Thermaltake Volcano 7+

Date Reviewed: February 10, 2002
Reviewed By: Jason Rabel
Company: Thermaltake

What's In The Box (Cont):

One interesting thing about the skiving process is that from the way the knife cuts the metal, one side is smooth, and the other side is a rough texture.

The base of the heatsink has been machined flat, and though you can see tiny groves (and barely feel them if you run your fingernail over the base), I don't think sanding it would achieve any noticeable results. The entire heatsink looks to have been power coated to give it a high glossy shine, and prevent oxidation (which can reduce performance).

Comparing To Volcano 7:

To compare it to the original Volcano 7, you can see the slight size difference between the 80mm & 70mm fan, however they keep the same cool looking Tt finger guard. Also, both heatsinks use the same style clip (unless you use the P4 mounting hardware of course). While it does require a screwdriver, it is very easy to put on and the design keeps the screwdriver from slipping out while hooking on the heatsink.

While the original Tt Volcano 7 does have a copper insert, it just doesn't compare to the all copper design (and looks) of the Volcano 7+. In the right picture, notice the difference in height, and also the amount of fins, the V7 has 23 and the V7+ has 36!

Testing:

Testing was done using a voltage modded KT7A-RAID with a 1.4GHz Athlon. Temperatures were taken at two different speeds / voltages:

• 1400MHz @ 1.88v

• 1600MHz @ 2.05v

The board was placed on an open workbench to keep the ambient temperature controlled and constant. Also, the fan speed was rounded to the nearest hundred RPM. Prime95 was used to put the CPU under load.

In the charts of the temperatures below, you may wonder what it means when it says "top" and "bottom", so here is a quick explanation:

Essentially the bold numbers are the ones that would be the most important (and accurate) for comparison. Since the Thermaltake Volcano 7 switch allows for 3 different speeds I recorded temperatures at each speed.

First we start out at a normal 1.4GHz @ 1.88v:

1.4GHz @ 1.88v

And for you people who like Celsius better:

1.4GHz @ 1.88v

Now we crank it up to 1.6GHz @ 2.05v:

1.6GHz @ 2.05v

And for you people who like Celsius better:

1.6GHz @ 2.05v

Conclusions:

The new and improved Thermaltake Volcano 7+ takes a great leap forward in performance over the original Volcano 7. Ranking up top with the 45CFM model Dynatron heatsink (check out some previous heatsink reviews for pictures), but is a LOT quieter, even at the highest fan speed setting. The all copper design combined with the "Tiny Fin" technology help give better cooling in a smaller package than the original Volcano 7.

Overall I'm very pleased with the new Volcano 7+, it is just as easy to mount as the original Volcano 7, the noise level isn't bad at all at the highest speed, the fan speed is adjustable, and the all copper design is much more efficient and effective!

Priced at $45.99 it can be a little expensive for some people, but being solid copper and giving excellent performance at a reasonable sound level makes it worth every penny. Also this is probably one of the few and better P4 solutions available.

The Thermaltake Volcano 7+ is now available at Heatsink Factory and is in stock and ready to ship for your cooling pleasure!

Pros:
  All Copper
  "Tiny Fin" Technology
  Excellent Performance
  Powder Coated To Prevent Oxidation
  3-Way Adjustable Fan Speed
  Adaptable For Virtually Any AMD or Intel Socket Chip Including P4

Cons:
  Above Average Price Range
  Some Assembly Required (Very Minimal Though)
  Base Could Be A Little Smoother

Rating:
  For The Average User: 9.5 / 10
  For The Hardcore Gamer: 9.5 / 10
  For The Extreme Overclocker: 9.5 / 10

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