Titan Skalli TTC-NC05TZ/NPW (RB) CPU Cooler Review

Nowadays, enthusiasts have a staggering number of CPU coolers to choose from. The number of coolers that include the relatively new LGA 1156 is somewhat less, but I spent a little while surfing around and found over 130 coolers from nearly 20 companies that support LGA 1156, with all also supporting LGA 1366 and LGA 775. All but a small handful of these coolers also fit all modern AMD sockets.

So how do you choose? I would imagine that most people tend to go with the companies they or their friends are accustomed to using. Others just automatically go with the “household name” brands like Zalman, Thermaltake, Thermalright, Arctic Cooling, Cooler Master, among a few others. Others go with what is popular and “hot”.

I would hope that some people go to the hardware sites and read reviews such as this one before making their final purchases, if not using reviews to make their decision in the first place. Long before I became a reviewer I always consulted several hardware reviews first to see what was new and exciting, and what worked and didn’t. As a hardware reviewer, I have been fortunate to receive a few real gems, most notably some economy coolers that performed every bit as well as coolers costing two and three times as much. You often don’t find out about those unless you read a lot of reviews and happen upon them, which is unfortunate.

And then you have the user reviews from my favorite online retailer. I really do like to read them, but they are a source of immense frustration for me, and I would imagine most “professional” reviewers. No, you aren’t guaranteed impartiality with hardware site reviews, and there isn’t a “standard” that all reviewers follow. But in the user reviews, you don’t know if the “reviewer” has a clue how to properly apply thermal compound, if he looked at the instructions, you aren’t even guaranteed that the “reviewer” has ever laid eyes on the product. I often see points docked because the product took too long to arrive, because the product didn’t fit somewhere the manufacturer never claimed it would, or because the “reviewer” ordered the wrong thing. So please, take “user reviews” with a grain of salt.

Today, I will be looking at a cooler from a company I previously haven’t experienced, the Titan Skalli. Titan Technology Ltd. has been around for over 20 years, founded in Taiwan in 1989 under the name “Sogic Computer Co”, but only recently have they entered the serious enthusiast market. The Skalli is a small-footprint dual heatpipe cooler with a non-standard 100mm fan. Will the Skalli keep my i7 870 nice and cool? Read on to see!

Special thanks to Titan for providing us with the Skalli TTC-NC05TZ/NPW (RB) CPU Cooler to review.

Specifications:

Model: TTC-NC05TZ/NPW (RB)
CPU Support: Intel LGA 1366/1156/775, AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2/K8
Outline Dimensions: 110mm x 95mm x 152mm
Radiator: Aluminum Fins
Base: Aluminum with Direct Contact Heatpipes
Heatpipes: 2 x 8mm Copper Heatpipes
Fan Type: PWM
Fan Dimensions: 100mm x 100mm x 25mm
Bearing Type: Z-Axis Bearing
Rated Voltage: 12vdc
Power Consumption: 1.68w
Airflow: 24.84~46.58 CFM
Rated Speed: 800~1500 RPM
Static Pressure: 0.01~0.05 inchH20
Noise Level: <15.3~<29 dBA Life Expectancy: 60,000 hours

Packaging:

The Titan Skalli is packaged in a colorful hanging box that is covered with specs. There is a window up front to display the cooler itself.

Titan Skalli TTC-NC05TZ/NPW (RB) CPU Cooler Titan Skalli TTC-NC05TZ/NPW (RB) CPU Cooler

Inside, the cooler is well protected in a blisterpack.

Titan Skalli TTC-NC05TZ/NPW (RB) CPU Cooler