First a big thanks to Thermaltake for providing the TMG IA1 CPU Cooler for this Review.

The last CPU Cooler Review I done was when I took the stock CPU Cooler off my Intel based X6800 and replaced it with the Thermaltake SpinQ. Since the SpinQ is still in use on my main machine I figured I may as well put this new Thermaltake TMG IA1 on my second computer that runs an AMD 64 X2 4800 CPU and see how much better it is over the stock AMD CPU Cooler.

Before I get too far into this review I should mention the features and specifications for the Thermaltake TMG IA1 CPU Cooler.

Features..

-Utility Tower Structure: 51 Aluminum Fins & 4 copper heatpipes

-12cm VR™ Fan with Blue LED: Shinning vision, high performance, & fan speed control available

-Utility Tower Structure with 4 Copper Heatpipes: conducts heat effectively from CPU and get more surfaces to dissipate

-12cm VR™ Fan: allows you to adjust the fan speed for your need
-Absolutely Quiet: 12cm fan could make good cooling effect at only low fan speed and generate minimum noise at the same moment

-Integrated Airflow Design: the heat could be taken off by 12cm sideward fan and system fan from chassis to make dual cooling effects

-Scurve™ Blade Fan with Shinning Visual Effect : not only keeps air convention in chassis but also cares about the aesthetics with blue LED light

Specifications..

-Compatibility

Intel® Core 2 Extreme / Quad / Duo (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Pentium D / 4 (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Pentium (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Celeron D (Socket LGA775)
Intel® Celeron (Socket LGA775)

AMD® Latest 6-Core Processors
AMD® Phenom II X6 / X4 / X3 / X2 (Socket AM3/AM2+)
AMD® Phenom X4 / X3 (Socket AM3/AM2+)
AMD® Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 (Socket AM3)
AMD® Athlon 64 FX / X2 (Socket AM2/939)
AMD® Athlon 64 (Socket AM2/939/754)
AMD® Sempron (Socket AM2/939/754)

Supports All CPUs up to 130W TDP

-Heatsink Dimension: 140 (L) x 97.37 (W) x 160 (H) mm5.51 (L) x 3.83 (W) x  6.3 (H) in
-Heatsink Material: 51 Aluminum Fins w/ Copper & Aluminum Base
-Heatpipe: Ø 6 mm x 4
-Fan Dimension: Ø 120 x 25 mm
-Fan Speed: 1300 ~ 2100 RPM
-Noise Level: 20 dBA
-Max. Air Flow: 70.28 CFM
-Max. Air Pressure: 2.51 mmH2O
-LED Fan: Blue LED
-Power Connector: 3 Pin
-Rated Voltage: 12 V
-Started Voltage: 7 V
-Rated Current: 0.12 ~ 0.55 A
-Power Input: 6.6 W
-MTBF: 30,000 Hours
-Weight: 684 g

The next set of specs will be for the computer which was used to benchmark the TMG IA1.

AMD 64 X2 4800 CPU
ASUS A8N-SLI DELUXE MotherBoard
GEFORCE 7950 GT/OC VIDEO CARD 512 MEG OF RAM
2 GIGS OF PC3200 RAM
2 MAXTOR 120 GIG 7200 RPM 8 MEG CACHE EIDE ATA 133 DRIVES
1 LG DVD/CD Burner
LinuxMInt 9 OS

I have to say that just like the when I seen the SpinQ CPU Cooler, I was also blown away by the size of the TMG IA1 CPU Cooler. The other day I was getting rid of some old computers I had laying around and I laughed when I seen the size of the CPU Cooler for a 486 DX-4 120 mhz machine I had. The CPU Cooler for the 486 had to be about the same size as a south bridge Cooler you see today on most modern motherboards. It amazes me how much cooling we need with modern CPU’s these days. In the picture below you can see the old stock AMD CPU Cooler sitting beside the TMG IA1 and the size difference is amazing.

When I first got the TMG IA1 I decided I would install this in a second computer I had that was an AMD based machine. I got the computer up on the table took the old stock CPU Cooler off, cleaned the CPU surface and was ready to install the new TMG IA1 when I noticed somewhat of a slight problem. As it turns out in order to install the TMG IA1 you need a computer case that’s at least eight and half inches wide. In the picture below you can see that I took a level while the TMG IA1 was installed in the old case I had and as the picture shows, the TMG IA1 with the level sitting on the top of it was sticking out about half an inch outside of the computer case meaning, I wasn’t going to be getting the side panel back on the case.

It was at this point in time I decided that I needed a bigger computer case in order to use the TMG IA1. After getting in touch with Thermaltake they were nice enough to send me an Element V full tower case that was wide enough for the TMG IA1 to be installed.

When you unbox the TMG IA1 you get the standard mounting hardware for both AMD and Intel CPU’s. You also get a variable pot that’s used to control the fan speed of the TMG IA1. In the picture below you can see the box contents for the TMG IA1.

One of the things you’ll notice right away with the TMG IA1 is that, if you look at the bottom of the TMG IA1 you will see that it has a mirror like finish. This mirror like surface makes sure that you get the best heat transfer from the CPU to the TMG IA1 and that provides the best cooling results. In the picture below you can see both the stock AMD cooler along with the TMG IA1. You will notice that the AMD stock cooler has a rough surface and this conducts heat poorly when compared to the mirror like finish of the TMG IA1.

When deciding to benchmark the TMG IA1 I decided to do this in Linux Mint which is the OS that this AMD computer uses. I managed to find a terminal utility for Linux Mint that would do CPU Burn in and so I decided to use that. In order to put the CPU and both of its cores to 100%, I had to run 3 terminal sessions and in each one I had the burn in utility running. I ran the burn in program for about 15 minutes with the stock AMD cooler as well as the TMG IA1. In the screen shots below you can see how the CPU coolers compared to each other. Note: the room temperature at the time of the benchmark was 28 Celsius.

As the graphs show, you get a 7 Celsius difference between the stock cooler and the TMG IA1. This is a pretty decent drop in temperature and since the TMG IA1 hardly makes any noise to give you that drop in temperature I’m pretty happy with the result. Even when you crank the TMG IA1 fan speed to max the TMG IA1 is still fairly quiet.

In conclusion I have to say that Like the SpinQ before it, I’m pretty impressed with what Thermaltake has managed to achieve with the TMG IA1. Besides the good cooling performance, this CPU Cooler looks really good and hardly makes any noise. The size of the TMG IA1 means that only those people with full tower cases will be able to install the TMG IA1 so keep that in mind if you have a mid tower case that’s not 8 and half inches wide. At the time of this Review you could purchase the TMG IA1 for about $60.00 Canadian.

Below are few more pictures of the TMG IA1 enjoy!