The Blue Orb II, as with the previous Golden Orb II we had reviewed in the past, does not use heat-pipe technology, or any advanced cooling system. It is simple, made from godd materials and with a huge fan.

The copper base and the 140 aluminium fins, seem to be much more effective than the stock cooler. The temperature at the beginning of our measurement was 35°C with the stock cooler from AMD while with the Blue Orb II, 3 degrees lower at 32°C. At full load, the difference in temperature was more dramatic. 52 °C for the AMD cooler and 45 °C for the Blue Orb II. You needn't worry if you want to overclock your AMD since with such a performance, your processor will be running much cooler.

This is not the only good thing with the Blue Orb II. Most times, a cooler with a fan running at high speeds can do a great job, but the rotation speed of the Thermaltake cooling system is half that of the stock cooler, at only 1620~1650rpm. Low rotation speeds usually means low noise levels. The Blue Orb II is extremely silent and you don't have to worry about noises eminating from your case.

Up and working...

Installation of the Blue Orb II is still a minor issue in comparison to some other coolers we have tried. Fortunately, Thermaltake includes in the package everything you'll need, even thermal compound. However, in the case of the Intel 775 socket as well as in most AMD's platforms, you'll have to remove the motherboard from the PC case in order to attach either the two mounting brackets in the case of the 775 socket, or the different plastic plate in the case of AMD.

The Blue Orb II will enhance the look of your PC case, especially if it has a side window. The blue light is more than visible and the volume of the cooler rather noticable.

At the time of this review, the price for the Blue Orb II was US$34.

Pros:
- Very low noise levels (17dBA)
- Good thermal reduction

Cons:
- Installation

Performance:
Features/Design:
Installation:
Value for money: