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Cooling Results
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Prolimatech Armageddon w/ ref. 120 mm fan
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Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Temp
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°C Rise
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12V
|
16 dBA
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62°C
|
40
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9V
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13 dBA
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64°C
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42
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7V
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12 dBA
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68°C
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46
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Prolimatech Armageddon w/ Noctua 140 mm fan
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8V
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19 dBA
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62°C
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40
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7V
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15 dBA
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64°C
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42
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6.5V
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14 dBA
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65°C
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43
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5V
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12 dBA
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70°C
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48
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Prolimatech Armageddon w/ Scythe 140 mm fan
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10V
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21 dBA
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58°C
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36
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9V
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17 dBA
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60°C
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38
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8V
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14 dBA
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63°C
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41
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7V
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11~12 dBA
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65°C
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43
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Load Temp: Prime95 for ~10 mins.
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (22°C) at load. |
Though the Armageddon is design to be used with a 140 mm fan, it performed
pretty well when paired with our reference 120 mm fan. The thermal rise was
only 40°C at 12V, increasing to by a small amount as the fan speed was reduced.
Surprisingly the larger Noctua fan lagged behind. The Nexus fan at 9V generated
the same thermal result as the Noctua fan at 7V, but measured 2 dBA lower which
is easily noticed at 13~15 dBA level. In addition, the lowest speeds we tested
for both fans produced 12 dBA, yet the Nexus had a 2°C edge in cooling.
The Scythe 140 mm fan fared much better than the Noctua. Running at 9V and
17 dBA, it bested the NF-P14 running at 8V and 19 dBA by 2°C. At 7V, it
generated less noise than both the Nexus and Noctua fans at their lowest tested
speeds, but held a solid 3°C lead over the Nexus and absolutely dominated
the Noctua by 5°C.
The Scythe's convincing victory over the Noctua makes a compelling argument
for its use as our 140 mm reference fan. The model we used isn't available yet,
but non-PWM versions are on the market and should perform similarly. They are
also more affordable, selling for US$12~$14 while the Noctua goes for more than
US$20.
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Coolermaster V8 w/ stock 120 mm fan*
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Fan Voltage
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SPL@1m
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Temp
|
°C Rise
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12V
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31 dBA
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64°C
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42
|
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9V
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22 dBA
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66°C
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44
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8V
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18~19 dBA
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68°C
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46
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7V
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14 dBA
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71°C
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49
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6V
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12 dBA
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78°C
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56
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Coolermaster V8 w/ ref. 120 mm fan*
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12V
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16 dBA
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68°C
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46
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9V
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13 dBA
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72°C
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50
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7V
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12 dBA
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76°C
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54
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Load Temp: Prime95 for ~10 mins.
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (22°C) at load.
*top cover was removed during testing (did not affect thermal performance). |
The Coolermaster V8 is nowhere near proficient as the Armageddon. When paired
with the stock fan, it is only competitive when fan speeds are high. At 7V and
14 dBA, the thermal rise approached 50°C and increased by 7°C at 6V.
Our reference fan was a much better performer; at 12V, it produced the same
CPU temperature as the stock fan at 8V, but was also quieter by 2~3 dBA. The
Nexus also topped the stock fan by 2°C at the 12 dBA level.
A low speed fan doesn't have much of a chance sandwiched in the middle of a
structure like that of the V8's. The fin spacing is on the tight side and ,
the fins on the smaller heatsink sections on the outside run perpendicular to
those on the inside. With so much impedance on both sides of the fan, it is
exceedingly difficult to cool the V8 without high airflow.
Comparables
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°C rise Comparison
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|
Heatsink
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Nexus 120mm fan voltage /
SPL @1m
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12V
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9V
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7V
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Rank
|
|
16 dBA
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13 dBA
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12 dBA
|
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Prolimatech Megahalems
|
38
|
41
|
44
|
#1
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|
Prolimatech Armageddon
(Scythe 140 mm fan)
|
38
17 dBA
|
41
14 dBA
|
43
12 dBA
|
N/A
|
|
Noctua NH-D14
|
38
|
42
|
45
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#2
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Noctua NH-U12P
|
39
|
42
|
44
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#2
|
|
Scythe Mugen-2
|
39
|
42
|
45
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#4
|
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Cogage TRUE Spirit 1366
|
40
|
42
|
45
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#4
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|
Prolimatech Armageddon
|
40
|
42
|
46
|
#6
|
|
Zalman CNPS10X Quiet
|
40
|
43
|
46
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#6
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Thermalright U120 eXtreme
|
40
|
43
|
48
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#8
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Thermalright U120
|
42
|
45
|
49
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#9
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Noctua NH-C12P
|
43
|
47
|
51
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#10
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Zalman CNPS10X Extreme
|
43
|
47
|
53
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#11
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Zalman CNPS10X Flex
|
45
|
50
|
54
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#12
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Coolermaster V8
|
46
|
50
|
54
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#12
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Scythe Kabuto
|
51
|
53
|
60
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#14
|
The Prolimatech Armageddon comes in a couple of degrees short of its older
brother when paired with our reference 120 mm fan. It needs to be used with
a decent 140 mm fan like the Scythe Slip Stream to really compete with Megahalems,
but even then, it's a very close race. Of course we'd wager that equipping any
of the heatsinks in our top 5 with the same Scythe 140 mm fan would give us
similar results.
The Coolermaster V8 just doesn't have what it takes to excel as a quiet CPU
heatsink. The convoluted mess of heatpipes and fins is too much for a low speed
fan to overcome. Beset on both sides with heavy impedance, our reference fan
delivered a disappointing result that places the V8 near the bottom of our chart.
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