Imagine you're looking for a name for a company that manufactures cooling systems, especially cooling systems for VGA cards. The simplest name you can find is "Card Cooler". "Card Cooler" has been manufacturing for quite some time now, fans and coolers for VGA cards, PC cases, PC cables and accessories. You can see their full product list on their web-site.

We are used to seeing innovative ideas and fancy designs with most cooling systems. Since most PC enthusiasts are looking to make an impression through the look of their PC case, new designs are always popping up on the market that offer fancy and full of effects PC components. However, there are some basic design rules that companies should follow when designing their new coolers and fans. In some circumstances, the simplest designs are often the most effective. This is where the Card Cooler XT comes to claim a place amongst the leaders in the cooler line up. Simple design, nice look, and above all, effective cooling.

- The fans

The first thing that we noticed when we saw the Card Cooler XT was "why others haven't thought of this earlier?". This cooling system consists of two 120mm fans rotating at high speed, screwed together within the blue frames that you can see in the picture below. Of course, you can unscrew the fans and use them as stand-alone for your PC case cooling needs.

Small wires come out from the centre of the fan and stretch to the four corners of the fan's frame. These wires make the fan light up blue when turned on. If you don't like the blue color, the Card Cooler also has red and a green cables available, or then there's the "Chameleon Fan" that uses a wider range of colors. You can see the complete list of fans here.

With the "Card Cooler" product line, there's a 4-pin to 3-pin power adapter. This adapter comes with the Card Cooler XT. As you can see below, the standard power cable is a 3-pin cable, but you can use the provided adapter to convert it into a 4-pin cable.

Unfortunately, there is no rotation speed controller, but you can get one from "The Card Cooler" for only $1.99.

The first Card Cooler XT that hit the market was the one shown below, with no fancy lights. Just the fans and the 3-pin to 4-pin power adapter. Then again, why not buy the light-up version of the Card Cooler XT, since the cost is the same?

- Features / Specifications

The Card Cooler XT blows 138 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of air when both fans are used. Most of you might be concerned about the noise levels. Card Cooler XT promises that it will not go above 35.5dB per fan. Note, that with two fans working together, the sound energy reaching your ears will double which is equivalent to an increase of 3dB. This means that the total noise level emitted will be 38.5dB from both fans. The fans rotate at 2400RPM, one of the fastest rotation speeds that you can find for a 120mm fan.

Here are the detailed specifications as provided by "The Card Cooler":