DriverHeaven.net: Coolermaster GeminII

Conclusions:

The GeminII has been in place now for a couple of weeks. It’s still doing a nice job of cooling the CPU. I did opt to get two 2100-RPM 120mm case fans for optimal cooling.

Notice that my original 120mm rear fan is back in place. Not much room left, that’s for sure!

In place with the side cover on.

With all the room the GeminII takes up, it’s something that the user needs to consider beforehand. If any maintenance is required, it could be rather difficult to get into the area. Exchanging and/or adding RAM modules or exchanging a PSU, among other things, is something to keep in mind.

Also, the two additional case fans will require their own power connections, so keep that in mind.

And, there’s one other concern I feel needs to be addressed: Is it possible that the added weight of a cooler this size could somehow crack the motherboard PCB? Well, an addition of the backplate is obviously meant to keep the load more evenly spread however with this Intel fitting you don't get a backplate! It does have some significant weight and, if one is not careful, a little too much stress on the unit when working in the area just might be the ticket to getting a new motherboard.

PROs:

It does a good job of cooling the CPU. In this test, reducing the CPU temperature by an average of 5C. With air-cooling, that’s a decent drop.
It has a very solid design. The copper heatsink, pipes and the aluminum fins are very important in providing the proper heat dissipation needed.

CONs:

The manual is very small and difficult to read and it has misinformation re: the ESSENTIAL NEED for the not-included 120mm fans. There’s nothing “optional” about them. You also need to budget these into the total cost.
The manual also does not include which direction the airflow should go and this information should be provided…along with the proper fans for the unit.
Takes up too much room. I really wouldn’t want to have to remove so many other things just to replace and/or add RAM modules. Other areas are nearly off-limits as long as the unit is in place and the motherboard is installed.

Where to Buy:

The GeminII is so new; it’s not even on the shelves yet. Many outlets should be seeing it available this month, according to CoolerMaster. So, price-wise, I can’t come up with anything from even the most reliable online outlets. All I can say is, we’ll keep you posted whenever prices start showing up. However, CoolerMaster lists many ‘Places to Buy’ on its website, so, that should be a good source to check if one is really interested. Start Here: Coolermaster Site.

Award:

Seeing that the GeminII does a good job of cooling the CPU…as well as the environment around the area… with those two 120mm fans, it does live up to the claims made by CoolerMaster. However, the manual is abysmally inadequate and even wrong in some very important areas. This needs to be addressed before the product does hit the general market. With that in mind, I give the GeminII the Shortlist Award. It could be much better if everything was right and even some basic 120mm fans were included. With the problems we mentioned, awarding the unit anything higher would be generous.

What do these awards mean?

UPDATE 20th MARCH 2007: The Cooler is now available for around $50 online