Spire CoolGate 2011 CPU Cooler Review

Temperature Testing

At the stock clocks on the Intel Core i5 2500k, the Coolgate 2011 manages to not only best the retail box cooler that Intel includes but also comes within just a mere two degrees Celsius of the Cooler Master V8. This is pretty impressive as the V8 is almost twice as large in weight and size as the Coolgate 2011, and it features six 6mm heat-pipes to the Coolgate 2011s four 6mm heat-pipes. Managing to keep the CPU at a cool 53 degrees Celsius isnt bad! I should also note that during the load test the Coolgate 2011 was completely inaudible. At no point was I able to hear the fan on the cooler spinning up!

Once we take the test system up the specified overclock of 4.8GHz using 1.48v we can see that the Coolgate 2011 seemed to struggle a little bit, coming in at 88 degrees Celsius. Though, again it managed to stay within just a few degrees Celsius of the Cooler Master V8. This came as quite a shock to me, as I wasnt expecting this small cooler to perform this well! Again, even under full load the Coolgate 2011 was completely inaudible. I wasnt able to hear it over any of my other fans in my case.