Introduction:

   In my world, there are more coolers than you can shake the proverbial stick at, but everyone is still trying to make something special. When Sytrin offered to let me check out their Kuformula with it's description of "Build your own cooler", I thought it might have broken the mold.

Specifications:

• High compatibilities for both NVIDIA and ATI video cards for AGP or PCI Express   

• Efficient dual heat pipe cooling design for upmost cooling performance  

• Free cooling building & upgrading        

• Customized multi-functional cross flow fan – compact & powerful (“VF1 Plus” version           

• Free speed controlling – 3 speed modes for E-Z set-up (“VF1 Plus” version)   

• Easy to upgrade for future new video card releases       

• Easy Installation

First impressions:

     When I see something that is called “Build your own cooler”, I have a few expectations. I don’t know about anyone else, but I was expecting a large degree of customization. Something that you could fit a specific application. Maybe something like being able to put heat pipes in different directions, changing the angle of the fins. SOMETHING, ANYTHING .

The goods

looks like a cooler

Mounting stuff

     Looking at the parts, and the directions, I was truthfully disappointed. Right from the start, I could see that it looked just like all the other coolers I’ve seen. The instructions where very simple, with the only variation being for the different brands of video cards (and then all that changes is which bracket you use).

    If I had to boil my first impressions of the “Build your own cooler” into one sentence it would be this. More like, “We just wanted to cover the fact that we couldn’t make easier mounting brackets”.

Install:

Parts

Step one

Step two

7800 Brackets

Mountings

Go here

     I’ve installed a lot of video cards, and a lot of coolers. There are many ways to attach VGA coolers. I have seen worse methods of attaching the actual heat sink but it is still not “great”. The heat sink itself has 2 slots for the different mounting brackets, which are attached with one screw each to the bottom of the copper plate. Then at the other end of each bracket, a screw fits into it. To keep that screw from falling out, a plastic “locking clip” holds it in place.

Step three

Step four

Other type of fan

Screwed down

fins

No shine here

   Those screws then fit into the holes on the video card, on the opposite side, a rubber washer slides in-between a nut with a spring. There is not any other method of attaching the heat sink at all, but at least it doesn’t take that long.

Tight fit

   With the heat sink attached, it now takes up almost exactly 2 slots, there is almost no room between it and any other PCI card in the slot 2 away from it.