Thermaltake SpinQ heatsink review

Peter G. 11 Apr, 2009 at 11:59pm ET Article published in Tech

Additional Thoughts and Conclusion

One area we are unable to objectively evaluate is noise, as we lack the equipment to accurately measure the decibels produced by a heatsink. In the case of the SpinQ, we’d probably be out of luck even if we did have equipment: It wouldn’t be loud enough to register on most dB meters.

The SpinQ’s fan is rated between 19 dB at its lowest setting to 28dB and 86.5 CFM at its highest. At its lowest setting, the SpinQ couldn’t be heard over the PSU. The unit didn’t make any noticeable sound at full velocity, and can be best described as a very low and non-intrusive pitch. In a sealed case, one probably would not notice the sound at all. The baseline Noctua NF-P12 fan is also rated at 19 dB, but it emits is noise at a higher, more noticeable frequency.

The addition of the rheostat to adjust the SpinQ fan is a nice feature, but we find the wire length to be a bit short for those planning on taking frequent advantage of it. A savvy modder could easily extend it to mount the small switch in a convenient location, but we would have preferred an OEM way to bring this cable to the front of the chassis.

It’s easy to see why the SpinQ has received so many design awards. The SpinQ clearly is both stylish and functional and marries the two concepts in a modern style reminiscent of the Art Deco movement of the 20s and 30s. For a such an intriguing work of art, the $60 price tag seems merited although we would be remiss in not noting that less expensive direct-touch heatpipe sinks on today’s market would likely outperform it. These cheaper coolers do not offer the fit or finish quality of the SpinQ, however. In the areas of style and finish, the SpinQ surpasses much of what’s on the market today while offering performance that still exceeds the overwhelming majority of consumer offerings. For these reasons, we award the Thermaltake SpinQ the Icrontic Outstanding Product Award.

ic_outstanding_200
Pros

Very good performance.
Quiet adjustable fan.
Great accessories.
Stylish design.

Cons

Less expensive units will outperform it.
Fan rheostat wire is short.

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Comments

12 Apr 2009 ~ 8:34pm Komete Good review and nice HSF. I'd imagine it would be important to have good air flow in the case. It would be hard to direct air flow to it so you would want the ambient case temps low as could be.

Sure is flashy though. Hrmmm.. I like flashy.
12 Apr 2009 ~ 10:05pm BuddyJ Thanks Komete. This thing really pushes the air around across the board. I think if you had a case with the standard one front and one rear fan + PSU fan, you'd be better off with something like this than with a tower-style HSF that only pushes air one direction.

Stick it in an Antec Nine Hundred or NZXT Tempest, and it should really shine.
12 Apr 2009 ~ 11:44pm DrLiam This thing just looks very bad-ass. I'd buy one, if I had a cool see-through case to show it off.
13 Apr 2009 ~ 10:03am Mochan That thing looks awesome. I'd get one, but I already have a monstrous Coolermaster Hyper Z600. And I'm pretty happy with it, the pain it was to install!
13 Apr 2009 ~ 10:23am Cliff_Forster Probably an ugly idea, but in a closed case, might be a worthwhile experiment.

What if you build a direct vent around the mouth of that monster, directly to the rear fan port on your case?

I am betting this is a mod project that would pull your mobo temp down at least a couple degrees centigrade.

This type of design really demands a case that rejects heat well at the rear. If you have that natively with a big fan, that's one thing, but with a fan and a duct, not practical mind you for a pretty case install, but for a closed case where temps are the only concern you might gain some performance guiding that side rejected heat through a duct right out the rear exhaust.
13 Apr 2009 ~ 10:28am Snarkasm Will ducting work when the fan pushes air radially outward from the fins, not side to side like other tower coolers? I'm not sure ducting to the mouth will do anything significant; the added airflow might help the fins cool faster, but that dispersed air will go into the case rather than through the duct, I think.

Nice looks on the thing, I'll give it that.
13 Apr 2009 ~ 10:40am BuddyJ I don't think ducting would work with this fan because it takes in air from both ends of the fin cylinder. I suppose you could try ducting air into both mouths but it'd be hell on case space.
13 Apr 2009 ~ 11:19am lemonlime Great review, Pete
13 Apr 2009 ~ 2:26pm BuddyJ Thank you sir!
13 Apr 2009 ~ 2:35pm Thrax You know you've reached ubiquity when the first thing on an enthusiast's mind is: "Does it beat a TRUE?"

in b4 concave bases
13 Apr 2009 ~ 4:12pm Cliff_Forster I see, so the majority of the airflow is pushing between those fins and not ejecting past the mouth of the cooler?

Interesting. I have seen designs like this, but have never used one if I am being honest. Now that you guys say it, I see it a little better, its more like a cage fan than an axial in there.
13 Apr 2009 ~ 4:24pm Snarkasm That's why they call 'er the squirrel cage.
15 Apr 2009 ~ 9:04am emjan101 Thermaltake has been around for a while now, and I have used their products in many custom installations for my customers. Their performance has yet to truely disappoint me, in fact they haven't yet. The most important thing that any system builder will ever tell you if they know what they are doing, is that the lower the ambiant temperature of the case, the better. So, this means that we need plenty of convective air flow in the case so that the CPU cooler can perform as it should. Then if we use a well made, good quality CPU cooler, we will get better performance from our processor.

Why? Good Question.

Because the cooler the etchings inside the CPU are, the faster the electrons can move through the chip. This is because the molecules are closer together therefore better and faster electron flow. This means faster throughput from your processor, and more room for overclocking if that is what you want to do.

Great review guys...!!!
2 Apr 2010 ~ 4:30pm John I just bought this product and I am EXTREAMLY happy with it. It cools like NONE other.