Sytrin KuFormula VF1 GPU Cooler Review

Former staff writer - May 11, 2006

Specifications
Following specifications of the dual heat piped cooling module.

Dimensions	106 x 88 x 33mm
Weight	242g
Material	Aluminum + Copper
Heat Pipe	Dual Heat Pipes

Specifications of Cross-Flow fan module.

Dimension	124 x 55 x 51mm
Speed	1550 / 2400 / 3150 RPM
Noise	24 / 28 / 32 dBA

Compatibility

The following cards are compatible; the two exceptions are the BFG 7800 GS AGP and the Asus A9600GE cards.

Nvidia	Geforce MX Series
	Geforce Ti4xxx Series
	Geforce FXxxxx Series
	Geforce 6200 Series
	Geforce 6600 Series
	Geforce 6800 Series
	Geforce 7600GT
	Geforce 7800 Series
ATI	Radeon 9xxx Series
	Radeon Xxx Series
	Radeon 1xxx Series

Testing
The following machine was used as a testing rig for this cooler.

AMD 3700 +

DFI SLI-DR

Mushkin Redline 2 x 1 GB

2 x 250 GB Seagate HDD's

Gigabyte 6600GT

Enermax Noisetaker 600Watt

Antec Sonata 2

Coming into this testing phase I was very excited as I had the cooler set on the lowest speed, and there was no noise whatsoever over other system noise. For testing, the temps were achieved by letting Windows idle for 10 minutes on the desktop for each of the three speed settings on the fan. Load temps were achieved by running 3DMark03 for 30 minutes. Also the card was run passively (no fan) and that temperature was achieved via the same method. All Temperatures were obtained with the latest copy of NVIDIA NVMonitor, which is part of the Ntune suite of tools. This was all on top of a fresh copy of Windows XP Professional SP2.

The lower the number the better (*C). This cooler actually chopped a lot off the temps; it also seems that the medium fan setting is the best for sound/performance ratio. When ramped up to full speed there is a lot of vibration transferred into the case, thus resulting in noise. However, there were also some noticeable vibrations when using the medium setting as well. I feel that the fan could have been mounted on some form of rubber or silicon grommet so that the vibrations could have been greatly reduced. This vibration was noticeable by placing one's hand on the case. If you do not mind the slight vibration then this is a great cooler.

Conclusion
For being a newcomer in the North American VGA cooling scene, Sytrin is definitely going to become one of the major contenders. As we have seen with this KuFormula VF1 Plus they are definitely taking the steps to ensure that they remain a strong power when it comes to cooling and performance. If you are looking for a cooler that gives you a great noise/performance ratio, then this is most defiantly the cooler for you.

Pros