Thermalright's Shaman VGA Cooler: The Quiet Giant?
Table of contents
- 1. The Big Daddy Of VGA Cooling
- 2. Thermalright's Shaman: A Closer Look
Thermalright's Shaman is the largest VGA cooler we've ever seen. Having recently reviewed three competing aftermarket graphics cooling solutions, we're eager to find out if size really matters when it comes to overclocking the ultra-hot GeForce GTX 480.
After we wrote our last VGA cooler roundup, Thermalright brought its newest entry in this segment to market: the Shaman. Thermalright claims two world firsts for this cooler: the first VGA cooler designed to accommodate a 140 mm fan and the first VGA cooler with eight 6 mm heat pipes.
Of course, we're always looking to put claims of superiority to the test, so we're itching to compare this unit to some of the products reviewed in the past.
Let's have a look at how Thermalright's new VGA cooler stacks up against the competition:
| Thermalright Shaman | Arctic Cooling Accelero XTREME Plus | DeepCool V6000 | Zalman VF3000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 160(L) × 132(W) × 38(H) mm | 290(L) × 104(W) × 56(H) mm | 212.5(L) × 110.5(W) × 65(H) mm | 239(L) x 98(W) x 51(H) mm |
| Weight: | 500 grams (without fan) | 622 grams | 759 grams | 430 grams (without fans) |
| Fans: | Single 140 mm fan | Three 92 mm fans | Two 92 mm Case Fans | Two 92 mm Fans |
| Power Cables: | Single Motherboard Fan Header | Single Graphics Card Fan Header | Two Motherboard Fan Headers | Single Motherboard Fan Header |
| Construction: | Nickel-plated Copper Cooling Block Aluminum Heat pipes and Cooling Fins | Copper Cooling Block Copper Heat Pipes Aluminum Cooling Fins | All-Aluminum Construction | Copper Cooling Block Copper Heat Pipes Aluminum Cooling Fins |
| Compatibility: | Generic Four mounting hole size options: Radeon 3870/4800/5800 and GeForce 250/9800GTX, GeForce GTX 200 series, GeForce GTX 480 and 8800, GeForce GTX 460 Radeon 6950/6970 GeForce GTX 570/580 | Generic Five compatibility set options: VR001-Multiple Radeon/GeForce Cards VR002-GeForce GTX 200 series VR003-GeForce GTX 470/465 VR004-GeForce GTX 480 VR005-GeForce GTX 460 | Generic Six mounting hole size options: 43 mm, 51 mm, 53 mm, 58 mm, 61 mm, 80 mm | VF3000F: GeForce GTX 480 VF3000F: GeForce GTX 465/470 VF3000A: Radeon HD 5800 series VF3000N: GeForce GTX 200 series |
From the raw specifications, we can see that the Shaman's 140 mm cooler does stand out amongst the crowd. A large fan has the potential for higher airflow combined with lower RPMs (and consequently lower noise) compared to smaller fans. Of course, the drawback is the significantly larger size of the cooler, standing more than 20 mm higher than the next-largest competitor, and even higher when the fan is attached. As a result, the Shaman won't fit in anything smaller than a full-width case with at least 6 3/4" inches of clearance from the motherboard.
Enough statistics for now though; let's have a closer look at Thermalright's VGA cooling beast.
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Bit useless. For $80 more, you can buy a higher end GPU, that's going to be a lot more helpful.
I look at that contraption and then think..."christ life is just too short!"
What a waste of life for whomever designed that.
^ You two obviously don't get it. Many people highly value silence in their PC. I currently have the HR-03 on my 4870 with a 92mm fan spinning very slowly making it practically silent from a foot few feet away.
If I were to upgrade to the likes of a 480 I would want to maintain that silence, I don't care about overclocking (at least not heavy overclocking) and if that cooler can enable a top of the line card to run as it's designed at that noise level, then it's a winner from me.
This monster was needed in the bad old days of 3 months ago when the GTX 480 heat monster ruled the roost. Nvidia rushed out the 480 without addressing the ridiculous heat issues.
Now the GTX 580 is here to save us, the reference cooler is perfectly adequade. Custom cooling solutions for the 580 can be smaller than a moon and still allow headroom for overclockers...
Wait... that's no moon!