Best SocketA Heatsink -- Still the Thermalright Si-97?

DrCR · Post by **DrCR** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 5:58 am

Hey, I'm scraping together a SocketA machine around an XP-M I got. This particular XP-M should give me ~2.6GHz, so I want a heatsink to match -- but also give me the required quietness.

I currently have a Si-97 in a stock 2600+ rig of mine, and I love it. I know there's even better aircooling out there nowadays...but can it be had for SocketA?

Can I mod a Ninja or Si-120 to fix SocketA? If not, then I'll just go the Si-97 route, probably with a Zalman 92mm so I can ramp up the rpms for when I OC.

Thanks,
DrCR

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mattthemuppet · Post by **mattthemuppet** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 3:33 pm

I think some of Thermaltake's monster HS fit Skt A - possibly the Big Typhoon and Sonic Tower. They are pretty heavy though and I've no idea how they'd compare to an SI-97. I'd imagine they'd be better, simply due to increased surface area. I'm happy with my SI-97A though

DrCR · Post by **DrCR** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:14 pm

Uhh, don't ever again mention Thermaltake in the same category as Thermalright

Your probably correct though in that a TT with a higher rpm 120mm has more cooling potential than a TR Si-97 with a higher rpm 92mm.

I'll probably just get a Si-97A and pair it with a Scythe DS 2000rpm. Should give me the OCing I want with, when ramped down, the quietness I require.

DrCR

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mattthemuppet · Post by **mattthemuppet** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:21 pm

sorry

If you can get Yate Loons, I highly recommend the DS12SL-90. It's what I have on my SI-97A and at minimum volts it's quieter than a suspended 7200.7 PATA drive and it's very smooth even at 12V. Obviously, how much head room (the YL only spins up to 1500rpm) you need depends on what chip you have and how high you want to take it, but I've never had more than 18C over ambient on my Sempron [email protected] with the fan set at minimum. In fact, I currently have the fan off as the room my PC is in is a bit chilly at the mo'

DrCR · Post by **DrCR** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:49 pm

No problem, it was half tounge-and-cheek anyway.

Ah, that's right, it's winter down there right now. Grrr, makes me envious lol. I've started getting into alpine snowboarding the past couple of years, and I'm already craving snow lol.

Not sure where I could pick up the 90mm YL in NA. The Scythe DS is hard to pass up at ~$5 anyhow.

mattthemuppet · Post by **mattthemuppet** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 6:25 pm

don't be envious, it's been raining solidly for the last 3 days (as in, hasn't stopped once) - so much so there have been landslides along the highway! They don't call it the land of the long white cloud for nothing

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:12 pm

There's the Scythe KATANA SCKTN-1000. 300 gram, but top heavy. There's also the CU version, but it's 590 gram. Prices seems pretty good.

I've considered it several times, but I dont have the courage to mount such a top-heavy cooler on a Socket-A processor... Besides, I'm unsure how much better it'll actually cool...

Just my thoughts...

Al · Post by Al » Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:09 am

Thomas wrote:There's the Scythe KATANA SCKTN-1000. 300 gram, but top heavy. There's also the CU version, but it's 590 gram. Prices seems pretty good.

I've considered it several times, but I dont have the courage to mount such a top-heavy cooler on a Socket-A processor... Besides, I'm unsure how much better it'll actually cool...

Just my thoughts...

I've never had the chance to test the Thermalright, but I did recently install a Scythe Katana CU on my ageing Socket A system. I didn't really want to risk the weight of the all-copper version, but I urgently needed a stable computer (ie. one that didn't hit 80 degrees and turn itself off at least once a day) to finish a project and this was the only decent heatsink I could find off-the-shelf in Dresden.

My first thought was "good grief, this thing is heavy..." The Socket A mounting mechanism is pretty fiddly to install - I found I needed to put an unnerving amount of force on the clip to coax it into place. Once on, however, the heatsink is held pretty firmly in place. There is no visible bend on the motherboard (I checked for obvious reasons), and although I will probably remove the heatsink when I move back to the UK in a few weeks, I have seen no cause for concern regarding the issue of weight whilst the case is stationary under my desk.

Socket orientation is a slight issue (depending on your desired airflow setup) because there are only two possible mounting directions rather than four. If, as on my old Asus A7V8X-X board, the mounting hooks are to the left and right of the socket, it is possible to have the fan blowing towards the rear exhaust. Unfortunately, the majority of socket A boards I have seen, including the ASRock K7VT4A Pro I now use, have the socket rotated 90 degrees compared to the Asus board, so the only possible mounting orientation is with the fan blowing up towards the PSU (due to heatpipe orientation the installation notes strongly advise against having the heatsink the other way up). I would check the orientation of your socket before you make any decisions about this heatsink or its lighter brother.

As far as performance is concerned, I am impressed. Previously, in my atrociously badly ventilated crappy generic case, using an old 70mm Nexus heatsink (the name escapes me) modded to take an 80mm Acoustifan at 12V, the CPU was regularly hitting 80 degrees and triggering an auto shutdown. Now, with ambient temps as high as 30 degrees in my equally badly ventilated apartment, I have yet to see the CPU temp rise above 54 degrees with the built-in potentiometer (only comes with the CU version if I recall correctly) on its lowest setting. If I crank up the fan, it sinks to about 48 degrees. Bear in mind this case has possibly the worst airflow ever, with incredibly restrictive fan grills (which I haven't chopped out because I don't have any suitable tools... might invest in a dremel soon though) and two crappy Acoustifans failing dismally to keep the thing cool. The PSU is a Seasonic S12-380 (new edition with sleeved cables etc.) and fortunately only very rarely ramps up to an audible level (quite how it is keeping so quiet in the circumstances amazes me, but I'm not complaining!) - which suggests it is not doing much in the way of heat evacuation...

Noise-wise, I'm not really in a good position to comment since I live next to a busy main road and it's waaaay too hot to shut the windows... A quick test reveals to me that with the windows shut and the heatsink potentiometer on its lowest setting I can't hear the fan above the road (through double glazing) and the two 12V Acoustifans and hard-mounted HDD in my case. At its highest setting it is clearly audible above these other noise sources, at least until I open the window; fortunately its cooling performance is such that this is largely irrelevant.

In summary, I am very pleased with the Scythe Katana CU. I would still recommend those with Socket A systems to get the cheaper aluminium version because of the weight, but if it is unavailable the all-copper version is unlikely to cause you any problems.

Anyway, I hope you find my experiences helpful.

Take it easy,

Al

mattthemuppet · Post by **mattthemuppet** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 2:36 pm

thanks for the mini-review Al - those Katanas are certainly good coolers and score better in the cost/ performance measure than the SI-97. Never seen the 2 compared though sadly.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 2:23 am

Katana review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article271-page1.html

Al, thanks for sharing your experiences. I checked my socket A mobo, and it allows the Katana to be directed toward the rear exhaust fan

That suits my airflow plans perfectly. Maybe I'll give the alu version a shot

natethegreat · Post by **natethegreat** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:25 pm

mattthemuppet wrote:thanks for the mini-review Al - those Katanas are certainly good coolers and score better in the cost/ performance measure than the SI-97. Never seen the 2 compared though sadly.

I have both cpu coolers... maybe i could do a mini comparo over the weekend if there was enough interest

DrCR · Post by **DrCR** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:45 pm

Sure I would be interested.

Really only interested in a comparison of the extremes: maximum quietness regardless of temps (5v Nexus 92mm or perhaps Scythe LS) and maximum cooling capabiltiy (~2500-2800rpm) of an overvolted, overclocked setup.

Asking for a lot I know, so if you back out I won't mind.

Edit: Anyone know how well the Scythe100mm fans fit on either of the heatsinks? I'm planning on swapping in something for my Scythe Mine anyway...

DrCR

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natethegreat · Post by **natethegreat** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 5:52 pm

We'll see how much time I have this weekend