Date: August 17th, 2004
Article by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner, Head Editor & Hardware Reviewer)
Product was donated by: Thermaltake

THERMALTAKE CORPORATE PROFILE

Established in 1999, Thermaltake has quickly risen as a respected leader in computer thermal solutions technology. Thermaltake has increasingly enjoyed the adoption of its thermal strategies by OEM & ODM companies worldwide. Our engineering staff are masters of airflow analysis, material conductivity and efficiency design. Thermaltake's unwavering devotion to quality and customer satisfaction has earned its products the approval of computer enthusiasts everywhere.

Ever so, the technologies behind microprocessor design are becoming more effective in their intent -- increasing CPU speed and performance. As the user enjoys these new, higher-achieving processors, their increased frequencies generate massive amounts of heat. If this heat cannot be dissipated efficiently the system will fail to function properly and can eventually overheat. Heat is no longer a problem restricted to the CPU - video cards, the motherboard's core-logic chipset, system memory and even hard drives can no longer be neglected and must be considered when designing your very own cooling strategy.

As the size of transistors and semiconductors decrease, the smaller contact area on which to adhere cooling devices such as an active fan/heatsink will become the main challenge for every manufacturer. Thermal Management has become a critical PC concern and can no longer be ignored by anyone. Innovative design and quality of our products is what makes us the premier choice for all your thermal management needs -- today and tomorrow.

PRODUCT INTRODUCTION

Today's performance gaming machines are tuned for maximum performance with all the latest and greatest hardware running at blistering speeds. With the word "blistering" still fresh in your mind, the unfortunate downfall of a fast rig is the amount of heat is produces. To counteract the heat, knowledgeable computer users install 4-6 case airflow fans to bring in cool fresh air and to exhaust the warm poison that is slowly killing your components.

Another negative factor is that good airflow usually means using higher speed fans which create more noise. The thing is, unless you are gaming 24/7 and that is the primary and only purpose of the computer, leaving the cases fans at full speed would make sense. Gaming pushes all your hardware very hard which creates a heat output 2-4x that seen when a machine is at idle. You see, when you are not gaming, there is no need to have the fans roaring at full speed. All you will be doing is wasting power, accelerating the dust accumulation and losing your hearing.

What can be done to combat this?

Well, pictured above is the Thermaltake Xtunner which is basically a infrared remote controlled fan controller. With the ability to control from 4-8 fans with the touch of a remote control, you can quickly silence your roaring frame rate screamer into a purring internet surfer.

How does it accomplish this? Read on....