When I got this Cooler, (Being in the big box that it is) I was very ecstatic knowing that it will solve my cooling problems. Now to be honest, this wasn't the ONLY product I bought to reach my goal. I paired this with a Cooler Master CM690 case that includes a front fan and a back fan (+ 2 fans for the top) for max airflow.
My situation was that I had a Micro-ATX case with a Quad Core, an 8800 GT (The hot hot GPU), two HDD's and a tv tuner smacked right close to the Graphics Card. You can imagine what kind of MESS it made. My temps were 63C on 8800 GT and 50C on the Quad Core, Which is a Phenom 9500. Ambient temperatures were near the 50's and all of it - ON IDLE! My comp shuts off without notice when playing games that use both the CPU and the GPU semi intensive to Intensive.
Now on to the Cooler; this cooler is HUGE. Not too heavy, but it's definitely big. The cooler that I had (Stock), could fit 6 times in this baby. It's only an inch away from the side panel, where I was planning to attach another fan but the performance of this cooler really brings no need for this.
I will say that it's a bit tricky to install. For you AMD users, you'll have to remove the existing retention bracket and install the one that comes with it, and also a supporter at the back of the motherboard. One thing's for sure - READ THE MANUAL. One thing they don't tell you is that you have to flip the Motherboard upside down while the cooler is in place to fasten the back supporter. Definitely tricky to install. I took an example from 3D GAME MAN on his youtube. Definitely helps if you need visual explanation. To top it off they added a nice red LED light inside.
The Results;
Previous Setup w/o V8
CPU IDLE 52 C
CPU LOAD 65 C
GPU IDLE 60 C
GPU LOAD 75 C
New Setup With V8
CPU IDLE 32 C
CPU LOAD 40 C
GPU IDLE 55 C
GPU LOAD 63 C
Conclusion; So this is on a fairly decent setup. My Phenom is OC'd to 2.6 Ghz and the temp budges a few degrees but not much. This type of cooler doesn't quite live up to its potential on this type of CPU, but I can assure you that dropping your CPU temperature by 20 Degrees does wonders in the overall ambient temperatures. WONDERS I say! This is because there's a point where the 8800 GT's fan starts to make a lot of noise. This is when it exceeds 65C. If you manage to keep it below this temperature, it won't make a noise. This is another bonus when dropping the ambient temperature and i'm glad I waited till Amazon got this baby back in stock, it was worth the wait! Cooler Master V8 Nickel Plated Copper Base Aluminum Fins 8 Heatpipes Core i7 1366 CPU Cooler - (RR-UV8-XBU1-GP)
Pros: Well built, good mounting Hardware, included two thermo compounds. Works nicely, keeps i7 very cool with little noise. Fits in my Antec Mini p180 case with almost an inch to spare.
Cons: Bad instructions, Showed air flow to be opposite of what it really was (so I had choice of removing heatsink, or taking out fan and reversing it, cost me an hour, I recommend you test the air flow direction before installing if you can). Some of the screws go in clock wise, some counter clock wise, Instructions don't show this well, and threads go messed up trying to screw them in the normal way.
Bought this CPU cooler for a new build. It's sitting atop an Intel Core i7 920. With the CPU under load, core temps only reach into the low 40 celsius range. Cooler Master includes everything you need to bolt this guy on, whether you are Socket 775 or 1366.
Pros:
Keeps my i7 920 cool below 69 degrees C (realtemp.exe) under 100% load, Prime 95 stress test, 8 threads, maximum burn, 3 hours. Ambient temperature 78 F. The processor is overclocked to 3.41 ghz, stock voltages. I used Artic Silver 5, applied as per instructions on AS5 website, and a Cooler Master HAF 932. My mobo is an EVGA X58 the A1 variant, with Vista 64 SP1.
It looks good with the red led, and the "V8" logo. It is also very quiet even when the fan turned up to high.
Cons:
Frankly, I expected better cooling, reading the reviews here and on another site. But the problem with user reviews is you don't exactly know their test settings are, ie ambient temperature, case, motherboard, tim, and especially what "full load" or "load" means to them. And no, sorry, Crysis, Steam, and iTunes and an AIM client at the same time isn't full load (especially on the i7). You really need a synthetic like Prime 95 or Orthos to really burn it, for comparisons.
Of course this is my first i7, so I don't have any personal comparisons. But my E8400 ran much cooler 60 degrees max with the a TRUE and it was clocked at 3.8ghz. So maybe i7's just really run hot. Besides at 3.41 ghz I score a 40,000+ on 3dmark Vantage CPU score, which definitely must be a fluke since the top system globally is an i7 965 @ 4.4ghz with a cpu score of only 27,000+. But I've done it four times and I get the same score on average with standard deviation of less than 0.05%, so okay, I'll take it.
The installation was a bit tedious. It is probably best done with two people. And the screws on the stand-offs also needs to be turned counter-clockwise, something not exactly specified on the manual, which can be frustrating. Finally, the manual I received had the picture wrong. The unit has to be mounted with the V8 right side up with the case standing up, not upside down as shown, so the fan will blow from right to left, outside your case.
Other thoughts:
Cooler Master has the exact measurements on their website. So you can look at that if you're wondering if it will fit your case.
I am kinda wishing I had just bought another TRUE 120. But now I am saving for a Koolance liquid cooling system. I just want to beat 4.0 ghz, thats all. - V8 - Cooling - Computer Fans - Core I7'
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