Noctua / Coolink Tower Heatsinks

Noctua of Austria and Coolink of China are working together to offer large tower-style heatsinks for the performance-oriented aftermarket. Both companies supplied review samples of two models, one very large and one merely big. Coolink’s products are offered with a fan and fan controller; Noctua’s are bare. How do they fare against the current noise/cooling tower champs at SPCR?

January 18, 2006 by Devon
Cooke

The arrival of a large box from Coolink caused quite a surprise at the SPCR
lab when it showed up one morning. Eager to see what was inside, we slit the
packing tape, opened the box and…

“Gee, that looks familiar — I think I’ve seen that before. No —
I’m sure I’ve seen it before.” <Eyes look up to the shelf
holding Noctua’s recently arrived heatsinks. Eyes look back down at the Coolink
heatsinks in the box.> “They’re identical.”

Two pairs of identical heatsinks.

A closer inspection revealed that the two different brands were, in fact, identical.
Even the retail boxes were similar in size and shape, though the individual
logos were different of course. Further
digging on Noctua’s web site uncovered the reason for the multiple identities:
The Noctua is the result of a collaboration between the Austrian distributor
Rascom
and Taiwanese heatsink OEM Kolink (note the phonetic similarity of “Kolink”
and “Coolink”… and “Cooling”).

Brief introductions are in order. Rascom is a European distributor of PC hardware
that specializes in low noise components. Their inventory consists of the same
kinds of products that get reviewed on SPCR: Things that make your PC quieter or improve system airflow. Prominently located on their home page
is a link to a
“Silent Guide” that does a fairly good job (if a little dated) of
covering the basics for building a low-noise system. Their distribution network appears to be limited to the EU at this time.

Coolink is an established OEM for heatsinks, although they have sold retail
models directly in the past. Their most recent retail products were released around 2002-2003
— back when the Athlon XP was considered a hot processor and Intel’s Prescott
processor had not yet created the need to use heatpipes for proper cooling.

Together, Rascom and Coolink have created a large tower heatsink that looks
worthy of taking on the big boys. It’s the same basic design as the Scythe
Ninja and Thermalright
HR-01 (and many other tall heatsinks that integrate heatpipes): Lots of heatpipes and widely spaced aluminum fins. But, as they
say, the devil is in the details, and it will be the small things that make
or break this heatsink.

Both Coolink and Noctua shipped us two versions of the heatsink, so we had
four samples to play with. One model (Noctua NH-U12 / Coolink U8-120) is
compatible with 120mm fans, and one (Noctua NH-U9 / Coolink U8-92) is for
use with 92mm and 80mm fans. Aside from their size and price, the two models
are the same: The base, the heatpipes, even the included hardware
and instruction manuals are identical for the different size models.

Side by side, the different pieces included in the different packages is
obvious; Coolink on the left, Noctua on the right.

Strictly speaking, the Coolink and Noctua packages weren’t quite
identical. The Noctua products include a fancy full-color installation manual with “Designed
in Austria” prominently displayed on the front. It also includes a glossy
brochure full of marketing material. The Coolink package is less
refined but more practical. Here, the installation instructions consist of a
single photocopied sheet of paper, but there is also a fan and a fan controller.
Aside from the fan accessories, however, the two packages are identical:
They contain the same heatsink and mounting hardware.

Shaped cardboard holds the heatsinks in place and protects against shocks
in transit.

Each heatsink comes nestled in a shaped cardboard insert for safe transportation. There is about half an inch of empty space surrounding
the heatsink on all sides, so it should be safe enough in the original packaging.

PHYSICAL DETAILS

The heatsink itself has the sex appeal of a football star: It’s
big, and solidly built. The 120mm model in
particular has envy-inspiring proportions, perfect for those who like overcompensation
(I’m talking about cooling Intel’s extra-hot Extreme Edition processors of course
— what were you thinking?)

A giant apartment block of a heatsink.

Both the large and small models use the same basic heatsink structure. Four heatpipes bent into a U-shape are clamped to the base so that two sets of four heatpipe extensions rise from each end of the copper base. The width between the two clusters is the same for both models.

The two models are identical except for fin size and height.

In spite of the differences in size and weight, the two models have the same number
of fins: 38. This means that the smaller model will suffer not only because
of its size, but also because the individual fins are more closely spaced, by
~0.7mm. The fin spacing could have a real impact on how it performs under low airflow conditions.
It’s not all bad for the smaller model though; it’s quite a bit lighter (read:
safer) than its larger cousin and its smaller size makes it easier to use.

This building has 38 floors.

The practical effect of using the same heatpipe structure in both models is
that the position of the heatpipes relative to the fins is a bit different. Compare
the two models in the photo below:

The heatpipes are more centrally located in the larger model.

In the larger model, the two clusters of heatpipes are located quite far in
from the right and left edges of the fins, whereas the smaller model has the
heatpipes right near the edge. This means that the larger model should be able
to rely more heavily on system airflow to supplement the airflow from the main
fan, as there is less impedance along each edge.

The top-down comparison makes it quite easy to see where surface area has been
added to the larger model. The two models have exactly the same depth; the only
difference is in the width of the fins.

COOLINK FANS & FAN CONTROLLER

Like Thermalright and some other high end HS brands, Noctua does not ship with a fan. It is up to the user to select one; not an onerous task for most SPCR regulars. Coolink, on the other hand,
includes both a fan and a fan controller to reduce the speed and noise of the included fan. Coolink also supplies a PCI slot cover that allows
the controller to be accessible without opening the computer. The overall effect
is quite professional, and adds a lot to the value of the heatsink.

The fan controller, disassembled.

The fan controller comes in four separate parts:

• A four-pin Molex to three-pin fan adapter that provides the controller with
  a safe +12V source
• A 100 ohm potentiometer that reduces the input voltage (the electronic heart of
  the controller)
• A PCI bracket
• A brushed aluminum knob

Assembling the controller is quite straightforward: The adapter is plugged
into a free Molex connector from the power supply, the potentiometer is plugged
into the adapter, and the fan is plugged into the potentiometer. The hardest
part is aligning the knob: It takes
a few tries to match the notch on the knob with the L–H
dial on the bracket. The control turns with a smooth tension, and the voltage changes linearly
through the range of adjustment.

Fully assembled, at minimum output.

The fan controller was tested with
the two Coolink fans that came with the 120mm and 92mm models. The precise range of voltage adjustment depends on the fan
used, but most fans should be within a volt of the models we tested. The
controller was tested in three positions: Low (minimum voltage), High (maximum
voltage) and Medium (knob centered).

Dual ball bearings and a rated top speed of 1600 RPM.

The fans themselves look exotic, with clear green blades in a fully transparent
frame. The plastic used to make the frame is very light and brittle, and they
feel quite fragile. On the other hand, the low weight means that less weight
is added to the heatsink when the fan is installed, which causes less stress
on the mounting mechanism.

The OEM for the fans is unknown, but they are listed as dual ball-bearing models,
and have fairly low current ratings, which suggests that they are low
speed models. The 120mm model is rated for 0.18A and 1600 RPM, while the 92mm
model is rated 0.10A and 1900 RPM.

Coolink also sells the fans individually. The stock fans are the fastest spinning
models for their size that Coolink sells. According to the product
pages for the fans,
Coolink sells 80mm and 92mm fans with a top speed of just 1100 RPM, and 120mm
fans rated at 800 RPM. Coolink was kind enough to send us samples of these as
well, so we will test them later with the fans included with the heatsinks.

The fan is installed with two wire clips that slot into the side of the heatsink.
The clips hook into the screw holes on the fan frame and are perfectly secure
when attached. However, because the clips attach to the near edge of the frame,
fans with closed corners (like some of the Nexus models) are not compatible
with the clips. This is similar to the problem with the clips for the Thermalright
XP-120, and we outlined a solution
to the problem in our review of that heatsink.

Fans with closed corners need to be modified for use with the included clips.

The Noctua seems to be designed for a very wide range of airflow conditions.
For the hardcore overclockers who want to suck every last drop of performance
out of the heatsink, two extra fan clips are included so that an extra fan can
be added in a push-pull configuration. But silencing fanatics also get their
due: Two adhesive silicone strips are included to provide some vibration damping
between the frame of the fan and the heatsink itself. This is a surprising,
though welcome, addition to the package; applying damping material to the heatsink
fan is fairly uncommon even among SPCR regulars.

INSTALLATION

Mounting hardware for K8 systems on the far left, Socket 478 in the middle,
and Socket 775 on the right.
Also included is thermal interface material, four fan clips, and two
silicone isolation strips.

A large bag of hardware is included in the box. It contains an enormous amount
of mounting hardware, two thirds of which will not be used. This
is what happens when a company wants “universal” mounting, but insists
on a unique installation system for every socket type. To make matters
confusing, some of the hardware is shared between different
sockets. For example, the two Intel sockets share a part that closely resembles
yet isn’t quite the same as the equivalent part for K8 systems.

Noctua should have done a better job here. Either they should have reduced
the number of parts for each socket and made them clearly different from each
other, or they should have bagged each mounting system separately.
As it stands, there are three different types of standoff screws, two different
types of brackets for the mainboard, and two different types of brackets for
the heatsink. All of these can be accidentally substituted for each other, opening
up many possibilities for frustrated users who may end up damaging their system
trying to get things installed. User beware!

After you’ve sorted out which hardware you need, the next task is to
assemble everything. First, the stock retention bracket (for sockets that have
one) must be removed; the Noctua comes with its own mounting system. AMD systems
may use the stock baseplate, but Intel systems (like our test bed) require that
a custom baseplate be installed.

Intel systems must use two metal brackets as a base to secure these heatsink.

With the mainboard ready to go, preparing the heatsink is next. No matter which
platform you’re using, you need to screw two brackets on to the side of
the heatsink. The precise brackets needed are platform-specific, so it pays
to be careful.

The way the brackets are screwed on is very poorly thought out. The most intuitive
way of installing them is on the bottom side of the heatsink, where they nestle
neatly into slight indentations in the base of the heatsink. Although it is
possible to install the brackets in this way, it is not the correct way
and it will not place the heatsink under tension when installed.

The correct way of installing the brackets:
The brackets go on the TOP side of the base, screwed in from the bottom.

The correct method is to screw the brackets to the top side of the base, so
that the heads of the screws are accessible from the bottom of the heatsink.
This places the brackets at the correct height above the mounting hardware on
the mainboard, which ensures that proper contact tension between the heatsink
and the CPU heatspreader is maintained.

The final step of installation is to screw the heatsink onto the motherboard.
For this task, two spring-loaded standoff screws are used. It is worth reiterating
that the proper screws are different for every socket type, and it is possible
to install the heatsink incorrectly if the wrong screws are used. The screws are
threaded through the brackets on the heatsink into the mounting hardware on
the motherboard. The screws should be tightened until they stop turning, at
which point the springs will keep the heatsink under tension. The pre-loaded springs are
the best part of the mounting system, as they make it impossible for the user
to overtighten the screws and place unnecessary stress on the motherboard and
CPU die. When it’s installed, the heatsink is quite secure and probably safe to transport short distances by car or by hand. Shipping as freight is not recommended, however, without extreme caution.

FAN DIRECTIONALITY

Due to the nature of the installation hardware, the heatsink can only be
installed in one orientation — which may not be the right one for optimal
system airflow. For example, I have purloined one of the review samples for
use in my personal system, but the way it fits on my motherboard has the fan
blowing towards the top of the case, not the back, as preferred. Our test bench
system also required that the heatsink be installed in this way. Only Socket
775 systems, with the square pattern of mounting holes, allow the heatsink to
be installed in any orientation.

For all heatsinks whose fan blows across the motherboard rather than down at it (i.e., almost all “tower” heatsinks), the ideal direction for the airflow is towards the back of the case where the heat can be easily evacuated by the case fan. If the CPU heatsink fan blows towards the PSU, the PSU can become unnecessarily hot, often increasing the speed and noise of its internal fan, and reducing the overall life of the PSU.

Another possible problem is that the larger model is very wide (124mm), which
may mean that the heatsink extends beyond the top edge of the motherboard in
some configurations. Noctua is obviously aware of the problem, as they note
that “the
gap required between the upper edge of the mainboard and the power supply in
the case is (depending on the position of the CPU socket on the mainboard) up
to 25mm.” Many motherboard, case and PSU combinations will not provide a one-inch gap.

TESTING

On the test bench…

Test Platform

• Intel
  P4-2.8A The Thermal Design Power of this P4-2.8 (533
  MHz bus) is 68.4 or 69.7W depending on the version. As the CPU is a demo model
  without normal markings, it’s not clear which version it is, so we’ll round
  the number off to ~69W. The Maximum Power, as calculated by
  CPUHeat
  & CPUMSR, is 79W.
• AOpen
  AX4GE Max motherboard – Intel 845GE Chipset; built-in VGA. The on-die
  CPU thermal diode monitoring system reads 2°C too high, so all readings are
  compensated up by this amount.
• OCZ DDRAM PC-3200, 512 MB
• Seagate Barracuda IV 40G 1-platter drive (in Smart
  Drive)
• Seasonic
  Super Tornado 300 (Rev. A1)
• Arctic Silver
  Ceramique Thermal Compound
• Nexus
  Real Silent 120mm fan
• Two-level plywood platform with foam damping feet. Motherboard on
  top; most other components below. Eases heatsink changes and setup.

Measurement & Analysis Tools

• CPUBurn
  processor stress software
• SpeedFan
  version 4.25 software to show CPU temperature
• A custom-built fan controller that allows us to dial in exactly what voltage
  is powering the fan
• B&K model 1613 sound level meter

Conditions

• Noise and airflow measurements were made with the fan powered from the fan
  controller while the rest of the system was off to ensure that system noise
  did not skew the measurements.
• The heatsinks were tested both with the stock
  fans from Coolink and our standard reference fans, both Nexus models.
• Airflow measurements were made while the fans were mounted on the heatsink;
  because of the higher impedance, the measured aflow rate is lower than in
  free air.
• 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.
• Every fan was tested at four voltages: 5V,
  7V, 9V, and 12V, representing a full cross-section of the fan’s airflow and
  noise performance.
• The ambient conditions during testing were 16 dBA and 21°C.

TEST RESULTS

Noctua NH-U12 / Coolink U8-120-1600

The stock fan included with the large, 120mm heatsink spins much faster (and
thus much louder) than really necessary. The difference in temperature between
the stock fan at full speed and our slow reference Nexus spinning at 5V is only
7°C. That’s a fivefold increase in airflow for only a 25% increase
in cooling efficiency. When the two fans are compared at full speed, the difference
is even less: A mere 3°C.

This big Noctua / Coolink is
an excellent low-airflow performer — perfect for use in a quiet computer.
If its performance is anything to go by, it probably has some potential for
passive cooling, which may be why the Noctua version does not ship with a fan.

If you do decide to go with a fan (and most people will want to do this —
passive cooling is not for casual users), our recommendation is to skip the
fan included in the Coolink package — it’s not very good. In fact, it sounds
worse than it measures. The brittle plastic frame has a tendency to resonate
and amplify the motor noise. The noise character has three components: A rough
buzz, a resonant tone somewhere in the middle frequencies, and a lot of air
turbulence. Even when the noise level measures 20 dBA@1m, the quality of noise
is still poor. A good fan that measures 20 dBA@1m is sometimes inaudible in
our test lab, but the Coolink was very noticeable even at this SPL. In fact,
it remained audible even when the heater furnace turned on and the ambient noise
level increased to nearly 30 dBA@1m.

Noctua NH-U9 / Coolink U8-92-1900

The 92mm version proved to be almost as good a performer as the larger model,
although it didn’t quite do as well when starved for airflow. When
the airflow was above ~20 CFM, the thermal results were very close to the bigger model. Below
this threshold, cooling performance dropped more quickly, but keep
in mind that the slowest 92mm fans do not blow as much air as the slowest 120mm
fans.

Just because it doesn’t do as well with low airflow hardly makes it a loser
though. At 7V, the Nexus was blowing just 11 CFM and making well under 20 dBA@1m of noise, but cooling was still acceptable, with a 31°C rise — good enough for many of the cooler CPUs on the market.

A caution about airflow measurements: For some reason the measured airflow
for the 92mm Coolink and Nexus fans did not correlate very well to the thermal
performance. In fact, the airflow results for the Nexus fan are almost certainly
too high; this was confirmed both subjectively and by comparing the results
from this test to past measurements on other heatsinks. Nevertheless, the results
remained the same even after a second round of airflow (and thermal) testing,
so we’ve reported what we measured. We can’t explain the results; all we can
do is make our best guess at which measurements are incorrect.

The 92mm Coolink fan sounded similar to its bigger brother. It exhibited
the same unpleasant noise traits, and tended to sound louder than it measured.
However, the level of noise was acceptable at 7V, when the fan was spinning
slowly enough that the noise level could be expected to disappear in most systems.
Performance was still acceptable at this level, so some users may be
satisfied with this fan.

COOLINK FAN COMPARISON

As mentioned, Coolink sent us samples of several other fans that they sell,
all of which are slower and quieter than the fans included with the heatsinks.
The excellent low airflow performance makes one wonder why Coolink included the fast fan.
The noise and airflow measurements below show that Coolink could have achieved
a much better noise to cooling ratio simply by using one of their slower fans.

Three other fans were tested: Two 92mm fans rated at 1500 RPM and 1100 RPM,
and a 120mm fan rated at 1200 RPM. The stock fans spin at 1900 RPM (92mm) and
1600 RPM (120mm). The only Coolink fan that we did not test is an 800 RPM /
120mm model.

All of these Coolink fans have the same basic frame and motor; the only
difference is the speed they spin at. For this reason, they
all exhibited the same noise character: Generally rough and resonant, especially
at higher speeds. However, because the additional fans were all lower speed
than the fans included with the heatsink, they tended to sound better.

As a rough and ready rule, moving down a single speed grade tended to have
the same effect of dropping by one voltage step. For example, the X9-1500 at
12V sounded pretty much the same as the X9-1900 at 9V.

On the whole, the poor noise quality became irrelevant when the noise level
dipped to ~20 dBA@1m or below. Below this level, the fans simply weren’t spinning
fast enough to be much of a bother. This was also the level where the resonant
overtone disappeared.

The two “medium” speed fans — the X12-1200 and the X9-1500 —
were remarkably similar to our two reference Nexus fans in both airflow and
measured noise level. There is no question that the Nexus fans sounded better
subjectively at higher speeds, but at lower speeds they seemed quite similar.

The X9-1100 deserves special mention for being very, very quiet, even at the
stock voltage. No other 92mm fans that we know of can boast such a low noise
level at 12V: 20 dBA@1m is very unusual. For this reason, it deserves a recommendation
as a fan that can be used in a quiet system without requiring modification.
In fact, undervolting this fan is a bad idea; the improvement in noise level
does not justify the loss of airflow.

After looking at all of these numbers, it seems very clear that Coolink should
have included their medium speed fans (X12-1200 and X9-1500) with the heatsinks
instead of their high speed fans. The acoustic benefit to such a decision would
have been substantial for the minimal loss in cooling efficiency.

It is not hard to guess why Coolink
did not include a quieter fan. While a 2-3°C drop in cooling efficiency does not matter
much in practical terms, the overclockers and gamers who represent the bulk of the high end CPU cooler market are trained by most hardware review web sites to revere the lowest temperatures. A 2-3°C difference is enough for some reviewers to claim that product A “blows away” product B. On the other hand, few review sites pay such close attention to noise; so sacrificing a little
acoustic performance for that extra 2-3°C of cooling is a realistic marketing move.

COMPETITIVE COMPARISONS

The design of the Noctua / Coolink heatsinks puts them among
heavyweight high-risers. The Scythe
Ninja and Thermalright
HR-01 are top “high-riser” performers, cost US$50 or more, and
can potentially be used for passive cooling. So how do they all stack up against
each other? Let’s find out.

The other heatsinks were tested with a 120mm Nexus fan, so
direct comparisons between the three heatsinks can easily be made. With the
same fan, all the heatsinks are subject to the same amount of airflow, and produce
almost the same amount of noise. The only variable is the rise in temperature,
reported below.

So, how good is the big Noctua / Coolink? With the Nexus fan at 9V or above, it gives up 6~7°C to the Ninja, and 3°C to the Thermalright
HR-01. This is quite significant. At the low 7V fan speed, however, its performance come much closer, within 2~3°C of either of the established competition.

There are other reasons to choose the Noctua / Coolink, especially once its market price
comes down: Things like the spring-loaded installation and the fan controller
included with the Coolink versions.

The smaller Noctua doesn’t really belong in the heavyweight category. At best,
its cooling performance is 10°C worse than the Ninja, which is very significant.
A decision between the smaller Noctua and a Ninja is likely to be made on more
than performance alone, however, so a direct comparison between the two isn’t that
relevant.

NOISE RECORDINGS

Noctua NH-U12 / Coolink U8-120-1600:

MP3:
Noctua NH-U12 / Coolink U8-120-1600 – 5V / 20 dBA@1m

MP3:
Noctua NH-U12 / Coolink U8-120-1600 – 7V / 22 dBA@1m

MP3:
Noctua NH-U12 / Coolink U8-120-1600 – 9V / 26 dBA@1m

MP3:
Noctua NH-U12 / Coolink U8-120-1600 – 12V / 31 dBA@1m

Noctua NH-U9 / Coolink U8-92-1900:

MP3: Noctua
NH-U9 / Coolink U8-92-1900 – 5V / 18 dBA@1m

MP3: Noctua
NH-U9 / Coolink U8-92-1900 – 7V / 21 dBA@1m

MP3: Noctua
NH-U9 / Coolink U8-92-1900 – 9V / 24 dBA@1m

MP3:
Noctua NH-U9 / Coolink U8-92-1900 – 12V / 29 dBA@1m

Recordings of Comparable HSF:

MP3:
Arctic Cooling Freezer 4 (original version) – 7V / 20 dBA@1m

MP3:
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro – 9V / 20 dBA@1m

MP3: Arctic
Cooling Super Silent 4 Ultra TC, 22 dBA@1m

MP3:
Nexus 120mm fan – 12V – 22.5 dBA@1m

MP3:
Nexus 120mm fan – 8.8V – 19 dBA@1m

IN MY SYSTEM

If I were to buy a Noctua / Coolink heatsink, I would choose
the smaller model. It’s cheaper, smaller, lighter, and offers good enough performance for my rig. In fact, I snagged
one of the samples for my own personal machine, where it’s inaudible
with a slow quiet 80mm Jamicon fan.

The Noctua replaced an Alpha PAL8150 that wasn’t quite up to the task of cooling my Athlon 64 3800+ Newcastle quietly — even with the fan at full speed it was prone to overheating under long-term stress. The system is configured as follows:

• Antec P180 case, with only the rear TriCool 120 fan, soft-mounted with rubber grommets, running at the Low speed
• Soltek SL-K8T939FL Motherboard
• AMD Athlon 64 3800+ (Newcastle Core, 89W TDP)
• 2 GB generic RAM
• NVidia GeForce Ti4600 video card, with cooling fan removed + Nexus 80mm fan @ 5V installed over VGA card with a Zalman FB165 bracket
• BenQ DW1620 DVD burner
• Enermax Noisetaker 325 power supply with all fans removed + Nexus 120mm fan @ 7V installed in PSU channel
• 2 x Samsung Spinpoint P80 hard drives in lower chamber, one 80 GB (JVC motor), one 160 GB (Nidec motor)

Speedfan screen capture: Yes, the temperature scale reads 70, 80, 90°C…*

Once the Noctua was installed, I tuned the performance by using CPUBurn with the fan at 5V, then slowly increasing the speed until the temperature was at an acceptible level. The screenshot below shows the temperature increasing without bound with the fan at 5V. I then stopped the test for about 30 seconds while I turned the fan speed up a quarter turn (estimated voltage 6~7V). CPUBurn was restarted, and the temperature stabilized about 15°C below the threshold where it became unstable. At this level, the noise of the CPU fan is below the residual noise of my system.

* The thermal monitoring on this motherboard is odd. Of the two thermal diodes in the A64 processor, only the one that triggers an emergency shutdown at 125°C is accessible. This sensor indicates a true core temperature, and reads much higher than the nominal “CPU Temperature” we’re used to seeing, which is an approximation of the temperature on the outer casing. As long as this temperature is kept under ~95°C, my system is stable even under very high, long term stress. So 82~83°C is good.

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

These Noctua / Coolink heatsinks are fundamentally fine products. The combination of a copper base, multiple heatpipes and many aluminum fins in a tower configuration has become something of a cliche, a well-proven one.

Although they are good performers,
they’re not quite as good as the best of the competition. This is especially true of
the larger model, which is positioned to take on the champions in the market. But, they are still very
good — good enough for my own machine.

Much thanks to Noctua
and Coolink
for the review samples.

* * *

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