“Established in 18xx”. Have you ever seen one of these pronouncements proudly displayed in front of a snooty, well-respected establishment? These establishments boast of brands that have been in their respective trade for hundreds of years. They trade on their perceived long experience and the traditional values of old, implying a product that has resulted from long refinement of a basic but sound concept. If GELID Solutions is any indication however, being long-established isn’t the only way to produce quality products that can instantly endow a formidable impression on a company.

                                              One of GELID's "Wing" case fans.

GELID Solutions was established earlier this year (2008!) in Hong Kong, a company that designs, manufactures, and exports their own products – a feat that’s not duplicated by many respectable, established brands. Taking a look at their products – Hardwarezone received three products as review units from GELID’s local distributor – one would not have guessed that they came from a company established only within this year.

                                            The Silent Spirit combines refinement of existing design and GELID's own innovations in fan and heatsink.

Case in point: GELID’s first CPU cooler effort, the Silent Spirit, looks like a typically-designed, oversized cooler at first glance through its packaging’s clear window. Upon opening its nicely-designed box, subtle design cues that evoke other, well-known company’s products emerge – and a lot more intricate detail besides. These point to a design process that’s been given a lot of thought – and a lot of research. The Silent Spirit has an inverted-fan design reminiscent of Arctic Cooling’s well-received Freezer Pro series, as well as rubber standoffs as mounts that isolate the fan from the main heatsink part. Intel’s retention mechanism seems to be taken cock-and-barrel directly from a standard Intel cooler – making for super-simple attachment to a board – unusual for such a large heatsink.

                                             The four heatpipes pass through a host of super-thin aluminum fins.

                                             Dimples increase the fins' surface area.

Four heatpipes adorn the base portion of the heatsink, something that’s been used to great effect on Cooler Master’s Geminii series, although those uses five heatpipes. In addition to these adapted features, some details also emerge as unique, GELID innovations – super thin aluminum fins (even thinner than Gigabyte’s G-Power II) that’s been dimpled extensively – creating more surface area without creating a too-large heatsink. The fins are grouped in an up-and-down manner, perfect for routing air evenly across the whole cooling surface. An even more surprising innovation is GELID’s NFB (Nanoflux Bearing), a sleeve-bearing and ball-bearing alternative that overcomes both type’s shortcomings through sheer smart design.

                                             Fins are grouped together to route airflow efficiently.

                                             The fan uses magnets to keep itself in place and is detachable from the motor.

The fan is detachable (and gave a huge scare to this reviewer the first time it popped off), due to the NFB’s magnetic-based design, the fan is easily cleaned and lubrication is no longer a problem for long term use. Precision manufacturing combined with magnetic load-bearing mechanism eliminates a lot of friction and thus increases durability. The more typical design innovations of past years also make their way to the Silent Spirit – angled heatsink area for further system cooling, sleeved cables for neatness and good airflow, polished copper base for maximum heat transfer.

                                             The angled design increases airflow over components near the CPU socket - such as hot voltage regulation components.

                                             Polished copper base with the company's own GC1 applied to it.

From this example, we can easily see how much preparation and research was done by GELID to come up with such a great product right off the bat – applying the best of the field while adding it to their own innovations has resulted in a product that gives this reviewer a sense of anticipation for their future, more enthusiast-oriented products – not something easily done for something as seemingly mundane as a CPU cooler. GELID is able to create excitement in the consumer, and for a newly-established company, that is a job very well-done.

                                             The spatula included in the package only sweetens the deal with this high-performance compound.

                                            The Wing 12 includes the fan, four rubber stand-offs, an extension cable, and a fan speed knob.

The other products in GELID’s lineup continues this approach – GELID’s GC1 Thermal Compound has the whole laundry list of features that can be found in a modern, high-performance compound, such as high conductivity, low thermal resistance, non-electrical conductivity, and the like. GELID is wasting no time in challenging the industry best, a confidence that’s rooted in their obviously extensive research and development.

                                            The Wing 12's fan is also removable for easy cleaning.

                                            The fan motor is much simpler mechanically than common ball-bearing fans.

The third product is GELID’s Wing 12, a 120mm case fan that implements the same NFB technology for easy access and high durability. Small winglets on each blade are designed to better direct airflow and increase the volume of air that can be moved. This green-hued fan also boasts of 4 silicone, vibration-damping fan mounts, plus a slick-looking fan-speed controller. The expected premium additions are also present – sleeved cables, additional power extension cable, and a case badge. GELID is out and gunning for the premium peripheral market, and with their first efforts, they seem to be well on their way to extensive brand-name recognition.

                                             GELID's product packaging aims for the premium segment.

Established brands may be able to boast a better brand recognition than newly established ones, but that has not stopped GELID from gathering the best features of these “more established” brands and combining these with their own innovations, nullifying whatever advantage these more established brands may have. This is akin to the term “standing on giant’s shoulders”, only GELID is itself on its way to Gigantic status if they continue this level of forward thinking and innovation, and add on the years to their “first –established” date – a double advantage that will surely stand it in good stead in the following years. I look forward to more products from this newly-established, yet already respectable company, “Established in 2008”.

                                             Attachment point taken directly from stock Intel fans. AMD sockets are also supported.

                                            Like Arctic Cooling's Freezer series, the fan is hung upside-down for maximum airflow.

                                             Rubber stand-off from the Silent Spirit and the Wing 12 respectively.

                                              A closer look at the dimpling on the fins.