The Spire CoolFlow

The Spire uses the not-so-common, top down method of cooling. This is what the stock Intel Cooler also uses. It’s perfectly sized with easy access to the push pins making installation very simple and stress free.

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Atop the CoolFlow is a 92mm fan which this can be removed and replaced with a standard 80mm. At the edges of the frame, there are little clips which secure the fan in place. Being able to swap the fan for a more silent model, such as one of the offerings from Noiseblocker, is a great feature for those users wanting a completely silent rig.

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Below the fan, are the aluminium fins of the Spire. These are shaped in a similar format to Intel’s stock fins – where they curve inwards to the centre of the cooler. As this is a small heat-sink and fan combo, it would’ve been nice for all the fins to be made from copper instead of aluminium –as although having a higher heat conductivity rating than aluminium, copper isn’t much heavier.

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The base of the CoolFlow is protected by the commonly seen plastic label, this stops fingerprints, dust etc. making a show on the base, thus, interfering with the performance. After removing the label, it reveals a fairly shiny, flat surface but with many machine marks. This shows poor attention to detail in creating this product.

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To power this cooler, a three pin connector is used. This is unfortunate as many of the newer coolers make use of PWM technology where the Bios can alter fan speeds on the fly.