Frostytech has tested heatsinks from over 50 different companies, and while Thermaltake may not be the most technically innovative, it's hard to deny the company isn't one of the most pervasive heatsink brands in local computer stores. Even the most remote PC hardware store always has something with the Thermaltake logo plastered across its glossy packaging. Now kitschy product design and bling don't equal good thermal performance, which is why you should always check out a couple reviews before spending your hard earned cash on a new heatsink.

In this review Frostytech will be testing out a curiously shaped heatsink from Thermaltake called the V1 (CL-P0401). The V1 heatsink stands 144mm tall and is entirely made of copper components. What makes this heatsink stand out are the shape of its fins, from one angle it the V1 almost resembles a flame!

Thermaltake have assembled the V1 heatsink from two radial copper fin sections which look like they were once intended for a VGA thermal solution. The copper fins are punctuated by four copper heatpipes and arranged so that air is drawn in through one set of fins before being expelled out the other side of the heatsink. Sandwiched in the middle is a 110mm blue LED illuminated fan that spins at 2000RPM. The fan is not PWM compliant, so a small variable resistor is included to reduce fan speed to 1300RPM when quieter operation is desired.

When operating at full speed the Thermaltake V1 heatsink is pretty noisy, at its slowest speed it's moderately audible. The Thermaltake V1 heatsink is compatible with Intel socket 775 and AMD socket 754/939/940/AM2+ processors, and weighs a hefty 637grams.

Thermaltake V1 Heatsink

heatsink specsheet manufacturer: thermaltake model no.: v1 (cl-p0401) materials: copper fins, copper heatpipes, copper base. fan mfg: n/a fan spec: 1300-2000rpm, 12v, 0.25a fan dim: 25x110x110mm heatsink & fan dim: 144x150x92mm weight: 637 grams includes: lga775 and k8 socket mounting hardware, thermal compound, instructions Compatible with Sockets: 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+, LGA775 Est. Pricing: $53USD ($53CDN)

The 110mm fan is suspended in the void between the copper fins, its impeller blades just barely poking out the sides. A few well placed blue LEDs light up the translucent fan blades nicely.

From the side, the copper fins have a strange curvature which lends us to think this was once destined for a VGA thermal solution. If you look closely at the picture above you'll see that the 6mm diameter heatpipes are soldered to the copper fins.

Installation Hardware

The Thermaltake V1 heatsink is compatible with both Intel and AMD processors so two different mounting brackets are supplied. Installation is quite simple for socket 775 processors because the heatsink uses the standard Intel push-to-click retention tabs, in spite of the heatsinks' 630gram weight.

For AMD processors a simple K8 mounting clip is used which locks onto the existing heatsink retention frame. Okay enough of that, let's go in for a closer look and find out just how well (or poorly) Thermaltake's V1 heatsink performs.

FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics, and of course its performance in the thermal tests!