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Conclusions
The important points in graph form:
The data makes it look pretty clear. Anything but the Alpine GT and the Gelid
will get you good cooling performance (better than stock, at least), and as
we know from the testing, the Rosewill is loud enough to avoid.
My recommendations
You're free to buy any cooler you'd like, of course. I'd like to share some
thoughts on which coolers I feel really stood out in this comparison.
Best Cooler: Logisys Cool Gammaxx 200 - If you have the space in your
PC's case for a tower cooler, it's really hard to go wrong with the Logisys.
Yes, really. It's a good cooler let down by a mediocre fan, but because it'd
be so easy to replace it, you'd be crazy not to get it. As it is, if you need
serious cooling on a budget (say, for overclocking your FM2+ APU), you can't
get anything more powerful under $20.
Best Cooler for a Small Case: Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 Pro Rev. 2 - If
you can't quite fit a tower cooler (or you're not overclocking), the Alpine
11 Pro turns in impressive numbers while being very consistently quiet all around.
Best Low Profile Cooler: Zalman CNPS7000V (AL) - If you just don't have
the space for the Alpine 11 Pro, I would go with the Zalman. Despite the fan's
noise profile, it has PWM control and at quiet speeds cools as well or better
than most of the coolers here.
There you have it! Happy cooling!
SPCR MEASUREMENTS & ANALYSIS
The use of the Zalman Fanmate fan speed controller imposed a limit on
the top speed of all the tested fans. The maximum voltage/speed for each
fan was not the standard 12V, but something close to 11V. We've measured
10.8V in the past. The Fanmate has a ~1.2V DC loss when its control is
set to max. This means most of the coolers' fans can run a bit faster,
make a little more noise while doing so, and cool slightly better at top
speed.
The QUIET fan speeds listed here are somewhat arbitrary. They are the
speeds at which the coolers became quiet enough to be masked by the hard
drive and power supply noise in Andrew's system. This is a reasonable
marker for "quiet" for non-obsessive PC users seeking to reduce
noise. Most users would be pleased with the noise level of almost any
of the coolers at the QUIET test RPM, and most would be unhappy with the
MAX speed. It's possible that many would choose a heatsink/fan speed somewhere
between the two tested points.
As a group, the SPL at minimum speed falls in a tight group between 12.5
and 15.5 [email protected], a spread of just 3 dBA, which vindicates Andrew's subjective
"quiet" speed choices. Even the highest QUIET level (15.5 BA)
is very quiet, generally below ambient acoustic conditions in most places.
There's much higher noise variance at the MAX speeds, as the RPM itself
varied much more, from a low of 1630 to a high of over 3000. All in all,
Andrew's subjective comments on the sound are fairly well supported by
the SPL measurements (though you can also judge for yourself by listening
to the recordings described below).
Finally, recordings were made of all the coolers. These MP3s are linked
in the table below. Each recording consists of 7 seconds of silence in
SPCR's anechoic chamber (10~11 dBA), followed by 10 seconds at the QUIET
setting, and 10 seconds at the MAX setting. This allows you to judge the
noise qualitatively. Keep in mind that our hyper-sensitive microphone
& recording system lets you hear every detail and nuance of the noise,
and if you turn the volume of your player up, it will be very exaggerated.
The best way to listen is to use the first 7 seconds to set the volume
so that hiss becomes just audible, then back it down a touch to make it
inaudible. Then leave the volume setting untouched while listening to
all the MP3s.
DATA SUMMARY with SPCR Acoustic Measurements |
Cooler / MP3 Recording |
Slow
|
Fast
|
Sound as heard by Andrew
|
RPM
|
Rise
|
SPL*
|
RPM
|
Rise
|
SPL*
|
Intel
Stock (Conroe) |
805
|
34
|
13.6
|
1630
|
28
|
21.3
|
Moderate
|
Alpine
GT |
1080
|
42
|
13.6
|
2064
|
29
|
27.2
|
Loud
|
Alpine
11 Pro |
1188
|
27
|
15.4
|
2109
|
24
|
30.7
|
Quiet
|
Rosewill
Z90 |
1136
|
30
|
14.8
|
3027
|
25
|
41.2
|
V. Loud
|
SilenX
92HA2 |
980
|
32
|
14.4
|
1776
|
25
|
28.3
|
Quiet
|
Zalman
7000 |
1134
|
30
|
14.5
|
2473
|
24
|
33.6
|
Moderate
|
Gelid
Siberian |
499
|
56
|
12.5
|
2109
|
32
|
25.5
|
Clicky
|
CM
Hyper T2 |
960
|
29
|
13.5
|
2368
|
25
|
33.3
|
Moderate
|
Logisys
MC2002GX |
1100
|
25
|
14.3
|
2143
|
20
|
31.5
|
Moderate
|
*SPL = Sound Pressure Level measured in dB, A-weighted,
@ 1m distance.
Note that all the fans were connected through a Zalman Fanmate
control, which has a slight voltage drop the maximum speed setting.
None of the fans are at 12V; it is closer to 11V. In the SPCR lab,
we found the fans run 200~300 RPM faster at 12V, and typically ~2
dBA louder.
|
There is no easy way to compare this data to SPCR CPU reviews, as we
use considerably hotter, completely different platforms, and a different
testing procedure. Even with different samples of the same core gear,
there would be differences in temperature sensors and actual power/thermal
characteristics. Having stated all that, Andrew's test platform is closest
to our small
heatsink test platform.
|
* * *
SPCR Articles of Related Interest:
NZXT Kraken X31 & X41 Liquid CPU Coolers
Noctua NH-D15: Update to an Icon
Scythe Kotetsu CPU Cooler: A Compact King
be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim CPU Cooler
Thermalright HR-22 CPU Heatsink
Noctua NH-U14S Slim 140mm Tower Cooler
* * *
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