A Roundup of cheap coolers for powerful processors (SocketA): Q1-2`2003
Tests
Before testing the coolers I summed up all their specifications into a table (the higher the score, the better).
For tests, we took a Barton processor. The clock speed was set to 2000 MHz (12x166) under normal voltage. Let's see how these coolers cope with such a load.
So, at efficiency the first place was won by the two twins: Evercool CUD-725 and Titan TTC-CU5TB. But their noise levels leave much to be desired - for comfortable operation, one has to use a speed-reduction device. The second place was taken by Thermaltake's Volcano 7. It has a 80 mm fan of variable rotation speed (depends on the processor temperature), however, its noise level is a bit too high. For comfortable operation, I would recommend having the fan replaced with a less noisy one.
By the way, note that currently the Thermaltake Volcano 7 is priced below $13 and thus falls within a low-end group of coolers.
As regards those users for whom the noise levels are of paramount importance, then to my regret I cannot recommend any of the coolers presented. In this price category, there are no truly noiseless coolers. However, there are two that stand out: Titan TTC-D5TB(F)CU35 and Titan TTC-D5TB(TC). The former demonstrates a bit better performance, but makes more noise. The latter runs very quietly (owing to the variable rotation speed), but has a fully aluminum radiator.
As an experiment, we can cross-breed these two coolers, but the cost of the result will exceed $20 :)
Besides, Ajigo cooler demonstrated acoustic performance, but I am not sure it can be made available in the retail over Russia.
As for Thermaltake Volcano 8 and Evercool CUE-610 coolers, they appeared to be firm "middlers" which could be safely used in mainstream systems without overclocking in mind.
And finally, the Titan TTC-CU6TB and Igloo 2320Pro coolers cannot be recommended for buying at all.
So, the totals have been summed up. Now turn to a very interesting data on the difference in temperature readings taken from the external thermal sensor as opposed to the internal. The amount of the difference is not constant and strongly depends on the cooler in use.
For instance, for the Ajigo MF034-032 cooler it is as high as 2 C, while for the Titan TTC-D5TB(F)CU35 it is over 10 C. What is the cause of that?
The thing is that the external thermal sensor is positioned practically on the board's surface (e.g. Soltek KT400A). This means its readings will be affected by the temperature of the part positioned near the processor socket. Of course, if the air flow generated by the cooler cools down the board, then the external thermal sensor will also show a lower value. The second factor that affects the difference between the readings of the internal and external thermal sensor is the material's thermal resistance from which the radiator is made. Simply spoken, at which rate the radiator transmits heat from the processor core. Take a look at the Titan TTC-D5TB(TC) cooler - its radiator is made of aluminum, and the fan is sizeable (80 mm). As a result, the difference in the readings of thermal sensors amounted to 13 C.
I calculated the difference in readings between the internal and external sensors for all the coolers, and for better clarity presented its information graphically:
Besides, the readings of the thermal sensors (internal and external) were much influenced by the motherboard itself and its BIOS. First, the thermal sensor may be positioned on the board's surface while being near the processor. Example:
 
preliminary and final revision of the Epox 8RDA3+ motherboard.Secondly, the board's BIOS may add serious corrections tot he readings of the sensors. It happens very often that upon flashing the BIOS with a new version the readings of the temperature sensors are corrected.
Somehow or other, but the main conclusion is this: for hardcore overclocking, the readings of external thermal sensor are absolutely useless since they don't reflect the factual processor core temperatures. It's absolutely real when the user replaces one cooler with another, with the external thermal sensor understating the temperature. In fact, the core temperature remained the same (or even rose). This results in overheating and deterioration of the overclocking results.
As for the ordinary users (indifferent to overclocking), they would be quite content with the readings that come from the external thermal sensor. If it indicates a stable temperature, no more than 60-70 C (under load), then the cooler is installed in a correct manner, and the fan functions properly.
Read more on this topic
 Pentium4 Coolers Roundup. Q4 `2002
A Roundup of SocketA coolers. Q4 `2002
Coolers for Pentium 4 `2002 Q3
SocketA Coolers Roundup Q2 `2002
The author would like to express his deep gratitude to the Sunrise company for the Tt Volcano 8 sample presented for tests.
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