ThermalTake Volcano 5, Volcano 6cu, Volcano 6cu+ Shootout!

Admin - 2007-02-20 19:37:32 in CPU Cooling
Category: CPU Cooling
Reviewed by: Admin   
Reviewed on: August 31, 2001
: Thermaltake
: ThermalTake
Introduction
Today, we have a heatsink shootout between the: Volcano 5, Volcano 6cu, and the Volcano 6cu+. All three of these heatsinks at first glance look identical. However, they all of something different about each of them. Like the Volcano 5 which has an all aluminum base, versus the Volcano 6cu and 6cu+ which have a part copper base. Each of these heatsinks can handle: AMD ATHLON 1.5GHz+ and INTEL PIII 1.13GHz & TUALATIN up to 2.0GHz and they are also all AMD Recommended.

Specs

 

Volcano 5
Pin Number A1110
Fan Dimension 60x60x25 mm
Rated Voltage 12VDC
Started Voltage 7VDC
Power Input 2.04W
FAN Speed 4550±10% RPM
Air Flow 32 CFM
Noise 31dBA
Current 0.17AMP
Interface Material Bergquist 225U
Heatsink Dimensions 80x60x65 mm
Heatsink Base Aluminum
Bearing System Ball Bearing
Life Time 50,000 hours
Connector 3 PIN



Volcano 6cu
Pin Number A1139
Fan Dimension 60x60x25 mm
Rated Voltage 12VDC
Started Voltage 7VDC
Power Input 2.04W
FAN Speed 4550±10% RPM
Air Flow 32 CFM
Noise 31dBA
Current 0.17AMP
Interface Material Bergquist 225U
Heatsink Dimensions 80x60x65 mm
Heatsink Base Copper
Bearing System Ball Bearing
Life Time 50,000 hours
Connector 3 PIN



Basically, the major differences between the Volcano 6U and Volcano 6u+ is that the 6u+ comes with a highend fan, which is a 7000rpm fan which puts out 6CFM more air than the 6u and it is also louder than the 6u (8dBA louder). The major differences between the Volcano 5 and the Volcano 6U is that the Volcano 6U has a copper base, and the Volcano 5 does not. All three of the heatsinks come with the Bergquist 225U TIM, which is good stuff. However, I use NanoTherm thermal compound instead of the Bergquist 225U TIM, because I'm a crazy overclocker and I need all the extra cooling I can get :)

Installation
There were no included instructions to install any of the heatsinks. However, I have never had any heatsink installation go any smoother than it did. With the ThermalTakes patented clip design, I installed the heatsinks with no problems at all. The easier and fastest way to install the heatsink is to use a flathead screwdriver as shown in the picture.




 Just simply push down, then out and back in and it should clip down with ease. I had to use an extra short flathead screwdriver, because my power supply was in the way, and a long screwdriver wouldn't fit between the power supply and the heatsink. It took me less than 5secs to install, literally. Uninstalling it took around 10secs :) However, if you have a slide-out motherboard tray, as I have, it would be much easier to install.

Testing
Test Rig:

  • 1.2Ghz T-bird
  • Kt7 motherboard
  • 512MB Pc133
  • Win2k

    The test system we used was: KT7 motherboard, 1.2Ghz T-bird (not overclocked), (2) Maxtor 40Gb 7200rpm hard drives, Geforce2 MMX video card, and 512MB PC-133. To get the idle temps, I booted in to Windows 2000 and let the system idle for 30mins, with no extra programs running in background. Then, to get the full load results, I ran Seti@home, winamp, and Prime95 all at one time. When I changed out the heatsinks, I allowed the computer to cool for 45mins before turning the computer back on and testing again



    • Conclusion
    ThermalTake has three great new heatsinks here. I'm also glad to see that they are getting away from the ORB product line. I especially liked the performance of the Volcano 6cu+, it's an exceptional heatsink. I can't think of anything I didn't like about these heatsinks.. I would of liked to seen a fan guard on the Volcano 6cu+ model though. Other then that, I liked everything about them. I'm going to be giving away these heatsinks! So head on over to our Contest page and check out all the details. Also, surf on over to ThermalTake.com and pick one of these heatsinks up!

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