Socket A Cooler Shootout May 2001
May 5th, 2001 | By Archive
Socket A Cooler Shootout May 2001
Date
: 05/5/01 – 12:07:13 PM
Author
:
Category
: Cooling
Introduction
A highly overclocked AMD Thunderbird/Duron CPU produces A LOT of heat when it is stressed out! Overheating will cause your system to become unstable and can even cause your hard disk to create critical errors which often results in the loss of precious MP3z, p0rn, moviez, email, and so on! Because OC Online does not want these things to happen to your rig, we decided to have a major Socket A cooler shootout with some interesting contestants like the new OCZ coolers with copper inserts, the Thermaltake Mini Copper Orb (also with copper insert), the WBK38 from GlobalWin, the impressive Core from CPUfx, some new and unknown AVGS coolers, and many many more. Here’s a list of all heatsinks that dared to enter the OC Online HSF comparison arena :
The contestants :
- OCZ Monster II (w/copper insert)
- OCZ Gladiator
- OCZ Glacier 2
- Thermosonic Thermoengine
- GlobalWin WBK38
- Vantec FCE-62540D
- Swiftech MC370-0A
- ICICLE 238
- Tt Mini Copper Orb
- The Core
- AVGS C0068
- AVGS CA1000
How did we test these heatsinks? Well, we tested each heatsink for about an hour with RC5 and Prime95 running together with our occasional email program and ICQ. You know, the whole lot. This way we could get a full load situation and the CPU creates as much heat as possible. After an hour we measured the temperature by using a wonderful little program called Motherboard Monitor. Idle temps were taken 15 minutes after startup and without running a single program. I’d like to note that the HQ45 case of our testbed was closed and no additional case cooling was turned on.
We decided to test all HSF in this review with the stock fan right out of the box and also a 7000rpm black Delta fan. The reason we we decided to do this is simple. By using the 7000rpm Delta fan on each heatsink (where possible!) we can compare all different heatsinks with eachother to see which one is the best! Of course, it’s your choice how and if you mod your HSF …
How much do these things cost?
OCZ Monster II (w/copper insert), Glacier 2 & Gladiator
Manufacturer: OCZ
Price Monster II (copper insert) : $15.99
Price Gladiator : $29.99
Price Glacier 2: $9.99
Kindly supplied by OCZ!
Thermosonic Thermoengine V60-4210
Manufacturer: Thermosonic
Price : $29.95
Kindly supplied by Thermosonic!
GlobalWin WBK38
Manufacturer: GlobalWin
Price : $29.95
Kindly supplied by 2CoolTek!
Vantec FCE-62540D
Manufacturer: Vantec
Price : $20.95
Kindly supplied by Vantec!
Swiftech MC370-0A
Manufacturer: Swiftech
Price : $50
Kindly supplied by Coolerguys!
ICICLE 238
Manufacturer: Akasa
Price : ??? (preview sample)
Kindly supplied by Akasa!
Tt Mini Copper Orb
Manufacturer: Thermaltake
Price : $19
Kindly supplied by Thermaltake!
The Core
Manufacturer: CPUfx
Price : $79.99
Kindly supplied by CPUfx!
AVGS C0068 & CA1000
Manufacturer: Gresouth Systems Ltd.
Price C0068: ???
Price CA1000 : $20
Kindly supplied by Gresouth Systems Ltd.!
The Tests
Test System :
- AOpen HQ45 (without case cooling)
-
AMD Athlon 1.3GHz @ 1.3GHz (1.75v) – 71W
- A copper shim was used to protect the CPU
- Abit KT7A-RAID Motherboard
- 128MB OCZ Value PC133 SDRAM
- Creative Annihilator Pro (GeForce 256 DDR)
- WD 45GB UDMA100 7200rpm hard drive
- Windows 2000 + SP1 + 4.29 VIA drivers + 6.50 Deto drivers
– The Thermal Interface Material (TIM) has been removed from each heatsink before the tests –
OCZ Monster II (w/copper insert)
The new OCZ Monster II is pretty much the same as the one we reviewed in our previous Socket A cooler shootout a couple of months ago, except for copper insert that OCZ has added to this new version. Apart from the copper insert, the anodized aluminum alloy heatsink has stayed to same compared to the original version without the copper part. The 75mm x 55mm x 62mm Monster II still fits both Intel and AMD CPUs and it allows a very easy installation thanks to the innovative retention clip. You can still put this HSF onto you CPU with one single hand … you don’t even have to TRY that with a FOP38 or a Volcano II! The fan has also changed a little on the new copper version. OCZ decided to use a 36cfm (powered by a molex connector) which runs a lot more quiet than the 7000rpm Delta fan on the previous model without the copper insert. Because it’s powered by molex connector, we don’t have rpm control on this one. How well, according to the OCZ website, this mofo should provide you with FOP38 performance. Well, let’s see what temps we get when we stress our CPU with this baby on top …
Performance :The Monster II with copper insert performs quite nice actually. It managed to keep the temperatures down to under 50C under full load with the stock fan. Now, when we put a 7000rpm Delta fan (yep, the one with the airplane noise level), the heatsink even keeps the 1.3GHz Athlon down to 46C. I must say I’m impressed, because in our previous tests, the OCZ Monster II (without the copper insert) didn’t perform that good. Clearly the copper insert is a nice improvement to the HSF. Let’s see how the other coolers in the test perform …
OCZ Glacier 2
Now here’s another story. The 60mm x 50mm x 60mm OCZ Glacier 2 is basically a smaller version of the OCZ Monster II heatsink. It has the same 36cfm fan with the same copper insert. The only differences are that it’s smaller and it has another retention clip to hold the HSF onto the CPU. This clip is really not so good as the one on the Monster II because it’s a lot smaller and quite flat so you haven’t got much room to place your thumb to attach the clip on the socket. That are the only differences between the Monster II and the Glacier 2. Why should you buy a Glacier 2 instead of a Monster 2 than? Well, the Glacier 2 is really, and I mean REALLY cheap. It sells for only $10 while the Monster II costs $16. But how does it perform?
Performance : It was pretty obvious that the wasn’t going to cool the CPU down as well as his big brother, the Monster II, but 51C at full load is still a pretty good temperature on an Athlon 1.3GHz. It’s not cool, but it isn’t hot either! With a 7000rpm Delta fan, the temperature at full load even doesn’t raise over 48C. Now, that’s better :)
OCZ Gladiator
The OCZ Gladiator is totally different from the other OCZ coolers in this shootout. Why? Well, instead of using the anodized aluminum alloy heatsink like on the Monster II and the Glacier 2, OCZ has built this Gladiator using pure copper. Yes, folks, this is the all copper, thin fin based heatsink from The Overclockers Store. The Gladiator comes equiped with the same 36cfm fan that we’ve also seen on the Monster II and the Glacier 2. Yeah, this fan is loud, but nowhere near as loud as a screaming Delta blowing 38cfm of air. Installing this all copper heatsink is clearly a piece of cake because it OCZ has again engineered a great king size finger clip. I think this OCZ retention mechanisme has to be one of the best, if not THE best, I’ve seen around (together with the one on the Monster II). Ultrathin fin, 100% copper is great, but how does this beauty stack up?
Performance : With the stock fan, this all copper heatsink performs slightly above average, but when it’s equiped with the 7000rpm Delta fan, the temperature under full load just can’t climb any higher than 43C. CPU overheating? No way that will happen with this HSF watching over your temps!
Thermosonic Thermoengine V60-4210
There’s a lot going on about the Thermosonic Thermoengine V60-4210 these days. As a matter of fact, a small scam is going on with this sink at the moment. Apparently, there are two versions of the ThermoEngine V60-4210 on the market today … one with a hollow core and one with a solid core. The question is : which one of these versions performs best and how do you know if you have on with a hollow core or a solid core? There’s no way of telling which core you have unless you hack one apart and see what’s inside. However, tests have proven that there appears to be no difference in cooling performance between the solid core ThermoEngine and the hollow core version. With that in mind, let’s see at some specs, shall we? The small size heatsinks has a very unique design and will fit both Intel and AMD CPUs. The ThermoEngine measures 63mmx63mmx58mm in total and weighs only 258gr. (that’s only 1/2 pound). The 60mmx60mmx10mm fan is very flat and runs at 5100rpm. It’s capable of delivering 16.3cfm of air and is extremely quiet! (only 35.7dBA) The fan is powered by a connector on the motherboard and supports rpm monitoring. What I certainly didn’t like about this ThermoEngine is the bad and hard mounting clip. It wasn’t easy to install the ThermoEngine on my Abit KT7A-RAID motherboard because of the transistors on the board were in my way! I had to bend the right transistor a bit to be able to fit in the HSF. The retention mechanisme of the ThermoEngine leaves much to be desired if you ask me! Now has does the infamous TE perform?
Performance : The tempartures with the stock fan are rather high. 51C at full load is not exactly what I call cool for a $30 HSF. However, if you keep in mind that the stock fan ‘only’ delivers a 16.3cfm airflow and that runs extremely quiet, these temps are actually not so bad at all. However, when we put the 7000rpm Delta fan on this ThermoEngine, this average cooler suddenly changes in a high performance cooler that is capable of cooling my Athlon 1.3GHz down to 44C under full load.
GlobalWin WBK38
The GlobalWin WBK38 we got from a href=’http:/www.2cooltek.com’ target=’resource window’>2CoolTek sure has an impressive spec list, don’t you think? This HSF comes with a neat black fan sporting rpm control, running at 6800rpm and capable of delivering 37.6cfm of airflow. The noise level (46.5dBA) on this mofo is comparable to the Delta 7000rpm fan noise level. The aluminum alloy heatsink measures 75mm x 63.5mm x 39.4mm and is much bigger compared to the GW FOP38. The clip hasn’t changed one bit compared to the FOP38 design. This clip makes it pretty easy to attach the WBK38 to your socket, but you’ll need a screwdriver.
Performance : GlobalWin continues to make state of the art high performance coolers. Hardcore overclockers won’t mind the very high noise level and will find this HSF very useful for their rig. 43C under full load … cool :)
Vantec FCE-62540D
This is the first time in years that we hear something from Vantec. Well, here’s their brand new high performance heatsink, the Vantec FCE-62540D. This aluminum design bad boy has a 7000rpm fan as stock fan, measures 80mm x 62mm x 70mm in total and lookes just like the GlobalWin FOP38 … you can hardly tell the difference! The retention clip on this Vantec is absolutely amazing. Remember that we needed a screwdriver to attach the FOP38/WBK38, well, we just press our thumb down on the clip and this Vantec is locked and secured! What I’m trying to say is, great clip mechanisme :) Now, does this Vantec outperform the GlobalWins?
Performance : Well, it looks like we got ourselves another top nochperformer here. The temperature on the Athlon 1.3GHz didn’t raise higher than 44C during our torturing session.
Swiftech MC370-0A
What makes this 65mm x 65mm x 67mm Swiftech MC370-0A so special are the round pins that are inserted into the base plate. These fins have to be cooled by a 6850rpm fan with an airflow of 33cfm and powered by a molex connector. I’d like to note that this heatsink has no copper parts and is 100% alluminum. Installing the Swiftech MC370-0A is totally diffent from the regular HSFs. There’s a clip on each side of the heatsink with a screw and a sping which pushes against the screw. Now, when you release the screw the spring pushes the clip up and attaches the heatsink onto the CPU socket. Thanks to this very innovative clip mechanisme, you will never have to worry about that transistors getting in your way on for example the Abit KT7A-RAID motherboard. How does this beast perform?
Performance : With the stock 6850rpm fan and with a temp of 45C under full load, the Swiftech already acts like a performance cooler. BUT, when it’s equiped with the 7000rpm Delta fan, the Swiftech MC370-0A proves to be even better than all coolers we’ve looked at in this shootout so far. Can you say 40C under full load?! Oh yeah, we got this one from The Coolerguys
ICICLE 238
I haven’t seen a review of this sucker around yet, have you? That’s probably because this is only a preview sample that we got about a month ago. Will this newcomer do the job? The clip needs to be attached with a screwdriver but it’s incredibly easy to do so. With a thin fin design heatsink and a 7200rpm delta fan on top, this HSF sure doesn’t have to be ashamed to stand up against the top performers in our test, or does it?
Performance : Our preview sample of the ICICLE 238 performed really very impressive. This small heatsink managed to cool down the hot Athlon 1.3GHz CPU to 43C under full load. Not bad for a HSF that only measures 62mm x 60mm x 57mm huh! That makes the ICICLE 238 a proud new kid on the block.
Tt Mini Copper Orb
Yep, the 65mm x 48mm Mini Copper Orb still has the same Orb design as their older products like a Super Orb, Golden Orb, Chrome Orb, etc. The Mini Copper Orb might look exactly the same as the Chrome Orb, but when we look at the bottom we can see that a copper base has been added to the alluminum design. I used this Mini Copper Orb on my Abit KT7A-RAID without any problems … The heatsink is cooled down by a 5500rpm fan capable of providing a maximum airflow of 23.1cfm @ 29dBA. Hmmm … 29dBA, now that’s being silent! But is being silent a such a good thing?
Performance : If you are looking for a good cooler to overclock your CPU to the max, then you definately should look further because this Mini Copper Orb runs like 11C higher than our best heatsink in the test. Keep in mind that this is really a quiet and budget heatsink and not a loud high performance one!
The Core
The Core just has to be one of the most beautiful Socket A coolers on the market today. You can read our full Core preview for all details regarding this heatsink. Because our preview sample didn’t have the ZIF (Zero Input Force) socket retaining system yet, we were sent a new review sample by the friendly peeps from CPUfx / OCH. This new version has the ZIF socket retaining system which works really great! This is actually one giant clip on each side of the heatsink that covers the entire socket and works the same way as the mechanisme on the Swiftech MC370-0A HSF. Thanks to this retaining mechanisme, the Core HSF sits perfectly flat and rocksolid onto your CPU. In case you don’t trust the ZIF socket retaining system, CPUfx also sends two sets of four plastic screws along so you can secure the heatsink through the 4 holes around the socket. Oh yeah, you’ll also receive a tube of Arctic Silver II and two copper shims, one for a Socket A CPU and one for a Socket 370 CPU. The whole bunch will cost you a sloppy $79.90, which is quite expensive for a cooler, don’t you think?
Performance : Although the heatsink looks very impressive, it didn’t perform that way I thought it would be. 47C under full load with the stock fan and 45C with the 7000rpm Delta. Now, don’t YOU think such an expensive heatsink should do better?
Note : CPUfx will also bring you a blue version of their CORE heatsink. Now wouldn’t that be nice in combination with your CPUfx blue shim, Abit KT7E motherboard and Hercules Geforce3 videocard? :)
AVGS C0068 & CA1000
I was sent these two coolers by Jerome Chang of Gresouth Systems Ltd. in the UK. This is a new company that tries really hard to expand their product range with overclocking in mind. Let’s see what they sent us. The C0068 has 50mm x 50mm x 15mm side-mounted fan running at 6400rpm and blowing around 17.1cfm of air. It’s pretty quiet (35.5dBA), but not as quiet as the Mini Copper Orb or the ThermoEngine running the stock fan. The C0068′s fin array is half copper and half alluminum. A solid alluminum pin goes through the heatsinks from top to bottom … kinda like with the ThermoEngine. I had quite a few probs when I was putting this HSF onto my CPU because the clip is really hard and requires a decent screwdriver to be attached and removed. The CA1000 is a completely different story! The 62mm x 62mm x 72mm alluminum heatsink looks like a big Volcano II or Vantec HSF with a quiet top fan running 60mm x 60mm x 25mm fan running at 4000rpm with an average airflow of 24cfm. The CA1000 has a complete copper base as other HSFs like the Mini Copper Orb or the OCZ Monster II only have a copper insert. Let’s see what these newcomers can do!
Performance : The performance of the AVGS C0068 is absolutely bad! It’s as simple as that. As soon as I turned started up RC5 and my Winamp MP3 player, I reached the 60C barrier with the utmost ease! Finally temps got stable at a very ‘HOT’ 68C! The AVGS CA1000 does a much better job! With the stock fan, my Athlon 1.3GHz reached 53C under full load, but look at the temperature when I installed the 7000rpm Delta fan on this one. The temp didn’t get higher than 44C under full load … That’s almost 10C less than with the stock fan, making it earn a place among the top performers in this shootout!
Update : Jerome informed me that Gresouth Systems Ltd. will also start shipping their CA1000 HSF with a Delta 7000rpm as stock fan, it will be called the CA-D1000 … Now, why would that be? ;)
SUMMARY
What more is there to say about these heatsinks? Which heatsink did we like most? Well, my personal favor goes to the Swiftech MC370-0A HSF! Simply because it’s the best cooler out of the test (40C under full load with Delta 7000rpm fan). The ICICLE 238 didn’t make a bad debute either, don’t you think? But because performance isn’t all that matters, we also have to look at the price. The CORE is definately one of the most expensive HSFs out there and also the Swiftech can’t be called cheap, can it? If we think about the price/performance ratio, we can come up with a top 3:
TOP 3
First place: OCZ GLADIATOR
Second place : Vantec FCE-62540D
thirt place: Swiftech MC370-0A
Top Performer
: Swiftech MC370-0A
Best low budget
: OCZ Glacier 2
Best overall
: Thermosonic ThermoEngine, because it has a quiet average stock fan and it can be converted into a performance HSF when you put a Delta 7000rpm on top.
Special thanks to OCZ, CPUfx, Coolerguys, Thermosonic, 2CoolTek, Vantec, Akasa, Thermaltake and Gresouth Systems Ltd. for supplying us with review samples of their products!