Conclusions

The Big Typhoon VX heatsink fan delivers excellent performance, offers a broad operating range, and looks great.  The speed of the included 120mm fan can be adjusted to provide the right balance of cooling performance and noise.  However, getting to the speed control on top of the cooler isn’t very convenient.  It would have been nicer if users were given the option to mount the speed control in a rear PCI slot bracket or 3.5′ bay cover.  Replacing the fan with a low speed unit still provides very good cooling with virtually silent operation. 

 

As you would expect, the new VX fan system offers even better performance and places the Big Typhoon VX right up their with the top performing CPU coolers on the market today.  It delivers outstanding thermal performance but is crippled IMHO by the new tool-less mounting systems.  While both of the new mounts are potentially easier to install than the original Big Typhoon, the new mounting schemes are not as robust as Thermaltake’s classic H-style steel plate system.  In the end, users will have to decide whether or not they value the added performance and ease of installation over a more secure mounting system.  For my money, I will stick with Thermaltake’s sturdy mounting system used on the original Big Typhoon.

 

Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX Heatsink Fan Review - Cases and Cooling 30

 

The Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX is currently available with a typical street price of $54.99 USD (November 2006).  Newegg has the Typhoon VX (CL-P0310) on sale for $55.99 as of this publication date. 

 

Strengths:

  • Excellent performance
  • Very good heatsink build quality
  • Bundled 120mm variable speed fan
  • Easy to install (will vary by motherboard)
  • Supports both Intel LGA775 and AMD K8/AM2 platforms
  • Looks good

Weaknesses:

  • Mounting hardware not as robust as previous systems
  • Fan speed control mounted on top of cooler (not easily accessible)

I would like to thank our friends at Thermaltake for sending us the Big Typhoon VX to review — thank you!  Be sure to use our price checking engine to find the best price for this new cooler or anything else you may want to buy! 

 

Newegg has the Typhoon VX (CL-P0310) on sale for $55.99 as of this publication date.

And if you have any questions or comments about the article, or would like to see what others have to say about the Akasa PSU, just click into our cooling forum to join in the discussion!

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