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Comparison
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Scythe Setsugen vs. ZEROtherm CoolMaxx 2000 &
Zalman VF1000 LED
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Cooler
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Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Avg. Core Temp
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Avg. VRM Temp
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Setsugen
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7V
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21 dBA
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95°C
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132°C
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CoolMaxx 2000
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9V
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20 dBA
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90°C
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138°C
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VF1000 LED
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9V
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20 dBA
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100°C
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139°C
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8V
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19 dBA
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102°C
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145°C
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CoolMaxx 2000
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7V
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18 dBA
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95°C
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149°C
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Setsugen
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6V
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18 dBA
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103°C
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146°C
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Ambient temperature: 23°C
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA
(12 dBA with the test system on)
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The ZEROtherm CoolMaxx
2000 has a similar design to the Setsugen in that its fan is underneath
the heatsink. However, it's smaller and lighter, and the fan utilized is a thicker
80mm model that blows toward the GPU. It beats the Setsugen in GPU core temperature
by a good margin and with lower noise levels to boot. Subjectively the Setsugen's
fan sounds much better though and it generates slightly better VRM temperatures.
In this particular case, the HD 4890's VRMs are more likely to cause instability
so the Setsugen may actually be a better choice.
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Scythe Setsugen vs. Musashi
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Cooler
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Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Avg. Core Temp
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Avg. VRM Temp
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Setsugen
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7V
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21 dBA
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95°C
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132°C
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Musashi
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10V
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19 dBA
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90°C
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117°C
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Setsugen
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6V
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18 dBA
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103°C
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146°C
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Musashi
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9V
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17 dBA
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93°C
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125°C
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Ambient temperature: 23°C
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA
(12 dBA with the test system on)
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The Setsugen is clearly no match for the Musashi which also manages to be quieter
despite having two fans. At 9V it bests Setsugen at 6V by 10°C in core temperature
while producing 1 dBA less noise. The VRM cooling is even better with the Setsugen
losing by more than 20°C. If you can spare the extra room, the Musashi is
a far more efficient heatsink.
MP3 SOUND RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high
resolution, lab quality, digital recording system inside SPCR's
own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to LAME 128kbps
encoded MP3s. We've listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation
from the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent a quick snapshot of
what we heard during the review.
These recordings are intended to give you an idea of how the product sounds
in actual use — one meter is a reasonable typical distance between a computer
or computer component and your ear. The recording contains stretches of ambient
noise that you can use to judge the relative loudness of the subject. Be aware
that very quiet subjects may not be audible — if we couldn't hear it from
one meter, chances are we couldn't record it either!
The recording starts with 10 seconds of room ambiance, followed by 10 seconds
of the VGA test system without a video card installed, and then the actual product's
noise at various levels. For the most realistic results, set the volume
so that the starting ambient level is just barely audible, then don't change
the volume setting again.
Comparatives:
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