Air cooling of pc components is considered a “traditional” means of cooling among jaded PC enthusiasts who dabble with the radiators, heating elements, pipes and TECS of water cooling and thermo-electric methods.

                                             This picture is still missing the reservoir and additional piping.
 

It seems like all the action is happening in these types of cooling, especially water cooling as it is now breaking into the mainstream with all-in-one solutions, but thankfully (and practically), companies on the air cooling front has not remained dormant, continuing to innovate and explore the increasingly large potential of fans pushing air through a heatsink.

                                             The Nautilus "all-in-one" isn't much better in terms of complexity.

The Gigabyte Volar CPU cooler is one of the more unique variations and combinations of heatsink, fan, orientation and extras.  Of the four characteristics mentioned here, the orientation is without a doubt the most noticeable and unique. The Volar is angled at around 50 degrees from the horizontal, and is held up by three copper heatpipes, with one looping around the main body to form a lasso. The main advantage cited by Gigabyte is the cooling of surrounding MOSFETs and transistors, as these can get very hot without proper case cooling.

Speaking of case cooling, the fan itself is exactly the same size as a typical large case fan, at 120mm. It is of an inverted design though, meaning the base for the fan motor is facing outwards, and the air flow is reversed due to the fin orientation. This assists the cooling of the central portion of the heatsink, usually the hottest part and the portion that wicks away the most heat from the CPU. This “floating fan” design has been used to great effect in other notable coolers like the Arctic Cooler 7 and the Thermaltake Mini Typhoon.

 
Of the three heatpipes, two lead directly from the contact plate through the center of the heatsink. This bothers me somehow, as the two heatpipes doesn’t take advantage of the large cooling area of the heatsink by looping around like the third heatpipe. This third heatpipe as mentioned goes around the middle part of the heatsink, covering the maximum area possible and exposing a lot of heatpipe to a lot of air cooling.

Going back to the orientation of the cooler, the “tilted” design logically should also be able to take better advantage of air coming in from the front of the casing, where case fans are usually mounted, instead of drawing air vertically. This orientation is therefore an advantageous one both in terms of access to front-of-casing sourced air, and in terms of cooling secondary components around the CPU.

                                              What does the fin design remind you of?

The Volar is rated at 2000rpm at regular voltage, although software-based control programs such as Speedfan will be able to throttle this down to 1500rpm. At these speeds, the Volar is a bit “drone-y”, although actual measured noise only ranges from 18 to 23 db. It measures 122 x 125 x 141 mm (W x L x H), or the size of a 120mm fan plus a little extra lengthwise, and about as high as an upended PSU unit. Make sure you have clearance if you choose to purchase this unit.

The Volar is a physically impressive cooler, the perforated wrap-around shroud making it look like a sleek, circular radiator. On the other hand, the design of its fins reminds me of an old Netburst P4 cooler, which can’t be too good. Taken as a whole, it is certainly unique, but retains a familiar feel in its detail-work and design elements.

                                             Still more designs and bigger sizes for air cooling to come.

For the P2000 plus price, the Volar gives the buyer a uniquely-oriented cooler with looks that will set off a nice clear side panel, and at the same time ensure proper cooling of the components around the CPU. Air cooling is by no means the most effective cooling technology, but products like the Volar give buyers an option when they are fed up with the limitations of other technologies but still hanker for an innovative and unique-looking product.