Viewing page 5 of 6 pages.
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next
TEST RESULTS
Stock Fan Testing
Testing was performed using an external voltage controller, with the BigTyp's
controller was set to maximum speed. At minimum, the controller drove the fan
at approximately 820 RPM, roughly equivalent to a 7V input. Ambient conditions
at the time of testing were 20ºC and 11 dBA.
Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro stock fan measurements |
| Voltage |
Noise |
RPM |
| 12V |
37 dBA@1m |
1490 RPM |
| 9V |
29 dBA@1m |
1150 RPM |
| 7V |
21 dBA@1m |
870 RPM |
6V |
18 dBA@1m |
740 RPM |
| 5V |
14 dBA@1m |
620 RPM |
Fan @ 12V: At full speed, the BigTyp's fan was loud, turbulent and very
buzzy. The measured noise level was 37 dBA@1m.
Fan @ 9V: The fan was noticeably quieter than at 12V, but is still
unacceptable. Subjectively, it sounded very breezy and turbulent.
Fan @ 7V: This level was much more reasonable and surprisingly smooth,
with chuffing detectable at close proximity (0.5m or less). The SPL was 21 dBA@1m
which is quiet enough for the average end-user.
Fan @ 6V: With much of the turbulence gone, the noise came from the
fan's bearings. Some bad undertones became noticeable as the fan speed was reduced.
The overall SPL level was only 18 dBA@1m — enough to be audible in a silent
PC, but still very quiet.
Fan @ 5V: At 5V, the SPL reached 14 dBA@1m, which should be
inaudible in most system configurations. Heard close up, the fan produced a
low pitched hum, and the chuffing noted at 7V was more pronounced.
Cooling Results
Thermaltake BigTyp 14Pro |
|
Fan Voltage |
SPL@1m
|
Temp |
°C Rise |
°C/W |
|
12V |
37 dBA |
33°C |
13 |
0.17 |
|
9V |
29 dBA |
36°C |
16 |
0.21 |
7V |
21 dBA |
38°C |
18 |
0.23 |
|
6V |
18 dBA |
42°C |
22 |
0.28 |
|
5V |
14 dBA |
48°C |
28 |
0.36 |
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. |
At full speed, thermal performance was excellent: only 13°C above ambient.
At 9V, the CPU temperature increased by only 3°C, while 7V produced a further
2°C degradation. At 6V the BigTyp's cooling proficiency started to take
a big hit — 4°C higher than at 7V. The sweet spot
is somewhere between 6V and 7V. At 5V the BigTyp really began to struggle —
the CPU temperature increased another 6°C. The BigTyp seems to be in its
element when airflow and noise are high.
|
Comparables |
|
Zalman CNPS9900
(w/o shroud) |
Thermaltake
BigTyp 14Pro |
Zalman
CNPS9300 AT |
|
SPL @1m |
°C Rise |
SPL @1m |
°C Rise |
SPL @1m |
°C Rise |
|
29 dBA |
10 |
29 dBA |
16 |
30 dBA |
17 |
23 dBA |
12 |
21 dBA |
18 |
21 dBA |
23 |
|
17 dBA |
16 |
18 dBA |
22 |
|
Compared to the Zalman CNPS9300
AT, the BigTyp 14Pro is a significant improvement, posting better numbers
at more or less equivalent noise levels. The CNPS9300 is a fairly light, modest
cooler however. When pitted against the CNPS9900,
a heatsink closer to the BigTyp's weight, size, and cost, it fared poorly. As
a top-down cooler, it had a tough time competing with east-west blowing CPU
heatsinks — maybe a comparison against other top-downers would be more
appropriate.
|
Quiet Top-Downers vs. BigTyp 14Pro |
|
Heatsink |
SPL@1m |
°C Rise |
|
Xigmatek HDT-D1284 |
13 dBA |
22 |
|
Big Typhoon VX |
13 dBA |
24 |
|
Thermalright SI-128 |
13 dBA |
26 |
|
BigTyp 14Pro |
14 dBA |
28 |
BigTyp 14Pro with stock fan @ 5V;
Comparables with Nexus 120mm fan @ 9V (noise equivalent). |
Unfortunately, the BigTyp 14Pro's poor low airflow performance is clear even
when compared to other top-down coolers we have tested (our reference Nexus
120mm fan was used). At 5V, the BigTyp's fan measured 14 dBA@1m and had a thermal
rise of 28°C. Yet, every other top-down heatsink in our comparison manages
to outperform it at the marginally quieter 13 dBA@1m that a Nexus 120mm produces
at 9V. It may be somewhat unfair to pit the BigTyp 14Pro to compare it with
heatsinks using one of the best 120mm fans on the market, but it does give us
a consistant point of reference.
Unfortunately, the most obvious competitor for the BigTyp, the
Scythe Zipang, was not included in the comparison because we no longer have
the product sample. However, it turns out a direct comparison was unnecessary
— the Zipang is the most efficient top-down cooler we've ever tested, and
the BigTyp couldn't even fend off smaller heatsinks like the Xigmatek
HDT-D1284 or Thermalright
SI-128. Even the BigTyp's predecessor, the Big
Typhoon VX, pulled off better numbers at least when equipped with a quality
120mm fan.
When we originally tested the Big Typhoon VX (pre-anechoic chamber), the stock
fan at 5V was approximately the same noise level as the Nexus fan at 9V, but
performed 6°C worse (30°C thermal rise). If we use this indirect comparison,
the BigTyp 14Pro outperformed its predecessor by an insignificant and disappointing
2°C. Considering the size and price of the BigTyp, we were expecting a more
substantial difference.
| Help support this site, buy the ThermalTake CL-P0456 BigTyp 14 Pro Quiet Copper Heatpipe Universal CPU Cooler for Intel LGA775, AMD from one of our affiliate retailers! |
|
