Testing low-end coolers. Spring 2007
ASUS Chilly Vent
CPU coolers bearing ASUS logo are not frequent at our retail shops, but anyway they have proven successful in our test lab. Let's look at low-end coolers made by this manufacturer.
Click to enlarge
Their "low-endness" is quite relative, since we haven't been able to find the cooler on sale yet, but the price should not be very high.
The transparent plastic package immediately demonstrates the cooler's exterior, and the additional box with bundled items contains only a tub of proprietary thermo paste and an installation guide.
Click to enlarge
Externally, the cooler looks simple enough: an aluminum radiator, a couple of heat pipes, and a small fan. But the appearance is misleading - just look at the specifications:
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Model Name
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ASUS Chilly Vent
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Support for processor sockets
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AMD Socket 754/939/940/AM2
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Supported processors
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Athlon™ 64 FX/ X2 all series (Dual-core)
Athlon™64 all series
Sempron™ all series
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Material of the radiator
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copper base (nickel-plated)
aluminum fins
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Mounting dimensions (WxDxH), mm
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99.5 x 107 x 69
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Fan dimensions, mm
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80 õ 80 õ 25
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Fan's supply voltage, V
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12
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Bearing type
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rolling (Superflo)
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Rotational speed, RPM
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1500 ~ 4500 ± 10%
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Air flow, m3/hr
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31,76 ~ 94,4
(18.7 ~ 55.6 CFM)
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Noise, dB
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N/A
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Power socket
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3-pin
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Thermal interface
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proprietary thermo compound in a syringe
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Weight, g
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398
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Specific features
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Two heat pipes.
Control of RPMs using a thermal sensor integrated into the fan.
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Approximate price, $
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N/A
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Externally, the aluminum base turned out to be nickel-plated copper, and the "small fan" is in fact able controlling the rotational speed on its own. The rotational speed is adjustable within 1500 to 4500 RPM depending on the air temperature inside the housing. The same methodology is useful during hot days.
Click to enlarge
There are fins tightly soldered on the base, and the heat transfer is accelerated with heat pipes which transfer heat onto the upper part of the fins.
The base of the cooler is rather coarse, but there aren't traces of coarse polishing. Thermo paste is not pre-applied but is kept in a syringe. Judging by the substance, we deal with the currently popular thermo compound which stands out with its high efficiency and extreme difficulty to apply.
The method of fastening on the motherboard is simple and effective - the thrust plate hooks at the central teeth of the near-CPU frame, with the final pressing is done by turning a wrench.
ASUS Chilly Vent Lux
The second "low-ender" by ASUS differs in only one word in the name and two features. For instance, take the package.
Click to enlarge
Now the plastic body cast with the cooler is almost fully packaged into a cardboard shell, although the user can see a detailed view of the cooler's design.
The label on the box tells of a small weight of the cooler as "merely 382 g", which means it is a bit lighter as compared to its predecessor.
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Model Name
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ASUS Chilly Vent Lux
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Support for processor sockets
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AMD Socket 754/939/940/AM2
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Supported processors
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Athlon™ 64 FX/ X2 all series (Dual-core)
Athlon™64 all series
Sempron™ all series
|
|
Material of the radiator
|
copper base (nickel-plated)
aluminum fins
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Mounting dimensions (WxDxH), mm
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99.5 x 108 x 64
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Fan dimensions, mm
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80 õ 80 õ 20
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Fan's supply voltage, V
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12
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Bearing type
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N/A
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Rotational speed, RPM
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2000 ± 10%
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Air flow, m3/hr
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N/A
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Noise, dB
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25
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Power socket
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3-pin
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Thermal interface
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proprietary thermo compound in a syringe
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Weight, g
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382
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Specific features
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Two heat pipes
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Approximate price, $
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N/A
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It is evident from the specifications that all the changes have been made by the new fan which was seen through the transparent walls of the package.
Click to enlarge
The suffix "Lux" has brought a fan with some larger diameter of the impeller and increased number of fins. The fan rotates at the permanent speed 2000 RPM with the noise level not exceeding 25 dB. Its noise is heard but it can be an obstacle to only those who are after completely noisy systems.
The radiator fully replicates the design of the similar ASUS Chilly Vent, so it doesn't make sense dwelling on that. Fastening on the CPU cooler is both easy and convenient.
ThermalTake TR2-R1
Recently, ThermalTake is creating not merely new cooler models but as much as new series of cooling systems. One of the series is dubbed «TR2 Value Cooler» and under its trademark coolers for most varied platforms, even for Socket 478, are produced. Curiously, but ThermalTake have created a separate web site for that. Of the TR2 series, we have received a quite interesting cooler for the AMD Socket AM2 platform, named TR2-R1.
Click to enlarge
The plain but colorful package tells of the key advantages of the cooler, as well as demonstrates how effectively the fan blows about the near-CPU space around the cooler. A special emphasis is made on the noiseless operation - «Ultra Silent».
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Model Name
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ThermalTake TR2-R1 (A4022)
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Support for processor sockets
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AMD Socket 754/939/940/AM2
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Supported processors
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Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 FX
Athlon 64 (Socket AM2/ 939/754)
Sempron (Socket 754)
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Material of the radiator
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aluminum
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Mounting dimensions (WxDxH), mm
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102 õ 122 õ 84
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Fan dimensions, mm
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92 õ 92 õ 38
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Fan's supply voltage, V
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12
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Bearing type
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N/A
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Rotational speed, RPM
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1300 ± 30%
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Air flow, m3/hr
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60,2
(35.43 CFM)
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Noise, dB
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16
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Power socket
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3-pin
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Thermal interface
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thermal paste applied onto the base
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Weight, g
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480
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Approximate price, $
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9
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We noted the weight of the cooler, which is a bit large for a value cooler, as well as not immodest dimensions combined with the attractively low price. The declared noise level meets the large statements of «Ultra Silent», although it is still early to judge about its level.
We found nothing else besides the cooler, so we now move on to its description.
Click to enlarge
The low but wide aluminum radiator is equipped with a fan of impressive size. The major advantage of the cooler is just the large fan rotating at 1300 RPM. It can't be called completely noiseless, but the noise is vague, and inside the CPU housing you can hardly detect its presence by the sound.
Click to enlarge
The base is rather coarse to touch but is anyway flat. On the central part, there is a pre-applied layer of white thermo paste, quite a liquid substance, and its excess is easily squeezed through pressure.
The fastening of the cooler is light and efficient - a thrust plate with a clip is used.
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