Gelid GX-7 Review

Gelid GX-7 Review

Manufacturer: Gelid
UK Price (as reviewed): £37.56 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $64.99 (ex TAX)

Gelid splits its product line-up into two distinct segments - silent and gamer. The much-loved and awarded-showered Tranquillo is a member of the silent group of products, a billing it very much lives up to.

The GX-7 on the other hand carries the gaming tag and as a result, has been designed to offer more cooling punch and fancier looks. It's more in your face than the Tranquillo with its engine block-inspired plastic top fascia and bright blue Wings 12 fan. It packs more cooling hardware too, with seven 6mm heatpipes connecting the contact plate to the fin stack.

This is impressive in a cooler that isn't much larger than the Tranquillo, which only uses four heatpipes. Interestingly, Gelid points out that fitting seven heatpipes to a cooler isn't usually all that beneficial, as it's difficult to transmit heat from the CPU to all seven heatpipes evenly - seven heatpipes laid side by side are wider than a CPU, meaning that the two pipes on the end barely pick up any heat.

Gelid has sidestepped this problem by arranging the heatpipes - as they pass through the contact plate - in a stack with five at the bottom and two on the top. This, Gelid claims, allows for more even heat transfer and better cooling.


The GX-7 uses the same mounting bracket as the new revision of the Tranquillo, which means that it's easy to install. It also means that AMD fans have the option to mount the cooler in whichever orientation they want, which isn't the case with the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced or the Akasa Venom Voodoo.

Specifications

• Compatibility Intel: LGA775, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, AMD: Socket AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1
  
• Weight 720g
  
• Size (mm) 120mm x 65mm x 159mm (W x D x H) (heatsink)
  
• Fan 1x 120mm
  
• Stated Noise 10dBA - 26.8dBA