Thermaltake TMG AT2 Review

Name: Thermaltake TMG AT2
Brand: Thermaltake

W1zzard

on Nov 8th, 2006,

in VGA Coolers.

Manufacturer: Thermaltake

(9 Comments) »

Fan Noise

In order to give a measurement of how loud the fan is, we used an IEC651 Type II sound level meter on the dbA slow setting.

The distance between fan and sound level meter was 10 cm. Please note that this is very little, compared to the "standard" measurements, which are made at 1 m distance. We had to do this, to get proper readings with our sound level meter, because we obviously can't spend thousands of dollars on audio measuring equipment.

All coolers were connected to a lab PSU to run them independent of the system.

Unfortunately the TMG AT2 cooler is quite loud. Since it does not offer any form of fan speed control, the fan noise is always 51 dbA, no matter if the card is idle or under heavy load. So basically the noise is the same as with the stock cooler, just with lower temperatures and slightly improved overclocking potential.

Value and Conclusion

The price for the TMG AT2 is $29 which is completely reasonable.

Very good temperatures
Easy installation
Fits all X1800, X1900 and X1950 cards.
Comes with preapplied thermal paste
Cools memory as well

Hot air not vented outside the case
No fan control
Does not cool voltage regulators
Not quieter than the stock cooler
Might be too tall for SFF cases

If you are looking to drop the temperatures of your ATI video card, the TMG AT2 might be good choice for you. Lower temperatures also mean better overclocking. Even though the differences are small at the default settings, the lower temperatures give additional headroom for voltage increases.
A major drawback is that the fan speed can not be controlled, but this can be accomplished easily by modding the power cable to use the fan output of the ATI card.
The fan noise level compared to the stock cooler will not change at all when using the TMG AT2, please consider this when shopping. Thermaltake has delivered a very solid cooler with the TMG AT2, but I also see possible improvements for future revisions.