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TennMax's Stealth Voodoo II Cooler
By Mike
Posted: 11/12/98


Update: In July of 1999 3Dfx released their Mac Voodoo2 generic drivers which support SLI mode (dual cards) and have clock speed tweaks. See www.mac3dfx.com and the video cards page at www.xlr8yourmac.com for a review of the drivers (including SLI mode tests) and Voodoo2 tweaking info.

Although there are no overclocking utilities for Voodoo II cards on the Mac, the Voodoo II chipset has a history of running hot, especially in games like Unreal. On a PC, I've seen Unreal lock up or have image artifacts after playing for awhile unless the Voodoo II card is cooled. (See my review of the Obsidian X24 dual Voodoo II card for sample screenshots of the artifacts seen even after a large fan was added to blow on the card). Granted the X24 runs hotter than any single Voodoo II card I've seen but cooler is always better for stability and longer life.

Some Macs like the 8600/9600 have fans builtin to the covers that can help cool some PCI cards, but a fan/heatsink on the card certainly is a help in keeping the card cool. I wonder how many reports of lockups in Unreal are really due to heat. For this reason I obtained a Stealth cooler from TennMax for my Game Wizard Voodoo II card.

Testing:
Since I didn't have any way to really stress test the Voodoo II card on a Mac (at the date of this review there was no tweaker utility for the voodoo2), I used a PC to overclock the Voodoo II card to see what benefit the Stealth cooler provided. [Update: In summer 1999 I posted a page on Voodoo2 tweaking, which has overclocking info.]

I'll admit I did not expect a lot at first but I was surprised to see that I could run the Voodoo II card at 104MHz with the Stealth cooler attached, vs only 94MHz without it (at 95MHz without the cooler I saw image degradation in games like Unreal after the game was run for some time). Framerate boosts averaged about 7% and obviously the card was running much cooler, which means it will be more stable and last longer.

Cooling Results (PC Tests)
= Max Frequency Stress Test =
Without Cooler
With Cooler
Avg. Game
Framerate Boost
94 MHz
104MHz
+7% avg

The nice thing about the Tennmax coolers are they use ball-bearing fans which last much longer and are quieter than sleeve designs. The fan in the Stealth is said to be certified for use on an AMD K6-2, a much higher wattage device than the 3Dfx components. The installation was a snap and the fan was very quiet in operation. The Stealth is thin enough to clear adjacent PCI cards.

Stealth Package

Installation:
Here are the steps required to install the Stealth cooler on your Voodoo II card (the Stealth comes with a guide and picture to assist you).

  1. Remove the card of course if it's already installed. Follow your specific Mac model's instructions for opening the case and removing PCI cards.

  2. Do a trial placement of the unit on the card to familiarize yourself with how it is oriented and spaced before removing the protective plastic over the adhesive pads. Alignment is easy but a trial run is recommended.

  3. Clean the top surface of the three graphics processors on the card (see the image below for identification of the chips). I used rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth. Make sure the chips are allowed to fully dry before applying the heatsink to ensure a good bond.
    Before Pix

  4. Remove the protective plastic covering from the three adhesive pads on the bottom side of the Stealth. Don't touch the adhesive pads.

  5. Carefully orient the Stealth over the card, making sure the edges of the Stealth over the three chips (see the image below of the installed Steath).
    Installed pix

  6. Install the card in a free PCI slot and route the attached fan power cable to a power supply connector. If there are no free connectors the cable has a pass-through set of connectors to allow using and existing drive power connector. Click here for an image showing the power connections.

    The picture below shows the final installation in a 9600 PowerMac.

    installed image

    You may want to route the power cable lower than is shown in the image above to make sure it does not interfere with the side cover fan in systems like the 8600/9600. There is plenty of length in the cable to allow this.

    Product Specifications:

    • Model: Stealth
    • Fan: 6.2 CFM, 6500 RPM, Ball-Bearing design.
    • Heatsink: Flat plate with laminated/finned fan housing.
    • Noise Level: 24dB (Can't be heard installed)
    • Price: $24 (U.S.) plus shipping (as of review date)
    • Vendor: TennMax http://www.tennmax.com
    • Fits: All Voodoo II reference card designs, special models available for specialized designs like Canopus Pure3D II. (Fits Microconversion's Game Wizard perfectly.)

    Summary:

    • Pros: Low cost, easy to install, works well, ball-bearing fan, thin design clears adjacent PCI Cards. (I think it would also work well as a Hard Drive cooler)
    • Cons: None significant.

    For 3Dfx Voodoo 1 owners, TennMax makes an excellent cooler for you as well, the famous Lasagna cooler ($17.00 U.S.). Look for a review of the Lasagna here soon. Prices quoted here were valid as of the date of review publication. TennMax has secure online ordering (International customers use this link).

    If you have questions about this product or review, please contact me.

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