 7V instead of the 12V. This would allow one more option for power users to get the right balance between performance and noise.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro sells for $69 US Dollars and should be available in December or January.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Quietest fan in the test group at 5V
Decent performance
Additional cooling for motherboard Mosfets
Excellent finish on the base
Unique chrome-looking shroud
Cool blue LEDs for the fan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Expensive
Proprietary fan difficult to replace in case of failure
Very large - not recommended for small cases
Unusual installation for Intel LGA775
</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.4</th>
<td>
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro is a decent cooler that adds probably the best additional airflow for cooling the Mosfets around the CPU socket. Its unique style and cool blue LEDs are a nice touch, and the included power adapter makes the fan extremely quiet when run at 5V.<br />
<br />
Aside from the proprietary fan, there are a few other issues to take into consideration. First, this cooler needs a large case to fit inside correctly, and Gigabyte recommends a case that is at least 200mm wide. Even with that, some cases (like the Lian Li used in the testing) may have their own little quirks that prevent proper mounting. Finally, the installation method for Intel LGA 775 seemed backwards: having to tighten the nuts from the bottom of the motherboard was very awkward. It would have been much easier to have the screws on the backplate and attach the nuts from the top of the motherboard if there was room.<br />
<br />
If you are looking for a heatsink to help cool the Mosfets on your motherboard, look no further than the G-Power 2 Pro. Make sure to check for possible installation issues before purchasing the cooler. If those issues prevent the G-Power 2 Pro from working in your system, Gigabyte is going to be releasing a small 90mm version soon.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/logo.gif
I would like to thank Gigabyte (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/) for supplying the review sample.
Features:
Convex curves widen air range for both CPU and MOSFET cooling
12cm high air bandwidth silent fan for heat dissipation
Pure copper-base, nickel-coated for durability
Back-end blue atmospheric LEDs
Heat pipe array comprising of 8mm-thick heat piping
Dual speed feat from acoustic to performance
Fan speed adjustment by voltage bridging cable
Compatibility:
Intel Core 2 Extreme processor series
Intel Core 2 Duo processor series
Intel Core 2 Quad processor series
Intel Pentium Extreme Edition processor series
Intel Pentium D processor series
Intel Pentium 4 processor series
AMD AM2
AMD Athlon FX series
AMD Athlon 64 X2 series
AMD Athlon 64 series
AMD Sempron series
Specifications:
<blockquote><table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Dimension:</th>
<td scope="row">121 x 126 x 162mm (D x W x H)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan dimensions:</th>
<td scope="row">120 x 120 x 25mm (W x H x D)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Number of heat pipes:</th>
<td scope="row">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Base composition:</th>
<td scope="row">Copper</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fin material:</th>
<td scope="row">Aluminum</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Rated Voltage:</th>
<td scope="row">5V / 12V</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Rated Current:</th>
<td scope="row">0.2A</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Speed:</th>
<td scope="row">700 / 1500 RPM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Acoustic:</th>
<td scope="row">16 / 23 dBA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Bearing type:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">EBR</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">MTBF:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">30,000 Hours</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Total Weight:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">642g</td>
</tr>
</table></blockquote>
[page=Packaging & Contents]
Packaging & Contents
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro01sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro01.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro02sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro02.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro03sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro03.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro04sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro04.jpg)
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro comes in a matte-black box with color images, detailed features and specifications on all four sides.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro05sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro05.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro06sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro06.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro07sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro07.jpg)
The heatsink itself is packed in dense foam and covered with a plastic piece that protects it during shipping, but allows the cooler to be viewed in a retail environment. Below the cooler is a white cardboard box that that contains all the accessories and the installation instructions.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro08sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro08.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro09sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro09.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro10sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro10.jpg)
Gigabyte includes with the heatsink a power adapter cable which allows the use to supply the G-Power 2 Pro with 12V or 5V. To help maintain that shiny finish, there is even a small polishing cloth. The rest of the hardware is for mounting: LGA775 brackets and backplate, AMD brackets and mounting clip, screws, nuts, washers and thermal compound.
[page=A Closer Look]
A Closer Look
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro11sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro11.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro12sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro12.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro13sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro13.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro14sm.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GPower2Pro/images/gbgp2pro14.jpg)
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro features a proprietary 120mm x 25mm fan with three blue LEDs and a chrome-looking shroud around it. Gigabyte has designed the G-Power 2 Pro to aid in the cooling of Mosfets located around the CPU socket. By angling the fan down slightly, the airflow points almost directly at the Mosfets, blowing exhaust air from the cooler over them. The downside to this design is that it makes the cooler very large. In fact, at 162mm it is taller than the Thermalright IFX-14 or Ultra 120-eXtreme. Due to this size, Gigabyte recommends installing the cooler only in cases that are 200mm or wider.
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Sticking out below the fan are five 8mm heatpipes that wrap around to the copper base. On top of the base are some small fins that will help to remove additional heat from the CPU.
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To protect the base during shipping, there is a large red warning sticker covering it. After removing the sticker, the nickel-plated base is exposed. The base is very flat and polished well, but there are minor distortions evident in the reflection.
[page=Installation]
Installation
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To install the Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro, the motherboard needs to be completely removed from the system. For an LGA775 installation, the two Intel brackets, four screws, four nuts and the backplate are required. The two brackets get attached to the base with the four small screws.
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Like many backplates, the one included with the kit has an adhesive layer on it to secure it into place while mounting. The paper cover gets removed and the backplate needs to be lined up with the mounting holes around the socket and pressed into place. The next step was to place the heatsink over the CPU and tighten down the nuts from the bottom of the motherboard, which proved to be incredibly awkward. The best solution was for me to hold the base of the heatsink in my hand with the cooler upside down, lay the motherboard on top, then attached and tighten the nuts. When placed upside down the heatsink cannot stand upright on a work surface. It would have been so much easier if the screws were attached to the backplate instead of the brackets. That way, the backplate could be attached to the motherboard, then the heatsink could be tightened down from the top of the motherboard. However, I was told by Gigabyte that the mounting system was designed this way due to limited amount of room around the socket, as there were concerns of how to get a screwdriver into the area. Also, they felt mounting from the bottom provided a more secure mounting, especially when transporting the system.
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Immediately the heatsink was removed and the contact area was inspected. The compound had spread nicely, and there was a suction effect when the cooler was removed.
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With the heatsink reinstalled, the motherboard seems dwarfed by the presence of the G-Power 2 Pro. However, it is clearly visible that Gigabyte's intention of Mosfet cooling will definitely be accomplished.
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There seemed to be no clearance issues around the CPU socket. When the motherboard was installed on the motherboard tray, there was only a small gap of less than 1/2" between the heatsink and the rear case fan. The view from above shows that the heatsink comes right up to the top of the motherboard.
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When trying to slide the removable motherboard tray back into the case, a problem occurred. The Lian Li PC-A10 has a security loop at the top of the case, and the extra case material around it came in contact with the fan shroud. If the loop was not located in this position the tray should have been able to slide in all the way, but another issue would have occurred. Again, the Lian Li PC-A10's unusual design meant the top mounted fan would come in contact with the cooler. The only solution to this was to leave the tray sticking out about three or four inches so testing could be completed. However, I was able to install the G-Power 2 Pro in a different full tower case without any problems.
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When powered on, the three blue LEDs behind the fan light up brightly. At 5V, they are considerably dimmer.
[page=Performance]
Performance
The system being used to test the heatsink is as follows:
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel E6850 Core2 Duo</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">9 x 333 MHz = 3.0 GHz, Memory at DDR2-667</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Asus P5W DH Deluxe</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2 x 1GB G.Skill F2-6400PHU1-2GBHZ</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Sapphire HD 2900XT PCI-e</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 in Matrix Raid 0/5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ThermalTake ToughPower 750W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Case:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Lian Li PC-A10B</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP Pro SP2, Catalyst 7.10</td>
</tr>
</table>
Ambient temperature was kept to 22 degrees Celsius (+/- 1 degree) and was measured by a standard mercury thermometer.
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At stock speeds the G-Power 2 Pro does very well at both 12V and 5V, only being beaten out by the Zerotherm Nirvana 120 Premium.
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When the CPU is overclocked and the voltage is increased, the G-Power 2 Pro has a little harder time keeping up. This is probably due to the fact that the heatpipes are are single-sided, which tend to not perform as well as dual-sided heatpipes. Still the performance is decent, and it is only 4 degrees behind the leaders.
Fan Noise
To measure fan noise we used an IEC Type 2 sound level meter on the dBA setting. Measuring distance was 10 cm from the heatsink fan hub. The short distance of 10 cm is necessary to get proper readings with very silent fans. All fans were tested outside of the case at 12V supplied by a lab PSU. On fans that come with a fan controller or allow control of fan speed in any other way, "low" and "high" indicate the settings on the fan controller.
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When the fan is run at full speed it is rather loud. Fortunately, Gigabyte has included a power adapter that allows the fan to run at 5V, which quiets the fan down considerably. In fact, at 5V the fan was the quietest so far in the test group. Since most motherboards are capable of supplying the full 12V to the CPU fan, it would have made more sense to allow the power adapter to supply 7V instead of the 12V. This would allow one more option for power users to get the right balance between performance and noise.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro sells for $69 US Dollars and should be available in December or January.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Quietest fan in the test group at 5V
Decent performance
Additional cooling for motherboard Mosfets
Excellent finish on the base
Unique chrome-looking shroud
Cool blue LEDs for the fan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Expensive
Proprietary fan difficult to replace in case of failure
Very large - not recommended for small cases
Unusual installation for Intel LGA775
</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.4</th>
<td>
The Gigabyte G-Power 2 Pro is a decent cooler that adds probably the best additional airflow for cooling the Mosfets around the CPU socket. Its unique style and cool blue LEDs are a nice touch, and the included power adapter makes the fan extremely quiet when run at 5V.<br />
<br />
Aside from the proprietary fan, there are a few other issues to take into consideration. First, this cooler needs a large case to fit inside correctly, and Gigabyte recommends a case that is at least 200mm wide. Even with that, some cases (like the Lian Li used in the testing) may have their own little quirks that prevent proper mounting. Finally, the installation method for Intel LGA 775 seemed backwards: having to tighten the nuts from the bottom of the motherboard was very awkward. It would have been much easier to have the screws on the backplate and attach the nuts from the top of the motherboard if there was room.<br />
<br />
If you are looking for a heatsink to help cool the Mosfets on your motherboard, look no further than the G-Power 2 Pro. Make sure to check for possible installation issues before purchasing the cooler. If those issues prevent the G-Power 2 Pro from working in your system, Gigabyte is going to be releasing a small 90mm version soon.
</td></tr>
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</table>