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With Coolermaster Geminii S CPU heatsink
As cooling the Northbridge was a point of contention, we opted to augment our
test setup with a better top-down cooler, the Coolermaster Geminii
S.
The Coolermaster
Geminii S, is a preferable alternative to the Alpine 7 Pro.
It weighs 500 grams, but its 88 mm height is only a bit more
than the Alpine. The bigger fan should provide better airflow
to the Northbridge.
The Geminii S fits perfectly, almost touching the case
side and with 1.3 cm of clearance above it. Unfortunately, it too precludes
the use of an optical drive.
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System Measurements (CPU + GPU Load): Geminii
S
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CPU Fan Speed
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Case Fan Voltage
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SPL @1m
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SPL @0.6m
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CPU Temp
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GPU Temp
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1200 RPM
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Off
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21~22 dBA
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25 dBA
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74/77°C
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82°C
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9V
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23~24 dBA
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28 dBA
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67/71°C
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75°C
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Ambient temperature: 24°C
Ambient noise level: 11 dBA
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We ran the fan on the Geminii S at 7V (1200 RPM) which on its own, generated
about 17 dBA@1m in our anechoic chamber. Its fan was surprisingly smooth, subdued at 9V and below, although whiny
at full speed. With the case fans off, the system
started out at 17 dBA@1m but as the system heated up, the power supply fan ramped
up and the noise level peaked at 21~22 dBA@1m. Still it was much quieter than
any of the stable states we attained using the Alpine 7.
With the CPU fan spinning at 1200 RPM, the CPU temperature was about 5-8°C
worse than the Alpine 7 at 1600 RPM. However, the GPU temperature showed marked
improvement, staying stable at 83°C without the help of the case fans. Turning
the case fans to 9V resulted in a small increase in noise, but a significant
improvement in CPU and GPU cooling — the temperatures were finally at comfortable
levels. The improvements were still not enough to catch up to the Silverstone SG05/06 though.
The Silverstones' thermal and acoustic results were better even using the Alpine 7 running
at only 1200 RPM.
Spectral Analysis: Geminii S at 7V, case fans at 9V (pink, 23~23 dBA)
vs. ambient (blue, 11 dBA). |
Spectral analysis showed a few small peaks and valleys, but for the most part
the acoustic profile of the system with the Geminii S was devoid of any significant tonality.
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