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Comparisons
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Comparison: Intel FCLGA4-S vs. Other Radial Coolers
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Zalman CNPS8700
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Thermaltake MaxOrb
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Intel FCLGA4-S
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SPL @1m
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°C Rise
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SPL @1m
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°C Rise
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SPL @1m
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°C Rise
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33 dBA
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17
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35 dBA
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17
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36
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22
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28 dBA
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19
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29 dBA
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19
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34
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23
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24 dBA
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23
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24 dBA
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21
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25
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25
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Compared to radial aftermarket coolers, the FCLGA4-S doesn't do terribly, trailing
the Thermaltake MaxOrb and the Zalman 8700 by 4-5°C. Normally we would rebuke
a heatsink for such a poor result, but considering it comes bundled essentially
for free with a CPU (admittedly a $1,000+ CPU) it's hard to criticize it for
not matching a $50 product. We do however take issue with the chattering fins.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Intel's implementation of a vapor chamber cooler left us unimpressed, but
it's hard to say whether the technology itself is to blame. It is just a stock
heatsink/fan, after all, so the amount of time and money put into its design
and manufacture is limited — it could be a case of poor execution. Without
third party vapor chamber heatsinks to compare it to, we cannot draw any meaningful
conclusions regarding its core design.
This Core 2 Extreme heatsink is more than capable of cooling a 130W TDP processor,
but not quietly. While we were not expecting it to be silent, we had hopes.
The jarring sound of vibrating metal would be annoying even for an average user.
We like how the fan is easily removed but this does not make the fan any easier
to replace. We would have gladly traded this feature for a more secure mounting
that would transfer less vibration. There also should be some kind of mechanism
to keep the fins from vibrating.
From a performance-to-noise standpoint, the FCLGA4-S is a mediore performer
that cannot compete aginst most of the high performance coolers that SPCR reviews
routinely. Althought it offers higher cooling performance, the Intel FCLGA4-S
has the failings of a typical stock reference heatsink. The Thermalrights, Scythes,
Xigmateks and Zalmans of this world need not worry about an imminent invasion
of their niche by the Intel juggernaut.
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Intel FCLGA4-S
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PROS
* Good performance
* Light
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CONS
* Fan too loud
* Loose fins and fan mounting method create metallic rattling |
Our many thanks to Intel
for the QX9650 processor and accompanying FCLGA4-S heatsink sample.
* * *
Articles of Related Interest
Thermaltake V1: "Peacock
Tail" Cooler
Thermaltake MaxOrb Heatpipe
Cooler: Maximum Orbness
Two Big Top-downers: Big Typhoon
VX & Xigmatek HDT-D1284
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 & SD964
"heatpipe direct-touch" CPU coolers
Akasa AK-965 socket 775
tower cooler
Zalman CNPS8700 LED CPU Cooler: Update of a
Classic
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