Thermaltake Volcano 9 Coolmod Review - PAGE 1

ThermalTake is arguably one of the best success stories in the world of mod suppliers. We've had a long relationship with the company and have seen their reputation grow as quickly as their product line. We've used the Volcano 7+ for a long time in various systems, but recently we've started to use Volcano 9's in most of our benchmark test beds. Today we're looking at the "CoolMod" version of the Volcano 9, which differs from the original Volcano 9 only in an aesthetic fashion.

What the heck is "CoolMod"?

Simply put, Thermaltake is using the CoolMod moniker in any of their fan products that feature LED lighting. Other companies like Epox have used terms like "Magic Light", but they all mean the same thing. In the case of the Volcano 9 CoolMod, Thermaltake took the concept one step further and markets this CoolMod as being able to change colour with your Hard Drive activity.

Detailed Look at the V9 CoolMod

The Volcano 9 CoolMod uses the exact same heatsink as the regular Volcano 9. This is a fairly massive aluminum fin heatsink with a copper core and a clip design that hooks onto all 3 plastic levers on your CPU socket. Looking at the below picture you can see just how similar the V9 and V9 CoolMod coolers look when placed side by side. The real difference lies in the plexi fan grille cover on the fan, and the wires leading out from the LEDs attached to the plexiglass.

There are 4 LEDs in total, one on each side of the cooler. Each LED has a separate wire leading out, but each wire from opposing LEDs actually joins together so that there are really only 2 power connectors. You might have noticed in the preceding pictures that the CoolMod fan is a little higher than the regular fan. This gap accomodates the added height of the LEDs embedded in the plexi grille, but I think it also serves the purpose of elevating the plexiglass and LEDs away from the fan surface.