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COMPARISON
The midrange market for heatsinks is quite crowded, so it is worth looking
at how the Icetank stacks up against the competition. The comparison uses our
quiet reference fan, so it is biased towards heatsinks that perform well
under low airflow conditions. This is a useful bias, since a quiet system inevitably
means low airflow.
| Midrange Heatsinks, °C
Rise with Nexus 92mm fan |
|
Fan Voltage
|
nMedia Icetank
|
Scythe Katana
|
LS Cable SHS-X500
|
Noctua NH-U9
|
|
12V
|
24°C
|
27°C
|
24°C
|
24°C
|
|
9V
|
29°C
|
29°C
|
28°C
|
26°C
|
|
7V
|
35°C
|
33°C
|
34°C
|
31°C
|
|
5V
|
48°C
|
42°C
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>55°C
|
36°C
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For such an expensive heatsink, the Icetank does quite poorly in the low airflow
comparison. It is outperformed by the much cheaper Scythe Katana, and equaled
by the bargain-basement SHS-X500. It is soundly thrashed by the only heatsink
in its price range, the Noctua NH-U9. With high end heatsinks from Zalman, Thermalright,
and Scythe thrown into the mix, things would look even worse.
Things would be better for the Icetank if the stock fan was used. As mentioned
before, the Icetank outperforms any other 92mm fan heatsink we've tested with the
stock fan at full speed. When it has enough airflow, the Icetank is a winner.
Unfortunately, direct comparisons using the stock fans can be misleading because
fans vary so much in terms of noise and airflow. For example, even though the
Icetank outperforms the Noctua NH-U9 at full speed, the Noctua is 6 dBA@1m quieter.
The same goes for the Katana and the SHS-X500, both of which have quieter fans
than the Icetank.
NOISE RECORDINGS
nMedia Icetank:
MP3: nMedia Icetank with Stock fan: 5V-7V-9V-12V,
5s ambient between levels: One
Meter, One Foot
Comparative:
MP3: Nexus 92mm fan: 5V-7V-9V-12V, 5s ambient
between levels: One Meter,
One Foot
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HOW TO LISTEN & COMPARE
These recordings were made
with a high resolution, studio quality, digital recording system and are
intended to represent a quick snapshot of what we heard during the review.
Two recordings of each noise level were made, one from a distance of one
meter, and another from one foot (30 cm) away.
The one meter recording is
intended to give you an idea of how the subject of this review sound 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. For best results, set your volume control so that the ambient
noise is just barely audible. 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 one foot recording is
designed to bring out the fine details of the noise. Use this recording
with caution! Although more detailed, it may not represent how the subject
sounds in actual use. It is best to listen to this recording after you
have listened to the one meter recording.
|
FINAL CONCLUSIONS
The effectiveness of the Icetank depends greatly on the fan that it is used
with. With the stock fan, it is capable of outperforming every other heatsink
in its class, and it is a good cooler even with the stock fan at 5V. Unfortunately,
the stock fan is noisy and undervolts poorly, which means that many people will want to replace
it with a better one if low noise is a priority.
When our favorite low noise 92mm fan was used, the Icetank fell behind heatsinks
that are both cheaper and smaller. This indicates that the Icetank is not a
good performer with low airflow; its excellent performance at full speed
requires all the air it can get. The Icetank is best used with a medium speed
fan that undervolts well. It is more at home in a quiet high performance system
rather than one where silence is the priority.
The best things about the Icetank are universal compatibility (including
AM2!) and easy installation. The mounting system is very easy to use, ideal for a drop-in replacement, since it doesn't require removing the motherboard.
So long as it has enough airflow, the Icetank is clearly more than a cute name.
And, even if it can't beat other heatsink with low airflow, it does have one
advantage: It's shorter than the tower heatsinks that outperform it. Given that
nMedia is aiming squarely at the HTPC market, that's an important attribute.
Where space is at a premium, the Icetank may well be the best choice.
|
Pros
* Easy to install
* Supports AM2
* Excellent performance with enough airflow
* Fan controller included
* Lower profile than a tower heatsink
|
Cons
* Poor low-airflow performance
* Insecure mounting system
* Poor noise quality
* Quality control on the finish of the base
|
Much thanks to nMedia
for the Icetank sample.
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