Packaging and Accessories

It is a little surprising to see what the Big Typhoon comes packed in, and while it does border on the shocking it falls more into the disappointing end of the spectrum. For such a majestic cooler to come packaged in nothing more than a plastic clam shell is a more than a little disappointing. Heck we have seen cheaper, lighter weight coolers came in much more robust cases than this. Where is the classic Thermaltake flash and dash which we have all come to know and recognize?

Thermaltake has spent considerable time, effort and money in producing a brand image which is instantly recognizable; and even if you are a relative newcomer to the world of aftermarket cooling you probably already have seen and know what a Thermaltake box looks like. In marketing speak this is called “positioning” and plays a big role in IF and HOW people remember your product.

When it comes to brand awareness we all only really remember a few items in a given category and we all rank them according to our personal preferences. Think of any kind of any computer item; now think of your favorite brand of that item. Got one? Now in ten words or less describe the item, chances are you will describe it in either terms of its performance or appearance. Like any successful company, Thermaltake knows this and usually spend a lot on its packaging; so why did they skimp on what can be considered one of their flagship products? Yes their customary red and black colors are there but certainly in a very muted, and down right minute quantity. The only other company who has ever really pulled this low key approach off is Thermalright with their blank cardboard box containers. However, any way you slice it a cardboard box is a heck of a lot better at protecting it contents than a plastic clamshell which can open during shipping and is thus universally hated.

On the positive side, at least you can say that you get a very good look at the Big Typhoon before you buy it. Except for one side of the Big Typhoon you can literally see every detail of the cooler without the need to remove it from the packaging. Of course, this also has a down side as there is only a small layer of plastic protecting this cooler from life’s bumps and bangs which seem to always occur in transit.

Please don’t get us wrong, we may not like the packaging of the Big Typhoon and even think it is disrespectful to treat such a high performance cooler with such lack of concern for its welfare, there is really a simple explanation why Thermaltake did this: this CPU cooling solution is built like a freakin’ tank. You don’t see Abrams main battle tanks wrapped in bubble wrap when the military wants to transport them now do you? The same goes for the Big Typhoon since Thermaltake in a rather gutsy move are basically saying: “Look this doesn’t need no wimpy protection”.


One truly bright point, with absolutely no downside, is the accessories which come with the Big Typhoon. You get all the mounting hardware you will need for both AMD and Intel 775 systems. You also get a detailed instruction pamphlet which not only includes all the needed instructions to install it on either AMD or Intel systems but also alternate mounting instructions if you run into incompatibility problems (such as capacitors being in the way of the top mounting bracket for example). This was very nice to see and it certainly helps prove Thermaltake does care about its customers.