CPU Cooler Charts 2008, Part I - Loosing Your Cool?

[bill_bright]

I think it should be noted that using a 3rd party cooler on retail (not OEM) versions of Intel and AMD CPUs that came with supplied coolers, voids the warranty!!! Certainly, this is not a concern for many enthusiasts, but it is a concern for many others, and everyone should be aware of it, and it should have been noted in the review. JMHO.

Intel CPU Warranty Information (my bold added)
Intel warrants the Product (defined as the boxed Intel® processor and the accompanying thermal solution)... ... if the Product is properly used and installed, for a period of three (3) years. This Limited Warranty does NOT cover:

• damage to the Product due to external causes, including accident, problems with electrical power, abnormal electrical, mechanical or environmental conditions, usage not in accordance with product instructions, misuse, neglect, alteration, repair, improper installation, or improper testing; OR
• any Product which has been modified or operated outside of Intel's publicly available specifications

AMD CPU Warranty Information (their bold)
AMD is more straightforward on their page where it says the following concerning their retail, Processor In A Box (PIB), versions of their CPUs:

This Limited Warranty shall be null and void if the AMD microprocessor which is the subject of this Limited Warranty is used with any heatsink/fan other than the one provided herewith.

The good news is since both AMD and Intel warranty their boxed CPUs for three years, and since replacing them at their cost is not something they want to do, both make excellent cooling solutions both in terms of cooling abilities, but also in noise levels.

 

[Grimmy]

Hmmm..

"abnormal electrical" to me means power surge/spike.
"usage not in accordance with product instructions" to me means if you don't follow instructions for the HS/MB CPU installation.
"misuse" to me means... well misuse, like using it for a wheel stop when your working on your car brakes.
"alteration" to me means like a pin mod.

Don't anything on 3rd party HS on intel.

On AMD's it pretty much clearly states it.

Edit:

Whoops.. "any Product which has been modified or operated outside of Intel's publicly available specifications" I think I need a lawyer for that one.

 

[Nastro]

These were some pretty crappy coolers you guys reviewed. A few okay ones, and a few really crappy ones. Then you throw in a water cooling unit? This review looks very sloppy and thrown together at the last minute w/ whatever was on hand in the lab. Shame on you guys. We expect more from Tom's Hardware.

 

[paranoidmage]

and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the thermal specification for an intel processor 70 degrees?

Answer someone please. I'll probably buy a fan and OC my next computer, but I need to know. They had their processors going past 80 degree, but I thought they can only go to 70. Whats going on

 

[bill_bright]

"abnormal electrical"
"usage not in accordance with product instructions"
"misuse"
"alteration"

Overclocking "could" be called abnormal, not in accordance to product instructions, misuse, and alteration all at once - depending on how convincing their lawyer is.

And certainly, if the define the product as the CPU and the accompanying thermal solution, than using a fan other than supplied is not in accordance and is a modification.

They got you - if they want you.

 

[Grimmy]

"abnormal electrical"
"usage not in accordance with product instructions"
"misuse"
"alteration"

Overclocking "could" be called abnormal, not in accordance to product instructions, misuse, and alteration all at once - depending on how convincing their lawyer is.

And certainly, if the define the product as the CPU and the accompanying thermal solution, than using a fan other than supplied is not in accordance and is a modification.

They got you - if they want you.

I'm basically OC with stock voltage.

Edit:

But I should say, I don't think I'll be returning my CPU for a new one. Which I really haven't ever used a CPU warranty.

 

[SpinachEater]

the 9700 should be in a future review(its hard to see everything in that massive pile on page 1)....they have over 80 of them....

My Zalman 9500 points straight up with no problems at all......good old Antec 900

I want to see Igloo ice packs in the next review. I think they would get 30 points. Noise : 10 for sure, Installation: 10...just one bungie cord around the ol' plank, Cooling: 10...over 2 min 30 sec...heat...forget about it.

 

[ibender]

Am I hallucinating? Did they insert an ad link right into the article?

Thermalright offers a very good solution with the IFX-14, a model that provides very good cooling performance Compare Prices on CPU Coolers. Even with all four cores of the quad-core processor under full load, core temperature reached only 62°C. Paired with the Scythe SY1225SL12M fan, the cooler is all but silent in operation. As a result, it receives our recommendation.

A "Compare Prices on CPU Coolers" link. Right in the middle of the paragraph. Unbelievable.

 

[ibticktock]

OK, I must be a retard. I thought the article was excellent and I learned a great deal. It has been nice watching the content on Toms grow over the past year to include a wide variety of areas with increasingly detailed tests. Not that long ago people were posting that the site was finished, there was no real content any more, serious readers had all left, etc. Now people bitch because the reviews do not include all 1,000,000,000 possible permutations including THEIR particular set up. Things must be improving.

Let's break the article into three areas: Cooling, noise and installation.

Many posters complain that the tests were invalid because the set ups were not inside a case and therefore the cooling results were flawed. Maybe. I'm not an engineer so I can't speak to whatever dynamics might exist within a closed case regarding changes in airflow compared to an open platform. It would "seem" that the failure of a cooler to adequately perform outside a case would be a good indication of its relative performance to the other coolers in the test but perhaps certain coolers are built to respond differently inside a case. This one is a toss up then although I suspect Toms results would be have the same relative to each cooler inside the cases too.

As far as noise goes, there is an ever growing segment of the user population that demands a quiet computer. Pretending that this has little bearing on the rating that each cooler in the test received is ignoring reality. And it is obvious that how the coolers sound relative to each other outside of the case will maintain the same relationship inside the case. A noisy cooler may be quieter once the case is closed but it is still louder than one that scored better outside of the case.

The criticisms against the installation criteria were among the dumbest. Whether or not the tests were run inside a closed case or in the open means little when dealing with the actual installation of the coolers to the motherboard. A cooler that is difficult, or near impossible, to mount, does not suddenly become easier if you have a motherboard that is then placed within a case. Or not even taken out in situations where it can be mounted with no back mounts. Should Toms have simply ignored any cooler that requires the removal of a motherboard first?

Again, I am happy to see the depth of reviews that are showing up around here. I don't take anything as if it were now carved in stone simply because a product received a certain rating. That is why one reads as many different reviews as possible. However, I certainly give more creedence to a site that is willing to slam a poorly designed product than other sites that never seem to find anything bad about the freebies, I mean test submissions, that they receive. And the fact that so many posters always have something to complain about tells me that this site is still active and providing a service.

 

[vangvace]

Am I hallucinating? Did they insert an ad link right into the article?

Thermalright offers a very good solution with the IFX-14, a model that provides very good cooling performance Compare Prices on CPU Coolers. Even with all four cores of the quad-core processor under full load, core temperature reached only 62°C. Paired with the Scythe SY1225SL12M fan, the cooler is all but silent in operation. As a result, it receives our recommendation.

A "Compare Prices on CPU Coolers" link. Right in the middle of the paragraph. Unbelievable.

It's subliminal messaging man... that and many readers won't get past the first paragraph :lol:

Edit to add same writer as the 8 gig of ram in Vista article. Me thinks I see a trend in the works.

 

[weidox]

From cooler testing photos I see that all coolers were tested in motherboard on stand in vertical position. However at least some heatpipe coolers are designed to be put only in vertical position motherboards ("desktop" type cases, and not into "tower" type cases). That's because heatpipes are directional and processor must be at bottom of cooler, not at side. I've personally had in my hands Zalman CNPS8700, and it had clearly written that it doesn't suit for "tower" cases. Also I've read about heatpipe technology, and from what I read I can tell that most if not all tested heatpipe coolers should have such requirement, or at least should work better with motherboards standing in horizontal position. (I only once in one shop saw a heatpipe cooler with diagonal heatpipe direction, this one in theory could have worked well in both desktop and tower cases).
That's big limitation of heatpipe coolers which I hate (and that's the reason why I sold the same Zalman CNPS8700 cooler I had). And I mean that these testing results are of little use - heatpipe coolers should be tested in correct direction, or they will perform similar to cheap standard coolers.

 

[Grimmy]

I remember an old thread where people here did discuss how heat pipe technology worked (starts as a liquid at the bottom, heats up turns to vapor, gets to the top, then condenses back to liquid). It made sense at the time that it would work better sitting horizontal on the MB.

But the result was basically 1-3C difference or no difference. If memory serves, mad shrimp website had something on this.. but it's been such a long time ago.

Anyoo.. the manufactures would say what would the optimal mounting would be, but still could be used on a vertical without too much problems in the vertical position.

 

[bgd73]

I agree with nukemasters post. A true thermal test involves standard cases, and then there are choices out the wazoo yet again to tinker with. bad or good for every cooler.
I am currently running on a super silent thermal right xp90, a hot tomale p4 2.8e 3 fans in the entire system (cpu is 2109 top rpm) including a fanless ATI vid card (the 2600 pro and one other is the only thing bigger without a fan)..and ya know what?
reverse duct cooling, a bit of fabrication was the genius (aside from that fantastic xp90 cooler) that kept me in your top 2 throughout all of your tests...inside the case.
The cpu I run was even scrapped by some for being as impossible as the p4 EE models (if anyone can remember just 3 years ago)

overall the tests do show obvious..but as some posts here have mentioned, there is alot more than just a good cooler. You need to guide what they made on your own.

 

[righteous]

I am not going to question any credibility until I see
"part 3" of this.

I have "a heatsink" that absolutely flat out retired my thermalright ultra 120.
When I see part three and "the heatsink" in question fails the test, I will then decide on whether I will hold any reviews here with any credibility.

in seeing some heatsinks that are generally very good being failed here, I already have a lot of questions, but I will refrain for now.

There is a lot to properly mounting and testing a heatsink that will greatly affect the end result. You don't just slobber on some silver, slap the heatsink on and go. Placement before fastening it down is paramount as well as the film thickness.

Anyway, I await part three to see if my heatsink is failed due to hack-like installation and I will then make my own determination if reviews here are credible. I already have my own opinions based on other reviews, but I'l keep that to myself to be respectful.

 

[paranoidmage]

The problem with this is that the passive coolers rely on the case fans so much to cool then since they don't have their own. they are at a disadvantage in this test, but would perform way better in real life situations

 

[yomamafor1]

Why no Coolit products? Like to see something that can match this:
Q6600 oc'd to 400x9, vcore +.17, Prime95 all four cores, ambient at 20C
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f161/mobo57/temp4.jpg

Because Coolit products are crappy, expensive, and inferior.

My WCed Quad OCed to 3.6Ghz, Vcore +.2, F@H all four cores for 2 hours, ambient at 25C, get about 45C at load.

And that loop costed me about 150USD...

 

[bobbknight]

this was a joke. im very surprised TH would even bother putting this up as an actual review. im really just baffled. i dont think bashing brand names or designs will help much, but honestly, why on earth did you guys even bother mounting push-pin designs.... not really sure who you think your audience is, but i know i never have and never will have a push-pin design on damn near any of my hardware components (all aftermarket sinks).

wheres the real deal? why review a HS that blows air ONTO the board?? HS orientation?? whatsup with being vertical? yes, heat rises, but i dont think you want it rising into your PSU. Let alone the fact that youve now screwed the airflow in ur case and have a large cloud of hot air building, its still heating that PSU more and more. And please, those stock fans at the top of cases are a joke, they will never pull all that air out.

I personally say, select and review PRACTICAL heatsinks and waterblocks. even tho the Zalman CNPS8700LED is a terrible design, if you cant install it, then you sincerely shouldnt be reviewing it. you install it once, you uninstall it once; get over it and grow a pair.

lets think about what a heatsink does... thats rite, it dissipates heat. the ultimate goal is to cool the CPU. Performance is at the top of the list, always. i dont mind if i have to cut the motherboard in half and solder the board back together if i end up getting phenomenal cooling.

the CNPS9700 LED should have been in there, big time. i was intrigued when i read that over 30 products were going to be reviewed, but im left completely unsatisfied. if youd like me to buy all the high performance heatsinks, fly over to ur lab, do all the testing, record all the data, and publish it your site, id really be happy to. But since that most likely will not be the case, if your going to do the job, please do it rite. theres A LOT of noobie rig builders that are greatly influenced by sites like these; lets not screw with their heads and feed them **** information.

Semper Fi

Let me see where do I begin:

No list of test equipment.
No ambient room temperature.
No ambient room noise level.
Method of temperature measurement not given.
Manufactures listed in list "Companies represented in this test" not listed in any of the four parts of the article.
Original part one of the article stated that it would be 3 parts.

So for temp and noise, Toms info basically amounts to a SWAG (Scientific Wild Assed Guess) with very little science to back it up.

Now on to things not in the article nor on the charts:

The big one
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
or
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro

It's like why are products from Arctic Cooling missing? Is there a part 5 of this 3 part story?

OK Real Science:

This is the number that you want to beat.
Thermal Resistance: 0.17°C/Watt
Anything higher is a waste of your money.
If this number is not given, move along.

Oh by the way this is from the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, $32 retail.

Everyone yells Zalman Zalman Zalman, well guess what I don't find any Thermal Resistance information on thier
web site or in the coolerss manuals. They are over priced anyways.


XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler
Thermal Resistance 0.16°C/Watt
$44 shipped

$10 for .01 Degrees C/W at best a cooling of 2 Degrees C, to me it's not worth the hassle of install and expense.

Scythe SCINF-1000 120mm CPU Cooler Thermal Resistance unknown price higher than other units of know capability.

Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler
Thermal Resistance 0.16 - 0.21 °C / W from web site, $57.58 delivered.
Again over priced and a pain in the ass installation.

Bang for buck winner here, the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro.
Why bother with anything else?

A post script to the above:

XIGMATEK has a new unit out the Xigmatek Achilles S1284 for $45 before shipping.
Thermal Resistance 0.14°C/Watt
This may be the new big boy on the block.
$52 shipped from;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233017&Tpk=S1284

With installation of the XIGMATEK' being so problematic and it almost requires the extra mounting bracket,
at a cost of an additional $10. I might still go with the Freezer 7 Pro.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

When Xigmatek includes the extra mounting bracket in the box. I will give the newer cooler, the Achilles S1284 a try.

There are other places where you can get a good HSF cooler review, Hard OCP is one Frostytech is another.

This article, like a child in their first endevor where they fall short of accomplishment, you pat them on the head and say better luck next time.

Better Luck Next Time.

OK my rant is over.