Pentium4 Coolers Roundup. Q4 `2002
Introduction
In the previous review of new coolers for Socket478 we examined some interesting models. And we made a quite important conclusion: if the system doesn't overclock or if overclocks moderately (with a slight voltage raise), a box-type cooler will do. It runs quietly enough (since the fan's rotational speed is variable depending on the temperature) and cools well. But if you are into serious overclocking, then you won't get by without a powerful cooler and a fully (or partly) copper radiator. For that, Thermaltake Volcano 7+ has shown itself as a good performer.
Today we'll be looking into more coolers with the aluminum radiator and the same amount of copper-based coolers, among them "the heavy gun" - Zalman 6500B-CU.
A couple of words on the measurement procedure. Like in the previous review, I will estimate most of the subjective parameters with score points. The higher the score, the better a certain parameter is. The subjective parameters are first the cooler's noise levels, ease of installation and further removal. Besides, we'll measure the processing quality of the base also in score points.
But the weight, prices and temperatures are precise enough and will be given in figures. Well, the processor temperature and the fan rotational speed were measured with the Motherboard Monitor v5.2.1.0. The test setup was assembled in an Inwin S506 case with the cover removed (for better perception of the noise :). If the cooler had a related thermal interface, then the latter was removed and further measurements were carried out with the silicon organic paste KPT-8 (as the cheapest among all the tested pastes). The processor was heated up using the CPUBurn software, with Pentium4 1.8A used as the tested processor (all Pentium4 processors have thermal sensors integrated into the core). For increased heat emission we set its FSB speed to 133 MHz (which totally gave 2.4 GHz) and raised the Vcore voltage up to 1.65V. To explore the behavior of coolers during extreme overclocking, I set the FSB to 150 MHz and raised the voltage to 1.85V.
The overclocking was performed on the Asus P4GE motherboard (based on the Intel 845GE chipset).
While describing the cooler I'll draw your attention to the fastening convenience and reliability. Also don't forget about such factors as the radiator's dimensions, material used, appearance, processing quality etc. Most of these are fairly subjective (especially, the appearance :), so I'll try to be as impartial as possible through presenting more illustrations.
Arctic Storm 2
I purchased this cooler by accident. Among the great selection of coolers looking similar to the box-type, that one stood out with its radiator shape and the funny blue fan (funny, because it looked much alike to a box-type cooler made by AMD).
I first thought the cooler was a noname product, but it turned out to have a manufacturing company (although no mention of that was on the package). Arctic's website is available over here. Besides the cooler, the box contained metal latches for the socket and a tub of thermal paste.
As I already said, the cooler looks quite impressive (its dimensions are 83x69x55 mm).
First, the impression is produced by the radiator shape with a couple of dozen fins placed on a pretty thick base.
By the way, the base is of varying thickness - it's thicker in the central part.
The lateral walls of the radiator have deep vertical and fine horizontal saw cuts - every inch of the surface is used for increasing the air contact area.
The processing quality of the base is middling.
On the radiator there is a black plastic frame on which a 70x70x15 mm fan is fastened with four screws.
By its noise characteristics, the cooler is pretty inferior to its box-type brothers - its noise is quite a nuisance. With the rotational speed 4500 rpm declared by the manufacturer, its noise level is 32 dBa and the air flow is as much as 25.73 CFM
In practice, the fan was rotating at the speed 4000 rpm.
The cooler fastening system left a dual impression. It is made up of two standalone metal clips allowing fastening the radiator in the socket (using the hooks in the plastic frame). Such a scheme is appealing because of its simplicity - it takes merely a few seconds to attach and remove the cooler. But the clamping effort produced is not much great, and the look-and-feel does not bring much confidence.
Finally, the price for the cooler is approximately the same as for a "box-type" cooler and is around $10 a piece.
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