Vizo Voyager Hard Drive Cooler

Author:  Matthew Homan Date:  2007.04.10 Topic:  Cooling Provider:  Vizo Manufacturer:  Vizo

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Introduction to Vizo:

Vizo recently sent us the Voyager dual fan 3.5” hard drive (HD) cooler for review. Vizo, based in Taiwan is a manufacturer of computer peripherals with unique designs and has many products focused on the DIY crowd. The Voyager as mentioned earlier is a hard drive cooler. Of the many ways to cool your hard drive the most is to increase the air flow through the case and over the hard drive in particular. Heat is the number 1 killer of hard drives and our philosophy is to spend a few dollars now and save the cost of replacing your drive and data later. Other methods range in cost from a simple 80mm fan that mounts inside your case just in front of your 3.5” hard drive bay to high priced water blocks. The mid-range priced option is still a relatively cheap dual fan setup that mounts to the bottom of the HD and directs airflow directly onto the circuitry of the hard drive.

Specifications:

As you can see from the specifications the Voyager uses a standard molex connector and is rated at 23dBA of noise which is still very quiet, though as with most quiet solutions is airflow is from 7.5 to 9.2 CFM. While this is enough to help drop the operating temperature of a hard drive we would have liked to see a bit more airflow. Most hard drives operate on the hot side and if don't believe me then simply open your case and put your fingers on the metal side of your hard drive after an hour of being on and you will find it quite warm. Some users with higer end setups using Western Digital Raptors will find their hard drives sit at an average temperature of up to 120F in a non-fan cooled case or 110F with a single 80mm fan in front of the hard drive cage. Operating at these temperatures can kill a hard drive over time.