Noise production:

Although Spire specifies a noise level of 19 dBA, these tests were done in special laboratories and not in the normal working environment. There are elements that will influence the noise level, such as the air resistance generated by heatsink design.

To measure the noise level, my editor stopped by with his SmartSensor SL4001A digital sound meter. First we measured the ambient sound with computer and devices that could generate sound turned off. The outcome was 32 dBA. And that’s silent. I live in a very quiet neighborhood, so there were no cars driving by, no loud children yelling on the street or …. close to pure silence without hearing my own heartbeats.

Time for the Spire cooler now. The sound meter was placed around 60 cm away from the cooler. We measured the sound level by using a fanless PSU. We got 33 dBA. You could barely hear the fan running. Keep in mind this was tested in a case less setup, so when you install it inside a computer housing, it will be practically silent. The boxed cooler produced about the same noise, but added a rattling noise.

For your information, here are the average fan speeds:
Spire: 2250 rpm
Boxed: 2400 rpm

Testing:

First, the test setup. As I didn't have a socket 478 PC myself, I paid fellow reviewer Gamer a visit....

Gamers' Test Setup
CPU	Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz 533 fsb (Northwood)
Cooling	Boxed cooler Spire SP495S11-U QuieTude VI
Mainboard	XFX Mach4 Intel 865PE
VGA	Nvidia ti42000
Memory	2*256Mb DDR pc3200 BH5

All results were taken with room temperature at ~24 °C. Due to room temp fluctuations, different mounting and user error can account up to 1-2°C of inaccuracy from obtained results. Please keep this in mind when looking at the results. Each heatsink was tested repeatedly; if I got questionable results the test was restarted.

Setup was installed in a case less environment

For stressing the CPU, I used S&M which can be found here (click = download).

A noname white thermal paste was used as cooling compound.



The Spire in both idle and stressed mode is better then the Intel retail cooler.

Conclusion:

It's time for a conclusion. The Spire QuieTude VI performs not only a tad better then the Intel boxed cooler, but also lowers noise. Besides, you can add the great looks and the lower price (around 15 $) to the package.

To be honest, I actually expected a LED or lighted fan with the semi clear blades. Regardless, the non-LED doesn’t spoil its main purpose; a good cooler for those who look into replacing their boxed cooler and get more for less money.

But there is a side note ...Users with Prescott copper base Intel Cooler may find the Spire a disappointment in cooling performance based on the narrow margin it gains when compared with the old all aluminum sub 2.8 Ghz Northwood Stock Cooler.

PRO
Better performance then boxed cooler
Stylish (fan) design


CON
No led fan


I would like to thank Mark from Spire

/piotke out

Questions/Comments: forum thread