SYBA CL-VEN-525HD Anodized aluminum case panels Hard Disk Cooler Aluminum Case

Pros: Thank you gust334 for your excellent review of this product. Well done and interested buyers should read it carefully. He covers all the bases with his review, and I found it most helpful. This Cooler surely is a well designed and made product.

Cons: My cooler came with a hairline crack in one of the rubber damper mounting assembly screws. I was looking at an RMA of a heavy $15 product...sigh. I figured I might as well try to mount it and test it for fit, quality, etc. to determine if I should get a refund or replacement.

My goal with this product was not so much a need for cooling, but rather sound dampening. One of my HDD's is a WD BLACK 1TB (WD1002FAEX) which is known to be noisy while seeking, with audible clicking sounds. I thought I could live with it, but with my PC case on a shelf three feet away, I found it to be very noticeable and distracting. Thus my attempt to use this product to lower noise.

I assembled the WD HDD into the cooler and it fit hand-to-glove perfect fit. I tried to be extra careful mounting the cooler into the bay, but sure enough the rubber damper twisted right in half.

I mounted the cooler with the three good dampers and tested the drive temperature and noise. It actually did run about 2 deg. C cooler than before, but it was also about 7 to 8 dBA quieter. YES! Noise problem solved on that WD BLACK. It looks good on the front of my case too!

Since this cooler was so effective for noise I wanted to keep it, and checked into the RMA process. Sigh.

Other Thoughts: I decided to contact SYBA directly by the email on their support page, and just ask that a replacement damper be shipped to me. To my pleasant surprise they responded in less than 24 hours with apologies for the cracked damper and assurances they would be happy to mail me a free replacement.

As this was outside their normal RMA procedure they were not sure how they would go about it, but promised to let me know somehow when it was shipped, and by what means, etc.

Two days later I received another email from SYBA SUPPORT notifying me that they had mailed the damper by USPS with Delivery Confirmation so I could track it. Two days later it arrived in my mailbox, was mounted to the Cooler and all is running well.

SYBA's third email was to thank me for my patience, apologize again for the problem and thank me for being their customer. I'm still kind of stunned as I right this review, thinking about the quick, easy and excellent Customer Service they provided to me on a $15 product.

I did email them in 2012 asking about the compatibility of using two of their PCI-e cards on they same Mobo in a different build, and their response then was also timely, courteous and informative.

All in all, this SYBA CL-VEN-525HD Anodized aluminum case panels Hard Disk Cooler Aluminum Case turned out to be the perfect product for my needs, and is backed by a reputable firm, SYBA, which provides superior Customer Service. Thank you SYBA; it's a pleasure doing business with you again.

Also many thanks to gust334; your great review helped me deicide to try another SYBA product, and it turned out very well for mr.

Pros: Sleek Design, Makes my HD's almost silent (Can't hear them over my reservoir pump.) Using Passive Cooling fins that stick out of the front of your case it cools fairly well.

Cons: Not a con: Takes some time to put together.

Other Thoughts: I couldn't tell you how well these reduce the heat in the drives. I do notice a difference, but to what extent, i don't know. I purchased these 1) for style 2) for vibration dampening, and it does those 2 things well.

Pros: Detailed manual with clear detailed color pictures and text in French and English.

The primary heatsink extrusion is big and heavy, wrapping around the top, right, and left sides of the disk. The front plate extrusion is also heavyweight with ribs for increased surface area, and removable via two small screws. The rear plate has a cutout for cable and jumper access.

Rubber shockmounts couple the heatsink to a standard 5-1/4 drive bay. It looks like it would be possible to stack multiple units in adjacent bays.

The package includes a ground wire, since there is otherwise no direct metal-to-metal connection between the drive and the drive bay.

Cons: Not obvious from the pictures, there are no screws that actually hold the hard drive in place within the heatsink. This means that if your drive is not the standard one-inch height, it will be loose inside the cavity formed by the other components.

Some drives have a breather hole; there is no provision in this device to allow such a vent to function.

The sides of the drive do not actually touch the primary heatsink extrusion, reducing the opportunity for heat transfer from the drive casting (you could add your own shims to do this.)

The top of a standard-height drive will have good contact with the top of the heatsink.

Other Thoughts: A thin plate secures to the bottom with four screws; a thin foam sheet prevents shorting and will lightly clamp a standard one-inch-high disk drive but does not completely immobilize it. A heavy front casting is secured to the main heatsink with two screws. A thin back plate and a small block of foam complete the entrapment of the drive.

Since one of the primary causes of premature hard drive death is heat, this product could prolong the life of a drive if there is sufficient airflow past the heatsink. OTOH, if there isn't airflow past the heatsink, you'd probably shorten the life of the drive because there is no metal-to-metal conduction path for the heat to flow to the surrounding enclosure.

I've installed this in an Antec 900 case, having first removed the front casting. There is relatively free airflow along the ribs of the main heatsink and my drive appears cooler to the touch than before.

Pros: Let me think ... None!

Cons: It never gonna work. Save your money on other stuff.

Other Thoughts: Will spend money on new hard drive than this junk!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Customer,

If you have any problem about installation or any question please don’t hesitate to contact us at support-us@syba.com. All of our products come with at least 3 years warranty.

Regards,
Syba Customer Service