Heatsink Roundup Q4 2005 Holiday Edition

Cooling/CPU Cooling by jmke @ 2005-12-24

We are proud to present you with our last heatsink roundup of 2005. Featuring the latest offerings from Arctic, Scythe, Silverstone, Sharkoon and newcomer Noctua. We compare them to the best out there in 3 different test setups.

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Reference HSF & Overview Specs

Overview Specifications

Fan SupportFan Included?Weight (gram)Motherboard
removal?		AMDIntel
AC Freezer 64Custom 92mmYes460NoS754/S939/S940no
AC Freezer 64 ProCustom 100mmYes528NoS754/S939/S940no
Noctua NH-U 122*120mmNo700YesS754/S939/S940S478/S775
Noctua NH-U 980/92mmNo570YesS754/S939/S940S478/S775
Scythe Samurai Z92mmYes360NoS754/S939/S940S478/S775
Scythe Shogun120mmYes790YesS754/S939/S940S478/S775
Sharkoon Red Shock80/92/120mmNo820YesS754/S939/S940S478/S775
Silverstone NT0280mmYes880YesS754/S939/S940S478/S775
Thermalright XP-120120mmNo370NoS754/S939/S940S478/S775
Zalman CNPS9500LEDCustom SizeYes530NoS754/S939/S940S478/S775


Reference heatsinks installed

Before I present you with a compilation of all the results in a series of (large) charts, here’s a quick rundown on the reference heatsinks used:

  • Arctic Cooling Freezer 64
    Features easy clip on installation, is now being replaced by it’s Pro version and sold at +/- the same price (~€20). Unlike the Pro version, its orientation can not be changed.

    Madshrimps (c)



  • Scythe Shogun
    Top performing product from Scythe, comes with a 120mm which is not too good, but the heatsinks offers one of the most silent CPU cooling solutions when combined with the correct 120mm fan. Its price is higher than most, but you get what you pay for (~€60).

    The heatsink can be orientated either way, but installation is not straight forward, and requires a bit of patience.

    Madshrimps (c)



  • Zalman CNPS9500LED
    - Provided by Bacata

    Zalman’s latest heatsinks offers excellent performance, even at low fan speed; straight forward installation as it uses the default A64 bracket. The heatsink can be easily orientated either way. Priced at ~€50 it’s no really a budget friendly CPU cooling solution.

    Madshrimps (c)



  • Thermalright XP-120
    Thermalright’s XP-120 has been around for quite some time now, and can be found priced as low as €37!. XP-120 offers relatively easy installation with its integrated clip on system. It was one of the first (if not the first!) heatsinks to support 120mm fans and it reigned the silent CPU cooling market for quite some time. You’d be interested to know that they have announced their own ”tower” heatsink: HR-01. Let’s hope I can take it for a test run soon.


    Madshrimps (c)



    Let’s start our chart madness by sorting the results by Pure Performance ->
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