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INSTALLATION
The installation hardware package is complete, allowing for use with socket 478 P4s, socket 775 and all K8 variants. The clips on the HS engage the standard socket 478 mounting bracket. For both 775 and K8, additional hardware allows the same clips to be used. It does require motherboard removal with 775 and K8.
Installation was done on our usual socket 478 motherboard. Figuring out how to mount the Kamaboko was a simple matter. The
downward blowing fan meant that it was good enough just to slip the heatsink
into the stock retention module, the orientation of the heatsink doesn't
matter because it is symmetrical.
Actually clipping the HS in place was another matter. The clips require a great deal of pressure. I had to borrow an extra set of hands (Mike's) to hold
the heatsink steady while I used both my hands to put muster enough pressure
to engage the clips into place. This dgree of pressure seems unnecessary, and places
the motherboard under an undue amount of stress.
TESTING
Test Platform
- Intel
P4-2.8A The Thermal Design Power of this P4-2.8 (533
MHz bus) is 68.4 or 69.7W depending on the version. As the CPU is a demo model
without normal markings, it's not clear which version it is, so we'll round
the number off to ~69W. The Maximum Power, as calculated by
CPUHeat
& CPUMSR, is 79W.
- AOpen
AX4GE Max motherboard - Intel 845GE Chipset; built-in VGA. The on-die
CPU thermal diode monitoring system reads 2°C too high, so all readings
are compensated up by this amount.
- OCZ
DDRAM PC-3700, 512 MB
- Seagate Barracuda IV 40G 1-platter drive (in Smart
Drive from Silicon
Acoustics)
- Seasonic
Super Tornado 300 (Rev. A1)
- Arctic Silver
Ceramique Thermal Compound
- Two-level plywood platform with foam damping feet. Motherboard on
top; most other components below. Eases heatsink changes and setup.
Measurement & Analysis Tools
- CPUBurn
processor stress software
- Motherboard Monitor
5 software to show CPU temperature
- T.H.E. KP-6M
reference omni microphone
- M-Audio
Tampa mic preamp
- M-Audio
Firewire 410 external digital sound interface
- B&K 2203 sound level meter
- SPCR lab custom-built multi-channel variable DC power supply for
fan testing
- Zalman Fan Mate 2 to control fan voltage on the motherboard
- Digital display anemometer to measure fan airflow
The ambient temperature during testing was 21°C. Ambient noise level for
testing and recording was 16 dBA/1m. Tests were performed with the fan running
at 12V, 7V and 5V.
RESULTS
| Scythe Kamaboko |
|
Voltage
|
CFM
|
RPM
|
Load Temp
|
°C Rise
|
°C/W MP
|
°C/W TDP
|
dBA/1m & MP3 files
|
|
12
|
26
|
2000
|
47°C
|
26
|
0.33
|
0.38
|
|
|
7
|
16
|
1300
|
55°C
|
34
|
0.43
|
0.49
|
|
|
5
|
11
|
n/a
|
58°C
|
37
|
0.47
|
0.54
|
|
Voltage: Fan voltage
CFM: Measured airflow rate of fan on heatsink, in cubic feet per minute
RPM: Fan speed; not measurable at 5V
Load Temp: CPU temperature after 20 minutes running CPUBurn
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient at load
°C/W MP / TDP: Temperature rise per Watt, based on 79W Maximum
Power or 69W Thermal Design Power rating of CPU
dBA/1m: SPL measured with high accuracy B & K SLM at 1 meter
MP3 file: High resolution recording of fan on HS at 3" distance.
Note that it is preferable to save these sound files to your hard
drive, and then play them.
|
12V: Our impression of the fan at stock voltage was fairly good. Noise
is dominated by a low frequency motor hum. There is also a small amount of turbulence
noise, although this is less of an annoyance than the focused frequency of the
motor noise. Overall volume is not loud by normal standards, but it is only
borderline quiet by SPCR standards.
Cooling performance is about as can be expected from this design: Adequate,
but nothing to brag about. There may not be a lot of headroom for cooling hotter
processors, especially if the heatsink is simply dropped into an existing case
with no additional attention to airflow.
7V: The drop to 7V contributes to a dramatic drop in noise level. The
stock fan at this level could certainly be considered quiet. Turbulence noise
has disappeared almost entirely, and the motor noise is reduced to a low growl.
Inside a case, this noise would quickly sink into the background, and may well
be below ambient noise level if the other components in the case are not also
silenced. A very low level buzz is now audible from within a foot or two, but
this should be inaudible in a real setup.
The downside is that cooling performance is
now marginal. Our test 2.8 GHz Northwood processor is probably about the warmest
CPU that could be properly cooled inside a case without an additional source
of airflow. We do not believe that a Prescott core P4 could be cooled at this
level without triggering throttling under load. On the other hand, not many Athlon
64s draw more power than our test processor, so the Kamaboko could be well suited
to cooling an AMD based system.
5V: Reducing the fan to 5V puts the finishing touches on the improvement
in noise that was seen at 7V. In most environments, the ambient noise level
will be higher than the noise produced by the Kamaboko. A subjective listening
test revealed no turbulence noise and only the faintest trace of motor hum in
the lowest audible frequency range. The buzz that became audible at 7V is now
the main source of noise, but, as mentioned, it is inaudible further than a
couple of feet away. This fan would be at home in a truly silent system, and
would be below ambient noise under almost all circumstances.
The performance hit to achieve silence with this fan is not terribly large.
A 3°C rise from the 7V level is probably acceptable under most circumstances.
However, as at 7V, the range of systems that can be cooled at this
level is restricted. It would probably
be worth running the fan at 5V rather than 7V, since most systems that can be
cooled at 7V can also be cooled at 5V. Our guess is that the difference cooling
effectiveness represents about a 200 MHz difference — about one processor model
step. The difference in noise between 5V and 7V is quite dramatic, since in many cases
it will be the difference between a quiet system and a silent
one.
Recordings of Comparable HSF:
MP3: Arctic
Cooling Super Silent 4 Ultra TC MP3, 22 dBA/1m
MP3: Panaflo 80L - 7V - 17 dBA/1m -- on most any heatsink
MP3: Coolermaster Hyper 48 - 9V - 21 dBA/1m
|
HOW TO LISTEN & COMPARE
These recordings were made with a high
resolution studio quality digital recording system. The microphone was 3" from
the edge of the fan frame at a 45° angle, facing the intake side of the fan to
avoid direct wind noise. The ambient noise during all recordings was 18 dBA or
lower. It is best to download the sound files to your computer before listening.
To set the volume to a realistic level (similar to the original), try playing this Nexus 92mm case fan @ 5V (17 dBA/1m)
recording and set the volume so that it is barely audible. Then don't reset the volume and play the other sound files. Of course, all tone controls and other effects should be turned off or set to neutral. For more details on how to calibrate your sound system playback level to get the most
valid listening comparison, please see the yellow text box entitled Listen to
the Fans on page four of the article
SPCR's Test / Sound Lab: A Short Tour.
|
CONCLUSIONS
Aside from being marketed as inexpensive, the Kamaboko is also sold as
a quiet heatsink. The Kamaboko lives up to its billing. With the help of a simple voltage controller,
it is quite suitable for a silent PC.
One aspect of the Kamaboko's design that we did not test was its performance
with external airflow. It is possible that the elevated position of the fan
allows for a significant improvement in performance if a secondary fan is used
to suck airflow through the channel underneath the fan. This could be a case
exhaust fan or a power supply with a bottom mounted fan depending on the the
orientation of the Kamaboko on your particular motherboard. Keep in mind that
this is just conjecture until somebody decides to test it out
and post the results on the forums (hint hint).
The disadvantage of the Kamaboko is its cooling performance. It is possible that the Kamaboko could handle a high-heat Prescott processor
with the fan at full speed in a case with good airflow; there's no way it could do that with reduced fan speed. The suitability of the Kamaboko is highly dependent on the system
in which it is used: It could be wonderfully quiet
or horribly inefficient depending on how much heat it is asked to sink.
Realistically, if you want to run the fan quietly, we would not recommend using this HSF with a CPU any hotter than our test platform's P4-2.8 Northwood, which is hardly burning edge by Intel standards. It will do fine with most recent Athlon 64s or Semprons, which run as cool or cooler than the P4-2.8 Northwood. The bottom line is that it is a relatively small, not particularly effective heatsink mated to a very quiet 92mm fan. We expect the Kamaboko Z to be a better performer (but that model is equipped with a different 92mm fan, one with a variable speed control, which could be very different acoustically).
|
Pros
* Quiet fan can be made silent by undervolting
* Modest price
* Broad CPU / socket compatibility
* Modest weight
|
Cons
* Modest cooling performance
* Non-Socket 478 systems require elaborate mounting procedure
* Extremely tight mounting clips
|
Finally, here is a photo of the Kamaboko Z that helps explain the curiously large gap between the fan and the top of the cooling fins:
Much thanks to Scythe
USA for the Kamaboko sample. (We would have preferred the Z, though.)
* * *
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