The packaging of the Vanessa L-Type is nearly identical
to the S-Type, simply larger. Monstrously large
for the packaging of a CPU cooler! Many people could
mistake the box for a power supply unit, as it is
even larger than most power supply unit packages
as well. Once again, the packaging is designed to
easily draw attention while on a store shelf, with
the appealing Vanessa being the main theme. By opening
it, again I found every included component separated
and well supported inside a piece of plastic. The
packaging once again can protect the included items
even if its exterior is badly deformed.
The bundle that comes with the Vanessa L-Type is
very rich as well. First of all, you will receive
a long magnetic screwdriver, necessary for the installation
of the cooler. You will get four packs of nickel
plated retention brackets, for installation on every
currently available socket. The fan controller is
exactly the same I found in the Vanessa S-Type package,
and again it can be mounted either in a 3.5”
bay or a PCI slot. Funnily, the PCI bracket is not
painted this time. For help during the installation,
there is a very well illustrated and detailed installation
manual. Finally, there is a tube of Nano Blue thermal
grease, a good thermal material which I will use
myself later while testing the unit.
The Vanessa L-Type is very large for a CPU cooler.
It most certainly cannot fit inside any desktop
case or even small ATX cases. The design of the
Vanessa L-Type is different than of the S-Type,
there is only one massive heatpipe, starting from
the base of the unit and ending up to the top. The
34 large aluminum fins are welded on the heatpipe,
allowing them to draw the heat and dissipate it
to the air. All of the fins are cut to resemble
the shape of a butterfly and on the top of the cooler
there is a nice sticker, much like the S-Type. The
L-Type has its massive 12cm fan pre-attached on
it, which you don’t have to remove in order
to install the unit. The fan itself has a blue frame
and nickel plated fins, as seen on the S-Type. At
first glance you may mistake the fan for metallic,
but it is all plastic, simply very well painted.
The base of the unit is fairly smooth although not
like the S-Type which had a fantastic finish, but
it also is rather small for a good picture as well.
The mounting process of the Vanessa L-Type on a
socket 939 motherboard is fairly easy. First, you
have to remove the two screws of the stock retention
bracket. Then you place the correct retention plate
on the CPU and screw it in place with the two provided
long screws. Finally, after placing a good amount
of thermal compound on the CPU, you place the cooler
on the CPU and by using the provided long screwdriver
you screw it firmly on the retention plate. To do
that, you have to place the screwdriver inside the
holes on the top of the cooler, which are there
to provide access to the screws. On socket 478 and
775 motherboards the installation will be somewhat
harder, as you have to remove the motherboard from
the case. For socket 478 at least you won’t
have to remove the stock retention bracket, unlike
the S-Type, since the retention plate clips on it.
The installation on other sockets is not hard, again
it will just take you 15 more minutes.
