A Roundup of High-end SocketA Coolers. Q1-2`2003
Tests
Before testing the coolers I summed up all their specifications into a table (the higher the score, the better).
Now regarding the measurement procedure. Without any noise measurement instrument on hands, I am going to assess the noise levels and rate it in score points. That is, the higher the score, the higher the score, the quieter a cooler is. Such assessment is quite subjective. I must the author (myself :) is very sensitive to the noise level since the computer is running on a 24/7 basis and must not distract from good night's sleep.
We performed the testing of coolers on the Soltek 75FRN2-L motherboard; one of the few boards based on the nForce II chipset that display the core temperature to the user. But to get that you would need the latest version of the Soltek HWmonitor utility.
Then, the testing system was assembled in an Inwin S506 housing, with the PSU brought outside. This PSU has a fan of variable rotation speed (depending on the temperature), and its close proximity to the cooler might affect the measurement results.
If a cooler had a related thermal interface, then the thermal interface was removed and further measurements were performed with the silicon-organic paste KPT-8 applied. The processor was heated up with the BurnK7 software, with a Barton processor used as the test processor. The operating clock speed was set to 2000 MHz (10x200) at the nominal voltage. Let's see how these coolers will cope with such a load.
 Therefore, Cooler Master Aero7, Thermaltake Volcano 11 and Tt Volcano 7+ proved to be the most effective coolers. At the maximum speed, the core temperature does not exceed 60 C. But such high results were achieved by a high price: the operating noise exceeds all the reasonable limits. Of course the user will reduce the operation speed (all the three coolers are equipped with a speed regulator) to the medium or low level. As a result, the core temperature goes up, while in Volcano 11 it's rising sharply. So, we have two leaders only: Aero7 and Volcano 7+ of which the former appealed to me most.
By the way, CoolerMaster released an improved model of the cooler, Aero7+. Among the changes are the increased dimensions of the turbine - from 70 to 80 mm. In my view, this will allow reducing the noise level at the same cooling efficiency.
Then, as regards Volcano 11, I didn't like the cooler at all: expensive, noisy even at the minimum speed, poor design of the radiator. There's no other conclusion but this: don't buy it; the Volcano 7+ model looks much better.
As for the Volcano 9 Coolmod, - it depends on personal taste (e.g. owners of housings with a transparent window :). By its efficiency, it is equivalent to Volcano 9 (priced at $16) which in turn is equivalent to Volcano 7 (~$12.5).
Now on to the Zalman 6000Cu model - it demonstrated quite decent results both at the cooling efficiency and at the pretty low noise levels.
As regards the Igloo series, they are a good combination of moderate price, good cooling efficiency and low noise level. The latter factor deserves a special praise - Glacialtech engineers have done a good job making a high-quality 70 mm fan which is among the best at its performance. But use of the aluminum-copper radiator does not allow to attribute the Igloo cooler to the high-end rank.
Most likely, Igloo coolers fall within the mid-end models (or even value models; I have already said about the conditional nature of their division into categories), both at the price and the cooling efficiency. Igloo Silent Breeze which runs without absolutely any noise (noise levels 19 dBa versus 20 dBa in Zalman coolers) merits a special mention. However, I would advise to buy not this model but the Igloo 2500 Pro with some fan speed regulator.
Conclusion:
 CoolerMaster Aero7
Pros:
- Excellent cooling efficiency
- Very easy to install
- Offers variable rotation speed
- Caps for the front and rear panels of the housing.
Cons:
- Problems of compatibility to certain types of housings
- High noise levels at middle and high speeds.
Thermaltake Volcano 11
Pros:
- Offers variable rotation speed
Cons:
- High price
- Very low efficiency at low speeds
- High noise levels
- Inefficient design of the radiator
- No 3" panel for the speed regulator
- Inconvenient installation
Zalman 6000Cu
Pros:
- Easy to install/remove
- Offers variable rotation speed
- Excellent noise/performance ratio
Cons:
- The speed regulator placed inside the housing
- Non-compliance to AMD specifications (primarily, by the mass)
- Problems of compatibility to certain types of housings
 Glacialtech Igloo 2500 Pro
Pros:
- Good noise/performance ratio
- Relatively low price
- Convenient installation
Cons:
- Does not meet the high-end level (i.e. the overclocking margin is restricted).
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 used.
The higher the factor, the more difficult it is to give an adequate estimation of the cooling efficiency on those motherboards which can't display core temperature data to the user.
Note that practically all motherboards built on the nForce II 400 Ultra chipset feature hardware protection against overheating, but only few are able showing the real temperature to the user. It's not right to use the data read from the external thermal sensor for hardcore overclocking, since they don't show the factual processor core temperatures.
Read more on this topic:
 Thoroughbred-A processor; stress tests
Thoroughbred-B and Barton processors; stress tests
A roundup of P4 coolers. Q4 `2002
A roundup of SocketA coolers. Q4 `2002
A Roundup of P4 coolers. Q3 `2002
A roundup of SocketA coolers. Q3 `2002
Address your questions, wishes and suggestions to the conference.
The author would like to express his appreciation to Sunrise company for Igloo sample coolers presented for tests.
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