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AVGS Ice Hole Fan Adapter


Date
: 11/26/01 – 01:58:32 AM

Author
:

Category
: Cooling

Page 1 : Introduction

Manufacturer: AVGS Technology
Price: $40

Introduction

It’s time for another cooling-related review here at Overclockers Online. Today, we’re about to have a look at what I like to call the most attractive fan adapter currently available, the Ice Hole from AVGS Technology. What exactly is a fan adapter and why would we want to use it? Well, the answer is simple. A fan adapter allows you to install a 80mm fan onto a 60mm heatsink. This can be very useful if you have a very loud 7k RPM fan running on your heatsink and you want to turn down the volume of that cooler. You can do this by just buying a new and less noisy 60mm fan, but such fans will decrease cooling performance dramatically because they don’t provide that much airflow. That’s why a better solution to the noise problem could be to install a 80mm – 60mm fan adapter, just like the Ice Hole, so you can mount your favorite 80mm fan onto that 60mm heatsink. It’ll run much more quiet and still give you the same airflow as the screaming 60mm fan. Great idea, isn’t it?

Now, don’t you think you’re wasting you time on one of those boring fan adapter reviews, because the Ice Hole just isn’t one of the average fan adapters! Always keep that in mind here folks. So what’s so special about it then? Well … Can I get your attention with features like fan speed control, clear and shiny plastic and LED lightning?

Getting curious now, are we? Alright, I’ll tell you more about the specifications of this beauty right after you click the link to the next page …

Page 2 : Specifications

Specifications

Here’s a copy/paste of the things I found on the AVGS Tech website :

-
Possible lowering CPU temperature
:
You may see the results of lowering CPU temperature with Ice Hole, depending on your fan and careful installation.

-
Lowering noise level
:
The allowance that you can use 80mm fan instead of high noise 60mm fan can provide you with much more air flow for better performance at a low noise level.

-
Fantastic lighting-up
:
Installation of Ice Hole can light up your computer system fantastically with three different colours of LED (Light Emitting Diode). You can choose one or any combinations amoung them.

-
Supplying connecting cables
:
Necessary 3-pin and 4-pin connecting cables are supplied. You don’t need to purchase these cables resulting in reduction of your expenses.

-
Easy control of your fan speed
:
You can control the fan speed as you like. Normal, Medium, Low and the speed between normal and medium, four different speeds.

-
P/N
: FA-IH6080

-
Colour
: Clear Plastic

-
Dimensions
: 102.20mm (D) x 86.30mm (W) x 14.50mm (H)

Detailed Specs

As you can see, the specs on this baby are quite impressive huh. Instead of just acting as a 60mm – 80mm adapter, the Ice Hole also increases the "Gotta-have-that-case" level if you have a window in the sidepanel of your case. That’s because the Ice Hole features blue, green and red LED lightning! That’s also the main reason why it is made out of clear plastic. All three light can be turned on or off independantly according to your wishes. All three of them can also be turned on at the same time, but I don’t really like that. But, that’s only a matter of opinion of course.

A second and stunning feature of this fan adapter is the ability to control the speed of the fan that is installed onto the heatsink. You can select one of the following settings : Normal, Medium, Low and Normal-Low. When you choose to use the "Normal" setting, the fan will run at the default voltage and RPM. As you lower the setting on the Ice Hole, the voltage will be lowered as well as the RPM and the noise level. I really don’t recommend the "Low" setting because it will cause a serious drop in the RPM of the fan resulting in a serious increase of CPU temperature because the heatsink can’t be cooled down enough!

So how do we adjust these settings? I mean, how do we set the colors and the speed of the Ice Hole? It’s very easy actually. There are 2 sets of DIP switches at the lower left and right side of the Ice Hole. The left DIP switches allow you to turn on each light (blue, red and green). The right set of DIP switches is used to adjust the fan speed we have been talking about earlier. So, you see, it’s not to hard to figure out at all heh! ;)

Measuring about 102mm x 86mm x 14mm, the AVGS Ice Hole is somewhat larger than most other fan adapters on the market. I certainly wouldn’t use it when you have a really small case or when you have very little free space inside your case and especially around the CPU. One last thing before we find out how hard it is to install the Ice Hole, is the fact that this fan adapter comes with the necessary cables to power it up with either a 3-pin connector or a molex connector.

Is this unique fan adapter easy to install and remove? And apart from the nice looks, does it also offer the same or even better cooling power than a louder 60mm fan? Eager to find out? Well, me too, so let’s move on to the next page …

Page 3 : Installation & Removal

Installing & Removing

I believe everyone knows how to install a fan adapter, no? Here’s how it goes … Remove the original 60mm fan from the heatsink you want to install the Ice Hole on. Then, screw the Ice Hole down on the heatsink by using the right screws and rubber parts. And finally, you can put any 80mm fan (with or without fan bracket) onto the heatsink and the Ice Hole. Some will find it easier to remove the heatsink from the CPU first before installing the Ice Hole, while others might think it’s better to leave the heatsink on the CPU … again, that’s a choice you have to make. I tried it both ways, and they both have their (dis)advantages!

The engineers who designed this fan adapter were no dummies at all! You can tell that from the fact that they have included a 3-pin connector on the Ice Hole to connect the 80mm fan directly instead of having to connect it on the motherboard. This means you only use one 3-pin connector on the motherboard to connect both the Ice Hole and the fan.

Removing the Ice Hole means reversing the steps I described above. That’s what it all comes down to and I think that speaks for itself.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Does the Ice Hole have any effect on the CPU temp?

Page 4 : Testing

Testing

Test System :

- AOpen HQ45 Case
- AMD Athlon 1.3GHz @ 1.3GHz (1.75v) – 71W
- Vantec CCK-6035 Heatsink
- IWill KK266R-plus Mainboard
- 256MB OCZ Performance Max SDRAM
- Hercules GeForce2 GTS Video card
- IBM 20GB UDMA100 7200rpm hard drive
- Windows XP Professional + VIA 4in1 4.35

As you can see on the little chart, the Vantec CCK-6035 heatsink we used in our setup doesn’t perform all that well without its high performance 7k RPM fan. Nevertheless, the Athlon 1.3GHz CPU kept running all the torturing tests flawless and the rig remained stable at all times. And here comes the best part, the 80mm fan from Thermaltake is a hell of a lot more quiet than that screaming 7k RPM fan. I must say the fan was running almost silently as soon as I lowered the voltage to the 80mm fan. Sadly enough, the CPU wasn’t stable anymore :(

Page 5 : Conclusion

Conclusion

Good

- Works on most heatsinks
- With any 80mm fan
- Easy installation process
- Fan speed control
- LED Lightning!
- Looks sweet

Bad

- It’s not exactly small
- You need a window mod if you want to enjoy the LEDs
- Cheaper fan adapters available

The AVGS Ice Hole is one hell of a ‘device’ and it’s definately the best way to lighten up that boring CPU cooler you’re using now. If you combine the nice clear plastic material with the sexy LED lightning kit and the fan speed controller, you get the best 80mm – 60mm fan adapter in the world. The speed controller enables you to choose your desired fan speed and noise level while the LEDs really light up the inside of your case. One bad thing is that you will need a window case mod if you want to enjoy the lights when your case is closed. But I already mentioned that before, didn’t I. The main conclusion is … If you’re looking for the "cheapest" fan adapter, I guess your quest has to continue after you finished this review, BUT if you’re searching for the "coolest" fan adapter in town, there’s only one way to go, and that’s the Ice Hole way!