CoolerMaster CoolDrive 3 Review

Former staff writer - August 6, 2003

Testing

To take the temperature of the HDD, a thermal probe was attached to the HDD's chipset. To see how well the CoolDrive 3 worked, I used the program HDTach to "benchmark" the HDD, which put it under a load condition; this was maintained for 25 minutes. - This was done once with the HDD in a bay with no type of cooling, and then done again with the HDD installed in the CoolDrive 3.

Conclusion

As promised, the CoolDrive 3 does keep the HDD cooler than it would be without any type of cooling. And of course, cooling the drive will help pro-long the life of the HDD. Exactly how much longer a drive will last by running 3.55�C is anyone�s guess. Most of us will probably swap drives out before our current HDDs even come close to the end of their life anyway. Aside from that, the CoolDrive 3 is a "cool" product, with a sleek design, and blue LEDs, it'd make a good addition to any Aluminum/Silver case. I do wish that the LEDs were either brighter, or that the CoolDrive 3 had more LEDs... but then, those that know me, also know I'd like to see something other than blue. ;-)

Pros

�	Looks Cool
�	Keeps HDD Cool
�	Easy To Remove / Clean Filter
�	Installs Easily
�	Built Well / Good Quality
�	Blue LEDs For Those That Like Blue
�	LEDs Could Be Easily Modded
�	Quiet Fan

Cons

�	LEDs Are Dim With Faceplate
�	Only A Small Decrease In HDD Temp
�	Bevel Of CoolDrive 3 Looks Odd In Most Cases
�	Price
�	Only Available In Silver
�	Poor Packaging