1. One of the most important things about any heatsink is its mounting system, but this article (like other AnandTech reviews) has no detailed photos of how the heatsink mounts to the motherboard.
"That's like the only thing that matters!", I scream in agony.
Such photos are somewhat difficult to take, but a few good macro shots can vastly improve a review.
2. Will AnandTech ever review the Enzotech Ultra-X? It's a down-blowing 120mm heatsink with four 8mm heatpipes (larger than the usual 6mm). It also has a bolt-through-board-to-backplate mounting system with spring thumbscrews, making four points of contact with the base - i.e. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN, at least on Socket 775. (These three criteria don't seem to be satisfied by *any* other modern heatsink. The old Swiftech MCX-4000 was bolt-through-board, spring screws, four points of contact with the base - although it had no backplate, thus exerting bending force on the board.)
I decided on the Ultra-X after reading horror stories about the Ultra 120 Extreme's tendency to not stay flush with the heatspreader, since it's held down by only one point of contact to the base.
It would be nice to see an AnandTech review that acknowledged the importance of the mounting system, and that the Ultra 120 Extreme isn't perfect.
Technically, a plane is defined by three points, so adding a 4th is next to impossible without one point being out-of-plane. So a 3 point mounting system would be the most flat.
IIRC the Tuniq uses 4 thumbscrews with springs to bolt through the board to a backplate.
No argument there - however, a spring-loaded mounting system ensures that minor variations in height between the mounting points don't make a difference.
When the base is held down by only two (or worse, one) points of contact, the heatsink can *tip* off of the core, because we use towers and not desktops.
If you look at the Tuniq Tower 120, it indeed uses a bolt-through-board-to-backplate system with four spring thumbscrews, but what is bolted through the board is an H-shaped mounting plate that pins the heatsink down along a single line. The bar of the H looks too narrow to prevent the heavy heatsink from potentially tipping off of the CPU, although it might be wide enough.
silentpcreview rates the scythe ninja as the best "quiet" cooler available right now - AT's graphs dont show that because they have a lower ceiling on their graphs.
Actually the Scythe Ninja is not the quietest cooler, as coolers are basically noise-free. The Scythe Ninja FAN is among the quietest we have tested, but it is just average in cooling ability. The Ninja performs better with more air flow than the stock fan can provide. The Noctua fan is one of the quietest we have tested, and any of the towers will be quiet indeed with a Noctua fan. Higher output but still quiet is the Scythe SFlex SFF21F. We are working on a 120mm fan roundup to select a stock fan to use in all cooler tests - in addition to stock fan tests.
quote: The serrated fins increase the surface area of the cooling fins.
What? That's absurd. Maybe the serrated edges of the fins help with cooling in some obscure way having to do with turbulence or something, but they most definitely do not affect the surface area in any significant way.
Serrating the edges of the fins increases the amount of edge for a given surface area of fin. So yeah, technically, the surface area of the edges is increased. But the surface area of the edges of the fins is, at most, what... 0.01% of the total surface area of the cooling fins?
Retarded, but I guess when you have to come up with 8 pages of filler, some of it is going to be stupid.
Also, does anyone know how Anandtech compensates for ambient temperature? I'm starting to worry that they don't, since I haven't heard it mentioned, which would make their temperature readings worthless.
"Room temperature is measured before beginning the cooler tests and is maintained in the 20 to 22C (68 to 72F) range for all testing."
That is how the compensate for ambient...by keeping it the same for all tests. yeah, That is a four degree F range, 2 degree Celsius, but do you have a better system in your computer room?
We doubt those using the coolers we are testing have a heating/cooling system that maintains better than 2C in ambient temperature. This is very much in line with our philosophy of "real-world" component testing. We do agree comparisons of summer tests in Phoenix without air-conditioning to winter tests in Buffalo, NY in 4 feet of snow would not be a fair comparison, but we do monitor and maintain temperatures within reasonable limits as stated.
I often get an error if it has taken me a while to type a response. My solution is to copy the post, then try and post. If/when it throws the error, close the comments page and reopen, has always let me post after that.
I had assumed serrated meant that the fins were bent up and down in plane, allowing more surface area for the overall width. Looking back at the pictures that appears to not be the case though. Maybe the cuts on the fins are to quiet down some noise caused by tip vortices or something.
On p. 3 CPU Test Configuration - we state "Room temperature is measured before beginning the cooler tests and is maintained in the 20 to 22C (68 to 72F) range for all testing." According to my test notes ambinet temp was just below 71F at the start of these tests. The lab is air conditioned, but we do have to set the system off to keep fans off during the few munutes it takes for noise measuremtns.
-$50
-Another decent tower cooler
-Nothing special or mind blowing
+8 pages of "content" to explain the 3 lines above
I am continually amazed at the length and number of cooler articles that keep coming out of AT. With 8 pages, you could easily cover the relevant information on 8 seperate coolers, with pics and performance numbers for each cooler.
"With the vast number of heatsink tests done to date it's surprising the ACF7Pro has yet to be tested."
Not really. People would lose interest in this type of article if they all ended with something like "Too bad the ACF7Pro works as well (or better!) at less than half the cost". The coolers that keep getting tested have very high mark ups.
quote: "Too bad the ACF7Pro works as well (or better!) at less than half the cost"
umm, right...
And despite how much of the article is cut-and-paste from previous reviews, it's amazing how many people will complain about aspects of the testing that have been mentioned each time.
Curious how much an improvement this offers over the AC Freezer 7 Pro, which a lot of overclockers run because it's cheap, easy to install, and performs decently well.
If it's a significant enough improvemnt to warrant the purchase, that would be important to know. With the vast number of heatsink tests done to date it's surprising the ACF7Pro has yet to be tested.
I want to see this cooler tested as well...I've had their A64 version for a while, and I loved it. I want to know how well the Freezer 7 Pro does with the Core 2 Duo, as I'm running the stock cooler right now, and the Freezer 7 Pro is freely avaliable and cheaper than the Scythe Mine Rev B I wanted to buy.
Love how you guys are doing your cooler reviews here...keep it up! :)
Yes, it shipped that way. I take pictures straight out of the package - before testing. I did catch the bent fins at the top and straightened them out before mounting. Using a wide flat blade like a putty knife generally works pretty well for straightening.
Oh come on, first of all that likely happened during shipping and second it almost certainly doesn't impact the performance... it's not like they broke off.
Well, to some it's important that products don't arrive damaged. If the product was able to shift around so much in its packaging that it dented several fins, who's to say it didn't knock something else out of alignment?
I'd pay a bit more for a securely packaged product over one that is easily dented during shipping.
I would like to see how all of these heatpipe towers would do with a fan with higher flow and static pressure like a SilenX ixtrema or the like. If anything, the lower sound output would be worth it.
I just searched for that cooler, and it looks awesome. I would like to see it reviewed. If it can cool great and look like that, then more power to them.
the mounting system is exactly the same as the ones PC Cooler uses for their heatsinks... I believe that's the same company Zalman sued for copying their hsf designs.
Speaking of mounting systems, I bought the Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX last christmas and built a system using it, 4 months later my computer wouldn't start up. I opened the case to find the Typhoon VX laying on my video card. Replaced it with the stock Intel HSF and the system started back up...thank god.
I will cherish the day a company can make a small HSF that weighs very little and is quiet yet still cools like the best HSF's.
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31 Comments
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STL - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
A couple of suggestions:1. One of the most important things about any heatsink is its mounting system, but this article (like other AnandTech reviews) has no detailed photos of how the heatsink mounts to the motherboard.
"That's like the only thing that matters!", I scream in agony.
Such photos are somewhat difficult to take, but a few good macro shots can vastly improve a review.
2. Will AnandTech ever review the Enzotech Ultra-X? It's a down-blowing 120mm heatsink with four 8mm heatpipes (larger than the usual 6mm). It also has a bolt-through-board-to-backplate mounting system with spring thumbscrews, making four points of contact with the base - i.e. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN, at least on Socket 775. (These three criteria don't seem to be satisfied by *any* other modern heatsink. The old Swiftech MCX-4000 was bolt-through-board, spring screws, four points of contact with the base - although it had no backplate, thus exerting bending force on the board.)
I decided on the Ultra-X after reading horror stories about the Ultra 120 Extreme's tendency to not stay flush with the heatspreader, since it's held down by only one point of contact to the base.
It would be nice to see an AnandTech review that acknowledged the importance of the mounting system, and that the Ultra 120 Extreme isn't perfect.
strikeback03 - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
Technically, a plane is defined by three points, so adding a 4th is next to impossible without one point being out-of-plane. So a 3 point mounting system would be the most flat.IIRC the Tuniq uses 4 thumbscrews with springs to bolt through the board to a backplate.
STL - Saturday, June 23, 2007 - link
No argument there - however, a spring-loaded mounting system ensures that minor variations in height between the mounting points don't make a difference.When the base is held down by only two (or worse, one) points of contact, the heatsink can *tip* off of the core, because we use towers and not desktops.
If you look at the Tuniq Tower 120, it indeed uses a bolt-through-board-to-backplate system with four spring thumbscrews, but what is bolted through the board is an H-shaped mounting plate that pins the heatsink down along a single line. The bar of the H looks too narrow to prevent the heavy heatsink from potentially tipping off of the CPU, although it might be wide enough.
StraightPipe - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I've been looking for a quiet HSF to run in my living room, but these graphs can be hard to sort through.If you differentiated the low and high speeds by making them 2 different colors it would be much easier to read.
It's pretty darn easy to find a fan that will idle silently next to a +500W PSU, but It's a whole nother story to find one that runs on high quietly.
xsilver - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
silentpcreview rates the scythe ninja as the best "quiet" cooler available right now - AT's graphs dont show that because they have a lower ceiling on their graphs.Wesley Fink - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Actually the Scythe Ninja is not the quietest cooler, as coolers are basically noise-free. The Scythe Ninja FAN is among the quietest we have tested, but it is just average in cooling ability. The Ninja performs better with more air flow than the stock fan can provide. The Noctua fan is one of the quietest we have tested, and any of the towers will be quiet indeed with a Noctua fan. Higher output but still quiet is the Scythe SFlex SFF21F. We are working on a 120mm fan roundup to select a stock fan to use in all cooler tests - in addition to stock fan tests.erikpurne - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
What? That's absurd. Maybe the serrated edges of the fins help with cooling in some obscure way having to do with turbulence or something, but they most definitely do not affect the surface area in any significant way.
Serrating the edges of the fins increases the amount of edge for a given surface area of fin. So yeah, technically, the surface area of the edges is increased. But the surface area of the edges of the fins is, at most, what... 0.01% of the total surface area of the cooling fins?
Retarded, but I guess when you have to come up with 8 pages of filler, some of it is going to be stupid.
Also, does anyone know how Anandtech compensates for ambient temperature? I'm starting to worry that they don't, since I haven't heard it mentioned, which would make their temperature readings worthless.
customcoms - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
"Room temperature is measured before beginning the cooler tests and is maintained in the 20 to 22C (68 to 72F) range for all testing."That is how the compensate for ambient...by keeping it the same for all tests. yeah, That is a four degree F range, 2 degree Celsius, but do you have a better system in your computer room?
Wesley Fink - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
We doubt those using the coolers we are testing have a heating/cooling system that maintains better than 2C in ambient temperature. This is very much in line with our philosophy of "real-world" component testing. We do agree comparisons of summer tests in Phoenix without air-conditioning to winter tests in Buffalo, NY in 4 feet of snow would not be a fair comparison, but we do monitor and maintain temperatures within reasonable limits as stated.Spanki - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
D'oh! I always hav trouble with this "comment" software... please see http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid...">this thread for my comments. Thanks.strikeback03 - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
I often get an error if it has taken me a while to type a response. My solution is to copy the post, then try and post. If/when it throws the error, close the comments page and reopen, has always let me post after that.I had assumed serrated meant that the fins were bent up and down in plane, allowing more surface area for the overall width. Looking back at the pictures that appears to not be the case though. Maybe the cuts on the fins are to quiet down some noise caused by tip vortices or something.
Wesley Fink - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
On p. 3 CPU Test Configuration - we state "Room temperature is measured before beginning the cooler tests and is maintained in the 20 to 22C (68 to 72F) range for all testing." According to my test notes ambinet temp was just below 71F at the start of these tests. The lab is air conditioned, but we do have to set the system off to keep fans off during the few munutes it takes for noise measuremtns.brian_riendeau - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Cliff notes:-$50
-Another decent tower cooler
-Nothing special or mind blowing
+8 pages of "content" to explain the 3 lines above
I am continually amazed at the length and number of cooler articles that keep coming out of AT. With 8 pages, you could easily cover the relevant information on 8 seperate coolers, with pics and performance numbers for each cooler.
brian_riendeau - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Also from earlier..."With the vast number of heatsink tests done to date it's surprising the ACF7Pro has yet to be tested."
Not really. People would lose interest in this type of article if they all ended with something like "Too bad the ACF7Pro works as well (or better!) at less than half the cost". The coolers that keep getting tested have very high mark ups.
strikeback03 - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
umm, right...
And despite how much of the article is cut-and-paste from previous reviews, it's amazing how many people will complain about aspects of the testing that have been mentioned each time.
strikeback03 - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
2nd page under Specifications - the box says Thermaltake MaxOrb Specifications.4th page right under the Idle graph - says the VX managed 29C.
yacoub - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
"The iCEAGE 120 should retail for around 45 to 50 USD"yacoub - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I didn't see a $xx anywhere in the article.yacoub - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Curious how much an improvement this offers over the AC Freezer 7 Pro, which a lot of overclockers run because it's cheap, easy to install, and performs decently well.If it's a significant enough improvemnt to warrant the purchase, that would be important to know. With the vast number of heatsink tests done to date it's surprising the ACF7Pro has yet to be tested.
Duraz0rz - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I want to see this cooler tested as well...I've had their A64 version for a while, and I loved it. I want to know how well the Freezer 7 Pro does with the Core 2 Duo, as I'm running the stock cooler right now, and the Freezer 7 Pro is freely avaliable and cheaper than the Scythe Mine Rev B I wanted to buy.Love how you guys are doing your cooler reviews here...keep it up! :)
crimson117 - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
In this picture, the fins at the top right are bent out of place. Did it ship that way?http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cooling/2007/3...">http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/cooling/2007/3...
So much for that quality assurance sticker!
Wesley Fink - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Yes, it shipped that way. I take pictures straight out of the package - before testing. I did catch the bent fins at the top and straightened them out before mounting. Using a wide flat blade like a putty knife generally works pretty well for straightening.Souka - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
The bent fins increase air turbalance... which improves cooling.... right? :Pyacoub - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Oh come on, first of all that likely happened during shipping and second it almost certainly doesn't impact the performance... it's not like they broke off.crimson117 - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Well, to some it's important that products don't arrive damaged. If the product was able to shift around so much in its packaging that it dented several fins, who's to say it didn't knock something else out of alignment?I'd pay a bit more for a securely packaged product over one that is easily dented during shipping.
Goty - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I would like to see how all of these heatpipe towers would do with a fan with higher flow and static pressure like a SilenX ixtrema or the like. If anything, the lower sound output would be worth it.Deusfaux - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
pleaseeee!SilthDraeth - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I just searched for that cooler, and it looks awesome. I would like to see it reviewed. If it can cool great and look like that, then more power to them.strikeback03 - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I'm not sure "awesome" is the word I would use. "Unique" fits though.insurgent - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
the mounting system is exactly the same as the ones PC Cooler uses for their heatsinks... I believe that's the same company Zalman sued for copying their hsf designs.gigahertz20 - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Speaking of mounting systems, I bought the Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX last christmas and built a system using it, 4 months later my computer wouldn't start up. I opened the case to find the Typhoon VX laying on my video card. Replaced it with the stock Intel HSF and the system started back up...thank god.I will cherish the day a company can make a small HSF that weighs very little and is quiet yet still cools like the best HSF's.