Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler Review

Performance Analysis

Before tackling the Tranquillo’s thermal performance, it’s important we mention just how quiet this cooler is. Throughout our testing the fan’s inbuilt PWM sensor judged that it should keep the cooling fan at its lowest 750 rpm setting (since it's measuring air temperature around the fan), with the result that the Tranquillo made almost no noise at all. We had to place our ears literally in the case itself in order to hear anything! In this sense the Tranquillo more than lives up to its name.

Surprisingly, virtual silence didn’t come at the cost of thermal performance either – at least not on every socket. Using our overclocked LGA1156 test system, the Tranquillo posted a very reasonable load delta T of 40°C – just 2°C more than the Titan Fenrir at its low fan speed setting. On our AMD Socket AM2+ test rig, the Tranquillo again did well, this time coming within 1°C of the Fenrir with a delta T of 38°C, and delivering an impressively low idle delta T of 16°C too.

It’s great to find that the Tranquillo also delivers surprisingly capable LGA1366 cooling for a cooler that not only costs just over £20, but remains very quiet while doing so. A load delta T of 55°C is just 4°C more than the Titan Fenrir with its voltage step down cable fitted, a great result considering the Tranquillo is so quiet even with its fan at full speed. Setting your system to PWM fan control would see the fan run even quieter, although obviously at the cost of some performance.

Value and Final Thoughts

While ice-cold cooling for LGA1366 is somewhat lacking, the Tranquillo is still pretty good at cooling LGA1366, LGA1156 and AMD CPUs. Depending on the CPU used, it was only 1-4°C off the temperatures of the Titan Fenrir at its low fan speed. Furthermore, the Tranquillo is keenly priced at a little over £20, a healthy £5-15 cheaper than much of the premium cooler competition..

The big competition for any aftermarket cooler is still the Titan Fenrir, which has the added advantage of being able to ramp up its cooling dramatically if you fancy a spot of heavy overclocking or can handle the noise. However, the Tranquillo really isn’t far off the cooling power of the Fenrir in its everyday, low fan speed mode – only a degree or two at most on LGA1156 and AMD systems. It's over £10 cheaper too, and is quieter.

We also feel that with a few modifications, Gelid could make the Tranquillo match the cooling power of the Fenrir. The heatsink element is extremely capable, but the fan is biased toward quietness rather than cooling. With a more powerful fan, Gelid could easily launch an extreme version of the Tranquillo, sacrificing some quietness for a bit of extra cooling.

Perhaps such a product will exist in the future, but as it stands, the Tranquillo is still well worth a look, especially if your goal is low noise cooling for your Intel or AMD PC without sacrificing much on cooling. While for maximum cooling ability, the Fenrir is still the cooler king, the Tranqullio is a great purchase for quiet and cool LGA 1366, LGA1156 and AMD PCs.

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• 9/10

• Ease of Use
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• 7/10

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• 9/10

Score Guide