[REVIEW] Spire Gemini CPU cooler, Mini review

Since there are not much review about this product on the web, I would like to contribute a little review about Spire Gemini. This is my first time doing hardware review so do guide/correct me if there is any mistake.

Just bought this cooler few months ago from lingloong here. I think he is the only seller who selling Spire in Malaysia. He is doing stock clearance at RM149 for this model.


UNBOXING
first component taken out from the box, the spire fan 600-1700rpm.
can check out the specification here
this is PWM controlled fans. and the good thing about this fan, u can see there are 4 rubber at the corner of the fan
the rubber is to reduce the vibration when attached with the heatsink


the accessories, comes with intel/AMD bracket, screws, spire thermal paste, and 4x fan clips


the list of socket supported :
Intel Core 2 Duo (775 Dual-core)
Intel Core 2 Extreme (775 Dual-core)
Intel Core 2 Quad (775 Quad-core)
Intel Core Duo (775 Dual-core)
Intel Core i3
Intel Core i5
Intel Core i7 Cooler
Intel LGA 2011
Intel LGA775 (Prescott)
AMD Athlon 64 FX-74 (K8)
AMD Athlon II (AM3)
AMD Athlon X2 (AM2/AM2+)
AMD FM1 (AMD Radeon HD 6530D)
AMD Phenom (AM2/AM2+)

shinning surface and good looking heatsink, dimpled top surface increase the rate of heat transfer as well


copper base plate with 6x 6mm heat pipes


it also comes with 4x insulating paster, u need to stick it on the screw to prevent short circuit between the backplate and the PCB of your motherboard


come to the installation part, this is the hardest thing to do.
previously i'm using Cooler Master V6GT and the screwing mechanism was easy compare to this one
the screw is very hard to fit in. it tooks me quite a long time to fit it the screw


here come the ram clearance issue, u have to sacrifice the first slot if u are using high profile RAM


okay everything settle! ready to test!


BENCHMARKING
Spec :
intel i5 2500k OC
ASUS P8Z77-M LGA1155
GSkill Ripjaws X DDR3 1600Mhz 4GB x2
MSI GTX660 Twin Frozr III 2GB DDR5
Corsair TX650M 80+ Bronze
Corsair Carbide 400R
Crucial M4 64GB
WD Caviar Blue 500GB



IDLE = Only a few monitoring program running
FULL = Prime95 Blend Test
Room environment with ceiling fan only

On Stock Clock 3.4Ghz ( IDLE ) MIN : 33°C MAX : 44°C
[attachmentid=3265582]

On Stock Clock 3.4Ghz ( FULL ) MAX : 53°C
[attachmentid=3265581]

Overclocked 4.5Ghz ( FULL ) MAX : 74°C
[attachmentid=3265587]

CONCLUSION
Unfortunately, i don't have the previous result of CM V6GT. But i roughly remember the value, i can say V6GT win Spire Gemini around 3-4°C. V6GT equipped with 2x 2000rpm fans which will lead to uncomfortable noise during full load. and the spire fans only give out 25dBa noise which is almost as silent as Bitfenix spectre LED fan. If anyone willing to lend me their CM Hyper 212 EVO, i will do a comparison with that since most of the people said that Hyper 212 EVO is the best bang for buck cooler around RM100. Bare in mind that Hyper 212 EVO only comes with 1 PWM fan but Spire Gemini comes with 2 PWM fans. With a clearance price of RM149, this CPU cooler is a very good steal IMO.

SUMMARY
PROS :
- 2 PWM fans
- Good looking ( at least for me )
- Tempting price
- Low noise level

CONS :
- 2 to 1 PWM adapter for fans not included
- Pain in ass mounting mechanism