Gigabyte 3D Rocket II

Introduction

The Thermaltake MaxOrb did extremely well in our last heatsink article, and we've now got through some fourteen heatsinks with yet more to come. Gigabyte may be well known for motherboards and then graphics cards and cases, but as a thermal solution provider I can’t say I’ve ever heard anyone outright recommend a Gigabyte heatsink to date. That’s not like it hasn’t done extremely cool things with heatpipes on motherboards, like the DQ6 series, or passively cooled graphics cards that include the Silent Pipe (III) technology. But the truth is, there's some incredibly stiff competition from renowned cooling giants...has Gigabyte finally made something that can match them?

Gigabyte 3d Rocket II

CPU Socket Support: AMD AM2 / 940 / 939 / 754, Intel LGA775 / 478
Weight (with fan): 640g
Size: 112mm x 112mm x 175mm

Manufacturer Website: Gigabyte
UK Price (as Reviewed): £24.71
US Price (as Reviewed): $48.60

Box and Contents

The Gigabyte box is far smaller than those of the Thermaltake coolers, however it's far more flimsy with only the back half getting any cardboard support. The first box we got in the post had one of the top corners completely crushed in and literally looked like it had been dropped off a building. We accept that the postal service likes it a little rough, and it's started to become a test of its own - as we get products via post, we can quickly tell which is built to survive and which isn’t. Unfortunately, the Gigabyte packaging falls in the latter category.


That doesn’t mean to say it arrived damaged though – it’s solidly built and still worked just fine, but it’s all about first looks and if the presentation as you take it out the parcel is less than stellar, you'll immediately worry whether your £25/$50 has survived.


In the box you get a fair bit of kit, including all the necessary hold down equipment for LGA775, older socket 478 and all of the AMD sockets back to 754. There’s even a small tube of “proper” thermal paste included, not just your generic silicone variety...a nearly unheard of addition. Gigabyte also includes an extra three rings (the fourth is already in the cooler) that you can interchange to provide a different luminescent effect around the fan.


Finally, there’s the simple fan controller which may just use an uncomplicated rheostat, but that lack of "sophistication" can be just what you need. The simple design means it’s easily reversible to use on an included PCI bracket, in case you want something more discrete. However that’s not saying the 3.5” bay adapter is in any way garish...in fact, the grey should fit most silver or black cases and the graphics used on the front actually look well presented.