VIZO Voyager Hard Drive Cooler

 

It is an understatement that performance computer hardware gets a little warm. Even with the best cooling on your CPU, motherboard, and video card, there are still components which may suffer from thermal breakdown. Despite advances in design and architecture of computer cases, the hard disk drive still manages to show a weakness in passive cooling. This is why supplimental cooling solutions will prove invaluable to preserving performance and stability. The VIZO Voyager is a just what high-performance hard drives need to sustain high output and maintain stability.

 

Introduction

It is an understatement that performance computer hardware gets a little warm.  Even with the best cooling on your CPU, motherboard, and video card, there are still components which may suffer from thermal breakdown.  Despite advances in design and architecture of computer cases, the hard disk drive still manages to show a weakness in passive cooling.  This is why supplimental cooling solutions will prove invaluable to preserving performance and stability.  The VIZO Voyager is a just what high-performance hard drives need to sustain high output and maintain stability.

VIZO Voyager

I certainly realize that not everyone runs a high-performance computer, and even those who do aren’t necessarily concerned about their hard drive.  Well, they should be.  Anyone who know what they are talking about will tell you that the hard drive is the single most important component which determines a systems performance, because after all it is the slowest link in data transfer.  Computer enthusiasts and gamers already know this, and the market has responded with high RPM hard drives which generate tremendous amounts of heat.

Attractive packaging

Hard drives are running faster and hotter, and cooling them has become a concern for many users. VIZO VOYAGER is a dual fan HDD cooler which is focused on providing HDD thermal solution to dissipate the heat more effectively and make your system work with excellent performance. VOYAGER looks like a spacecraft which can give you cool and fabulous feeling and make your computer have a gorgeous look. It is a cool stuff not only to protect your hard disk but also decorate your PC.

FEATURES

• For 3.5” HDD
• Dual fans provide the maximum airflow & air pressure
• Low dBA level
• Easy to install
• Reduce hard disk drive temperature
• Extend hard disk drive lifetime
• Vogue design to decorate your PC

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 115 x 102 x 21 mm
• DC Fan Dimensions: 50 x 50 x 10 ( 2 PCS )
• Bearing Type: Sleeve Bearing
• Speed : 4000 RPM
• Noise Level: 23.19 dBA
• Max Air Flow: 9.21(Min:7.54 )CFM
• Rated Voltage: DC 12 V
• Rated Current: 00.13 (Max:0.14 ) A x 2
• Compatibility: 3.5″ Bay
• Weight:110 g

PACKAGE INCLUDES

VIZO Voyager HDD cooler
Screw Package

About the company: VIZO Technology Corporation

VIZO Technology Corp. is a leading global manufacturer and designer of computer peripheral products serving customers around the world. We own the best team and complete innovation technology. Utilizing experiences for many years and sufficient mature skills, VIZO insists in developing value added, ideal based, zeal catered and optimum designed products for customers to meet mainstream demands. That’s why we are named VIZO.

VIZO provides the PC users a variety of PC DIY products and peripherals, including hard drive external enclosure, multimedia storage, front panel, mouse, PC fan, system cooling, cold cathode light, crystal neon light, card reader , USB hub, PC accessory and so on; Meanwhile, VIZO produces special effect products which can make your PC more stylish and unique.

VIZO’s vision is to make customers enjoy the high quality PC stuff all the time. To carry out it, VIZO aims at non-stop improvement, continuous innovation, excellent design, firm development and quality-improving technology and keeps putting all our effort in research and development. For high product quality, VIZO insists in the strict quality control process and owns highly recommended global product approval.

Installation

Installing the VIZO Voyager is a simple matter of screwing it onto the underside of your hard drive.  That’s the easy part.  The challenge is getting your hard drive to fit back into the drive bay with the increased drive height.  In my Ultra Aluminus, I have aluminum hard drive trays which allow for quick removal of the drive.  Unfortunately, in their stock form they would not accept anything more then the standard 3.5″ drive.  But with a little modification, I clipped the sides just as shown in the image below, the VIZO Voyager worked like a charm.

Cut the tray to allow the hard drive cooler to work on the Ultra Aluminus

Not every case will have removable hard drive trays, and for those cases which use a permanent drive rack your installation is very straight forward.  Simply screw the VIZO Voyager onto the bottom of the hard drive as indicated below, and reattach to the hard drive rack.

Mounted on hard drive

VIZO did some homework when the designed the Voyager.  The dual 50mm fans are spaced far enough apart to cool both the spindle and the servo motor, as well as the circuit board components.  This will prove a critical asset to heavy data throughput applications.

 

Dual 50mm cooling fans

Results

As expected, the VIZO Voyager performed much better then with case cooling alone.  Measured at identical ambient temperatures across the board, the VIZO Voyager delivered an average 4-7° C improvement as measured by EVEREST Ultimate Edition v3.50.761.  While no real throughput performance gains could be realized, it seems basic to me that lower temperatures would improve the threshold and prolong component life.  During my testing I found the Voyager to be as silent or better then the nearby 120mm cooling fans; no small fan noise could be heard.

In conclusion, I can recommend the VIZO Voyager to anyone and everyone.  Both the enthusiast crowd and the general consumer will benefit from this product.  While gamers and hardware enthusiasts will be most interested in performance gains, the average user will benefit from the extended lifespan of their equipment.  Furthermore, VIZO has designed and delivered a hard drive cooler that offers superior active and passive cooling performance well beyond the needs of the average consumer, as well as an attractive appearance with enough flare to impress the hardware enthusiast and gamer.

At the time of this writing, VIZO has just started to release this product to online merchants.  A Google search discovered very few resources on this product.

 

Pros:

+  Very well designed and constructed
+  Excellent cooling performance
+  Incredible attention to detail
+  Two quiet 50mm cooling fans included
+  Extremely durable all-aluminum construction
+  Attractive and fashionable design

 

Cons:

–  May not fit all hard drive racks
–  Removable hard drive trays may require modification

Final Score:

I have scored the VIZO Voyager with an 8.5 out of 10 and the Bjorn3d.com Seal of Approval.

Special Thank-you:

This review would not be possible if it weren’t for manufacturers like VIZO Technology Corporation, who are willing to stick their neck out there and have a picky hardware analysts like me dissect their products.  I am grateful, and certainly appreciate the opportunity.