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Say the name Cooler Master to any PC enthusiast and they'll immediately conjure up images of computer cases. Building on the success of the once popular WaveMaster chassis, Cooler Master followed up with offerings such as the Praetorian 730, basically a modernized WaveMaster, and the CM Stacker 830, a case sporting more fans than a Guns N' Roses comeback tour. But true to their name, these self proclaimed masters of cooling carry a full lineup of chilly accessories, and come this March, they can add high end GPU cooling to their ranks in what they're dubbing the CoolViva Pro. Pull up a chair as we dissect this cooler and install it on the hottest videocard we could get our hands on.
| Overall Dimensions |
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| Heatsink Material |
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| Heatsink Dimensions |
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| Weight |
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| Fan Dimensions |
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| Bearing Type |
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| Fan Speed |
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| Noise |
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| Memory Heatsinks |
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| Mem. Heatsink Dimensions |
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| ATI Compatibility |
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| NVIDIA Compatibility |
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Diving into the package, we get a fairly straightforward installation guide printed in several languages (which was actually somewhat distracting the way it was laid out), two metal clips for compatibility with certain nVidia videocards, insulating foam for GPUs without an existing frame, insulating washers, spring nuts (no, they're not edible, and speaking from experience, they don't taste very good either), four studs (five, if you count this reviewer performing the installation), a porous PCI bracket, molex power adapter, a tube of thermal paste, and eight aluminum memory sinks masquerading as copper parts with adhesive backing.
The CoolViva Pro strikes a faint resemblance to the Accelero line of coolers, but differs with a curved shroud that should help dispel hot air towards a PCI bracket and out of the case. This of course means that you'll need a free slot next to your videocard to accommodate the CoolViva Pro, a characteristic shared with nearly all third party GPU coolers.
A custom 2 ball bearing 74mm fan provides active air flow, drawing power from your videocard's 3 or 4-pin connector. Alternately, you can use the included molex adapter to plug the unit directly into your power supply.
The giant heatsink is what ultimately makes this a two slot cooling solution. Composed of aluminum fins, Cooler Master claims the "Fluid Mechanics Shape Design decreases air turbulence and noise." Hey folks, that's why marketing gurus get paid the big bucks! Towards the bottom of the funky shaped heatsink sits a copper base for making contact with the GPU. We'll get to installation in a bit, but be absolutely certain you've removed the protective plastic film before attaching the CoolViva Pro to your videocard.
As any poet will tell you, a true vixen's real beauty lay not on the surface, but what's underneath. And while we think Lord Byron and William Blake would have found poetic inspiration in the likes of Pamela Anderson (shame on you if you only recognized one of those names), we have to agree that no amount of surface aesthetics can mask a horrid interior. Inside the CoolViva Pro's giant aluminum heatsink rest three sultry heatpipes, which if this translates into stellar thermal performance, will have us singing our own sonnets of praise.
We chose to install the CoolViva Pro on our XFX 7800GTX (PV-T70F-UND7). Pre-overclocked from the factory to 490MHz (GPU) and 1300MHz (memory), this was the fastest 7800GTX in XFX's lineup and a healthy boost over the 430MHz/1200MHz reference specification. So it's not surprising that our 110mm G70 GPU always had a penchant for running a bit hot, and lately has been ramping up to the point of artifacting and forcing system reboots.
Having removed the single slot stock cooling solution, our first order of business is to clean the GPU and memory chips from any thermal goo or leftover residue. Just as we do with our processors, we recommend a combination of cotton Q-tips and isopropyl rubbing alcohol, preferably over a 90% concentration, which should evaporate very quickly.
Once you've thoroughly cleaned off the chips, go over them one final time with a dry Q-tip to ensure they're completely clean and dry. Also take this opportunity to rid the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) of any dust buildup, whether with another cotton swab or compressed air. If any dust settles back onto the chips, you'll want to quickly re-clean them before proceeding.
Cooler Master provides eight aluminum memory heatsinks with adhesive backing for your videocard's RAM. Install these on each chip (including the back of the card if necessary), except for directly above the GPU. Because of the CoolViva Pro's orientation, you cannot fit a memory sink above the GPU. This is unfortunate, as the chip(s) must be left bare and rely on your case's natural air flow for cooling. Once you've installed the memory sinks, be careful not to jar them when handling your videocard, as they easily become dislodged before forming a tight bond.
At this point, install the four metal studs in the CoolViva Pro's base, making sure to match up the holes with how they're lined up on your videocard. For certain cards (Geforce 6200 and 6600 series minus the AGP versions, 7600 series, and the 7900 series), you'll need to utilize the included clips.
Remember that plastic film discussed earlier? Remove it now and apply a thin layer of thermal paste. Cooler Master provides a tube of their own goop, though we opted to bust out our stash of Arctic Silver 5 and used that instead. Your choice of compound won't matter so much as will a correct application, but we chose the Arctic Silver to mimic what most enthusiasts are likely to find themselves using, including most of us on the HardwareLogic staff with our personal systems.
After you've applied a thin layer of compound, line up your videocard's mounting holes to the studs on the CoolViva Pro's base. It took a bit of finagling during this part of the installation process, as the card was reluctant to go down far enough to make contact between the GPU and copper base, but we eventually coaxed it into place. Apply the included insulating washers to each hole, and then screw down the four corners using the bundled spring nuts. We recommend alternating corners, such as top left then lower right and so own.
With the cooler installed, the last step is to plug in the attached power cable to provide juice to the fan. The cable comes with both 3 and 4-pin connectors, or you can use the molex adapter to plug it into your power supply. Our only gripe here is we wish the cable was placed in a way that we could route it without having it sit against the RAM sinks, which will get pretty warm during an intense frag fest.
After shedding our stock cooling unit and installing the CoolViva Pro, we anxiously threw it in our testbed to see how it'd perform. We then ran through Futuremark's 3dMark06 gaming benchmark to put a load on the GPU, and played through the De_Dust map on Counter Strike Source. We chose this game and map because on several occasions as of late, our 7800GTX with stock cooling took to displaying some nasty artifacts, as well as reaching the 115C threshold we've set in the control panel and subsequently ramping down the clockspeed. The cooling problems we've been having with our 7800GTX are in large part due to dust buildup under the heatsink, so we also reran the same tests after blowing out the dust bunnies and applying a fresh coat of thermal paste to the stock cooler.
Testbed
| Processor | AMD 4400+ X2 |
| Motherboard | MSI K8N Diamond Plus |
| RAM | 2GB (2x1GB) Crucial Ballistix Tracers PC4000 |
| Videocard | XFX 7800GTX 256MB (PV-T70F-UND7) |
| Power Supply | OCZ 600w Powerstream |
| Temperatures | Stock Cooler w/ Dust Buildup | Stock Cooler After Cleaning | CoolViva Pro | Difference |
| Idle | 65C | 53C | 45C | -8C |
| 3DMark06 | 107C | 81C | 68C | -13C |
| Counter Srike Source | 115C+ | 84C | 76C | -8C |
Noise & Comments
Yikes! Let this be a lesson to anyone that underestimates the real world effects a dusty PC can have when it comes to thermal management. With a quick shot of compressed air and a fresh application of Arctic Silver 5, we were able to see a temperature difference of up to 31C under load.
That's all fine and dandy, but what does the CoolViva Pro bring to the table over what a little house cleaning can accomplish? The answer, as shown above, is an impressive 8C drop at idle and when gaming, and our testbed's 7800GTX ran as much as 13C cooler during a 3DMark06 run. That's enough to elicit a 'W00t', especially when considering that the CoolViva Pro runs extremely quiet.
That's all fine and dandy, but what does the CoolViva Pro bring to the table over what a little house cleaning can accomplish? The answer, as shown above, is an impressive 8C drop at idle and when gaming, and our testbed's 7800GTX ran as much as 13C cooler during a 3DMark06 run. That's enough to elicit a 'W00t', especially when considering that the CoolViva Pro runs extremely quiet.
Section | Score | Comments |
| Thermal Performance | 18/20 |
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| Installation | 16/20 |
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| Accoustics | 20/20 |
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| Price / Value | 18/20 |
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| Warranty & Support | 19/20 |
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Our Recommendation
The CoolViva Pro, while not without faults, didn't fail to impress us. Using our factory overclocked XFX 7800GTX (490MHz / 1300MHz), we saw a drop of up to 13C during our 3DMark06 run, and it never ran less than 8C cooler, whether at idle or when shooting bad guys in Counter Strike Source. Equally impressive is that these temperature drops didn't come at the expense of noise, as we nary heard a peep from the 74mm fan.We do have a few minor gripes, all of which relate to the installation process. The metal studs that attach the heatsink to your videocard's PCB takes some maneuvering, and if you over tighten the spring nuts, you can actually break the stud. Under tighten and you're in danger of making less than optimal contact, resulting in ordinary thermal performance. We also take some exception with how easy the memory heatsinks become dislodged, and we have concerns over any memory chips that sit directly above the GPU, as you'll have to leave them naked in order to fit the cooler.
When all was said and done, our issues didn't detract from our overall experience with Cooler Master's latest GPU cooler. The CoolViva Pro earns its moniker with stellar thermal performance, runs quiet, and is relatively easy to install. Of course, DX10 is right around the corner and this cooler isn't meant for next gen cards. But rest assured, if you have a compatible videocard in need of a kick in it's thermal pants, the Cooler Master CoolViva Pro will put a cold boot right up its...PCB!