Coolers become flexible

Dec 6, 2006 14:00 GMT  ·  By

Antec is a well known case and PSU provider among the enthusiasts. And since they also posses a fan division, they've somehow managed to mount a fan onto a flexible bracket and by that they've practically invented what will be known as the flexible cooler.

The name is SpotCool and, as the title suggests, it is a cooler mounted on a flexible arm that can bend and then be pointed wherever there's need for an active cooling device. The 4.5" flexible arm is designed to screw directly thru a spare hole in your motherboard so mounting it into your PC won't be a problem. The cooler can be mounted virtually everywhere, doesn't matter if it's your RAM, video card or hard drive that needs additional cooling.

The cooler comes with blue LED illumination and includes a 3-speed switch lets you choose between 3 operation modes depending on the rpm of the cooling device. The fan is dead silent on its low setting and slightly audible (it hums a little, 33/27/23db @ 3000/2500/2000 rpm) on its highest setting. If you take into account that the fan is not just a fashion thingie but really does move some air (22/18/15 CFM at 3000/2500/2000 rpm) the additional cooling power can make such a device really important for a PC.

I can't help but recommend the SpotCool since it does some good but its main strength comes from the fact that it can easily reach places where "no other cooler has gone before" because of its flexible arm. The cooler is a must for crowded PC cases especially if you use a lot of wiring which makes the installation of a standard cooler impossible. The actual price tag of the SpotCool is $19.95.