ARCTIC Accelero Xtreme 7970 Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Arctic Accelero Xtreme 7970 Cooler3. Installing the Cooler (Part 1)4. Installing the Cooler (Part 2)5. Installing the Cooler (Part 3)6. ARCTIC Accelero Xtreme 7970 Cooler (Super High Res Gallery)7. Performance Testing8. Acoustics Performance9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

If you have just purchased a brand new HD7970 or HD7950 then this cooler will be particularly interesting. The ARCTIC Accelero Xtreme 7970 is an exceptional cooling solution, often running with a 20c lower overhead than the reference solution. It is worth bearing in mind that even if you own an older AMD graphics card such as the 6970, 6950, 6870, 6850, 6790, 5870, 5850 and 5830, then this cooler will work fine.

It is not just the cooling performance that is improved however, the noise emissions are significantly lower, especially when gaming. The Accelero Xtreme 7970 is unlikely to be heard at all inside an enthusiast chassis, unlike the reference AMD card, which is clearly audible when tasked. The three fans spin slowly, generating a high level of airflow with minimal noise emissions.

The build quality is up to the standard we would expect from ARCTIC, and the bundle is extensive. The only extras you need are a screwdriver, eraser and a lot of time. This leads me into the only real negative I can mention. The install procedure is lengthy and not ideal for an inexperienced user. It doesn't help that ARCTIC decided to make the lengthy install support literature available only online, which adds a little to the confusion.

If you are very inexperienced and have just bought a new video card, then we would be surprised if you would feel happy following the long drawn out install procedure, highlighted earlier in this review. This really is a shame, because the end result is fabulous and well worthy of the time involved. The purchasing decision will really fall down to the individual, anyone with confidence and experience won't have a problem following the fitting procedure.

Just be aware that once you start fitting the cooler, there will be at least a 6 hour time frame when you can't use the card. This is the minimum time for the install and then for the glue to completely dry. I would recommend a mid afternoon start, with the goal of using the system again in the morning.

It is a great cooler, and the design, and attention to detail is first class. It just might be a little complex for some people.

You can buy the ARCTIC Accelero Xtreme 7970 Cooler direct from ARCTIC over here for $97.95.

ARIA in the UK also stock ARCTIC products over here. No listing yet for the Accelero Xtreme 7970, but it might appear shortly.

Pros:

• Fantastic end result.
• Quiet.
• 20C+ cooler than reference cooling solution.
• Great build quality.

Cons:

• No instructions in the box.
• Quite expensive.
• Fairly length and complex install procedure.

Kitguru says: If you want the ultimate air cooling for your AMD graphics card, this is about as good as it gets.

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