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Gigabyte G-Power II Pro
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Type | heatsink and fan | ||
| Compatibility | 775 / AM2 | ||
| Material | copper and aluminium | ||
| Fan size | |||
| PWM | 1 | ||
 Show all specifications
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| Dimensions | 121 x 119 x 162 mm |
| Weight | |
 Hide specifications | |
Régis Jehl
Test date: October 20, 2008
Test date: October 20, 2008
Compatibility, Installation and Accessories
Supporting the two most common socket systems, 775 and AM2, this heatsink offers classic compatibility.
Installation is very easy: all you need to do is screw the support onto to the heatsink and fix both of them onto a frame attached to the back of the motherboard. It's the usual story--easy and efficient, but still requiring the removal of the motherboard. Of course, if you're building a computer system from scratch, then this poses less of a problem.
In terms of accessories, the manufacturer includes a Molex three-pin convertor allowing users to fix a rotation speed for the fan. There's also a small tube of thermal grease in the box too.
Installation is very easy: all you need to do is screw the support onto to the heatsink and fix both of them onto a frame attached to the back of the motherboard. It's the usual story--easy and efficient, but still requiring the removal of the motherboard. Of course, if you're building a computer system from scratch, then this poses less of a problem.
In terms of accessories, the manufacturer includes a Molex three-pin convertor allowing users to fix a rotation speed for the fan. There's also a small tube of thermal grease in the box too.
Sporting an original design, this heatsink is composed of a tower of heat exchanging fins arranged at forty-five degree angle.
As ever, the idea is to allow for a better airflow from the motherboard across the heatsink to improve cooling performance.
Due to this new system, we found ourselves face to face with an imposing heatsink with a plastic enclosure, one which pleasingly features a blue LED glowing out of the back of your computer.
The base is made from copper, while the fins are in aluminum, and heat is pumped away by five separate heatpipes.
A 120 mm PWM fan draws air across the heatsink sports nine blades, and can be powered by either a traditional three-pin socket, or using PWM's proprietary four-pin system.
The advantage of this second option is that it offers more control over the fan's movement, including allowing it to rotate at slower speeds--which, in theory, should allow for quieter cooling.
Compare this heatsink's performance charts in our Product Face-off: Heatsinks
Loud, but powerful
We certainly weren't disappointed by the G-Power's cooling performance.
It's an excellent heatsink, cooling even the hottest quad-core processors, but it's a bit less impressive in terms of keeping noise down, meaning that even at its slowest speeds it's not as quiet as the quietest Noctua model, the U12P.
Cranking up the speed makes quickly makes it even louder, however, and when it's turning at full speed the fan is unworkably noisy.
The G-Power II Pro in action
Pluses
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Excellent cooling performance
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Easy installation
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Quiet at its slowest speed
Minuses
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Becomes very noisy very quickly
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Motherboard needs to be removed for installation--although a very solid fitting
An excellent heatsink which delivers cooling at all sorts of speeds. Nevertheless, if you like a quiet office, you might want to think about less noisy solution.
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