Sytrin KuFormula SHF1 Ultra Preview

Sytrin has maintained a relatively small status up to this point and currently do not have a large market share or as many stakeholders as say Antec, SilverStone, or Zalman in the PC enthusiast market. Sytrin was, however, fortunate in the respect that the first product they introduced was an air-conditioned chassis. This was not a bogus marketing campaign, but the Nextherm ICS-8200 really possessed a 120W thermo-electric cooler for helping to drop the system temperature. This chassis also boasted an LCD panel, high-end power supply, and SECC steel construction. Phoronix was fortunate enough to deliver the world premiere review on this chassis, and with the ICS-8200 wowing our staff we ended up awarding the computer case with our elusive editor's choice award. Months later we were at it again delivering the inaugural review of the KuFormula VF1 Ultra. The Sytrin VF1 Ultra was a near universal GPU cooler and had boasted a phenomenal level of performance thanks to its dual heatpipe design and multi-functional cross-flow fan. This graphics card cooler was also awarded with high honors by Phoronix and other publications. The engineers at Sytrin had also designed several other products such as the Nextherm PSU series, Nextherm ICS-8200 ML, and the PAC-400.

Phoronix has the honor today of delivering yet another exclusive article as we provide the world's first look at the Sytrin KuFormula SHF1 Ultra. At the time of publishing this product has yet to be officially launched or to appear on Sytrin's website, but we expect the launch will happen shortly. Continuing with the KuFormula series, the SHF1 and SHF1 Ultra are designed to be multi-functional high performance HDD coolers. The Sytrin KuFormula SHF1 Ultra integrates two 40mm fans and a heatsink design to allow for superior cooling. The SHF1 series is also designed to provide anti-shock protection and other added benefits to reduce noise and vibration.

Features:

· Smart mechanical design
· Two integrated DC fans (w/ blue LEDs)
· Multi-functional bracket design
· Anti-shock protection
· Fits any 5.25" drive bay
· Application for 3.5" HDDs
· Available for DIY applications, RAID towers, servers, and industrial PCs

Similar to the KuFormula VF1 series, the differences between the SHF1 and SHF1 Ultra is that the Ultra model uses two 40mm 12V fans for improved ventilation. The SHF1 products are also available in four different colors -- black, yellow, silver, and red. Sytrin has tagged the red model as being "Ferrari Red" and the black variant being "Mysterious Black".

Opening up the cardboard packaging inside was the 5.25" HDD cooler, which was set between two Styrofoam blocks. Also included was the user's manual as well as a revised part list due to last minute changes in the product's design. The SHF1 Ultra can be easily opened by simply removing the screws from the top side of the cooler. Contained inside of a cardboard box the size of a 3.5" HDD was the remainder of the components needed for installation. The Sytrin KuFormula SHF1 Ultra is designed for the 3.5" hard drive to mount in the middle of the 5.25" enclosure while on the top of the hard drive is a thermal pad, which is then topped by the Sytrin heatsink cover. At the front of the device are two 40mm fans (with blue LEDs) to actively push air around the hard drive. These fans rotate at 4500RPMs while having a noise level of 21dBA. The SHF1 Ultra is compatible with IDE, SCSI, SATA, and SAS hard drives.

The Sytrin KuFormula SHF1 Ultra weighs in at 400 grams while the non-Ultra variant is 160 grams. The materials used for construction are mostly aluminum and steel. To reiterate, the SHF1 Ultra is designed to lower the operating temperature of the hard drive as well as reducing the noise and vibrations produced by the HDD. At the time of publishing we do not yet know the MSRP or expected launch date for the SHF1 / SHF1 Ultra. Look for more information soon on the Sytrin KuFormula SHF1 series.