Temperatures inside your case are higher than the Sahara and you’re one step away from being as deaf as a stone post. The stock cooler on your video card just isn’t cutting it anymore. It’s time to upgrade to an aftermarket solution that will keep heat under control and allow you to keep your hearing. Unfortunately, you’re also planning on upgrading to a different brand video card, one that cranks out more than its fair share of noise and heat. That means shelling out the bucks for a new cooler—unless you choose the Vantec iCEBERQ6 Premium VGA Cooling Kit. But does one size really fit all when it comes to VGA coolers? Let’s find out...

Few PC components go through the relatively short and frequent life-cycle than video cards aimed at the PC Gaming Enthusiast. With ATI and NVIDIA locked in an ever-escalating battle for mind and market share over this influential segment of computer users, each increase in visual processing power (no matter how incremental) brings an increase in power consumption, heat and noise. When enthusiasts add over clocking to the mix, it’s no wonder that stock coolers can’t keep up. Aftermarket coolers for video cards that provided better and quieter cooling were inevitable.

Video card cooler compatibility issues with the various models of cards between and within ATI and NVIDIA product lines were also inevitable. To complicate matters for both enthusiasts and aftermarket cooler manufacturers, some of ATI and NVIDIA’s partners stuck with reference-design coolers, while others seeking to differentiate themselves from the competition, came up with their own designs. As a result, if you upgraded the cooler on your NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra, then went out and purchased a GeForce 7900 GTX, you’d have to buy another aftermarket cooler to fit the 7900. If you were switching from NVIDIA’s GeForce 7800 GTX to one of ATI’s Radeon X1900-series cards, you definitely had to buy another cooler. Considering how often some people upgrade their video cards, when you add anywhere from $25 to $35 a pop for these aftermarket coolers on top of the cost of a new video card, you can imagine how expensive this gets after awhile.

Vantec realized it as well, and set out to trump their competitors who sold coolers for a specific video card. So they designed the iCEBERQ6—a single cooler that could be used with just about any video card on the market—whether it was ATI’s or NVIDIA’s. Impossible? Not if you were a company with Vantec’s history of innovative solutions and affordable products.

About Vantec

From power supplies to fan controllers, CPU coolers and hard drive enclosures, Vantec is one of the most popular suppliers of accessories for the PC Enthusiast. Whether you need to make your rig run cooler, quieter, look better or enhance its storage capabilities, Vantec has you covered.

Who We Are

Founded in 1994, Vantec is recognized as one of the premier thermal solutions leaders. We are devoted to manufacturing and developing total PC solutions for every computer user, from mainstream to enthusiast. Utilizing our technical expertise and innovative designs, we are constantly expanding our product line to offer advanced computer peripheral to meet the personal and industrial needs of modern computer users. Our primary goal is to create viable solutions to satisfy the consumer’s needs. Offering complete and affordable ways to upgrade and maintain your personal computer, Vantec is a name you can trust for quality and reliability.

At Vantec, our mission is to produce the best thermal solutions on the market. Vantec produces quality products that help you keep your system cool. However, that is only the beginning. We produce two of the quietest power supplies on the market in our Stealth Power Supply and ION Power Supply. Our Multi-function Panel (NXP-101) and fan controllers (NXP-201 and NXP-205) give you a variety of options to monitor and control the temperature and noise of your computer. We also provide cold cathode lights in a myriad of colors, including UV, for you to light up your computer. And with our new Fan and Light controller (NXP-301 and NXP-305), you can control your fan speed and lights all with one convenient unit.

Adhering to the theory of both form and functionality, Vantec has the end-user’s best interest in mind. Though the computer scene is constantly changing, you can rely on Vantec to provide quality components to improve, enhance, and insure your computing experience.

Here's the Vantec iCEBERQ6 in its packaging. If not for the color, it could almost pass for the cooler used on ATI's Radeon X1950 cards. All the details on the back and a view of the RAM heatsinks. But most important... ...this warning—which bit me on the ass twice during the review.

From top to bottom and left to right, the contents of the package: the iCEBERQ6, Thermal Tape for the RAM sinks and Mounting Hardware for the video card, User Guide; Thermal Compound, Power Adapter and RAM Heatsinks. The iCEBERQ6's fan funnels cool air over the huge solid copper heat sink at the center of the cooler, which is then expelled through the rear duct out the back of the PC. Note the 3-pin mobo power cable. Vantec uses a 45 x15mm silent ball-bearing fan rated at 20.9 dBA and 2,700 RPM.

Vantec’s iCEBERQ6 ships in a predominately blue blister pack that matches the color scheme of the cooler itself—which almost bears a striking resemblance to the one used on ATI’s latest Radeon X1950 XTX cards. Designed to sit on a shelf or hang from a rack, its main selling points—easy installation and compatibility with both ATI and NVIDIA cards are listed on the front. On the back is a brief description of the iCEBERQ6; its main features, specs, package contents and a list of ATI and NVIDIA cards that are supported. The cooler is also RoHS compliant—a big plus for environment-savvy consumers. Also on the back is a warning. The Vantec iCEBERQ6 is only compatible with video cards that use ATI and NVIDIA’s Reference-Design Coolers. This warning, as you’ll see later on, is not to be taken lightly.

Tiny metal o-rings are used like rivets to seal the iCEBERQ6’s blister pack. As a result, it will require more physical effort on your part, or a sharp box cutter to open, compared to blister packs that simply (and more conveniently) snap open and shut. I suspect this has more to do with the sheer weight of the iCEBERQ6, which would make keeping the box closed while in transit with the regular snap method problematic, than any malicious intent by Vantec to torment potential customers.

The iCEBERQ6 consists of a Vantec 45 x 15mm fan housed in a sleek, transparent plastic shroud with the iCEBERQ6 logo, and a huge finned copper heatsink at the center designed to soak up heat from a GPU like a sponge. An adjustable duct (which can also be removed) accommodates video cards of different lengths. The vented expansion slot bracket’s height can be also adjusted as well. Vantec certainly made sure all the bases were covered for maximum installation flexibility! The fan pulls air into the shroud over the heatsink (which absorbs heat from the video card’s GPU). The hot air is pushed out the back of the PC through the vented expansion slot bracket. Thanks to the generous size of the heatsink, the iCEBERQ6 is almost as heavy as the larger coolers found on some of ATI and NVIDIA’s top-of-the-line cards.

A closer look at the big multi-finned heatsink. This baby can move heat like you wouldn't believe. Too bad it wasn't teamed up with a few heatpipes for good measure. Although the iCEBERQ6 has a slim profile, be advised that it will take up the adjacent slot next to your video card. Another thing to consider, is that the iCEBERQ6 may add to the length of your current video card as well, as you'll see with the card I installed it on.

The rear exhaust duct of the cooler not only adjusts in length (and comes off as you see here), but the height of the expansion slot bracket can be adjusted up or down as well. Very handy! A view of the heatsink from the inside. The business end of the iCEBERQ6's heat sink and Vantec's Universal Mounting System. See those numbered holes? Each one corresponds to mounting positions for virtually every video card out there on the market—provided the card uses a reference-design cooler.

Flip the iCEBERQ6 over. The highly polished base of the heatsink is protected by a removable tab of protective film (no pre-applied thermal pad—you’ll have to use the included syringe of thermal grease). There are some minor machining marks on the base, but not enough impact cooling. The numbered holes you see drilled into the iCEBERQ6’s base represent different cooler mounting positions with the supplied screws and washers for a surprisingly wide range of video cards made by both ATI and NVIDIA. That makes the iCEBERQ6 potentially the only VGA cooler you’ll have to buy, whether you are upgrading video cards between models within ATI or NVIDIA’s product line, or switching to a different brand card altogether. An User Guide instruction sheet in English, mounting hardware, a set of eight heatsinks and adhesive thermal tape for the video card’s RAM and a tube of Vantec thermal compound is included in with the iCEBERQ6. The iCEBER6 will extend into the adjacent slot on your motherboard once you install it on your video card, and it may add an additional inch or slightly more to the length of the card—something to keep in mind if you’re already pressed for room inside you case.

Here we have BFG Technology's famous GeForce 7800 GTX OC. This factory-overclocked card would have been the perfect candidate for the iCEBERQ6, with one small problem—the mounting holes on the iCEBERQ6 doesn't line up properly with the card! Never one to throw in the towel at the first sign of defeat, I dug out this GeForce 6800 Ultra made by eVGA, which definitely has an NVIDIA reference-design heatsink. Did it work? Well, there's good news and bad news... The good news is, it would have worked perfectly. The bad news is, as you can see from this photo, the 6800's double-wide bracket effectively blocks off the iCEBERQ6's exhaust duct. Okay, where'd I put that towel...

Another good reason why you should never throw an old video card out. This old-school Sapphire Radeon X850 XT was dug out of my spare parts closet and drafted for the review. Here's the iCEBERQ6 and our volunteer video card laid out on an anti-static mat ready to be installed. The first order of business is removing the old cooler. Obviously, the procedure will vary with different cards, but on the Radeon X850-series, these guys circled here need to come out.

Installing the Vantec iCEBERQ6 to your video card should take no longer than 30 minutes—45 at the most. You’ll need a clean, well-lit area and take the usual precautions against ESD (Electro-static Discharge):

● Ground yourself by touching something metal before handling your video card.
● Use an Anti-Static Wrist Strap.
● Use an antistatic surface when working on the video card. If you have one of those large antistatic bags from a motherboard upgrade, that will do just fine.

If not, invest in an Anti-Static Work Mat.

I know some people who have never done any of the above and have never lost a component to ESD. I also know some people who have never done any of the above who have—and there are more in the second group than the first. Erring on the side of caution is always cheaper than the time and money wasted on an RMA that could have been avoided.

You’ll also need:

● A Phillips-head screwdriver. A Jeweler’s Screwdriver set would be helpful for the smaller screws.
● Thermal compound remover. Arctic Silver’s ArctiClean is my favorite, but 91% Isopropyl Alcohol will do just as well.
● Q-Tips and/or a soft-lint free cloth.
● Tweezers or small Needle-nosed pliers. You may need them to disconnect the stock cooler’s fan from your card.
● A can of compressed air. Useful for making sure there is no dust on the surface of the card’s RAM chips or GPU before you apply thermal compound or tape.

As I pointed out earlier, the iCEBERQ6 is only compatible with video cards that follow ATI and NVIDIA’s reference design for coolers, to the letter. Your best bet before plunking down your cash for the iCEBERQ6 is to contact technical support for the manufacturer of your card and ask if the cooler is ATI or NVIDIA’s reference design. Another way to find out would be to search the web with your favorite search engine for pre-release reviews of your video card. The review will most likely have pre-retail photos of the card with a reference design cooler. This is a bit more imprecise than contacting the support people for your card. Some of ATI and NVIDIA’s partners could have made changes to the way the cooler mounts on the card to clear a board component, for example—even if the cooler looks like the reference design. The result is that the mounting holes on the card would be off compared to the reference design, just enough to prevent you from installing the iCEBERQ6. Here's the official Vantec Application Chart for supported video cards:

NVIDIA Mounting Holes

GeForce 3 Ti 200 /500 1
GeForce 4 MX 420 / 440 / 460 1
GeForce 4 MX 440SE / 440 8X 1
GeForce 4 Ti 4200 / 4200 8X 2
GeForce 4 Ti 4400 / 4600 / 4800 2
GeForce FX 5200 / 5500 / 5600 / 5700 LE 1
GeForce FX 5600 ULTRA / 5700 / 5700 ULTRA 2
GeForce FX 5800 Series 2
GeForce FX 5900 / 5900 XT 2
GeForce FX 5950 ULTRA 2
GeForce 6200 / 6600 / 6600 GT 2
GeForce 6800 / 6800 GT / 6800 ULTRA 3
GeForce 7600 GT / 7600 GS 3
GeForce 7800 GT / 7800 GTX 3
GeForce 7900 GT / 7900 GTX 3

ATI Mounting Holes