GIGABYTE Introduces the World’s Most Powerful VGA Cooling Systems during COMPUTEX 2014

A new realm gaming experience with WINDFORCE & WATERFORCE

Taipei, Taiwan, 30th May 2014 – GIGABYTE, the leading manufacturer of graphics cards unveils the industry-leading graphics card cooling system during the COMPUTEX 2014. Whatever the preference of air-cooling or liquid-cooling, gamers can find the most outstanding VGA cooling system designs this year! Continuation of the stunning performance of WINDFORCE 450W cooling system, GIGABYTE once again self-breaks and launches the WINDFORCE Air Cooling System 600 Watt Edition. It is not only equipped with the patented “Triangle Cooling” technology, GIGABYTE also re-designs the fans and the fins of the cooling system and using the high-performance composite cooper heat pipes for new WINDFORCE. The heat dissipation performance is enhanced up to 33% than the reference card. GIGABYTE can proudly announce that WINDFORCE 600 Watt is the best air cooling system for graphics card in the world! Even more, GIGABYTE introduces WATERFORCE All-in-one External Liquid Cooling System with 3 GeForce GTX 780 Ti, specially designed for the gamers who dream about a silent and super gaming PC. With intuitive control panel, WATERFORCE allows gamers to separately control the GPU temperature, fans speed and pumps speed. No more noise nightmare or harass of uneven temperatures while using multi graphics cards. With the world’s first 3 way SLI water cooling solution, WATERFORCE, gamers can easily enjoy every moment and victory during the games. 

The best air-cooling system ever – WINDFORCE 600W

GIGABYTE understands that a fan is crucial to the graphics card, so only the fan with the most efficiency is selected for WINDFORCE. Therefore, GIGABYTE constantly evolving the WINDFORCE to provide the latest and the best cooling solution to gamers. The latest WINDFORCE 600W with excusive cooling technology can signifcantly disspate up to 600W heat. 

Patented “Triangle Cool” technology enhances 35% cooling performance

Features with the patented “Triangle Cool” technology, WINDFORCE 600W can bring away the heat easily from GPU. The cooling performance is 35% better than the regular fin designs. 

Unique fan design increases 23% CFM 

The whole new fan design with special 3D stripe curve can split the air flow, reduce the calm zone and increase the cooling performance. The air flow is amazingly increased up to 23%! 

Special fin architecture augments 45% heat dissipation area

GIGABYTE also designs WINDFORCE 600W with a special fin architecture. The height differentiation design increases more than 45% heat dissipation area for better cooling capacity and significantly reduce the air resistance. 

Composite heat-pipes increases 29% cooling capacity

The cooling system is supplemented by the composite heat-pipes, a heat-transfer device combines both thermal conductivity and phase transition for efficiently managing the transfer of heat between two solid interfaces which increases 29% of cooling capacity. 

With only 2-slot height heat sink, the compact WINDFORCE 600W increases more than 33% thermal performance. It is not only the most powerful air-cooling system, but the best choice for a ultimate gaming experience.

All-in-one external liquid cooling system – WATERFORCE

WATERFORCE is specially designed for the gamers who dream about a silent and powerful super PC. With the exclusive 3-way SLI closed loop liquid cooling system, it can dissipate the heat of GPU, memory and MOSFET. The WATERFORCE intuitive control panel can let gamers to check the performance of the 3 graphics cards from the panel and separately adjust the temperature, fan speed and pump speed for uniform temperature of the cards. 

42.9% lower temperature and 13.1dB lower noise than reference cooler

Comparing with 3-way SLI reference cooler, the cooling solution by WATERFORCE presents 42.9% lower temperature and 13.1 dB lower noises! 

No more noise nightmare or harass of uneven temperatures while using multi graphics cards. No more try & error liquid cooling system DIY. With the world’s 1st 3 way SLI water cooling solution, WATERFORCE, gamers can easily install and enjoy the battles!

For more information, please visit GIGABYTE official website: http://www.gigabyte.com

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About GIGABYTE

GIGABYTE, headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, is known as a global leading brand in the IT industry, with employees and business channels in almost every country. Founded in 1986, GIGABYTE started as a research and development team and has since taken the lead in the world's motherboard and graphics card markets. On top of Motherboards and Graphics cards, GIGABYTE further expanded its product portfolio to include PC Components, PC Peripherals, Laptops, Desktop PCs, Network Communications, Servers and Mobile Phones to serve each facet of the digital life in the home and office. Everyday GIGABYTE aims to “Upgrade Your Life” with innovative technology, exceptional quality, and unmatched customer service. Visit www.gigabyte.com for more information. 

Noctua introduces two new fan product lines and accessory kits

Vienna, May 13th 2014 - Noctua today expanded its product portfolio with two new fan product lines and a wide range of accessory kits. Whereas the redux line addresses price-conscious users by reissuing some of Noctua’s most popular, award-winning models and presenting them in streamlined, more affordable packages, the industrialPPC (Protected Performance Cooling) line is conceived for industrial heavy duty applications that require enhanced cooling performance and advanced ingress protection.

"Our new product lines allow us to address audiences we have not been able to reach in the past", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO), "Coming at about 3/4 of the price of our standard models, the redux line is ideal for all those looking for a more affordable entry into the world of premium quality quiet cooling. The industrialPPC fans fulfil our industry client’s requests for high speed models that are suitable for use in challenging environments. However, I think they will also appeal to PC enthusiasts striving for extreme performance. Last but not least, the introduction of the two new product lines allows us to respond to the recurring demands for Noctua fans in different colors."

Whereas the redux fans feature an attractive light/dark grey colour scheme that is reminiscent of the two shades of brown used Noctua’s standard line-up, the industrialPPC models come in an all black design.

The redux edition comprises both 4-pin PWM and 3-pin versions of NF-P14, NF-S12B, NF-B9 and NF-R8, all of which are proven, time-tested models that have convinced thousands of customers and helped to found Noctua’s reputation as a first-tier supplier of premium grade low noise cooling equipment. Altogether, there will be 13 redux models with speeds ranging from 700 to 1700rpm.

The industrialPPC line features ruggedised 2000 and 3000rpm versions of the award-winning NF-F12 and NF-A14 fans. Thanks to the outstanding aerodynamic efficiency of these designs and the use of a novel three-phase motor, the industrialPPC versions provide superior airflow and pressure capacity while keeping noise levels and power consumption moderate as against comparable high-speed fans. Their fibre-glass reinforced polyamide construction and certified water and dust protection (up to IP67) make the industrialPPC fans an ideal choice for highly demanding applications that require superior flow rates and ultimate dependability.

In addition to the new fan product lines, Noctua also introduced a wide range of accessory sets to complement these fans. For example, customers can upgrade their redux or industrialPPC fans with anti-vibration mounts (NA-SAV2), Low-Noise Adaptors (NA-SRC7 & NA-SRC10), extension cables (NA-SEC1 & NA-SEC2) or y-cables (NA-SYC1 & NA-SYC2).

Prices and availability

All redux and industrialPPC models are currently shipping and will be available shortly. The manufacturer suggested retail prices are as follows:

redux 140mm: EUR 15.90 / USD 19.90

redux 120mm: EUR 13.90 / USD 17.90

redux 92mm: EUR 11.90 / USD 15.90

redux 80mm: EUR 10.90 / USD 14.90

industrialPPC 140mm IP52: EUR 26.90 / USD 29.90

industrialPPC 140mm IP67: EUR 29.90 / USD 34.90

industrialPPC 120mm IP52: EUR 24.90 / USD 26.90

industrialPPC 120mm IP67: EUR 29.90 / USD 34.9

Accessory sets: EUR 5.90 / USD 7.90

About Noctua

Designed in Austria, Noctua's premium cooling components are internationally renowned for their superb quietness, exceptional performance and thoroughgoing quality. Having received more than 3000 awards and recommendations from leading hardware websites and magazines, Noctua's fans and heatsinks are chosen by more than a hundred thousand satisfied customers around the globe.

Prolimatech Ultra Slim Vortex Performance Review

Prolimatech is well known for their PC cooling solutions, the much endorsed Megahalems and MK-26 has proven to provide top notch cooling performance compared to many. Instead of the gigantic heatpipes, our review today will be covering the Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex fans - great thanks to Prolimatech for sending us the review unit for both Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 (USV12) and Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 (USV14).

Both Ultra Sleek Vortex aka USV fans comes with a thickness of 15mm each, 40% lesser than the 25mm thickness on most conventional cooling fans but does the reduction in size means of reduction in performance as well? 

Specifications

 Prolimatech USV12 - $19.99 (Amazon)

Dimension	120 x 120 x 15mm
Bearing	Double Ball Bearing
Net Weight	91g
Fan Speed	PWM 400 ~ 1300 RPM
Noise Level	7~17 dBA
Airflow	56 CFM
Connector	4 PIN PWM
Rated Voltage :	12 V
Rated Current :	0.12 Max. Amp
Input Power :	1.44 W
Input Current :	0.12 Max. Amp
MTBF :	100,000 h / 35℃ or 60,000 h / 60℃
Static Pressure :	0.9 mmH2O

(Source: http://www.prolimatech.com/en/products/detail.asp?id=2722&subid=2723#showtab)

Overview

Our first look at the front packaging, the image printed seems to be the actual size of the fan itself and there's a small cutout area which reveals the fan blade that seems to be aligned with the image in the front.

The accessories included, 4 pieces of screws and a 4-pin molex connector. 

Last but not least, the fan itself. The USV12 comes with a 4-pin PWM connector that offers more power efficient cooling and the cable is sleeved with black rubber sleeving for a cleaner and tidier appearance.

Compared side by side with a Gentle Typhoon AP-15 with 25mm thickness. 

Prolimatech USV14 - $19.99 (Amazon)

Dimension	(L)140mm X (W)140mm X (H)15mm  (with 120mm mounting holes)
Bearing	Double Ball Bearing
Net Weight	91g
Fan Speed	300 ~ 1000 RPM (±100RPM)
Noise Level	9 ~ 18 dBA
Airflow	98 CFM
Connector	4 PIN PWM
Rated Voltage	12 V
Rated Current	0.19 Max. Amp
Input Power	2.04 W
Input Current	0.19 Max. Amp
MTBF	100,000 h / 35℃ or 60,000 h / 60℃
Static Pressure	0.9 mm H2O  (at 1,000 RPM)

(Source: http://www.prolimatech.com/en/products/detail.asp?id=1906&subid=1907#showtab)

Overview

Just like the USV12, the front packaging of the USV14 comes with the same cutout that reveals the fan blades that seems to be aligned with the fan image printed on.

The accessories included is basically the same, 4 pieces of metal screws and a 4-pin molex connector.

Just like the USV12 but larger in size, the USV14 comes with a 4-pin PWM connector and rubber sleeved cables but, unlike most conventional 140mm fans, the USV14 comes in a round shaped frame instead of  square shaped frame. 

Compared side by side with a Fractal Design Silent Series R2 140mm fan- top view, the USV14 appears to be smaller in size. 

Both USV12 and USV14 has the same thickness of 15mm, but what makes the USV14 special is that there's some additional perks which can be added to the USV14.

Static Booster 14

Cost $7.99 each

Static Booster 14, perks for the USV14 which boast to be able to increase the static pressure of the USV14 after installed. Comes available in white and black, this makes us wonder if the USV14 will be available in white soon as the current USV14 we've seen only comes in Black.

The Static Booster 14 looks like a piece of clip on plastic frame which is very rigid to the touch and the installation is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.

 

Installing the Static Booster 14 adds another 10mm of thickness to the fan. With a total of 25mm, the thickness of USV14 with Static Booster 14 installed is pretty much the same as any conventional 140mm fan.

A demonstration on the screw mounting hole on the USV14, the 140mm fan which can be installed to a 120mm fan mount instead of 140mm fan mount.

Main Benefit of slim fans?

Clearance for fan installation has always been an issue for those who wish to install more fans but their current chassis just don't seems to allow them to do so. As seen from the picture above, conventional cooling fans is unable to reach a desired spot because of clearance issue.

Slim fans on the other hand, is able to reach certain narrow spot without any issue. 

Testing Method
The following configuration is our setup for the performance review:

Test Rig Configuration
CPU	Intel Core i5 3570K overclocked to 4.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus Sabertooth Z77
Memory	Corsair Vengeance 4GB x 4
Graphics	EVGA GTX770 SuperClocked w/ ACX Cooling
Power Supply	Seasonic X660 80+ Gold
Drives	Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB
Cooler	Corsair Hydro Series H80
Chassis	Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed

The intake fan for this setup consists 2 pieces of Silverstone AP121 while the exhaust is the fans mounted on the H80 radiator made up of the following pairs with 12V supplied:

- Prolimatech USV14 with Static Booster 14 

- Prolimatech USV14
- Prolimatech USV12

- Bitfenix Spectre Pro 120mm

- Scythe Gentle Typhoon AP-15

CPU stress test is conducted using the Prime95 with the option 'In-place large FFTs' for maximum heat output from the CPU itself and the room temperature where the test is conducted varies from 30ºC to 33ºC. The stress test is done repeatedly for a more accurate result as we're experiencing climate changes during the test and the the numbers we're getting is very uneven. As result, the test too almost 2 month before the final result is concluded. The graphs below shows the final result of the rally of our test carried out throughout these 2 month:

Despite of being slimmer in size, the Ultra Sleek Vortex fans from Prolimatech performs exceptionally well, much better than we have expected. 

With the Static Booster 14 installed, we're able to achieve a result which is very near to the Scythe Gentle Typhoon AP-15 by difference of 1 ºC. Without the Static Booster 14, the USV14 is displaying a lower performance by 2 ºC different while idle and 1 ºC while on load. 

As for the USV12, we're really surprised as it is able to be on par with the Bitfenix Spectre Pro 120mm. We're curious to know what will the result be if there's a Static Booster 12 for the USV12. Much impressive performance from Prolimatech, wow.

Our Verdict

Both USV14 and USV12 performed exceptionally well throughout the review. Even though there's some design issues which slightly affect the compatibility, still there's no doubts that the Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex fans is one of the best slim type fan that we've came across so far. 

USV12
Pros 
- Strong frame that doesn't bend easily
- Slim enough to reach narrow spots
- PWM controlled
- Sleeved cable
- Good performer, on par with Bitfenix Spectre Pro 120mm
- Works well with self-contained liquid cooler with 120mm/240mm/360mm radiator

Cons
- Rubber cable sleeve is harder to clean when dust accumulate on its surface
- Slightly noisy on full load


USV14
Pros
- Strong frame that doesn't bend easily
- Able to mount on 120mm fan mount 
- PWM controlled
- Sleeved cable
- Slim enough to reach narrow spots
- Additional add-on to improve performance (Static Booster 14)
- Works well with self-contained liquid cooler with 120mm and heatsink

Cons
- Very limited option for installation due to it's shape 
- cannot be mounted on 140mm fan mount
- Rubber cable sleeve is harder to clean when dust accumulate on its surface

Without any hesitation, we're awarding the USV12 with our Tech Critter Gold Award and USV14 with our Tech Critter Silver Award and would highly recommend it to those who need some extra cooling performance but with limited clearance for fan installation.  

Corsair SP Series and AF Series Round Up

It has been quite a while since our last radiator fan round up review and we're back with another radiator fan round up on the Corsair Air Series AF and SP fans with great thanks to Corsair for providing us these units to make this review possible.

If you're planning to go for an upgrade for your self-contained liquid cooler and Corsair is happens to be in your list, you came to the right place at the right time to make the right decision.

Overview

Before going into detail on the fans, let us see the configuration of our test rig:

Test Rig Configuration
CPU	i7 4770K overclocked to 4.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus Sabertooth Z87
Memory	Corsair Vengeance Pro 1600 MHz 4GB x 4
Graphics	Asus GTX680 DirectCU II OC - stock speed
Power Supply	Silverstone ST60F-P 600W 80+ Bronze
Drives	Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB
Chassis	Cooler Master Cosmos SE
Cooler	Cooler Master Nepton 140XL

The Cooler Master Nepton 140XL is our choice of self-contained liquid cooler because it's the only  cooler in its category with both 120mm & 140mm fans supported. Now to the contenders:

Model	Corsair AF140 Quiet Edition ( 104.00 MYR each)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	140mm x 140mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	67.8 CFM
Fan Speed	1150 RPM
Static Pressure	0.84 mm H2O
Sound Level	24 dBA

The AF140 is specially designed as exhaust fan to remove heat from your system. The rated airflow and static pressure seems pretty decent. Will it do good as a radiator fan with its 11 fan blades?

Model	Corsair AF120 Performance Edition (136.00 MYR per dual pack)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	63.47 CFM
Fan Speed	1650 RPM
Static Pressure	1.1 mm H2O
Sound Level	30 dBA

The younger brother of AF140, similar in design but with lesser amount of airflow and a slightly higher static pressure.

Model	Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition (136.00 MYR per dual pack)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	39.88 CFM
Fan Speed	1150 RPM
Static Pressure	0.50 mm H2O
Sound Level	21 dBA

The quiet edition of the AF120. Having almost halve of the airflow and static pressure of the high performance edition, it seems to be a nay before the competition has even started. (Or not?)

Model	Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition LED (68.00 MYR each)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	52.19 CFM
Fan Speed	1500 RPM
Static Pressure	0.75 mm H2O
Sound Level	25.2 dBA

Up next we have a new LED version of the AF120 Quiet Edition, it has a higher static pressure and airflow compared to the non-LED version. Everything seems to be a win, except that it doesn't comes with any option for interchangeable color rings.

Model	Corsair AF140 Quiet Edition LED (78.00 MYR each)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	140mm x 140mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	66.4 CFM
Fan Speed	1200 RPM
Static Pressure	0.80 mm H2O
Sound Level	25.5 dBA

Everything on the AF140 Quiet Edition LED is pretty much similar to the non-LED version, but the cost of each is much cheaper. Just like the AF120 LED version, the AF140 LED version doesn't comes with any option for interchangeable color rings as well.

Model	Corsair SP120 High Performance Edition (136.00 MYR per dual pack)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	62.74 CFM
Fan Speed	2350 RPM
Static Pressure	3.1 mm H2O
Sound Level	35  dBA

The SP120 has been designed as a radiator fan as from the beginning. With an outstanding static pressure of 3.1 mm H2O, there's no doubt that it will own pretty much any fan that stands in its way.

Model	Corsair SP120 Quiet Edition (132.00 MYR per dual pack)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	37.85 CFM
Fan Speed	1450 RPM
Static Pressure	1.29 mm H2O
Sound Level	23 dBA

From the details we have observed, the quiet edition of the SP120 is pretty much a high performance SP120 has its power reduced in half.  

Model	Corsair SP120 PWM High Performance Edition (125.00 MYR per dual pack)
Operating Voltage	7V - 12V
Dimension	120mm x 120mm x 25mm
Performance Voltage	12V
Fan Airflow	62.74 CFM
Fan Speed	2350 RPM
Static Pressure	3.1 mm H2O
Sound Level	35 dBA

The PWM version of the SP120 has the ability to adjust the fan rotational speed (RPM), providing an adequate cooling performance compared to non-PWM fans.

Interchangeable color rings for the non-LED version of AF and SP fans.

Last but not least, the interchangeable color rings that comes with every Corsair Air Series fans (except for LED versions).




Performance Test

We will perform a stress test on the CPU using prime95 with the option for maximum heat output when the CPU is running at 100% full load. The ambient temperature of the room is 28ºC during the entire session and the system is left idle for half an hour after a different fan is installed so it could reach a consistent idle temperature.

The i7 4770K we have here is running rather warm, so don't be surprised by the temperature we're getting.

The result is presented in the graph above and we can clearly see that the AF120 and AF140 isn't doing really well as radiator fan, going any higher with the clock will result in hitting TJMax and the safety features on the CPU itself throttled down its performance. The SP120 is doing pretty well on the other hand, being able to keep up with a 140mm JetFlo with rated static pressure of 0.7~3.5 mm H2O ± 10%.

As for the noise level, both SP120 high performance edition is giving much noise during operation but at least it's doing better than the Cooler Master Nepton 140XL stock fan. The quiet edition SP120 definitely nailed it for being a balanced performer with a near dead silent performance, pretty much a clear winner in this race if balance between noise and performance is taken into account.


Our Verdict

Static pressure plays a much important role compared to the airflow when it comes to radiator fans as it will helps to push air through narrow area such as the cooling fins on a heatsink or radiators. A simpler way to this is that high static pressure fan is able to maintain its air production in the presence of an obstacle - heatsink and radiator.

Corsair AF140 and AF120 fans was meant to be used as case fans to maintain good airflow in your chassis - the result pretty much proven this and it's best to keep it that way. Specially designed to perform as a radiator fan, we wasn't surprise that the Corsair SP120 is doing better than the Corsair AF140 and AF120. Available in PWM edition, high performance edition and quiet edition, it's all up to your preference: whether you're aiming for a quiet PC or just pure performance.

Other than performance, the interchangeable color rings included gives an additional point in appearance to the Corsair Air Series fans as we haven't bumped into any other fans that offer this feature. The price tag of 125.00 MYR - 136.00 MYR might burn a hole in your wallet but for what it has to offer compared to other competitors, it's definitely something worth considering.  

Corsair SP120 fans is definitely a good to go radiator fan and we have nothing to complain in overall except for its higher price tag. Without a doubt, we're awarding the Corsair SP120 fans with our Silver Award and Recommended Award.