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ThermalTake X-Blower MOD Kit
Review Date: October 18, 2003
Reviewed by: Robert Nielsen
Sponsored by: Case-Mod.com
Introduction:
This is one of the first “mod kits” I’ve reviewed and I’m happy to say, it’s a pretty good start. Thermaltake, mainly known for their PC fan lines, has released a cooling and modification kit called the X-Blower. This is what I’m tackling today.
First and foremost let’s talk about the packaging. When I received my X-Blower courtesy FedEx, in a plastic container similar to what you would find memory chips stored in, my first thought was: “Oh, great. Better go get the kitchen knife,” which is what I usually end up doing to open those darned things. But I decided what the heck, I’ll give it a try. To my surprise the container pulled open easily! Score one for Thermaltake, who obviously understands that we want to be able to get the product open quickly, so we can install it! I’ve included a picture of the unit so you’ll see exactly what you get.
What you get:
Included in the case are: 1) The actual blower control unit, which sports two dials looking like the old style car stereo volume and tuning knobs, 2) A PC fan, and 3) a case blower fan. Also included are three separate packs of screws, and a small instruction booklet. Personally, I found the instructions rather lacking, as all it shows is a series of pictures, depicting where the individual pieces go. The blower control and PC fan are easy and standard enough, but the case fan was a little more difficult to figure out. However, a quick trip to Thermaltake’s website, and all was explained.
The control unit mounts in a standard 5-1/4” drive bay, with the two protruding knobs giving it a kind of 70s-ish radio look. The CPU fan, well….it mounts on top of the heatsink. The case blower fan can be mounted just about anywhere in the case, I personally mounted it towards the front, but if your particular case has more room in the rear, feel free to mount it there. Otherwise, installation is pretty straightforward, unless, like me, you have trouble following the picture instructions!
Testing:
Well, now we get to the nitty gritty of this review – what my system had before the X-Blower, and after it.
System Specs:
- AMD Duron 900 with 512MB PC133 SDRAM
- 20GB HDD
- Sound Blaster Audigy 2
- GeForceFX 5200 Ultra w/45.23 drivers
- 20GB HDD
- Temperatures:
- CPU: 101.3 F
- Motherboard: 102.7 F
- Room Temp: 72.5 F
X-Blower Specs (from Thermaltake.com)
| Fan Type | Blower Fan | Axial Flow Fan |
| Fan Dimension | 80x80x70 mm | 80x80x25 mm |
| Rated Voltage | 12v | 12v |
| Rated Current | 0.04 ~ 0.50 A | 0.23 ~ 0.77 A |
| Power Input | 0.84 ~ 5.40 W | 2.40 ~ 8.40 W |
| FAN Speed | 2100 ~ 4500 ±10% RPM | 1300 ~ 4800 ±10% RPM |
| Temp. control setting | NONE | 1300 rpm at 20°C 4800 rpm at 55°C |
| MAX. Air Pressure | 1.1 ~ 7.5mmH2O | 1.45 ~ 8.09mmH2O |
| Max. Air Flow | 10.9 ~ 26.9CFM | 20.55 ~ 72.70CFM |
| Noise | 25.0 ~ 41.0 dBA | 17.0 ~ 48.0 dBA |
| Bearing Type | 2-Ball Bearing | 2-Ball Bearing |
| Life Expectation | 75,000 Hours | 50,000 Hours |
| Connector | 4-Pin | 3-Pin |
Once I got the fan system installed and working, my CPU temp dropped to 95.4 F, and the motherboard dropped to 99.3!
One interesting feature of the X-Blower is the ability to change the fan speed, via the two knobs on the front panel. I especially found this useful during heavy gaming sessions, when I could turn both the CPU and mobo fans to full throttle, providing extra cooling.
Although the fans both run in excess of 4,000 RPM (see chart), they’re still whisper quiet. I have two cats, and even with both fans running full tilt, they were more upset with my game’s volume than with the fans!
Unfortunately, this unit is not available nationwide via direct retail, but most of the major online retailers, such as Case-Mod.com sell the unit for around $25 USD.
Conclusion:
Overall, the Thermaltake X-Blower is a very solid unit, providing a very quiet CPU and case fan set, along with a variable speed control, to set the speed according to demand. I personally give the X-Blower 4 of 5 X’s, the only deduction being for an instruction set that does not favor the novice.
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