Thermolab Bada 2010 Review

Thermolab Bada 2010 Review

Manufacturer: Thermolab
UK Price (as reviewed): £30.62 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): Not Available

The Thermolab’s Bada 2010 is undoubtedly one of the cutest coolers that we’ve seen. It measures just 135mm high and 115mm wide, so it will probably fit in all but the tiniest of cases. It also has just three 6mm heatpipes and a 92mm PWM-controlled fan.

Not surprisingly, the heatsink array is quite dense in order to shift enough heat to cool the CPU sufficiently. The fan is already fitted to the heatsink, and is held firmly in place using rubber clips. Meanwhile, the contact plate is a well-machined affair, with the heatpipes making direct contact with the CPU heatspreader. There are no large gaps between the contact plate and heatpipes either; just a clean flat surface ready for your thermal paste.


Installing the Bada 2010 was incredibly easy in both our test systems. Four odd-looking plates secure to each corner of the contact plate. A single backplate, compatible with LGA775, LGA1155, LGA1156 and LGA1366, as well as Socket AM2 and AM3, provides support for four long screws that hold the cooler in place.

It’s then a simple case of tightening four thumbscrews that apply pressure to the plates attached to the cooler itself. Amazingly, these are universal, with some clever geometry employed by Thermolab to make them fit various motherboards. Thankfully, this also means that there’s a minimum of parts with which to contend, and the Bada 2010 can be installed so that its fan exhausts towards the rear of the case on both Intel and AMD motherboards.


Specifications

• Compatibility Intel: LGA775, LGA1156, LGA1366. AMD: Socket AM2, AM2+, AM3
  
• Weight 521g
  
• Size (mm) 115 x 95 x 135 (W x D x H)
  
• Fan 1x 92mm, PWM control, 1,000 -2,100rpm
  
• Stated Noise 16dBA to 27.1dBA