Review on Vantec ICEBERQ NVMe Cooling Solution for Enhanced Performance: NVME150 BL by Will Kern

Initially, the kit includes a heatsink (top and bottom), 4 thumbscrews, 2 thermal pads, 4 rubber bumpers (required for single-sided NVMe drives only), and instructions. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that the instructions are written in good English and are easy to follow. Installation was easy, and unlike some other heatsinks sold here, you didn't have to trim the thermal pads to fit, which was nice. Everything from the heatsink to the gaskets looked and felt premium. The heatsink is also a nice weight which adds to its quality. I should add that the thermal pads weren't too sticky and probably won't damage your drive in any way if you decide to remove the heatsink in the future. I wanted to install in a gaming rig with 6 case fans that provide excellent airflow where it isn't needed. Well I couldn't be more wrong! When you consider that most people don't even check their temperature, it's easy to see why NVMe drive ratings are so prevalent that people complain about premature drive failures (Samsung recommends that NVMe drives run at 50C or below to maximize their performance and longevity) HWInfo64 shows 2 different temperatures for my hard drive, they are labeled "hard disk temp #1" and "hard disk temp #2". Disk #2 is always the hottest, so I'll use those temperatures for reference. Before installing this heater: Ambient temperature: 23°C Idle temperature: varied by 45°C on average and 52°C at most. Under load: The maximum temperature I let the drive reach was 78C before hitting the pause button and letting it cool down (79C is when Samsung NVMe drives thermally choke). It only took 2-3 minutes of non-stop writing to reach 78C. After installation (ambient temperature 23°C): Idle temperature: 36°C to 41°C with an average temperature of 37°C. Under load: 43°C to 56°C with an average temperature of 48°C. I was amazed after installing this radiator. The temp I was able to get on my hard drive was 56C and I worked really hard running multiple mixers and tests in a row. Needless to say I'm very impressed with the performance this thing is delivering and I can finally use my drive without worrying about it melting. So if you're like me and get some satisfaction from keeping your PC components nice and cool, I highly recommend this article. I'm so glad I didn't settle for one of the other similarly priced heatsinks that are held together with rubber bands or metal clips. It's the bee's knees!