40+ heatsinks compared

[jmke]

Completed my HSF comparo test on both AMD and Intel platforms; massive list of coolers, plenty of data to chew through
http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=1&artpage=2179&articID=519

if you think it's worthy of sharing please consider a digg
http://digg.com/hardware/AMD_and_Intel_Heatsink_Roundup_2006

Tested on AMD:


# AMD Stock Cooling
# AMD 4 Heat pipe Stock cooling

# Aerocool Dominator
# Arctic Cooling Alpine 64
# Arctic Cooling Freezer 64
# Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
# Asus Silent Square
# Asus X-Mars
# Coolermaster Susurro
# MACS Triumph TEC
# Noctua NH-U 12
# Noctua NH-U 9
# Sharkoon Red Shock
# Silverstone NT02
# Silverstone NT06
# Scythe Infinity
# Scythe Katana CU
# Scythe Mine
# Scythe NCU-2000
# Scythe Ninja
# Scythe Samurai Z
# Scythe Shogun
# Spire DiamondCool II
# Spire VertiCool II
# Thermalright XP-90C
# Thermalright XP-90
# Thermalright XP-120
# Thermalright HR-01
# Thermalright SI-120
# Thermalright Ultra-90
# Thermalright Ultra-120
# Thermaltake Big Typhoon
# Thermaltake Mini Typhoon
# Titan Tower TTC-NK32TZ
# TTIC NPH
# Tuniq Tower 120
# Zalman CNPS9500CU

Tested on Intel:

# Intel Aluminum Heatsink
# Coolermaster Eclipse
# Coolermaster Mars
# Coolermaster Hyper TX
# Scythe Ninja
# Titan Amanda TEC
# TTIC BIG
# Zalman CNPS9700LED

as usual, I'm looking for constructive comments and criticisms on the testing methods, charts and what not, to improve on for the next test, thank you in advance for your thoughts

 

[Bios24]

Holy heatsink collection batman. Dang I love these big round-ups. It makes it much easier to pick a heatsink. MadShrimps did a great job putting it all together.

 

[freakdiablo]

Umm, wow. now all you have to make some type of copper stand thing to use them all at once on the same cpu nice collection

 

[enz660]

why is the thermalright 120 getting owned by an xp120 and over half of the heatsinks? Faulty test? It should be right benind the tuniq.

 

[jmke]

at lower heat output it certainly is a contender next to the Tuniq, see: http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=496

at higher CPU speeds however it fell back drastically, I've retested the unit several times, no change.

 

[HarlanC]

This is a great thing for people who dont know any information on heat sinks. good job.

 

[shard]

This is a great thing for people who dont know any information on heat sinks. good job.

And some great comparisons for people that do. Definitely very well done in my opinion.

 

[enz660]

one thing I would have changed in the test was to use screws instead of the plastic lga775 pins for mounting some of the heatsinks. One test on xtreme systems shows that if this is replaced, temperatures can be decresed from 3-6c.

 

[Brando]

It should really say "Master of Engrish ranguage". The roundup was good.

 

[Susquehannock]

Cool roundup! Pun intended

 

[tommcd64]

What is really nice is how well the Arctic Freezer 64 Pro performs and the fact that it is now at newegg fo only 19.99.

 

[eaglescouter]

The last part of this article shows some of the largest CPU heat sinks I have ever seen. If these keep getting larger we will have to bolt them to the case bcause the mobo will not be able to deal with the weight.

 

[enz660]

The last part of this article shows some of the largest CPU heat sinks I have ever seen. If these keep getting larger we will have to bolt them to the case bcause the mobo will not be able to deal with the weight.

I wouldnt mind doing more than that really....if it gives me a better overclock, why not?

 

[Susquehannock]

I wouldnt mind doing more than that really....if it gives me a better overclock, why not?

So true. For a while I was toying with the idea of forging my own huge Copper & Silver heatsink that would be attached to the side panel & case frame for support. I came to the conclusion that my choice of motherboard with it's "clip on" sink design made the endeavor much less desirable.

 

[stevejr]

I know that everyone has their favorite hsf, so I'll agree with tommcd64 about the AC Freezer 64 Pro...it certainly doesn't have the cool looks of the Zalman's, but for me, a non gamer, I get excellent cooling...low weight...very quiet...I use a fan controller and keep the fan turned down to about 7v.,and do not loose any cooling ability...and of course a very good price!!

 

[g0dM@n]

Thanks for the link in this thread... came in useful for me today!!

I was trying to decide between the AC Freezer 64 Pro, and the Thermaltake Silent Tower. Although the TT Silent Tower wasn't listed, I didn't know the AC Freezer 64 Pro kicked that much ***!!!

Still don't know which is better, but definitely this helped me in a decision.

Anyone have a clue which is better (just for the heck of it)? I can't find much info on the TT Silent Tower.

 

[One Bull]

Whee, I'm going to read through it

 

[stevejr]

The term..."which is better"....can depend upon many factors such as brand of case...component positions...fan positions...how easily air is drawn into and then out of the case...wire management ( how much does the wiring interfere with air flow)....etc...

I think the terms "better" and "best" are quite often a subjective term...what works "best" for you may not work "best" for someone else.

Too many folks get caught up in debating what is "better" & "best", as though it's all some kind of competition...some kind of "mine is better than your's" mentality. As soon as you think that you have just installed the "best whatever"...a "new & improved" version comes on the market and suddenly you don't have the "best" anymore! !! So, what do you do...keep chasing the "latest & greatest" forever...never being satisfied with what you have... ...knowing that any of the good cpu hsf's will keep the temps well below the dangerous limits??

Just pick one that appeals to you...either just for looks...for the price...whatever...and don't worry too much about whether it is the "better" or "best".....any of the cpu hsf's that are always being recommended here are very good.

 

[g0dM@n]

The term..."which is better"....can depend upon many factors such as brand of case...component positions...fan positions...how easily air is drawn into and then out of the case...wire management ( how much does the wiring interfere with air flow)....etc...

I think the terms "better" and "best" are quite often a subjective term...what works "best" for you may not work "best" for someone else.

Too many folks get caught up in debating what is "better" & "best", as though it's all some kind of competition...some kind of "mine is better than your's" mentality. As soon as you think that you have just installed the "best whatever"...a "new & improved" version comes on the market and suddenly you don't have the "best" anymore! !! So, what do you do...keep chasing the "latest & greatest" forever...never being satisfied with what you have... ...knowing that any of the good cpu hsf's will keep the temps well below the dangerous limits??

Just pick one that appeals to you...either just for looks...for the price...whatever...and don't worry too much about whether it is the "better" or "best".....any of the cpu hsf's that are always being recommended here are very good.

i'm looking for the most silent one that can do low temps...

my definition for "best" in this particular case means:
-coolest
-quietest

the whole point of this thread was to show just that, and more... the one that appeals to me is the one that is "best" (according to my definition).

 

[stevejr]

[email protected]'m a little confused here...I notice in your sig that your systems are water cooled. Are you wanting a hsf for one of these systems? I do not know a great deal about water cooled systems, but aren't the cpu hsf's replaced with a cooling set up? Or is this hsf needed for another system?

1. "coolest"....seeing that there are just a few degrees separating the most popular cpu hsf's ( and I suppose that means the "best"... ) ,and knowing that all of these "best" hsf's keep the temps well below anything that would be considered as getting too close to max heat...then I would make my choice on other factors and not so much on a few degrees either way.( just my own opinion... ).

2. "quietest"....here is the interesting part. Do you want to try passive....try different types of fans....use a fan controller ( my recommendation)...? There are lots of discussions, as I'm sure you already know, about trying different fans on the different coolers and how they perform. How quiet is quiet enough for you? Yes, this term is certainly interesting to think about!!