Noise Levels

The PCU21-VG is a lot quieter than many of the high performance solutions that have passed through our lab. It is noticeably louder than the Silent Boost but at the same time the Silent Boost is extremely quiet - one of the quietest you can find on the market today. The PCU21-VG is by no means loud especially at the low setting. Here are some number comparisons between the Silent Boost, Dynatron C62, Volcano 9 and the PCU21-VG. The lab environment is relatively noisy but even at the low setting, the PCU21-VG is clearly audible. The 20 DB they have listed on their box is a little bit too optimistic even though it is still very quiet. Note that this was done in an open environment. With this heatsink in a closed case the noise level will surely drop. Subjectively, the 56 DB mark is about where we would draw the line for a heatsink that we would be using on a daily basis. The Dynatron C62 (the 62 must stand for decibals cause it is that loud) and Volcano (at high speeds) are loud enough to annoy my coworkers in the other office across the hall. The sound and volume is comparable to dustbusters of years past.

Conclusion

The PCU21-VG is an impressive unit and a great debut for Gigabyte in the cooler market. Although it was neither the quietest nor did it cool the best, it was very competitive in both categories. The visual novelty of this unit is well worth checking out as it is unlike any other heatsink fan we have come across. An added bonus is the ability to mount this particular heatsink onto P4s and Athlon64's making this a great solution for those who are looking for better cooling on their current Athlon XPs but are thinking of upgrading their CPUs. The tool-less design is very good and both installation and removal of the heatsink were a snap (no more worrying about jamming the screwdriver into the motherboard accidentally anymore). What is especially impressive is the lack of tools required even when switching between the type of processor being used. The same cannot be said of any other heatsink we have tested recently and a major complaint that we have had with the multi-function heatsinks is the tedium of switching between different processor types. Truly this is one of the most innovative heatsinks announced/released in recent memory.

The inclusion of the fan control unit was a great move also and this is something that we encourage all heatsink-fan manufacturers to do as the cooling capacity of the fan running at full blast is clearly not needed when doing mundane desktop tasks. Another nice touch is the inclusion of RPM markings on the fan control unit which is something that we have not seen before. The low setting on the PCU21-VG is pretty quiet although it is definitely louder than the Panaflow on the Silent Boost. The high setting was not loud enough to make me see red although it was near the threshold where it would not be practical for normal every day use. It is commendable to have the full range of options for the end user though.

The PCU21-VG is an impressive foray into the heatsink/fan market for Gigabyte and hopefully they will continue to surprise us with more innovative products such as this one. The MSRP for the unit is on the very high side at $69 US. It may be a bit of a tough sell seeing as how the SilentBoost and Volcano12 are both under $35 US MSRP. Gigabyte informed us that there will be a rebate for the PCU-21VG which may make the price more palatable (especially if the street price is somewhat lower). The LEDs on the heatsink are of very high quality and there are four in total which may have helped contribute to the cost. If that is indeed the case, Gigabyte may consider removing those to try to bring the price down somewhat even though they look extremely cool because the heatsink has a lot of other compelling features and it would be a shame if users were turned away soley due to pricing issues. Something to keep in mind is the versatility of the heatsink as it can fit on the XP, P4 and Athlon64. A current end user looking to spice up their XP but is looking to upgrade at some point should really consider the PCS21-VG.

82%

Noise Levels

The PCU21-VG is a lot quieter than many of the high performance solutions that have passed through our lab. It is noticeably louder than the Silent Boost but at the same time the Silent Boost is extremely quiet - one of the quietest you can find on the market today. The PCU21-VG is by no means loud especially at the low setting. Here are some number comparisons between the Silent Boost, Dynatron C62, Volcano 9 and the PCU21-VG. The lab environment is relatively noisy but even at the low setting, the PCU21-VG is clearly audible. The 20 DB they have listed on their box is a little bit too optimistic even though it is still very quiet. Note that this was done in an open environment. With this heatsink in a closed case the noise level will surely drop. Subjectively, the 56 DB mark is about where we would draw the line for a heatsink that we would be using on a daily basis. The Dynatron C62 (the 62 must stand for decibals cause it is that loud) and Volcano (at high speeds) are loud enough to annoy my coworkers in the other office across the hall. The sound and volume is comparable to dustbusters of years past.

Conclusion

The PCU21-VG is an impressive unit and a great debut for Gigabyte in the cooler market. Although it was neither the quietest nor did it cool the best, it was very competitive in both categories. The visual novelty of this unit is well worth checking out as it is unlike any other heatsink fan we have come across. An added bonus is the ability to mount this particular heatsink onto P4s and Athlon64's making this a great solution for those who are looking for better cooling on their current Athlon XPs but are thinking of upgrading their CPUs. The tool-less design is very good and both installation and removal of the heatsink were a snap (no more worrying about jamming the screwdriver into the motherboard accidentally anymore). What is especially impressive is the lack of tools required even when switching between the type of processor being used. The same cannot be said of any other heatsink we have tested recently and a major complaint that we have had with the multi-function heatsinks is the tedium of switching between different processor types. Truly this is one of the most innovative heatsinks announced/released in recent memory.

The inclusion of the fan control unit was a great move also and this is something that we encourage all heatsink-fan manufacturers to do as the cooling capacity of the fan running at full blast is clearly not needed when doing mundane desktop tasks. Another nice touch is the inclusion of RPM markings on the fan control unit which is something that we have not seen before. The low setting on the PCU21-VG is pretty quiet although it is definitely louder than the Panaflow on the Silent Boost. The high setting was not loud enough to make me see red although it was near the threshold where it would not be practical for normal every day use. It is commendable to have the full range of options for the end user though.

The PCU21-VG is an impressive foray into the heatsink/fan market for Gigabyte and hopefully they will continue to surprise us with more innovative products such as this one. The MSRP for the unit is on the very high side at $69 US. It may be a bit of a tough sell seeing as how the SilentBoost and Volcano12 are both under $35 US MSRP. Gigabyte informed us that there will be a rebate for the PCU-21VG which may make the price more palatable (especially if the street price is somewhat lower). The LEDs on the heatsink are of very high quality and there are four in total which may have helped contribute to the cost. If that is indeed the case, Gigabyte may consider removing those to try to bring the price down somewhat even though they look extremely cool because the heatsink has a lot of other compelling features and it would be a shame if users were turned away soley due to pricing issues. Something to keep in mind is the versatility of the heatsink as it can fit on the XP, P4 and Athlon64. A current end user looking to spice up their XP but is looking to upgrade at some point should really consider the PCS21-VG.

82%

Noise Levels

The PCU21-VG is a lot quieter than many of the high performance solutions that have passed through our lab. It is noticeably louder than the Silent Boost but at the same time the Silent Boost is extremely quiet - one of the quietest you can find on the market today. The PCU21-VG is by no means loud especially at the low setting. Here are some number comparisons between the Silent Boost, Dynatron C62, Volcano 9 and the PCU21-VG. The lab environment is relatively noisy but even at the low setting, the PCU21-VG is clearly audible. The 20 DB they have listed on their box is a little bit too optimistic even though it is still very quiet. Note that this was done in an open environment. With this heatsink in a closed case the noise level will surely drop. Subjectively, the 56 DB mark is about where we would draw the line for a heatsink that we would be using on a daily basis. The Dynatron C62 (the 62 must stand for decibals cause it is that loud) and Volcano (at high speeds) are loud enough to annoy my coworkers in the other office across the hall. The sound and volume is comparable to dustbusters of years past.

Conclusion

The PCU21-VG is an impressive unit and a great debut for Gigabyte in the cooler market. Although it was neither the quietest nor did it cool the best, it was very competitive in both categories. The visual novelty of this unit is well worth checking out as it is unlike any other heatsink fan we have come across. An added bonus is the ability to mount this particular heatsink onto P4s and Athlon64's making this a great solution for those who are looking for better cooling on their current Athlon XPs but are thinking of upgrading their CPUs. The tool-less design is very good and both installation and removal of the heatsink were a snap (no more worrying about jamming the screwdriver into the motherboard accidentally anymore). What is especially impressive is the lack of tools required even when switching between the type of processor being used. The same cannot be said of any other heatsink we have tested recently and a major complaint that we have had with the multi-function heatsinks is the tedium of switching between different processor types. Truly this is one of the most innovative heatsinks announced/released in recent memory.

The inclusion of the fan control unit was a great move also and this is something that we encourage all heatsink-fan manufacturers to do as the cooling capacity of the fan running at full blast is clearly not needed when doing mundane desktop tasks. Another nice touch is the inclusion of RPM markings on the fan control unit which is something that we have not seen before. The low setting on the PCU21-VG is pretty quiet although it is definitely louder than the Panaflow on the Silent Boost. The high setting was not loud enough to make me see red although it was near the threshold where it would not be practical for normal every day use. It is commendable to have the full range of options for the end user though.

The PCU21-VG is an impressive foray into the heatsink/fan market for Gigabyte and hopefully they will continue to surprise us with more innovative products such as this one. The MSRP for the unit is on the very high side at $69 US. It may be a bit of a tough sell seeing as how the SilentBoost and Volcano12 are both under $35 US MSRP. Gigabyte informed us that there will be a rebate for the PCU-21VG which may make the price more palatable (especially if the street price is somewhat lower). The LEDs on the heatsink are of very high quality and there are four in total which may have helped contribute to the cost. If that is indeed the case, Gigabyte may consider removing those to try to bring the price down somewhat even though they look extremely cool because the heatsink has a lot of other compelling features and it would be a shame if users were turned away soley due to pricing issues. Something to keep in mind is the versatility of the heatsink as it can fit on the XP, P4 and Athlon64. A current end user looking to spice up their XP but is looking to upgrade at some point should really consider the PCS21-VG.

82%

Noise Levels

The PCU21-VG is a lot quieter than many of the high performance solutions that have passed through our lab. It is noticeably louder than the Silent Boost but at the same time the Silent Boost is extremely quiet - one of the quietest you can find on the market today. The PCU21-VG is by no means loud especially at the low setting. Here are some number comparisons between the Silent Boost, Dynatron C62, Volcano 9 and the PCU21-VG. The lab environment is relatively noisy but even at the low setting, the PCU21-VG is clearly audible. The 20 DB they have listed on their box is a little bit too optimistic even though it is still very quiet. Note that this was done in an open environment. With this heatsink in a closed case the noise level will surely drop. Subjectively, the 56 DB mark is about where we would draw the line for a heatsink that we would be using on a daily basis. The Dynatron C62 (the 62 must stand for decibals cause it is that loud) and Volcano (at high speeds) are loud enough to annoy my coworkers in the other office across the hall. The sound and volume is comparable to dustbusters of years past.

Conclusion

The PCU21-VG is an impressive unit and a great debut for Gigabyte in the cooler market. Although it was neither the quietest nor did it cool the best, it was very competitive in both categories. The visual novelty of this unit is well worth checking out as it is unlike any other heatsink fan we have come across. An added bonus is the ability to mount this particular heatsink onto P4s and Athlon64's making this a great solution for those who are looking for better cooling on their current Athlon XPs but are thinking of upgrading their CPUs. The tool-less design is very good and both installation and removal of the heatsink were a snap (no more worrying about jamming the screwdriver into the motherboard accidentally anymore). What is especially impressive is the lack of tools required even when switching between the type of processor being used. The same cannot be said of any other heatsink we have tested recently and a major complaint that we have had with the multi-function heatsinks is the tedium of switching between different processor types. Truly this is one of the most innovative heatsinks announced/released in recent memory.

The inclusion of the fan control unit was a great move also and this is something that we encourage all heatsink-fan manufacturers to do as the cooling capacity of the fan running at full blast is clearly not needed when doing mundane desktop tasks. Another nice touch is the inclusion of RPM markings on the fan control unit which is something that we have not seen before. The low setting on the PCU21-VG is pretty quiet although it is definitely louder than the Panaflow on the Silent Boost. The high setting was not loud enough to make me see red although it was near the threshold where it would not be practical for normal every day use. It is commendable to have the full range of options for the end user though.

The PCU21-VG is an impressive foray into the heatsink/fan market for Gigabyte and hopefully they will continue to surprise us with more innovative products such as this one. The MSRP for the unit is on the very high side at $69 US. It may be a bit of a tough sell seeing as how the SilentBoost and Volcano12 are both under $35 US MSRP. Gigabyte informed us that there will be a rebate for the PCU-21VG which may make the price more palatable (especially if the street price is somewhat lower). The LEDs on the heatsink are of very high quality and there are four in total which may have helped contribute to the cost. If that is indeed the case, Gigabyte may consider removing those to try to bring the price down somewhat even though they look extremely cool because the heatsink has a lot of other compelling features and it would be a shame if users were turned away soley due to pricing issues. Something to keep in mind is the versatility of the heatsink as it can fit on the XP, P4 and Athlon64. A current end user looking to spice up their XP but is looking to upgrade at some point should really consider the PCS21-VG.

82%

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