jmke

We compare a total of 44 CPU coolers which fit on AMD/Intel latest platforms and compare them on two hot running systems; which one will keep your CPU the coolest, how quiet can it get? Find out in our last HSF roundup of 2006.

http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=519

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zerotol

great results from the zalman..Zalman back in the lead on great performance and silence ?

jmke

it's got plenty of competition

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ilnot

First off, nice job, very comprehensive. I'm no fanboy of any cooler so don't misunderstand me but reading the review there is something that strikes me as odd. SO much so that I had to post.

Upfront I'll admit that I don't know anything about any special requirements or circumstances for AMD CPU cooling but the dismal results for the Thermalright Ultra-120 are quite different from any previous review I've read. Here's just three:

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Ha...tra_120/3.html
http://www.frostytech.com/articlevie...id=2001&page=5
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid...e=expert&pid=4

Thermalright's own XP-90 is out performing the ultra-120 in these tests, that just can't happen. From most other reviews the Tuniq and Ultra-120 are the best coolers on the market. Please, if am mistaken in some way let me know but the test results seem to indicate that there might have been some problem with the installtion.


A kind of side question is the "Papst 120mm 4412 F/2GLL" that you use for this test, I can't find it on the Papst website. Is it the 4412FGL model. If so, the site says it operates at 55 CFM but the review says 40 CFM. Did you use a fanmate or the like to decrease the speed?

SAMSAMHA

Awesome Articles

jmke

I re-tested the Ultra-120 several times, the tightly packed fins + lower surface area makes it less ideal for cooling than the other tower coolers I tested in the same very low airflow case.

a more detailed review of the Ultra-120 can be found here: http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=496



the Papst fan I used is indeed not listed on the Papst site but it does exist, please also see SilentPCReview's review of the Papst fan : http://www.silentpcreview.com/articl...ge3.html#papst

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ilnot

Thank you for such a full response, I can't believe you took the trouble to retest. And also thanks for the link to the review of the fans, I am looking at a number those for my setup.The results, with lower CFM (40), makes more sense now, though I am still surprised how badly it responds to low-flo air.

It is a great idea to use, when applicable, the same fan for all the heatsinks to get a more apples-to-apples comparison. I am curious why you use the Papst, or only use the Papst(besides it being a hell of a lot more work). As was said the in the review there are people who don't care about noise and only go for performance and those that look for the best performance at near silence. I myself (and no doubt many others) would trade off a little noise for great performance. Do you think the S-flex 1600 or this Antec http://www.us.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18432 or similar fan to be too loud (rated around 30 dB and 70 CFM) for most? I have never heard these fans in person. It seems like the Tuniq, Ultra-120, and any other tower-type heatsink would see quite sizable gains in performance with a minimum increase in dB levels. I recognize the desire for quiet operation but using this type of fan for these products seems to be cutting the legs out from under them. Like buying a $1200 Kentsfield and putting it with $80 RAM. An exaggeration, of course, but you get my point.

Rutar

its one of the better fans for noise/performance, has a good lifetime and is available at a lot of places
If you would post that into the SPCR forums you would get obliterated.

40 CFM fans (usually around the 1200 RPM mark) are already a compromise for the real quiet freaks, they are considered quiet but not silent. Silent is around 800 RPM, where there isn't much airflow left.

The amount of users willing to bear the noise of a Tornado or Delta has been shrinking drastically in the past 2-3 years, due to new heatsink technology and cooler running CPUs making it no longer needed to max out a chip.

ilnot

@Rutar

Are there any other fans that you would say have similar life-time reliability and noise levels?

Also, I wasn't suggesting those fans for quiet freaks. I just think there is a segment of enthusiasts who would take 30-35 dB for performance approaching (basic) water-cooling - lazy set-it and forget-it types like me.

jmke

I tested more than 20 120mm fans in 3 reviews this year
1) http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=391
2) http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=421
3) http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=516

there are plenty of alternatives to the Papst, by heart I would say Coolink, Noctua, Sharkoon, GlobalWin and Nexus, might have left out a few, check the links

Performance wise at >1500rpm the increased airflow will make this tower heatsinks perform extremely well. do note that adding more/faster spinning case fans will have the greatest effect at the end of the day, the rear fan at 5v in my test setup is quiet but pushes little air, making it a little baking oven.

I'm currently working on an Antec 900 Series case which features a top 200mm fan and three 120mm fans (2 front/1rear) with all Antec fans on "silent " setting the PC will be considered quiet by most users, and thermal performance is stellar.

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