GIGABYTE 3D Rocket II CPU Cooler

Introduction:

    CPU coolers come and CPU coolers go, but only a select few really leave an impression on us. The GIGABYTE 3D Rocket II is one of those big impression makers. The Dual Rocket Airflow Design Fan Duct provides better performance and a silent environment. The 3D Rocket II may not be the first to use 2 fans on a CPU cooling device, but it's the first one that I know of that uses one of its fans to blow air down over the CPU and surrounding components. The cooler itself consists of 4 heatpipes, a copper base, and large aluminum fins, along with a Linear fan speed control that can mount in a free PCI bracket or upfront in a 3.5" bay.

Specifications:

A Closer Look:

Retail front	Retail back	Mounting clips
LGA775RM clip	Fan power cable	Thermal goop

    The packaging is made from clear plastic with graphics laid out in orange. The front of the box is clear, allowing for a good view of the cooler inside. The one side displays the CPU compatibility information, while the back has the specs and features. The contents include the Rocket II cooler, mounting brackets, and a manual.

3/4 view	3D Rocket II	Top view
Copper base	Soldered joints	Fan controller

   With the cooler in hand, you now get the true feel of its size. The 3D Rocket II isn't a large cooler, but rather a tall cooler. The base of the cooler consists of three layers with the bottom layer being made of copper. The top layer, which is aluminum, has a couple of roles. First off, it's a part of the heatsink in that it provides additional cooling. It also acts as a mounting point for the clamping mechanism. I mentioned three layers, and the third layer is actually the heatpipes that are sandwiched between the copper and aluminum plates. Four heatpipes bent in a U-shape give the effect of eight total vertical heatpipes. The heatpipes are soldered to the plates to provide positive contact and proper heat transfer.

4 UV rings

Blue

Green

Top removed

    These heatpipes pass through 49 aluminum cooling fins, give or take a few. Several plastic blue translucent rings adorn the length of the 3D Rocket II. The lower ring is sort of an air duct around the mid portion of the cooler, and the upper two rings are like fan guards for the upper fan. I mentioned two upper rings: well, the top ring can be removed if there happens to be clearance issues within the enclosure. In those upper two rings, a groove goes around its diameter. In this groove, a changeable UV fluorescent rubber ring (Blue / Green / Yellow / Orange) can be inserted to customize the look.

Lower fan

Upper fans w/LEDs

Fan control brackets

    So far I have mentioned the cooler's base, fins and heatpipes; now it's time to mention the fans. Yup... fans! Meaning two and pushing air in different directions. Let's start with the bottom fan which, oddly enough, blows air down across the heatsink base and CPU. This action is also intended to keep the capacitors cooler. The upper fan blows the air up and away from the cooler, is 92mm in size, and sports some blue LED's. Finally, the fans can be controlled with a speed controller, and the adjusting knob can be installed either in the PCI bracket or upfront in a free 3.5" bay. With the speed controller, the fans' RPM will range from 1500 to 3000, and have a decibel range from 16db to 33.5db.