W1zzard
09-19-2005, 10:26 AM
[Page=Introduction, Packaging]
Introduction
From the manufacturer Thermaltake (http://www.thermaltake.com):
Radiate aluminum blue fin provide sufficient air flow.
Copper core touches the heat center directly and conducts heat quickly.
Silent Fan with blue LED, 17dBA only.
Universal design for Intel P4 LGA775 & AMD K8.
<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heatsink Dimensions</th>
<td scope="row">140 x 66 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Dimensions</th>
<td scope="row">113 x 24 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heatsink Material</th>
<td scope="row">Copper Core & Aluminum Extrusion (140Fin)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Voltage</th>
<td scope="row">12V, 7V startup</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Power Input</th>
<td scope="row">3.00W, 3 Pin connector</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Speed</th>
<td scope="row">1700 RPM +- 10%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Air Flow</th>
<td scope="row">Max. 77.85 cfm, max. 1.80 mm H2O</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Noise</th>
<td scope="row">17 dbA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Weight</th>
<td scope="row">869g</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Life time</th>
<td scope="row">30,000 hours (= ~ 3.5 years)</td>
</tr>
</table>
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package2.jpg)
Box contents:
CPU Cooler
Bag with mounting parts for Socket LGA775
Bag with mounting parts for Socket 939
Backside mounting plate for Socket 939
Thermal grease
Instruction manual
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/contents.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/comparison_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/comparison.jpg)
We recently reviewed the Thermaltake Golden Orb II (review here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/GoldenOrb2/)).
The Blue Orb II is even bigger than this massive cooler, its diameter is 2 cm more.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fins_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fins.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface2.jpg)
The contact area of the heatsink base is very flat, but has some very minor scratches, which will certainly not affect cooling performance.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fan1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fan1.jpg)
Three blue LEDs light up the fan when it is running.
[pagE=Installation]
Installation
Installation is extremely easy and can be done in a few minutes, if you don't run into the space problem, as we did below. The easy understandable english manual covers installation for Socket 775 and two installation methods for Socket 939. On the Thermaltake Website you can also find a nice Flash animation which shows the installation process. Since the installation process is identical to that of the Golden Orb II, this time, we will show the installation on the Socket 775 ABIT AL8.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation5.jpg)
The Blue Orb II does not fit, because ABIT's chipset heatsink is blocking it. As Thermaltake support told us this can be easily fixed by rotating the chipset heatsink 180°.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation6.jpg)
We remove the plastic pins which hold the ABIT heatsink by pushing them together and through the hole.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation7_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation7.jpg)
Now the heatsink comes off easily. As you can see the thermal pad on the core is intact - we reviewed this board here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Abit/AL8) and took it through quite some overclocking. Just rotate the heatsink, put it back on, put the clips through the mounting holes.. done.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation8_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation8.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation9_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation9.jpg)
Now the cooler fits without problems and we can finish the installation by screwing down the cooler.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation10_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation10.jpg)
On the DFI LanParty NF4 the big cooler blocks access to two memory slots.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/nf4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/nf4.jpg)
With the cooler installed, it is no longer possible to add or remove memory in slots 3 and 4. Make sure to install the memory before putting on the cooler. I tried fitting a few memory modules, and even with a heatspreader, there should be enough space left to install the cooler.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/limiter_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/limiter.jpg)
In order to make sure that mounting pressure on the CPU is not exceeded, Thermaltake has added limiters to the screws. You just screw it down till it stops, the springs help distribute the load on the CPU evenly.
[PAGE=Performance, Value & Conclusion]
Performance
We tested the Golden Orb II on an ABIT AL8 i945P motherboard. ABIT's uGuru software was used to get the CPU temperature. Room temperature was kept at a constant 20°C.
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">15 x 200 MHz = 3000 MHz, Memory at DDR2-400</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT AL8, Bios 1.4<br />i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-2-2-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.7</td>
</tr>
</table>
Idle means Windows sitting at the desktop for 30 minutes. Load is after 30 minutes of two instances of Prime95.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/graph2.gif
Cooling performance at both 6V and 12V is very good. At 12V the Blue Orb under load is almost as cool as the Golden Orb when the CPU is idle. Not only is cooling performance excellent, but the cooler is also remarkably quiet.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/graph3.gif
While it is a bit louder than the Golden Orb II at 6V, the added cooling performance sure makes up for this. At 12V it is as quiet as an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer, and those fans are known for being very quiet. Also the sound quality is not annoying, it is more of an air-flowing whoosh, than a high-pitched whine.
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Thermaltake Blue Orb II is going for around $35, which is really a competitive price compared to similar coolers.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Great performance
Very affordable
Quiet
Supports both S939 and LGA775
Easy to install
Nice design
Blue LEDs in fan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
No fan speed control
Little space near memory area on some motherboards
Does not fit ABIT AL8/AA8XE easily
Heavy
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.0</th>
<td>The Thermaltake Blue Orb II is a great high-performance cooler. Its big heat dissipating area makes it a good cooler for overclockers who don't want to spend too much money on the heatsink.<br />
Not only does it cool well, it is also suprising quiet when delivering its cooling performance. On top of that its massive blue anodized fins make it a nice addition to the looks of a modded case, especially if your color-theme is blue.<br />
What makes this cooler even more attractice is its low price. I doubt that you will be able to find a similar heatsink from another manufacturer at this price.</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/editorschoice.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
From the manufacturer Thermaltake (http://www.thermaltake.com):
Radiate aluminum blue fin provide sufficient air flow.
Copper core touches the heat center directly and conducts heat quickly.
Silent Fan with blue LED, 17dBA only.
Universal design for Intel P4 LGA775 & AMD K8.
<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heatsink Dimensions</th>
<td scope="row">140 x 66 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Dimensions</th>
<td scope="row">113 x 24 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heatsink Material</th>
<td scope="row">Copper Core & Aluminum Extrusion (140Fin)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Voltage</th>
<td scope="row">12V, 7V startup</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Power Input</th>
<td scope="row">3.00W, 3 Pin connector</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Speed</th>
<td scope="row">1700 RPM +- 10%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Air Flow</th>
<td scope="row">Max. 77.85 cfm, max. 1.80 mm H2O</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Noise</th>
<td scope="row">17 dbA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Weight</th>
<td scope="row">869g</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Life time</th>
<td scope="row">30,000 hours (= ~ 3.5 years)</td>
</tr>
</table>
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/package2.jpg)
Box contents:
CPU Cooler
Bag with mounting parts for Socket LGA775
Bag with mounting parts for Socket 939
Backside mounting plate for Socket 939
Thermal grease
Instruction manual
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/contents.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/comparison_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/comparison.jpg)
We recently reviewed the Thermaltake Golden Orb II (review here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/GoldenOrb2/)).
The Blue Orb II is even bigger than this massive cooler, its diameter is 2 cm more.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fins_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fins.jpg)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/surface2.jpg)
The contact area of the heatsink base is very flat, but has some very minor scratches, which will certainly not affect cooling performance.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fan1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/fan1.jpg)
Three blue LEDs light up the fan when it is running.
[pagE=Installation]
Installation
Installation is extremely easy and can be done in a few minutes, if you don't run into the space problem, as we did below. The easy understandable english manual covers installation for Socket 775 and two installation methods for Socket 939. On the Thermaltake Website you can also find a nice Flash animation which shows the installation process. Since the installation process is identical to that of the Golden Orb II, this time, we will show the installation on the Socket 775 ABIT AL8.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation5.jpg)
The Blue Orb II does not fit, because ABIT's chipset heatsink is blocking it. As Thermaltake support told us this can be easily fixed by rotating the chipset heatsink 180°.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation6.jpg)
We remove the plastic pins which hold the ABIT heatsink by pushing them together and through the hole.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation7_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation7.jpg)
Now the heatsink comes off easily. As you can see the thermal pad on the core is intact - we reviewed this board here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Abit/AL8) and took it through quite some overclocking. Just rotate the heatsink, put it back on, put the clips through the mounting holes.. done.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation8_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation8.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation9_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation9.jpg)
Now the cooler fits without problems and we can finish the installation by screwing down the cooler.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation10_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/installation10.jpg)
On the DFI LanParty NF4 the big cooler blocks access to two memory slots.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/nf4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/nf4.jpg)
With the cooler installed, it is no longer possible to add or remove memory in slots 3 and 4. Make sure to install the memory before putting on the cooler. I tried fitting a few memory modules, and even with a heatspreader, there should be enough space left to install the cooler.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/limiter_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/limiter.jpg)
In order to make sure that mounting pressure on the CPU is not exceeded, Thermaltake has added limiters to the screws. You just screw it down till it stops, the springs help distribute the load on the CPU evenly.
[PAGE=Performance, Value & Conclusion]
Performance
We tested the Golden Orb II on an ABIT AL8 i945P motherboard. ABIT's uGuru software was used to get the CPU temperature. Room temperature was kept at a constant 20°C.
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">15 x 200 MHz = 3000 MHz, Memory at DDR2-400</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT AL8, Bios 1.4<br />i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-2-2-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.7</td>
</tr>
</table>
Idle means Windows sitting at the desktop for 30 minutes. Load is after 30 minutes of two instances of Prime95.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/graph2.gif
Cooling performance at both 6V and 12V is very good. At 12V the Blue Orb under load is almost as cool as the Golden Orb when the CPU is idle. Not only is cooling performance excellent, but the cooler is also remarkably quiet.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/BlueOrb2/images/graph3.gif
While it is a bit louder than the Golden Orb II at 6V, the added cooling performance sure makes up for this. At 12V it is as quiet as an Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer, and those fans are known for being very quiet. Also the sound quality is not annoying, it is more of an air-flowing whoosh, than a high-pitched whine.
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Thermaltake Blue Orb II is going for around $35, which is really a competitive price compared to similar coolers.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Great performance
Very affordable
Quiet
Supports both S939 and LGA775
Easy to install
Nice design
Blue LEDs in fan
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
No fan speed control
Little space near memory area on some motherboards
Does not fit ABIT AL8/AA8XE easily
Heavy
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.0</th>
<td>The Thermaltake Blue Orb II is a great high-performance cooler. Its big heat dissipating area makes it a good cooler for overclockers who don't want to spend too much money on the heatsink.<br />
Not only does it cool well, it is also suprising quiet when delivering its cooling performance. On top of that its massive blue anodized fins make it a nice addition to the looks of a modded case, especially if your color-theme is blue.<br />
What makes this cooler even more attractice is its low price. I doubt that you will be able to find a similar heatsink from another manufacturer at this price.</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/editorschoice.gif</td></tr>
</table>