[HeLlzNfoRcer]

Before everyone rips me up about how horrible the SPIN-Q heatsink is, let me give you a back story.

I just built a new 2600k system(see Sig) and was noticing that my CPU was running really hot w/out any overclocking done at all. It was hitting temperatures of 70+ Celsius while running just WOW(figured out why, but thats further down).

I think to myself... Buy an $80- 110 cooler and go crazy with overclocking or just buy CHEAP because my system with the 580 and a solid state is fast enough at stock speeds.

Well I'm sure by the title you guess it. I went CHEAP. I ended up being able to pick up the SPIN-Q for about $30. I was expecting it to be just barely better then the stock HSF but just enough to keep my CPU cooler.

When i removed the stock HSF i noticed that about half the thermal paste had not even touched the CPU even knowing that it was clamped down perfectly and was tight. NOW, idk if this is my fault or the fact the its a POS. this definitely explains why the CPU was running hot. This actually complements the 2600k because even with NO HSF it still didnt overheat under load.

I wasn't too upset about the Intel fail*(maybe mine, but doubt it) because at this point i just wanted to put the new one on and forget about everything.

The SPIN-Q was incredibly easy to install and i was surprised to how good it looked and how quiet it was. I kept the settings on the SPIN-Q exactly how it came, which was fan speed low.

Time for the testing.

I booted up and opened Speedfan just to see if it was now idling under 40 degrees(which is better than it was). to my surprise, the idle temps were in the teens and loads were in the 30's.

Then my "lets push as much as possible out of my computer" personality kicked in. I dont need too, i just wanted to see what i could do with what i had.

I rebooted and went to bios. I wasn't shooting for CRAZY 3dmark scores or anything special. I just wanted to fool around a little bit to see where i got. I set everything to auto(I dont know enough to mess with voltage) and just changed the multiplier to shoot for 4.2ghz. I figured this was a good overclock but nothing special with the 2600k. When i booted, temps didn't change almost at all. It raised a little but still WAY in the green.

SO, what did i do? you guessed it. I rebooted and bumped the multiplier up to 48. I figured around 4.8ghz was a VERY respectable number across ANY CPU especially with such a low-end cooler.

when i rebooted the temps were all looking good so i decided to throw the IntelBurn test at it. i figured this was one of the harder tests and would test the CPU much more than i would ever use it.

Results you ask? Well first, the test came back saying that your CPU was extremely stable at the current settings. MAX temps? Never above mid 50's and generally around 48-49. ON THE INTELBURN TEST. MID 50'S? yeah -- thats really good for a entry lvl cooler.

I'm not sure to credit this to the SPIN-Q or just the fact that the 2600K is amazing on its own. I didnt push it any further because i REALLY didn't need it.

On another positive note - I know this doesn't mean anything - but my Windows score was a 7.6 because of my ram and processor. after the overclock.... everything was maxed at 7.9. not bad.

If you would like me to push it harder for s**ts and giggles... just let me know. It might be interesting.

[hokiealumnus]

Moved to the cooling forum for you.

A lot of that has to do with the 2600K. Those things run cool. Really cool. The SpinQ is definitely doing a good job though, so it was a well spent $30!

Watch your voltages under load. Chances are one or more of them is more than you need.

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

Thanks! i wasn't sure where to put this....

[m0r7if3r]

i'd be interested to see readings with realtemp/coretemp since speedfan has known issues with reporting the right temps and, barring an exremely chilly room, idling in the teens is not possible. Sounds like you found something that works for you though.

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

ill post realtemp/coretemp numbers when i get a chance.

As for my room, I'm currently living in a basement that doesnt get heated. LOL. it is usually sitting around the 55-60 degree mark pretty much all the time. If i get too cold... i have a space heater but i rarely use it. I prefer cold rooms... no chance of overheating your computer or yourself!

When i mention "teens" its upper teens like 17-19, not like 13.

Maybe its just Speedfan reading wrong.... ...... i was excited...

[m0r7if3r]

No, if you have low ambients it's entirely possible...On my old p4 (socket 478 old...jez...been so long) I saw boot temps of as low as 8C because it sat in a poorly insulated basement and I prefered a blanket to a heater.

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

Unfortunately you were right. it idles in the 20's with realtemp and coretemp. still good.

[m0r7if3r]

Where does it load though? Idles don't really matter because the resolution of the temp sensors really washes out the further away from TJ max they are.

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

under load it was in the really high 50's, occasionally breaking into the low 60's in the Intelburn test.

[hokiealumnus]

Impressive. Hard to believe, but impressive if accurate. I say that because I just ran a 2500K (no HT) at 4.5 GHz / 1.336V on a pretty solid water loop and it was 50-52° C loaded. What sort of voltage are you seeing under load? You might have a golden chip there.

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

Originally Posted by hokiealumnus

Impressive. Hard to believe, but impressive if accurate. I say that because I just ran a 2500K (no HT) at 4.5 GHz / 1.336V on a pretty solid water loop and it was 50-52° C loaded. What sort of voltage are you seeing under load? You might have a golden chip there.

I think it might just be normal. I live in a really cold room and i am still seeing temps on average 10 degrees higher. thats a significant difference....

Ill have to wait until later to give you volts. at work now....

[hokiealumnus]

No hurry, take your time.

HT makes a significant heat difference too, or at least it used to. Could be that's not the case any more, with these chips running so cool. With the same Vcore and 500Mhz less than the 2500K specs I quoted above, my old i7 870 ran in the mid-60's with an even stronger water loop.

The one I'm using now is just a single Swiftech MCR-320. On the 870 I ran the MCR-320 plus an MCR-220. These things run SO much cooler than their predecessors it's amazing, so it wouldn't surprise me if HT doesn't make as much of a difference as it used to.

If you feel like testing it out, you could turn HT off in BIOS and leave everything else the same to see if you get the same temps.

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

Water cooling scares me. i'm afraid that something will spill and really mess some stuff up... i was thinking about going with like an h70 or something but they are the same as really high end air coolers... what do you think? I know it will be hard to not be biased since your the "water cooled Moderator" but please try... LOL

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

You know what i realized? and I'm sorry for this because i am a huge noob.... but I'm only running the stress test on standard stress level. is this the reason the numbers are good? should i run the test at a higher stress level? whats the normal level for OCers to set it on?

[hokiealumnus]

Honestly, I'd get a quality air cooler over one of those. Muddocktor reviewed the H70 here, and showed it did well but not much better than a solid air cooler. My view is - if you're going to water cool, water cool. If you're not, don't waste the extra money these cost.

FWIW, I have and really like the Thermalright VenomousX. I believe the best of the best right now is the Noctua NH-D14, and it will still cost less than the H70.

EDIT - Saw your post in there. I'm not sure what that means, it has been a very long since I ran IBT. I use LinX and don't recall the settings. Hopefully someone with more knowledge on the subject can chime in. I would typically run with the highest or next-to-highest stress level to really test stability for 24/7 overclocks.

[muddocktor]

When I use IBT, I test at the maximum setting. After all, I want to see the maximum heat possible with it when testing my cooling system efficiency out. I know that if my temps are in line then, that I have no worries running regular programs.

EDIT: I am running a comparison test on max temps with IBT between the standard setting and the max setting for you, just to give you an idea of the difference in temps. I did notice that the test finishes much faster on standard than on maximum.

Maximum setting hottest core=69 C

Standard setting hottest core=64 C

Temps monitored with Real Temp GT on my 980X@4.0

[HeLlzNfoRcer]

well.... changing IBT to maximum really heated up the processor. i have to drop it less than 4.5 to keep the temps under control.

sorry for leading everyone on.... i thought mine was running cool.

Then i have to think.... I bought the cheap cooler because i wasnt going to overclock... but for some reason im still sad.... ;(