Introduction

From the GELID Solutions website:

GELID designs and manufactures packaging, thermal solutions, CPU coolers, fans, and other computer hardware for both gamers and silent enthusiasts and for international OEM and ODM customers. We provide computer hardware distributors, retailers and system integrators with innovative, virtually silent, high- performance and top quality thermal solutions with unique design and packaging.

GELID Solutions is, having been formed in 2008, a newcomer when compared to some of its competition in the enthusiast PC space. They offer everything from cases and case fans to VGA- and CPU coolers; they even offer multiple thermal compounds. Simply put, GELID offers a multitude of products for consumers to choose from in a variety of categories. That said, it's not often you hear a lot about them as they tend to fly under the radar. That doesn't mean you should avoid their products; it's, on the contrary, a good reason to take another look at what they offer as they may have something unique that fits your needs.

The product that originally brought GELID Solutions to my attention was their Icy Vision cooler for both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs. In fact, many users looking at aftermarket cooling for their GPUs will have undoubtedly run across this product themselves. They, of course, have far more to offer than just a pretty cooler. Their thermal compounds, like the GC-Extreme, are a solid choice that I have found to perform well in my personal system. That said, I hope to see GELID grow and offer even more cooling products as the heatsink I review today shows that they have what it takes to shake things up in the fiercely competitive and crowded PC cooling market.

Now, when it comes to the GELID Black Edition, which I will be reviewing today, I had to wonder if the cooler had the performance to match its looks. From the Slim 12 PWM fan to the low noise advertised on the box, I simply wasn't sure if it would stand out from the pack, but appearances can be deceiving so let's inspect its specifications before taking a look at what GELID has included in the box.

Packaging & Contents

The GELID Solutions Black Edition heatsink comes in a fairly small box considering the size of the actual heatsink. The box measures roughly 18 cm in length, 15 cm in width, and 23 cm in height. Covered with the information one would expect, the front holds an image of the heatsink and its readily visible name. The right side lists the features, specifications, and model number of the product (CC-BEdition-01-A).


The back of the box lists supported AMD and Intel sockets and all included mounting hardware for said sockets. The left side lists the product's features a second time, such as the included GC-Extreme thermal compound, support for three fans, its seven power heatpipes, and more. Some images of the heatsink also showcase those listed features. There really is nothing groundbreaking when it comes to the Black Edition's packaging; however, it does serve its purpose by offering relevant information on the product while protecting its contents.

Contents

Upon opening the box, I found everything tightly secured in the package. The cooler was well supported, with no room for it to move or slide around inside the box. The mounting hardware itself came sealed in plastic bags that were placed inside a small cardboard box for safe storage. The package GELID Solutions used is compact and adequate while providing ample protection and hardly wasting any room.


As for the mounting hardware itself, GELID Solutions provided everything you need to make sure the cooler will mount and perform well. They even added a few nice extras that some competitors seem to forget about or deem unnecessary. These extras are an additional set of fan clips for a third fan and the PWM Y-cable. While these parts are not necessary, GELID provided them anyway, which is a nice touch. The rest of the mounting hardware is standard fare, consisting of mounting brackets, backplate, and standoffs.

Common parts supplied for mounting include:

• 4x Insulating spacers
• 4x LGA 2011 standoffs
• 4x Standoffs
• 4x Nuts
• 4x Long screws
• 3x Metal fan clip sets
• 2x Spring screws
• 2x Intel mounting plates
• 2x AMD mounting plates
• 1x Backplate
• 1x GELID thermal compound
• 1x PWM Y-cable