Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV GPU Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV GPU Cooler4. Installing the Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV5. Testing Methodology6. Thermal Performance7. Acoustic Performance8. Closing Thoughts9. View All Pages

After experiencing the complicated installation process of the Accelero Hybrid II, we were hoping that the Accelero Xtreme IV would offer something simpler. Unfortunately, Arctic use the same mounting mechanism for both coolers which is quite a pain to install.

First of all we are directed to remove the stock cooler from our graphics card.  We are using an AMD Radeon R9 290 for the purposes of this review.

Then, we must identify the appropriate holes in the GPU block for our graphics card, using a provided list in the installation guide.  We can then attach the appropriate bolts and washers to the GPU block, ready to mount it on the card.

Next we must identify ‘hot areas' on the front side of the card and stick the provided thermal pads on the back of the card in the corresponding areas.  This is quite ambiguous as it relies on a users ability to identify these areas – which may provide difficult to less experienced users.

Perhaps the most annoying part of the installation process is cutting holes into a plastic sheet to fit over the thermal pads you have just installed.  We did this by placing the sheet on top of the thermal pads, drawing around them and then cutting it out with a Stanley knife.

Once the protective plastic sheet is in place, we must simultaneously attach the heatsink to the back of the card while attaching the cooler to the front of the card.  They are then secured together using four thumbscrews.

Then, we can secure the edges of the heatsink to the card using the six provided plastic clips.  We were only able to fit five of these without risking damage to other components on the card.

Once the card is installed into your system, a GPU support bracket must be attached which spans five expansion bays.  We have also photographed this to give you a better idea of what it looks like.

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