A Roundup of High-end SocketA Coolers. Q1-2`2003
Introduction
Quite recently we tested a number of cheap (low-end) coolers for powerful (Barton 2000 MHz) processors. In that roundup we focused mainly on the cooler's ability to cool the processor at nominal clock speeds. In today's roundup we'll be looking into higher-end coolers while keeping the possible overclocking in mind (these are CoolerMaster Aero7 and Thermaltake Volcano 11). Along with these, we'll be testing coolers designed for maximum low-noise operation (Zalman 6000Cu and Igloo SilentBreeze).
Prior to tests, let me answer a couple of typical questions from readers of the previous roundup:
1) Why do we have to save on a cooler if we buy a high-end processor?
If a system is not meant for further overclocking at all, or if no upgrade is planned for the coming year or two, the most cheap cooler capable of doing a decent cooling job for the processor will suffice. Besides, AMD processors are getting cheaper quite fast, so a recent high-end processor turns mainstream very soon.
2) Why hasn't this or that cooler fallen within the testing roundup (among the most frequently mentioned coolers were Igloo models :).
Frankly, the division of coolers into cheap/expensive (low/high-end) is pretty conditional: you see, some regard high-end models as those starting with $10, for others they start with somewhere at $17. And of course the cooling kit varies. To bind the results of both roundups, we included results for the Titan TTC-CU5TB cooler which showed the best efficiency among the cheap (in my view) models.
Note that this review is one of the latest roundups of SocketA coolers. The thing is the Athlon XP line has come to its completion - there's been released presumably the last XP3200+ processor built on the Barton core featuring 200(400DDR) MHz bus. For the tests, I was able to acquire such a processor whose maximum overclocking upon the voltage raise amounted to ~2450 MHz. This means the clock speeds of those made following the 0.13 mk process technology reached their technological limit. So the only thing what AMD has in stock is to produce at best one or two models of processors not exceeding 2.3 GHz. The probability of that is small enough - in 2 months, Athlon 64 are to hit the retail, and manufacturers of cooling devices are already clustering in this market sector (a typical example - Zalman 7000Cu).
In describing each of the coolers I'll be drawing your attention to the fastening convenience. Also don't forget about such factors like fastening reliability, radiator size, material used, exterior, processing quality etc. Most of these are fairly subjective as well (especially, the exterior :), so I'll try to present as more illustrations as possible.
Cooler Master Aero7
By its exterior, the cooler is quite out of the ordinary - on top of its standard radiator there is a massive plastic structure with a turbine.
The turbine itself is just the distinguishing feature of the Cooler Master Aero7.
Its use allows to eliminate the so-called "dead spot", i.e. an area of weakest air circulation. Practically all the traditional fanned coolers some way or another suffer from this shortcoming. Some manufacturers are even doing their best to overcome this phenomenon (e.g. - Igloo 2320(Pro)), however, only Cooler Master was able to eliminate the "dead spot" issue completely.
To make this statement weightier, I performed the following experiment: installed a regular 70 mm fan (taken from the Igloo 2500 Pro) on top of the radiator of Aero7 cooler.
 a hybrid of Aero7's radiator with an Igloo 2500 Pro's fanAfter that, this hybrid ran for several hours in pretty dusty premises. Then I removed the fan and determined the airflow directions by the dust layer.
As is well seen on the photo, unlike the outer areas the fins on the central area of radiator have no dust layer. This means the air flow in the center is practically = 0, which certainly deteriorates performance.
Now taking a closer look at the turbine:
the range of rotational speeds varies between 1900 rpm and 4500 rpm, and the air flow versus rotational speed varies between 10.9 and 26.9 CFM.
The turbine overall dimensions are 70x70x70 mm. As a result, the cooler turns out to be too high and won't fit into some housings (those where the PSU is above the processor socket).
The turbine's rotational speed is set by the user. For that, there is a control unit (variable resistance) with a metal handle. We have come across something similar already (in particular, in Zalman and Thermaltake coolers), but the Cooler Master engineers brought the control convenience to perfection. First, the metal handle (also a plus - a cheap plastic part may have spoilt the exterior) is quite large, so it's simply a pleasure rotating it. Secondly, the speed control unit isn't loose deep inside the housing (like Zalman Fanmate) but can be installed either on the rear panel of the case (instead of an expansion card) or in the 3" FDD compartment. For that, there are two caps:
Keep it mind that the 3" cap is made of aluminum, so owners of housings made of this noble metal (among computer enthusiasts :) won't spoil the exterior of the front panel.
There is a regular molex connector used to power the cooler; besides, there is a special wire which can be plugged in to the motherboard and thus determine the turbine's rotational speed.
The radiator is fully made of copper, with the radiator base polished well enough (around 7/10 score points). Also of note is that all the fins have a small bend for better efficiency.
Finally, a few words about the fastening - the cooler is quite heavy (over 600 g), so it's no wonder the clip has a hook over all the three socket teeth (on each side). The fastening clip is balanced ideally in rigidity and elasticity. This makes the cooler installation and removal a breeze. A big part in that is played by the very long and wide finger stop - but it's just this part that might bring the Aero7 owners a lot of trouble.
First, on some motherboards this plate may hinder installation of memory modules:
 Soltek KT400A motherboardOn motherboards having different socket positioning, other problems may come up. For instance, on the Epox 8RDA3+ board the socket is positioned too close to the edge, so the plate rests against the PSU (for the Inwin housing). But in larger size housings this is no longer a problem.
 Chieftec housingNow regarding the noise levels. In fact, you can't call Aero7 an absolutely noiseless cooler: even at the minimum rotation speed of the turbine you can hear noise variation during the short power-off (for about 15-20 sec). Then, as the speed goes up the noise is rising quite fast, and already at 3500 rpm it gets on your nerves. At the maximum rotation speed, the cooler noise fills your apartment all around:)
 |
Top Stories: |
 |
 |
|
MoBo:
| |
|
|
VGA Card:
|
|
|
|
CPU & Memory:
|
|
