November 18, 2010 at 10:12GlacialTech Alaska - a breath of cold air
The company GlacialTech , founded in June 2001 in Taiwan, quite well-known in air cooling systems market. By producing completely inexpensive coolers that successfully outperformed boxed CPU coolers in performance, GlacialTech has gained popularity among frugal users for whom the price-quality ratio is higher than the phenomenal efficiency at a frantic cost. However, the recent announcement of two representatives of the family of high-performance coolers Alaska and Siberia testifies to the company's desire to develop this direction. One of these coolers, called Alaska, the largest and most northern state in the United States, ended up in our laboratory.
The processor cooler GlacialTech Alaska comes in a cardboard box made with white and blue colors, equipped with a plastic handle for easy carrying. On the front side of which there is an image of the cooler itself, a snowboarder symbolizing power and cold, as well as information on compatible Intel LGA 775/1156/1366 and AMD AM2 / AM2 + / AM3 platforms. On the side walls of the box and its reverse side, there is information about the technical characteristics, key features of the cooler and a list of contacts with the manufacturer. Also, this information can be found on the official website of GlacialTech.
Inside the packing box we find a radiator, a set of fasteners in a separate plastic bag, a fan located in a small additional box and installation instructions. All components are fixed securely and transportation problems should not arise. The radiator has dimensions 130 x 101 x 156 mm. Its mass is 740 grams. The radiator “body” is based on six nickel-plated copper heat pipes with a diameter of 6 mm, on which 40 aluminum plates are strung.
The thickness of each plate is 0.5 mm. The distance between them varies from 1.5 to 3 mm. Each aluminum plate is perforated (the number of holes in the upper plate is 67) and together they form a cellular structure. This arrangement of the plates is unique, although similar solutions from other manufacturers have been encountered before. The name of the manufacturer and the cooler model are extruded on the top plate. The holes marked in the photograph are designed to install steel brackets securing the fan. Heat pipes are arranged “V” figuratively. This is done to more evenly distribute heat on the plates and so that closer tubes do not block the air flow from the fan for more distant ones.
The nickel-plated copper base is equipped with an additional aluminum radiator and measures 40 x 30 mm. The sections of the heat pipes passing through the base are laid in grooves and soldered. The quality of processing the base is not at a high level - in this case, we are not talking not only about polishing, but also about polishing. However, it is possible that this is a feature of this sample. Indeed, on the manufacturer’s website there is a photograph with an almost perfectly polished base. GlacialTech Alaska is equipped with a fan ALASWES0IC001 (PLA12025S12H-2 EP) size 120 x 120 x 25 mm. The fan has seven blades, the rotation speed of which varies according to the PWM method in the range of 700 (± 300) - 1600 (± 250) rpm.
The delivery set includes a set of fasteners, four steel brackets for installing fans, GlacialTech IceTherm II thermal grease , a paddle for applying it, and a special key for attaching the cooler to the system board. The set of fasteners consists of three back plates (for installing the cooler on Intel LGA775, LGA 1156, LGA 1366 motherboards, respectively), two steel plates, mounts for AMD platforms and four spring-loaded screws.
Test configuration and testing methodology
Processor - Intel Core i5 750 ES (2.67 GHz, Lynnfield, rev. B1)
Motherboard - Asus Maximus III Formula (Intel P55, Intel LGA 1156, BIOS 2001)
RAM - Crucial CT12864BA1339.M8FF, DDR3, 2 x 1024 MB, CL9-9-9-27, 1.5 V
Video card - Asus GeForce 6600
Power supply - Enermax EMG500AWT (Modu87 +, 500 W)
Hard drive - WD3202ABYS RE3
Cooling system - GlacialTech Alaska
Testing was carried out in the operating system Windows Vista SP2.
The RealTemp 3.60 program was used for temperature monitoring, for monitoring the fan speed Everest Ultimate Edition 5.50.2100, for the graphical display of the Riva Tuner 2.24c monitoring. The load was created using the graphical shell of the Linpack test - LinX 0.6.4 for 15 minutes using the entire free memory. The Intel Core i5 750 processor was overclocked to a frequency of 3800 MHz with a supply voltage of 1.35 V. The fan speed was ~ 1650 rpm. Testing was carried out on a horizontally located open bench. The temperature in the room at the time of testing was 25-26 degrees Celsius.
Test results
After a rather long period of production of inexpensive coolers designed to be replaced by boxed ones, it seems that GlacialTech managed to produce a really worthy product. After 15 minutes of testing with the LinX utility, the maximum temperature of the hottest core was 74 degrees Celsius. With the recommended price of Alaska at $ 45, we can say that this cooler is fully working out its value. True, I would like for modern coolers not to see a huge set of mounts designed for each individual platform. Two universal mounts designed for installation on Intel and AMD motherboards would look much better. I think that the company GlacialTech will finalize in this direction.
Based on test results, GlacialTech Alaska receives the Editor's Choice Award.
The processor cooler GlacialTech Alaska comes in a cardboard box made with white and blue colors, equipped with a plastic handle for easy carrying. On the front side of which there is an image of the cooler itself, a snowboarder symbolizing power and cold, as well as information on compatible Intel LGA 775/1156/1366 and AMD AM2 / AM2 + / AM3 platforms. On the side walls of the box and its reverse side, there is information about the technical characteristics, key features of the cooler and a list of contacts with the manufacturer. Also, this information can be found on the official website of GlacialTech.
Inside the packing box we find a radiator, a set of fasteners in a separate plastic bag, a fan located in a small additional box and installation instructions. All components are fixed securely and transportation problems should not arise. The radiator has dimensions 130 x 101 x 156 mm. Its mass is 740 grams. The radiator “body” is based on six nickel-plated copper heat pipes with a diameter of 6 mm, on which 40 aluminum plates are strung.
The thickness of each plate is 0.5 mm. The distance between them varies from 1.5 to 3 mm. Each aluminum plate is perforated (the number of holes in the upper plate is 67) and together they form a cellular structure. This arrangement of the plates is unique, although similar solutions from other manufacturers have been encountered before. The name of the manufacturer and the cooler model are extruded on the top plate. The holes marked in the photograph are designed to install steel brackets securing the fan. Heat pipes are arranged “V” figuratively. This is done to more evenly distribute heat on the plates and so that closer tubes do not block the air flow from the fan for more distant ones.
The nickel-plated copper base is equipped with an additional aluminum radiator and measures 40 x 30 mm. The sections of the heat pipes passing through the base are laid in grooves and soldered. The quality of processing the base is not at a high level - in this case, we are not talking not only about polishing, but also about polishing. However, it is possible that this is a feature of this sample. Indeed, on the manufacturer’s website there is a photograph with an almost perfectly polished base. GlacialTech Alaska is equipped with a fan ALASWES0IC001 (PLA12025S12H-2 EP) size 120 x 120 x 25 mm. The fan has seven blades, the rotation speed of which varies according to the PWM method in the range of 700 (± 300) - 1600 (± 250) rpm.
The delivery set includes a set of fasteners, four steel brackets for installing fans, GlacialTech IceTherm II thermal grease , a paddle for applying it, and a special key for attaching the cooler to the system board. The set of fasteners consists of three back plates (for installing the cooler on Intel LGA775, LGA 1156, LGA 1366 motherboards, respectively), two steel plates, mounts for AMD platforms and four spring-loaded screws.
Test configuration and testing methodology
Processor - Intel Core i5 750 ES (2.67 GHz, Lynnfield, rev. B1)
Motherboard - Asus Maximus III Formula (Intel P55, Intel LGA 1156, BIOS 2001)
RAM - Crucial CT12864BA1339.M8FF, DDR3, 2 x 1024 MB, CL9-9-9-27, 1.5 V
Video card - Asus GeForce 6600
Power supply - Enermax EMG500AWT (Modu87 +, 500 W)
Hard drive - WD3202ABYS RE3
Cooling system - GlacialTech Alaska
Testing was carried out in the operating system Windows Vista SP2.
The RealTemp 3.60 program was used for temperature monitoring, for monitoring the fan speed Everest Ultimate Edition 5.50.2100, for the graphical display of the Riva Tuner 2.24c monitoring. The load was created using the graphical shell of the Linpack test - LinX 0.6.4 for 15 minutes using the entire free memory. The Intel Core i5 750 processor was overclocked to a frequency of 3800 MHz with a supply voltage of 1.35 V. The fan speed was ~ 1650 rpm. Testing was carried out on a horizontally located open bench. The temperature in the room at the time of testing was 25-26 degrees Celsius.
Test results
After a rather long period of production of inexpensive coolers designed to be replaced by boxed ones, it seems that GlacialTech managed to produce a really worthy product. After 15 minutes of testing with the LinX utility, the maximum temperature of the hottest core was 74 degrees Celsius. With the recommended price of Alaska at $ 45, we can say that this cooler is fully working out its value. True, I would like for modern coolers not to see a huge set of mounts designed for each individual platform. Two universal mounts designed for installation on Intel and AMD motherboards would look much better. I think that the company GlacialTech will finalize in this direction.
Based on test results, GlacialTech Alaska receives the Editor's Choice Award.