- Back to homepage
- Related articles
  Related articles

CPU Heatsink Roundup May 2006

Cooling/CPU Cooling by jmke @ 2006-05-01

Eight new heatsinks are compared to 21 other air cooling solutions from different manufactures. We have some promising entries from Spire, Aerocool, Scythe, Thermaltake and Tuniq for you today!

Spire VertiCool II

Spire VertiCool II
Supplied by: Spire

The first VertiCool heatsink was for Athlon Socket A/462 only, I reviewed it back in December 2004. Version II offers higher performance and better compatibility. 2 heat pipes joined in a copper base combined with a series of aluminum fins. Price wise I found the VertiCool at $15 but also at $99(?). The latter seems to an error most likely.

Specifications :

Compatibility:

AMD: Athlon64/64+ Socket754/940/939

Intel: Socket 775

Fan included: 80mm x 80mm x 25mm
(2300rpm / 1.56W / 25CFM)

Heatsink Dimensions: L95xW65xH100mm
Weight: ~350gr

In the Box :

Instruction manual

Tube of thermal paste

S775 metal mounting bracket and mounting gear.

K8 metal mounting bracket and mounting gear.

Construction :

Two heatpipes are joined in a copper base which has a rather small footprint. The heatpipes dissipate the heat into a series of aluminum fins which are cooled down by a 80mm fan which has an open design. The surface area of the fins is increased by making them stick out more at one end. The base has an excellent finishing with no need to extra lapping.

Installation :

Motherboard removal is required as you’re installing a metal mounting bracket to replace the one which comes with your motherboard. The VertiCool II is compatible with both AMD S939/S754 and Intel S775, this is done by use of custom mounting gear which is screwed into the side of the base. However I ran into a problem when mounting the K8 bracket, the 80mm fan blocks the screw, so you can’t get a screwdriver in the right spot. I had to remove the fan, install the heatsink, and then reattach the fan.

Performance and Noise :

The copper construction and smaller fan support put into the same category as Asus X-Mars and Thermalright XP-90C and Sharkoon Red Shock, these heatsinks are all quite compact and feature heatpipe technology.

Madshrimps (c)

At full fan speed the VertiCool II own fan is on par with the Delta 92mm fan noise wise, it trails the XP-90C by one 3°C, not bad! When reducing the fan speed to 50% the noise drops to a comfortable 35dBA with a ~8°C increase in CPU/PWM temp.

Madshrimps (c)

The VertiCool II keeps up nicely with the XP-90C and this at an acceptable noise level; the PWM temperature however is quite high.

The Verdict:

Despite its compact size and smaller fan the VertiCool II is able to offer a respectable performance/noise ratio at low/high heat output. It keeps up with some of the most wide respected competitors out there and this at low noise levels. The only major remark is the K8 installation which deserves a slight revision as the fan is blocking the mounting screw at one side.

PRO
Good performance/noise ratio
Silent fan at 50% fan speed.
Multi platform compatible

CON
Motherboard removal required

Where to buy?

Next up is the Scythe Katana CU ->

All information and graphics contained in Madshrimps are sole property of the Madshrimps crew and may not be reproduced or copied in any manner without written permission from us.