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COMPARISONS
Note: All the comparison tables below are aligned to the closest SPL levels.
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Midget Battle Royale:
Silverstone NT07-775 vs. Intel Q9550 HSF vs. Thermolab Nano Silencer
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Silverstone NT07-775
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Intel Q9550 HSF
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Thermolab Nano Silencer
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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24 dBA
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40°C
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26 dBA
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26°C
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20 dBA
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44°C
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22 dBA
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37°C
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17 dBA
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49°C
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18 dBA
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40°C
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18 dBA
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42°C
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15 dBA
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55°C+*
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15 dBA
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51°C
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15 dBA
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49°C
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*Testing stopped after thermal rise exceeded 55°C.
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The smallest heatsink in our roundup, the Silverstone NT07-775, is also the
worst. Compared to two other two miniature coolers, the Q9550 stock heatsink
and the Thermolab Nano Silencer, it came in last. When each cooler's fan was
set to generate 17~18 dBA, the NT07-775 lost by a significant 8°C. At 15
dBA, the difference lessened somewhat to 5°C. However the NT07-775 is in
a league of its own due to its extremly slim profile — if you consider
its application, none of the heatsinks we've tested are fair competitors.
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Comparison: Intel Stock Coolers
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Intel Aluminum HSF
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Intel Q6600 HSF
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Nexus-fan modded Intel cooler
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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19 dBA
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37°C
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21 dBA
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36°C
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14~15 dBA
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46°C
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16 dBA
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48°C
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16 dBA
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39°C
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13 dBA
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50°C
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13 dBA
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45°C
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12 dBA
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52°C
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The harsh sounding fans equipped on Intel stock coolers may tempt users to
dial down the fan speed to tolerable levels, but unfortunately doing so pays
a steep thermal price. Replacing the fan with a 120 mm Nexus results in much
improvement. At 12V/16 dBA the Nexus fan cooled the CPU 9°C better compared
to the same heatsink with the stock fan speed lowered to an equivalent measured
noise level (though the Nexus actually sounds a lot better). At 9V and 13 dBA,
it posted a 5°C improvement over a standard all-aluminum Intel stock heatsink
running at 6V at the same SPL. While not the most elegant solution, it certainly
is worth consideration if your cooling needs are not great.
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Comparison: Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 Pro vs. Intel
Stock Coolers
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Intel Aluminum HSF
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Intel Q6600 HSF (Nexus fan)
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Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 Pro
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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SPL@1m
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Thermal Rise
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25 dBA
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30°C
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24 dBA
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28°C
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19 dBA
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37°C
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18 dBA
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33°C
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13 dBA
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50°C
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13 dBA
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45°C
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12 dBA
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52°C
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12 dBA
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42°C
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The Alpine 7 Pro performs more or less the same as the Intel stock coolers
when their respective fans at generating sound levels above 20 dBA@1m. At quieter
levels, the Alpine is far superior, boasting 4°C and 1 dBA advantage at
7V compared to the Intel all-aluminum cooler at 9V. At the 12 dBA level, it
delivered a 10°C improvement over the Intel/Nexus combination The wide fin
spacing makes the Alpine an ideal low airflow cooler as long as it is used with
a modest processor.
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