Vantec Iceberq4 CCB-A4P Pro

Intro

At least one good thing seems to have come from the comically loud Nvidia FX Flow cooling system found on the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra. The "Dustbuster" fiasco has renewed industry attention to aftermarket video card cooling technologies, and with the power output of future video cards rumored to exceed 100W, that is certainly a good thing. In a round-about way, I guess we should be thankful. Today along those lines we will be looking at one of those new aftermarket video card cooling solutions--provided to us by Crazy PC--the Vantec Iceberq4 CCB-A4P Pro card cooling kit. At first glance, the Iceberq4 Pro appears to be a total video card cooling solution, and in many cases it may be just that--as long as you have a 64 Meg video card which doesn't use BGA memory (more later).

Contents

Cooling Fan

Memory Heatsinks

3-4 Pin Adapter

Thermal Tape

Thermal Grease

     
Other than the issue I have with the memory heatsinks, I really can't think of anything else you might need that isn't here. The core cooler even features two blue LEDs. These LEDs aren't overly bright, though, and were barely visible inside my case. While some people may poo-pooh the use of thermal tape on the memory heatsinks, I personally find this non-permanent method to my liking.

Technical Specifications

Recommended For:

nVidia GeForce 4 Ti 4200, 4400, 4600, 4800 Series
nVidia GeForce FX Series

Features:

All-in-One VGA Cooling Kit w/Blue LED Lights
Push-Pin Design for Quick & Easy Installation
Copper Heatsink Design for Faster Heat Dissipation

Product Specifications	Iceberq4 CCB-A4P Pro
Voltage	DC 12V
Fan Dimension	45X45X10mm
Power	1.98W
Fan Speed	5500 R.P.M.
Airflow	8.6 CFM
Fan Bearing	Ball Bearing
Weight	97 gm
Cooler Dimension	88X65X15mm
Heat Sink Material	Copper
Heat Sink Dimension	20X20X6 mm (4 pcs)
Thermal Tape	18X18mm (4 pcs)

Installation

Installation of the Iceberq 4 Pro naturally is going to vary somewhat depending on the make and model of your particular video card. As such, I will limit myself to a few basic installation tips. When removing the stock HSF take your time and don't force it; if it won't budge, try another method. (Hair dryer, razor blade, nail polish remover.) Before putting on the new HSF remove all the old thermal paste, and spread a thin layer of thermal paste on the core. The white generic thermal adhesive that comes with the kit is adequate, but feel free to use a premium thermal compound instead.

     
Next, don't forget to plug the fan back in. With the Iceberq 4 Pro, and my Albatron Ti 4600, this means using the enclosed 3 to 4 pin adapter, since the end that would normally plug into the card doesn't have the proper end connector. I would guess this is because the new fan probably requires more power than the video card plug can provide. Lastly, if your card already has memory heatsinks--especially if they are of the BGA variety--or they are applied with thermal adhesive, give serious thought to leaving these in place so you don't risk removing the memory from the card along with the heatsinks.

     
Memory Heatsinks

Here is where I ran into the snag alluded to earlier. You see, the Albatron Ti 4600 we are installing the kit on has eight BGA memory chips. The Iceberq4 Pro, however only has four TSOP memory heatsinks, so not only would the Iceberq4 Pro memory heatsinks not fit, there weren't enough of them. Since every Ti 4600 I have ever seen comes with 128 meg memory in an 8X16 configuration, Vantec either should modify the package compatibility information, or include 8 memory heatsinks scored in the middle so they can be used with either BGA or TSOP memory. One additional word of caution here: Do not install TSOP memory heatsinks on BGA memory unless you are absolutely certain that doing so will not bring the heatsinks into contact with surrounding components, which could lead to some unfortunate consequences.

My Solution

Since leaving my video card with half a cooling solution due to the previously mentioned incompatible TSOP memory heatsinks was an unacceptable solution to me, I decided to mix the Iceberq4 Pro HSF with a couple of sets of Tweakmonster BGA memory heatsinks. Once again Crazy PC came to the rescue and provided us with the heatsinks. (Thanks Crazy PC) While there is not a lot to say about the Tweakmonster BGA memory heatsinks, what there is to say is mostly good. The Tweakmonster memory heatsinks are the perfect size for mounting on BGA memory, and as you can see in the photo above there is no overhang. The heatsinks themselves are made from a chrome plated copper alloy. The finish is very good but depending on how picky you are you might decide to lap them slightly. (I didn't)

     
Testing

To test the cooling capabilities of the Iceberq4 Pro, since the Albatron Ti4600 that I have doesn't support hardware temperature monitoring like the Asus models do, I put the video card in a loop of 3DMark2001SE and using a Radio Shack infrared thermometer I took temp readings on the backside of the PCB where the core was located. While this method is not extremely accurate, it will allow us to determine the temp change between the stock cooler and the Iceberq4 Pro cooler. In addition, I will also test the cards max stable overclock to see if it has increased.

Card Temps

Stock Cooling	Iceberq4 Pro
58.8C	55.5C

Overclocking

In its stock configuration the highest overclock I could achieve with my Albatron Ti 4600 was 340/700. After the installation of the Iceberq4 Pro, the highest overclock I could achieve was 340/710. Anything higher, core or memory (and even though the card wouldn't lock up) my benchmarks scores would drastically drop. If I was to speculate here as to why the card never locked up, I would say that heat wasn't the sole factor limiting speed at play here.

Conclusion

If the memory heatsinks are compatible with your model card this video card cooling kit is a no-brainer, and at 15 bucks at Crazy PC it's also a steal. If, however, the memory heatsinks don't fit your particular application, it is more of a mixed bag. While the core cooler is still very good, you are now left with purchasing a set of memory heatsinks separately or doing without them entirely. This completely removes the convenience as well as the cost savings of purchasing the Iceberq4 Pro kit. If Vantec can resolve this issue, they will have a winner. As for the Tweakmonster heatsinks, I feel they should come packaged eight instead of four per package. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing about them.

Pros:

Significant core temperature drop

Low cost kit

Good looks

Cons:

Limited memory heatsink compatibility

LEDs not very bright

Added: June 8th 2003
Reviewer: Jim Adkins
Score:
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Language: english