Introduction
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| The Super Orb with top removed |
Not too long ago, Thermaltake made their grand entrance into the cooling arena with the original Golden Orb -- the first, in what has come to be, a very popular series of "Orbs". While being one of the sleekest looking cooling solutions, this original orb quickly proved that looks certainly can kill. Many people reported that they actually cracked their Socket-A CPUs during installation. I installed one myself and let's just say it wasn't pretty (although I was lucky enough not to have ruined my processor).
Thermaltake has since improved the design of the Orb line, making customized versions for different CPU interfaces. The "Super Orb" (also known by its product code, DUO462-3) is designed for Socket-A processors (AMD Duron/Thunderbird) and its tall frame, housing two ball bearing fans, is quite deserving of the name super.
The Specs
General
| Dimensions: | 69mm wide, 74mm tall |
| Clip Type: | Clip on Clip |
| Heatsink Material: | Aluminum 6063 |
| Thermal Interface: | Thermagon T-905 |
| Thermal Resistance: | 0.66° C/Watt |
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Fans
| Fan 1 | Fan 2 |
| Fan Dimensions: | 50x50x25mm | 50x50x20mm |
| Rated Voltage: | 12V (DC) | 12V (DC) |
| Rated Current: | 0.26A | 0.21A |
| Starting Voltage: | 7.0V | 9.0V |
| Rated Speed: | 5500rpm | 5000rpm |
| Max Air Flow: | 25.45CFM | 17.3CFM |
| Max Static Pressure: | 6.20mm-H2O | 6.05mm-H2O
| | Noise Level: | 32dBA | 34dBA |
| Input Power: | 3.12W | 2.52W |
| Bearing Type: | Ball Bearing | Ball Bearing |
| Operating Temp: | -10° C ~ +60° C | -10° C ~ +60° C |
| Lifetime: | 50,000hours | 50,000hours |
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* Note: the specs vary between the box and the website. I used the box specs where possible.
Impressions/Installation
The hexagonal box contains the cooler, a Y-adapter to power the second fan, and some complimentary thermal paste. The Y-adapter is handy to have, but it isn't necessary if you have a free 3-pin power connector. The amount of thermal paste that Thermaltake provides is way more than enough to install the cooler (remember: use thermal paste sparingly youre not making a peanut butter sandwich!).
The two-fan design is impressive to say the least. While many slot coolers use a dual fan design, this is new territory for socket cooling solutions. The most interesting design feature of the Orbs is the way the heatsink actually surrounds the fans maximizing the exposed surface area. This heatsink is made of an aluminum alloy, Aluminum 6063, that is used in many aluminum-based heatsinks.
Youd think that two fans would make an excessive amount of noise, but I didnt find that to be true at all with this cooler. While, the sound is noticeable and certainly louder than smaller, single fan coolers, its not annoying. It may be more noticeable if you have sensitive ears or if you are in a very quiet area though.
forums
