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| Vantec Vortex Hard Drive Cooler Review |
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| Thursday, 30 August 2007 | |
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Page 3 of 6 Packaging And Components The packaging on this cooler, as with most accessories, is extremely limited. A single layer of cardboard provides the outer armor. The dimensions of the box are only slightly greater than that of the cooler. This slight size difference allows room for the only other packaging element. A single layer of bubble wrap adds the only cushioning from any shipping blows. This is not enough to protect against all damage. Of the four coolers we received, one of the coolers has a cracked corner of the faceplate. Bubble wrap usually does the job, but it is not the best solution when multiple blows from shipping are factored in. 
Other than the limited protection of the packaging, the external appearance is informative. A picture of the cooler itself adorns the front, along with a bulleted list of major reasons for purchasing the cooler. The top and bottom have tidbits of knowledge to help the user understand why having a cooler is beneficial. The right side shows the available color options, and the left simply has a mascot. The back has non-hyped features and specifications as well as a diagram with labeling. When a company does not use vague and inflated verbiage, it usually indicates that the product's performance will speak for itself. Let us hope that this is the case with the Vantec Vortex.       Opening the box reveals the bubble wrapped cooler. An unsealed flap flips up, allowing the cooler to come out. At first glance, the cooler appears to be well made. The choice of material and the thicknesses used are excellent. All of the machined grooves and edges are accurate and clean. Upon further inspection, the plastic covering the front panel is fragile. It tends to fracture, rather than bend. This material property is probably the main culprit in the cracked corner that resulted from shipping. However, it is more than strong enough to suffice, provided nothing out of the ordinary happens.               The faceplate consists of two parts: a hinged door with a filter pad on it, and the control user interface (the power button and LED PCB). The ease of opening and closing the filter door is definitely a plus when trying to clean a computer system. There is also enough room to fit a vacuum nozzle, allowing efficient removal of dust without breaking a sweat. Many other coolers get to a point where they need to be liquid cleaned because of difficulty accessing main congestion areas. This cooler will stay unclogged far longer than others will.     To the right of the dust cover, we find the user control interface, which provides a decent amount of information. The label for the only button has three fans, differentiated in size to indicate speed, and two temperature display options, Celsius or Fahrenheit. The LED PCB consists of high, low, and off settings and a two-digit digital display indicating temperature with a corresponding setting indicator (C° or F°). The unit's case incorporates surface-area expansion grooves, which are becoming an industry standard in hard drive cooling technology. On either side of the unit, there are standard 5 ½" mounting holes, which are tapped with precision. The retention screws for the case lid are of similar quality. They are located on the outside of the mounting holes. The Vantec logo is engraved on the top right of the case, but it seems like futile marketing when you consider that it will never be seen after installation.       The first feature that stands out once the cover slides back is the contrasting light blue rubber drive mounts. These rubber mounts provide both sound and vibration dampening, protecting the drive from shock and making it quieter. Toward the front of the cooler, Vantec places a cross-flow fan for air circulation. Cross-flow fans provide a broad, even, and consistent distribution of air over the surface of the drive. In comparison, normal fans generally produce turbulent, sporadically focused, and inconsistent airflow. The central hub of the unit is a standard PCB with connectors for the fan, thermometer, Molex connector, and LEDs. The power connector and the temperature sensor run along the left side, away from the hub. The wiring is nicely zip-tied out of the box, which is not often included. The layout of the Vantec Vortex is distinctly innovative.               There is an accessory bag inside the hard drive area, holding two extra filters, two pieces of clear thermometer tape, and three sets of screws. Two extra filters are extremely convenient down the road, when most filters are beyond cleaning. The extra thermometer tape, which is used for sealing the thermometer directly to the drives' surface, will provide a more accurate reading by protecting the thermometer from direct air exposure. Two of the screw sets are different hard drive thread standards, and the final set is for securing the cooler in a case.     Included with the accessory bag is a standard manual. The manual uses pictures and diagrams to explain most of the process. The manual is easy to read and the instructions are easy to follow. The average user should have no trouble with implementing the five-step installation process.          |