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TESTING
Testing was done according to our
unique heatsink testing methodology, and the reference fan was profiled
using our standard fan testing
methodology. A quick summary of the components, tools, and procedures
follows below.
Key Components in Heatsink Test Platform:
- Intel
Pentium D 950 Presler core. TDP of 130W; under our test load, it measures
78W including efficiency losses in the VRMs.
- ASUS
P5LD2-VM motherboard. A basic microATX board with integrated graphics
and plenty of room around the CPU socket.
- Samsung
MP0402H 40GB 2.5" notebook drive
- 1
GB stick of Corsair XMS2 DDR2 memory.
- FSP
Zen 300W fanless power supply.
- Arctic
Silver Lumière: Special fast-curing thermal interface
material, designed specifically for test labs.
Test Tools
- Seasonic
Power Angel for measuring AC power at the wall to ensure that the
heat output remains consistent.
- Custom-built, four-channel variable DC power supply,
used to regulate the fan speed during the test.
- Bruel & Kjaer (B&K) model 2203 Sound Level
Meter. Used to accurately measure noise down to 20 dBA and below.
- Various other tools for testing fans, as documented
in our standard fan testing
methodology.
Software Tools
- SpeedFan
4.32, used to monitor the on-chip thermal sensor. This sensor is not
calibrated, so results are not absolute.
- CPUBurn
P6, used to stress the CPU heavily, generating more heat than most
real applications. Two instances are used to ensure that both cores are stressed.
- Throttlewatch
2.01, used to monitor the throttling feature of the CPU to determine
when overheating occurs.
Noise measurements were made with the fan powered from the lab's variable DC
power supply while the rest of the system was off to ensure that system noise
did not skew the measurements. Keep in mind that the fan in the heatsink is
a PWM fan, which typically have a narrower speed range when controlled by direct
changes in voltages. It may also exhibit slightly different acoustics under
PWM speed attenuation.
Load testing was accomplished using CPUBurn to stress the processor, and the
graph function in SpeedFan was used to make sure that the load temperature was
stable for at least ten minutes. The stock fan was tested at various voltages
to represent a good cross-section of its airflow and noise performance.
The ambient conditions during testing were 18 dBA and 20°C.
TEST RESULTS
The material used for the fan made it difficult to get a proper fan speed reading
using a tachometer. After finding the noise level at 12V, 9V, 7V and 5V using
a custom DC fan controller and our B&K SLM, we hooked the fan up to our
test motherboard and used SpeedFan to manipulate and read the fan speeds.
|
Intel FCLGA4-S Fan (Low) Measurements
|
|
SpeedFan Setting
|
Fan Speed
|
Noise Level
|
|
100%
|
2050 RPM
|
38 dBA@1m
|
|
90% (~9/12V)
|
1930 RPM
|
36 dBA@1m
|
|
80% (~7V)
|
1820 RPM
|
34 dBA@1m
|
|
70%
|
1690 RPM
|
32 dBA@1m
|
|
60%
|
1520 RPM
|
30 dBA@1m
|
|
50%
|
1380 RPM
|
28 dBA@1m
|
|
40% (~5V)
|
~1300 RPM*
|
25 dBA@1m
|
| * Estimated (at 40% and below, the fan speed failed to
register) |
From noise data alone, we extrapolated that the fan spins at approximately
1300 RPM at 5V, 1800 RPM at 7V, and between 1900 and 2000 RPM at 9/12V. These
results were obtained with the fan set to low — we had no desire to try
it any faster.
Cooling Results
|
Intel FCLGA4-S
|
|
Fan Voltage
|
Noise @1m
|
Temp
|
°C Rise
|
°C/W
|
|
12V
|
36 dBA
|
42°C
|
22
|
0.28
|
|
9V
|
36 dBA
|
42°C
|
22
|
0.28
|
|
7V
|
34 dBA
|
43°C
|
23
|
0.29
|
|
5V
|
25 dBA
|
45°C
|
25
|
0.32
|
Load Temp: CPUBurn for ~10 mins.
°C Rise: Temperature rise above ambient (20°C) at load.
°C/W: based on the amount of heat dissipated by the CPU (measured
78W); lower is better. |
Fan @ 12V: The fan was very aggressive with a noticeable buzzing.
The fan also transferred vibration to the heatsink's fins, creating the sound
of rattling metal. With a 22°C rise in CPU temperature, it was fairly
inefficient considering it emitted an unbearable 36 dBA.
Fan @ 9V: The fan sounded pretty much identical as it did at 12V.
Thermals did not change.
Fan @ 7V: The sound level dipped slightly. The rattling of the fins
was still evident, but as fan was spinning slower, the frequency of the clanging
lowered, creating a harsher acoustic profile. The CPU temperature increased
by only a single degree.
Fan @ 5V: The noise level dropped significantly. The rattle was barely
noticeable at a distance of 1m. Within a foot of the heatsink, there was a
tiny bit of clanging like a very light breeze blowing through a set of wind
chimes. The fan whined as well. While this was a great improvement over higher
speeds, it still was far from being quiet. On the bright side, there was only
a three degree difference compared to the fan at 9 or 12V.
While we were impressed with how little the CPU temperature changed between
1900 and 1300 RPM, the noise it produced was irksome. At 5V, it was still
generating 25 dBA. We did not feel it was appropriate to test it any lower
as the fan's starting voltage was fairly high (8.4V).
|
Loose fins rattle and buzz at high frequency.
|
The source of the rattling and clanging was found to be the loose fin sections
in the upper section of the heatsink. During testing we found that compressing
them improved the acoustics significantly. The fan itself was not awful, but
the way it interacted with the rest of the heatsink was.
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