"Thermalright AX-7"
Joe Citarella - 3/7/02
page 2 of 2
SUMMARY: Exceptional performance, secure socket A mounting, but noisy with the 80mm Delta 68 cfm fan.
The good guys at Thermalright sent over a production sample of the AX-7. This is different from the prototype I tested (HERE) as it now has a three prong clip - a welcome addition. The base
looks very nice - polished finish and flat. It is a tad better than the prototype I tested. Thermalright includes four screws for a 38 mm fan; the fan is set off the base four rubber washers (5mm) - it decreases noise a bit and may reduce vibration also.
I measured noise with a Radio Shack sound meter 8" from the fan's intake at 68 dBA - about the same as the Delta 60mm 38 cfm.
THE TEST
The AX-7 was tested on the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences.
For this test, I used the Delta 68 cfm (FFB0812SHE) fan.
AX-7 TEST RESULTS - CPU Simulator
| Platform |
Die Temp |
Ambient Temp |
Delta |
C/W |
| Simulator, 76.7 Watts, Delta 80mm |
42.5 C |
20.7 C |
21.8 |
0.28 |
The Die Simulator indicates this is a top rate heatsink. These results place the AX-7 at the top of heatsinks we have tested (Heatsink Rankings HERE). Note that air cooled heatsinks are approaching water cooling C/Ws, although at much higher noise levels.
CONCLUSION
The AX-7 is top rank with the noisy Delta 80mm fan. Performance will scale based on which fan is used.
Thanks again to Thermalright for sending the AX-7 our way - an great design.
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