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Introduction:
First a little about the company,
Vantec Thermal Technologies.
Most of us know them as Vantec. This next blurb is from
their website:
“Founded in 1994, Vantec is recognized as one of the premier
thermal solutions leaders. We are devoted to manufacturing
and developing total PC solutions for every computer user,
from mainstream to enthusiast. Utilizing our technical
expertise and innovative designs, we are constantly
expanding our product line to offer advanced computer
peripheral to meet the personal and industrial needs of
modern computer users. Our primary goal is to create viable
solutions to satisfy the consumer’s needs. Offering complete
and affordable ways to upgrade and maintain your personal
computer, Vantec is a name you can trust for quality and
reliability. At Vantec, our mission is to produce the best
thermal solutions on the market. Vantec produces quality
products that help you keep your system cool. However, that
is only the beginning. We produce two of the quietest power
supplies on the market in our Stealth Power Supply and ION
Power Supply. Our Multi-function Panel (NXP-101) and fan
controllers (NXP-201 and NXP-205) give you a variety of
options to monitor and control the temperature and noise of
your computer. We also provide cold cathode lights in a
myriad of colors, including UV, for you to light up your
computer. And with our new Fan and Light controller (NXP-301
and NXP-305), you can control your fan speed and lights all
with one convenient unit. Adhering to the theory of both
form and functionality, Vantec has the end-user’s best
interest in mind. Though the computer scene is constantly
changing, you can rely on Vantec to provide quality
components to improve, enhance, and insure your computing
experience...” ~
more
info
Vantec has been around for over a decade and mostly they
have brought innovative, feature rich and affordable
products to the market.
I've
reviewed countless Vantec products over the years. I even
reviewed their first
Vortex product two years ago, in Oct.
2003. Now,
let's
take a peek at the Vortex2 Hard Drive Cooler.
Packaging:
This product came shipped in a Vantec box along with
packaging snow. Unlike most companies, Vantec has their own
boxes. Not that it matters in respect to the technical side
of things, but I thought I'd mention it, as obviously Vantec
takes great pride in their products!
The product itself is in a plastic casing. Thankfully
this casing was easy to open and not heat sealed shut.
Included in this package is an
Installation Guide, 1 Air Filter (there is also
one already installed), 2 Hard Drive Brackets, 4 Hard Drive Screws,
4 Vibration Dampeners, and 8 Bracket Screws.
Specifications:
Dimension: 210 x 148.5 x 42.5 mm
Weight: 750 g
Rated Voltage: 12V
Rated Current: 0.1A
Fan Speed: 0 ~ 3700 RPM
Airflow: 16 ~ 30 CFM
Noise Level: 28 ~ 38 dBA
Fan MTBF: 50,000 hrs
Bearing Type: Ball Bearing
A closer look:
This product is available in two different models;
VTX-C02-BK (Black) and VTX-C02-SL (Silver). More color
options would have been nice; however, black and silver are
the most common case colors.
The Vortex2 is similar to the original Vortex. The
obvious difference is that the Vortex2 doesn't have the
temperature LED display or the outside hard drive casing.
VORTEX (ORIGINAL), below left, as compared to VORTEX2, below
right:
At the front
on the Vortex2 is a filter guard. This is easily removed by
sliding it to the left. This gives access for easy filter
cleaning/replacement. Having a filter is important to
prevent dust from entering the case.
Also, at the right is the rheostat which controls the
cross-flow blower
fan. This fan intakes cool air and blows it across the hard
drive. I should also note that there are two blue LEDs at
the back of the
rheostat. This gives a very cool blue backdrop for the dial.
At the back of the unit is a 4pin pass-through cable
which gets connected into the power supply.
Installation:
Installing any standard 3.5" hard drive (Serial
ATA, IDE, and SCSI) into this unit is simple.
First, place the soft rubber anti-vibration dampers onto each
corner of the
hard drive brackets.
Next, use the 8 included screws and mount the hard drive
brackets onto the main unit.
Now, carefully place a 3.5" hard drive inside and secure it
into place with the 4 included screws.
Finally, install in a 5.25" drive bay.
Testing:
For testing the Vantec Vortex2 HDD Cooler I used the
following test setup:
Motherboard: DFI UT nForce4 SLI DR Motherboard
CPU: AMD Athlon™ 64 3000+ @ 2.4GHz (2385 MHz)
Processor
PSU:
SilverStone ST60F Modular SLI Power Supply
Video Cards: 2 x BFG 7800 GT Video Cards
Hard Drives: 2 Western Digital Raptor 74GB HDDs (RAID0) & 2x
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 SATA/150 300GB 7200RPM
Drive: Plextor PX-712A
DVD±R/RW Drive
Memory: Corsair
XMS-4000PT DDR500 2GB Memory
Sound Card: Creative Audigy 2 ZS Sound Card
Please note that the room temperature was 22 degrees Celsius
during testing. Using the Maxtor DiamondMax 10 SATA/150
300GB 7200RPM 16MB Buffer HDD, the 37C
load temperature was lowered to 27C. That's a 10C
difference, which is substantial. This result will vary
depending on the hard drive that's used. For example, a SCSI
hard drive would result in high temperatures. Although, this
unit should cool the hard drive by approximately 40%.
Conclusion:
This Hard Drive Cooling System does actually work! Some
hard drive cooling solutions do not really accomplish much
in the way of keeping a hard drive cool. Many have small
fans that do next to nothing. The reason why this one does
work very well is because of the cross-flow blower fan. This
fan pushes enough air across the hard drive to prevent
overheating. Overheating is very dangerous for a hard drive
and can result in system instability, data loss or worse.
It's very important to keep current hard drives cool,
especially SCSI hard drives. Keeping the hard drive cool
will also mean a much longer lifespan. As mentioned earlier, Vortex2 can
lower the temperature of your hard drive by up to 40%.
Of course this depends on your room temperature to start
with. While the cross-flow fan provides great cooling power,
it's rather loud at maximum speed. This may annoy anyone who
prefers to have a quiet system. Remember though that the fan speed can
be adjusted to calm the noise, but lowering the fan speed
will result in higher hard drive temperatures. Overall this
is a great looking product that works well, and is
affordable.
Pros:
- Performs well
- Affordable
- Looks great
Cons:
- Cross-flow fan is noisy at maximum speed
- No temperature LED
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