The holiday season has come a long time ago. And many could already taste all the charm of summer weather. Bright rays of the sun surround us everywhere these days. The temperature in the shade sometimes reaches thirty degrees. But how does the “hard worker” - the computer - feel in such conditions? Frankly, in such conditions, he has a hard time. But no one asks him, and he continues his daily work just as obediently. But the biggest hardships at such moments are mainly the processor ...

Instead of the cool air that the cooler outside the case should receive to cool the "flaming heart", it receives hot air currents, whose presence once again stimulates a further rise in temperature. And what to do in such cases? For most enthusiasts in the vastness of our homeland, this has long ceased to be a problem. On the market, now in a large assortment, you can find an amazing selection of different cooling systems. And if there are minor problems with the choice of water systems in terms of availability and price, then there are no problems with air systems. We can meet representatives of a huge number of different manufacturers such as: Zalman, Thermaltake, Coolermaster, Scythe, Glacial Tech, Arctic cooling, Ice Hammer. Each of them provides the buyer with a choice of a cooling system, based on his financial wealth, the need for a specific efficiency, etc. When choosing a cooler, an uninitiated person may have a lot of questions about what to prefer. But a person who is knowledgeable in this area can also enter the stopper. Since the choice and variety is too great. Various manufacturers sometimes offer coolers that are very similar in appearance. Their design and method of heat dissipation are often similar. In such a situation, the buyer has a question about the advisability of buying one or another cooling system. In such cases, he turns to the media to clarify the situation in this matter. Fortunately, today on the Internet there are a lot of different tests of most coolers. We are a similar authority. Today I will try to answer some questions that a person may have when faced with the question of buying a cooler for a processor.

Thermaltake Big typhoon

Today our guest is a representative of the famous Thermaltake company, Big Typhoon. We meet!

It comes to us in a bright, beautiful package, without opening which you can already see the appearance of the cooler, or rather its fan. Only by taking this box in your hands, you feel the weight and dimensions of this cooling system. It should be said that we do not recognize anything on the front of the package except the name, and this also applies to the side part. On the back, the manufacturer gives us some information. Including a barcode and, more interestingly, information on the possibility of installing various fans, but more on that later. But, perhaps, at this point I should stop looking at the package, but I need to start removing the cooler from its "cocoon".

And finally, he appears before us. Its dimensions are really great. This impression is created primarily due to the resonance of the sizes of the lower and upper parts. In the lower part we have only the base, and in the upper part there is a large 120mm fan, which has a pleasant orange color typical for Thermaltake, covered with a metal casing with the emblem of the same manufacturer, respectively. "ТТ" - this is how it is customary to abbreviate the name "Thermaltake". For me, this is an unnecessary mention of heat pipes. Speaking about this corporation, it is worth mentioning that they install very quiet fans on these coolers. Moreover, the manufacturer himself reminds us that it is possible to install two more types of fans. One of them is very similar to the one that we already have, but differs in the presence of a speed regulator, whose presence, frankly speaking, is incomprehensible to me. A similar thing would have been useful in the days of the Volcano, also produced by Thermaltake. But here we have a "slow" low-speed fan. He doesn’t really need such a regulator. Although it should be said that this manufacturer has always loved to delight the buyer with various trinkets. We can remember a similar phenomenon in their production buildings. Returning to our configuration, we do not have a speed controller. But to admit, I'm not very upset. Since it is always possible to connect a 5V cooler. Speaking about the second variant of a possible fan, its difference lies in the presence of LEDs. Which will help to embellish your case with blue illumination. That is where we will move on from describing the fan to looking at the design of the cooler, since we have something to look at. The power cord, which is a fairly standard 3-pin, is to my surprise covered in a nice white aesthetic material. Frankly, this is rarely seen. But this once again underlines the great look of the cooler. But this cord also has a serious disadvantage. This is its length. It is very small. Therefore, you will not be able to put the cooler in any way, otherwise the power cord will not allow you, which will not reach the connector on the motherboard. Still, this is not a very pleasant moment.

Once again, we can estimate the size of this giant. It should be said that it has six copper heat pipes (and here they are!), Soldered to the base, and passing through a radiator consisting of thin aluminum fins with a relatively small thickness. The ribs are close enough to each other. The distance between them is very small. It's hard to say how this will affect how air flows through these slots. But, I hope, the sorcerers from Thermaltake did not miss this moment. But what can be said for sure is that the distance between the ribs will be clogged with dust, and it will be quite problematic to clean it out of there. So, if you decide to use this cooler in your case, do not forget to take care that there are no dust lumps in your case. This may not have the best effect on the effectiveness of the "Big Typhoon" in the future.

Now let's take a look at the base. And here Thermaltake obviously did not try. We can see the very poor quality of the base processing. The cutter marks are clearly visible to the eye. However, most coolers from this manufacturer have a similar omission. Not really a problem too a large number orders, and the fact that gentlemen from Thermaltake do not have time to process the base? It should be noted that such a flaw can greatly affect the efficiency of the cooler. Now let's move on to the configuration that comes with the Big Typhoon. Everything, we can see this content in a black box lying at the bottom of the package. After extracting its components, we can see:

First of all, the installation instructions. With this, I must confess, the manufacturer pleased me. We have a manual illustrated with color photographs with printed comments. Not even Zalman has that. Whose illustrations are still black and white and are just pictures rather than photographs. This approach of Thermaltake is good news. And when evaluating a cooler, such moments can play an important role. Since the correct installation is exactly what most experts from various sites have problems with. Because of this, we can encounter serious discrepancies in the results. We could see a similar situation in the case of the Zalman 9500. In the case with which, however, there was some defect in the base, namely a small bulge in the center. But it was also often possible to see problems associated with insufficient pressure on the cooler, which inevitably led to poor performance. Returning to our cooler, it should be said that we also have three bags in the package bundle. In one of them we have fasteners, screws, nuts, etc. In the other two, you can see Back-Plate for various sockets, as well as mounting frames. What else the manufacturer can please us with is thermal paste. However, today each manufacturer equips its cooler with a similar thermal interface.

Before installing the cooler on the motherboard, the Typhoon was tested by a slight polishing of the base using GOI paste and woolen cloth. A similar operation has been carried out with all air-cooled systems tested today. This is necessary first of all in order to eliminate all factory defects in the processing of the base and during testing to identify the most effective design, without regard to the roughness on the lower part of the coolers.

Now let's move on to installing Big Typhoon on the motherboard. V this case on Socket 939. Speaking about other sockets, it should be said that everything seems to be enough. In all cases we use the standard Thermaltake Back-Plate, which is secured from the back motherboard with the help of long screws, on which, on the other hand, we put on the red spacers and screw the yellow aluminum washers.

Then we use the same Back-Plate, only this time we place it on the base of the cooler. The number of screws used is different depending on the socket. For Socket A, 478,775 it is four, for Socket 754/939 we need two screws, as you can see in the photo.

Further, from the upper part, we fasten the screws with small nuts, which, I confess, is like death. This is a fairly long procedure if you do it carefully and achieve good rigidity. I personally used a small wrench for this and painstakingly tightened the nuts with it. In general, the installation for Socket A, 478,775, is the same, the only difference is that we use a different mounting frame for Socket 775. There are two installation options for mounting on Socket A, 478,775. One is referred to as Alternative, and I have already described it. It is identical for all sockets. The second is referred to as Standard. In theory, this method is very simple. We use the standard Back-Plate that comes with the motherboard, and screw the Big Typhoon mounting frame to it. But it turned out to be beyond my power. The length of the screws was not enough. No matter how much effort I put in, it didn’t lead to anything other than scratching the base. Having tightened one of the screws, it was not possible to cope with the second one. With my efforts, the metal mounting frame began to bend, and I decided to stop trying such an installation. Unfortunately, I could not find suitable screws for installing the cooler. I decided to use a method called Alternative, but instead of nuts, I decided to tighten with the yellow washers with which we secure the Back-Plate. As a result, it looked like the one shown in the photo above.

It should be said that due to the fact that the fan on the cooler is placed on the upper part, this immediately removes all sorts of problems with the desired rotation. Since all the air is taken from the top, and not from the side, as is the case with most heat pipe coolers.

Further, respectively, the motherboard was placed in the case. It should be said that with this installation method, it is possible to remove or install a cooler without removing the motherboard from the case. Although it is still not so convenient, since sticking your hands between the wires, sometimes not so correct installation is possible, or rather uneven clamping, due to different tightening of the washers.

The cooler looks amazing in the case. It should be noted that there are no problems with contact with the wires or radiators of the north bridge. The typhoon got up in the hull very well. About 1.5 cm remains before the video card, which is quite enough. However, it can be a problem if your card has large memory heatsinks on the back. But in most cases they will still be placed slightly lower than the cooler fan. And in the area where the heat pipes and the radiator are located, there should be no contact. At the base, the Typhoon also does not touch any of the batteries on the motherboard. And it is worth noting an important fact that today, among the tested coolers, it was the typhoon that had no problems with tightening the screw that secures the motherboard in the central part, not far from the processor.

In the photo above, we can more clearly see that the brainchild from Thermaltake is located quite close to the video card.

Despite the fact that the system used IDE hard disk, there were no problems with the cables. There is no contact either with them or with the wires from Molex going to the motherboard. In our case, the cooling on the north bridge is located under the video card, which definitely guarantees no problems when installing an oversized cooler on the processor. But I can tell you with confidence that there will be no problems on other motherboards with a standard heatsink on the north bridge.

After carrying out some tests and removing the cooler from its rightful place, the thermal paste cast on the processors was as you see it in the photo above. Well, the pressure is more or less uniform, but there is a deviation on the left side. There is a thermal interface squeezed out from the rest of the part. After that, I decided to retest, but when installing, very carefully monitor the twisting of the washers and ensure sufficient clamping force. Still, the situation is complicated by the fact that in the case of Socket 939 we have only two mounting holes on the motherboard for screws. In this case, you need to be as careful and correct as possible during installation. Then the cooler went through a full cycle of tests. Results we will see later.

After that, I decided to remove the standard fan. And the cooler appeared before me only with a bare radiator.

Next, a Titan fan was installed on the cooler. It was with him that the Scythe Ninja tests were carried out. The fan at maximum RPM is quite noisy, but it develops a decent RPM level, namely around 2200RPM. Compared to the standard one, whose turnover according to the declared characteristics is 1300RPM, during testing, I recorded a value of about 1400RPM. It should be said that the cooler works very quietly in this version. For me, this mode can be considered almost silent. The noise level is much lower than that of a standard 80's cabinet. When a 5V fan was connected, the cooler changed from almost silent to completely silent. And thanks to Thermaltake for that. True, it should be said that despite the statements of both the company itself and the owners of this cooler, the Typhoon does not at all have such an advantage as blowing the elements of the motherboard. At 5V, it is hard to feel the air flow even with a hand brought close to the cooler's radiator, what can we say about the motherboard, which is located a dozen centimeters below. Although not everything is so sad, at maximum speed, the cooler still creates a certain air flow, capable of reaching the elements of the motherboard to some extent. But, excuse me, I would not call it blowing. On the other hand, it is worth noting that after the installation of the Titan fan, the airflow really began to occur and, moreover, it was very serious. After that, the temperature of the batteries on the motherboard dropped noticeably, by about 7 degrees. Although the temperature on the processor has not changed much. It is worth noting a very serious drop in the efficiency of the cooler after switching from 12V to 5V. At the same time, the air flow becomes too weak, and in this mode I would not recommend using it on an overclocked processor. Regarding the description of Thermaltake Big Typhoon, that's all. One has only to say that its retail price is about $ 35-38.

Now let's move on to his immediate rivals.

Cooler Master Hyper 6+

Let's start with his first opponent. He is a representative of a large company Cooler Master.

Let's move on to examining it. We receive it with a 100 mm fan, which pales a little compared to the 120 from Thermaltake. Since these coolers require a large air flow to adequately purge the heatsink, which can only be created by an oversized fan. In our case, it is slightly less than one might expect. In this case, you should expect a fairly high noise level. The manufacturer claims the fan speed is from 1800 to 3600! Moreover, in the latter case, we can only get such turnovers if there is a PWM on the motherboard. Our current motherboard DFI nForce 4 Ultra LP, unfortunately, does not have those, so the tests were carried out at a relatively minimum speed of 1800RPM. It should be said that the model with the “+” index differs quite strongly from the Hyper 6 model. First of all, the material of the ribs. In this case, it is aluminum instead of copper. But the dimensions have also changed. "Hyper" has become noticeably larger. The fan has also increased in size. Now, as I said, it is 100mm instead of 80m as in the “no plus” model. The weight has also changed. This time it is 795, while the last modification weighed about a kilogram! Speaking of the Hyper 6+ design, it should be said that it already represents enough standard scheme for most heat pipe coolers. These are six heat pipes made of copper, on which aluminum fins are threaded. The ends of the tubes are soldered to the copper base. The cooler fins are covered with metal sides.

The cooler also comes with a metal casing, which is screwed along with the supplied fan.

On the upper part of the cooler, we can see that this cooling system belongs to Cooler Master. Also, the ends of the outgoing heat pipes appear to our eyes.

The base of Hyper 6+, like all tested coolers today, has been treated with GOI paste. But it should be said that in the initial delivery, the Hyper 6+ comes with a very good quality base. There are no cutter marks or roughness. There is also a slight specular reflection. In this case, we have a polar situation in comparison with the cooler from Thermaltake. Cooler Master did their best at this moment. The quality is comparable to the performance from Zalman.

Next, we will proceed with the installation. It should be said that it is the same for all sockets, as in the case of Big Typhoon. It is the installation of the required mounting frame on the cooler, depending on which Socket the installation will be made on. Next, screw the screws that come with the kit into it and fasten it with large nuts at the back. Unfortunately, the Back-Plate had to be abandoned due to a problem with the length of the screws. And here we meet the same flaws that we could see at Thermaltake. So it was decided to place the Hyper 6+ in the same way as the Big Typhoon. Thermaltake Back-Plate used:

But this time the screws were not fixed with washers, but a cooler was immediately put on them, since otherwise the mounting frame rests on the washers. So it looked like this after installation:

There was also a problem with the cooler power connector. The capacitor next to it did not allow inserting the power cord, which, unlike the Typhoon, has a longer length and is endowed with a 4-pin. So I had to use a nearby case fan connector.

After installing the cooler on the motherboard, we see that one of the holes for fixing the motherboard is rather complicated. You will have to seriously try to tighten the screw. However, the previous cooler had no problems with this.

The Hyper 6+ is very spacious in the case. There is a serious gap between it and the video card:

But the cords from Molex already rest against the casing of our cooler:

When installed, the Hyper 6+ was positioned so that air was blown back onto the case fan on the back of the case.

Turning on the system, we see a pleasant illumination at the fan of our cooler. We can find something similar, for example, on the Zalman 9500.

After removing the cooler, I found serious problems with the contact between the Hyper 6+ base and the processor. This conclusion can be made based on the fact that the bulk of the thermal paste remained on the processor's heat-distributing cover. Several times I had to remove the cooler. I used various fastening methods, but this did not lead to positive shifts. It should be said that the cooler itself was held firmly on the motherboard. What was the reason for the bad pressure, it was not clear to me. I can assume that the problem is in the defective mounting frame, perhaps in something else. But one thing is clear that there are problems in the fastening. This was also indicated by the fact that during the tests the cooler almost did not heat up. The upper part was completely cold! And this is in situations where the processor worked at temperatures of about 70 degrees! Speaking about the noise emitted by the cooler, it should be said that there are no problems with this. At 1800RPM it works quite quietly, although it is louder than the Big Typhoon at 1300RPM. Unfortunately, the absence of PWM on our motherboard did not give us the opportunity to test the cooler at maximum speed. Which, as I said before, is 3600RPM. At the same time, Hyper 6+ emits an incredible level of noise. Cooler Master claims about 46.4 dBA! On the whole, the cooler is made of sufficient quality, and if there were some incomprehensible problems with the clamping, it could show more serious results than what I got. The retail price of Cooler Master hyper 6+ fluctuates around $ 45-50, and in general this is a fairly rare guest on our market. Now let's move on to the next rival TT Big Typhoon, but already produced in Japan.

Scythe Ninja

It has already taken place on our resource, but I will still go over its characteristics again and touch on some points that have not been considered before.

To begin with, this cooler is made in Japan, which is somewhat rare these days due to more Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese production. First of all, such a pedigree inspires some confidence in most users. And whether the cooler justifies it, we will find out.

The Ninja is very large compared to the cooler just reviewed. The dimensions are 110x110x150, which cannot but arouse a sense of respect for such a structure. Although, in general, the structure itself is quite standard for heat pipe coolers. Since we can once again observe 6 heat pipes on which aluminum plates are strung, and the copper base is also characteristic. But what, perhaps, stands out from the frames of the analogs of this cooler, is the length of the pipes. From the outside it may seem that there are 12 of them, in fact, as I said, there are 6 of them, but they are very long, and, forming a semi-oval, they pass through the base and place their ends on the upper part.

There are aluminum ferrules at the ends of the tubes. And in the center of all the plates there is a large round hole.

The base area is quite large, like the Big Typhoon, but it still has a rectangular shape rather than a square one. After using this cooler for some time, I have some traces on the base that indicate a rather rough installation, which is quite true, since I really had to apply force during installation. In the initial delivery, the cooler base has a very good processing quality and initially has a mirror image, which is good news.

First of all, the cooler is a passive cooling system. But we can install a 120mm fan on it. By the way, it is worth mentioning that Scythe has a solution with a fan already installed. It is referred to as the Scythe Ninja Plus, which has a slightly higher retail price than the regular version at around $ 45. The price of the passive version is about $ 40. The fan is installed using the supplied wires. Also, we are able to install a second fan. But for this, you yourself need to come up with what you will fix. For this role, ordinary copper wire is quite suitable, which, with appropriate bending, would allow the fan to be fixed. Theoretically, the cooler allows the installation of as many as 4 fans!

But we will be content with one, since in this case there are no problems with efficiency. For the tests, a Titan fan was again used to develop 2200RPM.

It's time to start installing. First, I will describe how the cooler is installed on various sockets. First, there is no support for Socket A at all, most likely due to the manufacturer's fear that such an oversized cooler is capable of chipping away a crystal of fragile Athlon XP processors with the appropriate pressure. On the whole, their warnings are not in vain, as the cooler weighs 665g. Although in the case of Cooler Master Hyper 6+ and Thermaltake Big Typhoon, even with a much higher weight (the difference is more than 100g), the manufacturer still endowed these coolers with Socket A support. Although in the case of Scythe Ninja, there are some specific points. But more on that later. Let's start with the fact that the simplest one is installation on Socket 478, in this case a standard mounting frame is used to which the cooler clings. In the case of Socket 775, the situation is a little more complicated. We will have to install the Back-Plate from the back of the motherboard, screw the corresponding mounts to it from the front and hook the Ninja onto them. When installing on Socket 754/939, we will need to use a standard Back-Plate, to which a mounting frame will be screwed on the front side, identical to that which we can meet on Socket 478:

Unlike the last time (in the previous article on Socket 775), the installation was quite easy. The latches fit easily into the corresponding holes. Remembering the previous installation, it is worth mentioning one important fact. Namely, after prolonged use of the cooler (about a month), after my attempt to remove the cooler from its place, problems arose. To be precise, there were problems with the Back-Plate, the sticky part of which did not want to separate from the motherboard. All my attempts to extract the Back-Plate were unsuccessful. The sticky-backed metal plate did not want to come off. More precisely, it was possible to separate the metal part, but what was located under it, unfortunately, not. So before starting today's testing, I didn't have a Back-Plate for Ninja. But fortunately, for installation on Socket 939, it is not needed, since the standard Back-Plate is used. I advised buyers to pay attention to this. If, for example, something happens to your motherboard, you will no longer be able to use the warranty department. It is worth noting that such sticking occurs precisely during long-term use (more than a month), and at the same time your processor must be hot enough (in my case, it was the most fiery option in the face of an overclocked SmithField) to constantly seriously heat the motherboard's near-socket pad boards, which will stimulate more and more adhesion of the Back-Plate.

Let's return to Socket 939. Having installed a cooler on the motherboard, we see that it takes up most of it!

It should be noted that the wires used to install the fan rest against the latches and interfere with the installation of the cooler.

It is worth saying that Ninja is very tough. Such a fastening provides excellent clamping. In this approach, the Japanese have been very successful.

The Ninja takes up a lot of space in the case. Although, for example, a fairly large distance remains to the video card. The cooler does not come into contact with any of the elements of the motherboard. And even with the past testing on the motherboard Asus board P5WD2, near the socket of which there is an overall radiator on the north bridge, there were no problems.

There is a fairly short distance to Molex loops and cords. When using a fan, they can even fall into its blades. So it is possible to install a metal casing on the fan. The main problems arose with the wire going from the hard drive to the motherboard.

Scythe Ninja was tested in three versions: passive, with a fan connected to 5V and 12V. After testing, the thermal paste cast on the processor was as shown in the photo above. It is worth saying that, as expected, there are no problems with the clamp. As with its strength, so with its uniformity.

During its operation, the fan from Titan at maximum speed is quite noisy, although at 5V there are no noise problems.

Box cooler AMD

The last tested rival of the TT Big Typhoon was the standard BOX from AMD.

Fully aluminum radiator with thick fins and a small rather noisy fan. All this is inherent in standard cooling. Although, it should be said that AMD nevertheless makes the BOX of a sufficiently high quality and soundly unlike Intel, which, even when SmithField appeared on the market, continued to assemble them with the same ineffective, noisy coolers. Fan speed ranges from 1200 to 3600RPM.

The base, made entirely of aluminum, as in the case with all the coolers already described, was also manually polished with GOI paste to a mirror image. It should be said that the quality of the base was already quite good from the very beginning.

Prior to this testing, this cooler had been used for quite a long time on today's system, so the print of the thermal paste looks like it can be seen in the photo above.

Today BOX made me very happy. Its simplicity and relatively normal noise level allow me to speak about it only in a positive way. And now, after a lengthy rhetoric, it's time to start the main thing, namely testing. But first, let's take a look at the summary table of the characteristics of the tested coolers, excluding BOX:

Characteristics of the tested coolers

Cooler characteristics	Cooler Master Hyper 6+	Scythe Ninja	Thermaltake Big Typhoon
Cooler dimensions, mm	88 x 88 x 35	110 x 110 x 150	122 x 122 x 103
Rated voltage, V	12	0	12 (7-start)
Rated current, A	—	—	—
Power consumption, W	—	—	~3.6
Radiator material	Aluminum plates strung on 6 heat pipes and copper base		Aluminum plates on copper base and 6 copper heat pipes
Dissipation area, sq. Cm	—	—	—
Fan speed, RPM	1800 ~ 3600	—	~1400
Fan generated airflow	31.33 ~ 72.14	—	54.4
Noise level, dBA	20.6 ~ 46.4	0	16
Number and type of fan bearings	1, rolling	—	1, slip
Full weight, g	795 (without fan)	665	813
The ability to install on CPU sockets		Socket 478, LGA 775, Socket 754/939/94	Socket 462 (A), Socket 478, LGA 775, Socket 754/939/940
Additionally included	Cooler Master Thermal Grease	Scythe Silicone Based Thermal Paste	Thermaltake Thermal Paste
Approximate retail price, $	~45-50	~40	~35-38

Test stand and testing methodology

It is worth saying that on the day of testing, the room temperature was about 32 degrees! Approximately the same values ​​could be observed outside the window. The results of coolers in a quiet state will rest on this value. Before proceeding with the description of the equipment used and the testing methodology, I will briefly describe the questions that the work will have to answer:

• Thermaltake Big Typhoon - a rational purchase?
• KPT-8, is there any equal to it?
• Cheap cases and coolers for heat pipes, does it make sense?
• Does Athlon Venice need a high performance cooler?

I will try to answer these questions. However, not only on them.

Test stand:

• Athlon 64 Venice E6 3000+ (200 * 9) MHz
• DFI NF4 UT LP (nForce 4 Ultra)
• 2 * 512Mb Kingston KVR
• Sapphire [email protected]
• Samsung 80Gb 7200RPM (IDE)
• Thermaltake ToughPower 550W
• Inwin S508

A cheap solution from Inwin was deliberately used as a case. It was interesting for me to establish the real rationality of using "super-coolers" in such conditions.

When tested in the case, we used 80mm Thermaltake fans, with revs up to 3000RPM. One of them was located on the front of the hull at the bottom and worked for blowing. The second was located on the back of the case and worked for blowing. The third was installed on the door of the case and worked for blowing. Testing was carried out in two versions: with and without a side fan.

Coolers under test (in order of testing order):

• AMD BOX Cooler
• Cooler Master Hyper 6+
• Scythe Ninja
• Thermaltake Big Typhoon

As you can see, the "main highlight of the program" was tested last.

The processor was tested in two versions: at nominal frequencies and voltage (1800MHz, 1.4V) and with overclocking and raised voltage (2600MHz, 1.68V). In the overclocked case, I deliberately took a very high voltage level to create the maximum load for the air cooling systems tested today.

In all cases, KPT-8 thermal paste was used as a thermal interface, which has long earned the trust of many Runet enthusiasts.

The processor was warmed up by two methods. In the first case, using BurnK7:

And in the second case, with the help of S&M, the processor load is 100%.

Finally, let's move on to the test results.

Test results

And here are the long-awaited test results. In such an easy mode, even in such heat, there were no surprises. All coolers are approximately at the same level. The outsiders can only be attributed to the Box operating in 5V mode and Scythe Ninja, which was devoid of its fan and was a passive option. It should also be said that "TT BT 12V *" means TT Big Typhoon, on which the Titan fan is installed. It is worth saying that the temperature in Idle completely rested on the temperature of the room, and therefore it could in no way be less than 32 degrees.

So far, we can state a clear parity between the coolers from Thermaltake and Ninja when using the same fan.

But in the most severe mode, clear leaders are revealed. Most coolers with such a voltage on the processor could not work correctly at all, having missed the stone temperature over 70 degrees. This applies to both the boxed cooler and the passive Ninja. However, even with a 5V fan, the Japanese cooler also failed to pass the S&M test. The Big Typhoon also took this into account, but only at minimum revs. Since at maximum, he had no problems at all. This cooler has demonstrated an excellent level of performance with a small margin surpassing the Scythe Ninja.

Then I turned on the fan on the case door. Such a manipulation allowed Thermaltake's cooler to improve its result a little more, while Ninja did not nearly improve. Well, we can confidently say that Big Typhoon has succeeded in cooling the processor even in such difficult conditions, but what can we say about cooling the elements of the motherboard?

On the whole, the results of coolers are at a similar level, regardless of whether a fan was used on the side door of the case or not, but there are two clear leaders, again TT Big Typhoon and Scythe Ninja. But it is worth noting that when using a standard fan, the Typhoon shows very modest results, yielding even to the BOX, this is primarily due to a rather weak air flow. Still, at 1400RPM, the airflow is too low to adequately cool the motherboard. But what is most interesting, when using a 5V TT fan, we see the most modest results. Only in this case the motherboard temperature went beyond 60 degrees! So, in the standard configuration, the Typhoon, as a means of blowing the motherboard, is still rather weak, although with a more revolving fan in this component it can become a leader.

Well, we have reviewed the performance of the coolers we tested today. Now it's time to answer some questions. First, let's take a look at how Thermaltake Big Typhoon allowed our processor to be overclocked:

As we can see, the overclocking is very weak. Of course, the fact that the processor initially has a rather high voltage of -1.4V, and not 1.3, has had an effect. So, after the voltage of 1.55V, the processor hardly responds to its increase. But most importantly, such overclocking was found on all cooling systems, without exception, including the Box. So here we can state the fact that standard cooling is also suitable for overclocking Athlon Venice. Of course, if you have a hotter processor, then using a heat pipe cooler is almost necessary. But cold Venice doesn't need it. At moderate voltage, even the BOX can handle overclocking this processor.

As we can see, even in such heat and not too high voltage during overclocking, the Big Typhoon keeps the processor within 50 degrees. For this he can be given a solid five! Effectiveness at altitude.

Then I tested the thermal pastes that came with some of the coolers and compared their efficiency with KPT-8. As you can see, "people's thermal paste" has once again justified itself, showing excellent results, which once again proves the rationality of all tests using this thermal interface.

conclusions

Now is the time to jump to conclusions. Hopefully, based on the results of today's testing, we can confidently say that the Thermaltake Big Typhoon is the best that can be found on the free market on the market today. At its low price, this cooler shows the highest level of efficiency, surpassing the more expensive model from Scythe in the face of Ninja in this component. Of course, the TT product also has its drawbacks and there are quite a few of them. Firstly, it is the insufficient length of the screws included in the kit, which does not allow the cooler to be installed safely. Further, a serious drawback is a very weak efficiency when using low speeds, but with the amendment that their very use is rather irrational, due to the fact that even at 12V the cooler works almost silently, but at the same time demonstrates much more serious performance. As for replacing the fan, in this case such an operation makes sense only if you need a serious blowing of the elements of the motherboard, otherwise, installing a noisier, but also more efficient fan for cooling the processor will not betray anything new.

Speaking about the effectiveness of the KPT-8 thermal paste, it should be said that there was no surprise. She once again proved that there is no equal to her yet, bypassing her rivals with a serious backlog.

Further, today's testing has clearly shown that the use of coolers on heat pipes in cheap cases makes sense. And what is most surprising is that turning on the fan on the side door of the case had almost no effect on the results of the tested coolers.

Speaking about the rationality of using high-efficiency coolers on Athlon Venice, I should say that from my point of view, this is rather unreasonable, since the cooler's efficiency does not affect the overclocking potential of the processor. In this case, the Box version is quite enough.

Thermaltake Big Typhoon- an excellent cooler with an amazing level of efficiency and at the same time a very low price. But despite this, there are drawbacks in terms of performance (quality of processing of the base) and equipment (insufficient length of fastening screws). I would gladly recommend this cooling system to most users, as one of the best coolers on this moment.

Scythe Ninja- excellent performance level. The possibility of installing several fans, which allows us to call this solution the most effective, but still quite extreme in terms of noise. The recent drop in price in connection with the release of Ninja Plus, once again heightens interest in the Japanese product. This cooler can also be recommended for lovers of silence. Even in passive mode, ninja can easily handle not very hot processors even with a slight overclocking.

Cooler master Hyper 6+- Relative rarity, overpriced, inability to use the cooler at maximum speed on most motherboards, this is all that does not allow to speak positively about this cooler. Unfortunately, the incomprehensible problems with the clamping of the base have not been resolved. This product can be called quite raw. This can be seen both in not the most rational solutions in terms of installing a cooler, and in the terrible noise at maximum speed. But it is worth noting that along with Hyper 6, this solution is one of the first based on heat pipes to become popular, and only for this it should be given its due. Today, this cooler did not compete.

Box- I was pleased with the standard cooling. It has a decent level of efficiency and is not annoying with noise. This cooler copes well with its responsibilities for cooling the processor, both in normal mode and in overclocking.

Heat dissipation modern processors is growing with the release of each new model, the requirements for the efficiency of CPU cooling systems are also increasing almost linearly, so the presence of heat pipes in air coolers is gradually becoming the de facto standard. Today, almost all well-known manufacturers of cooling systems for central processors in the model range have coolers built on heat pipes. So, systems from Gigabyte, ASUS, Scythe, CoolerMaster and others have already been reviewed on the site, and even the recognized guru of aluminum, GlacialTech, released Igloo 5600PWM (albeit so far only for LGA 775), the design of which is also based on heat pipes. In turn, the conference created and is actively growing the most productive air coolers, including those on heat pipes, where calls are constantly heard to compare all the monsters in one article, and, finally, to determine the best of them. I will make a reservation right away that such a large-scale testing is not planned, but today we will introduce you to three representatives of this type cooling systems and evaluate their efficiency in comparison with the Zalman CNPS9500 LED and a standard boxed cooler AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (Socket 939).

So, in today's article we will consider two representatives of Titan - Vanessa S-type and Vanessa L-type and one, but very large cooler from Thermaltake - Big Typhoon. In the process of describing the coolers, the features of their design will be indicated, technical characteristics and components of the delivery set are listed, the CPU cooling efficiency is checked and a subjective assessment of the noise emitted by the fans is carried out. In my opinion, the introduction is enough, it's time to move on to describing the first participant in today's tests - Titan Vanessa S-type.

1. Titan Vanessa S-type (NK15TB / SC (RB))

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The first cooler reviewed today comes in a very nice box made of thick cardboard. The dimensions of the box (26.5 x 20 x 10 cm, L x W x H) are clearly not typical for packaging of such cooling devices. The obverse shows a pretty pretty girl with butterfly wings made, judging by the style and color, of silver metal:

Today we are going to get acquainted with two new solutions in the field of cooling systems from Thermaltake and Xigmatek. The first company does not need a special introduction, our readers probably know about it. Xigmatek is a newcomer to the cooler market. Date of foundation - 2005 Since then, this manufacturer has released a lot of interesting products focused on cooling processors, video cards, hard drives. The range of power supplies is expanding every day. In short, the company is growing and gradually gaining a place in the market. Perhaps soon we will see their products on the shelves of Russian stores. In the meantime, let's turn to the new products.

The first is Thermaltake Big Typhoon VP, which is the reincarnation of a product that has become incredibly popular in our country. The secret of success was versatility, excellent efficiency and low cost. Combine that with good availability and you have the best choice for an overclocker. Of course, then it became more difficult to acquire this solution. The excitement affected, and Thermaltake itself began to promote new products.

As time went on, the cooler could well have been removed from production. Only now the company decided not only not to curtail the release of such a successful product, but also to start producing an updated version of it. In today's article, we have to find out how effective the new product will be, both in comparison with competitors and with the standard version.

The second novelty is Xigmatek Achilles. It is currently the top model in the Xigmatek product hierarchy. For a long time, the S1283 series coolers and solutions based on them held the supremacy in efficiency. By the way, there were several of them. After all, it is no secret to anyone that there are many people who pay special attention to the appearance of the product. It was for them that the manufacturer released a modification of the S1283 with an updated look: it covered the heat pipes with nickel, installed a quieter backlit fan and called it a "red scorpion". The new model named Achilles not only inherited the same modding appearance, which will surely please the aesthetes, but also received a number of changes in the area of ​​functionality, which should significantly affect the efficiency.

As a result, we have, in fact, two updated versions of familiar coolers. Which of the manufacturers did the novelties turn out to be more successful? In this we will try to figure it out. In the meantime, let's move on to our first guest - Thermaltake Big Typhoon VP.

Thermaltake Big Typhoon VP

The cooler package is surprising in its dimensions. Thermaltake is never stingy in this aspect. Due to the large area of ​​the box, the manufacturer was able to apply a mass of various useful information- characteristics, photographs, etc. In our opinion, the availability of such data is never superfluous.

The cooler itself is placed in a plastic cocoon - a moment that makes the transportation process safer for the product.

The white box contains the cooler package - fasteners for various platforms, installation instructions, thermal paste and a branded sticker. In general, a standard set.

The Big Typhoon design has not changed. We have a standard VX model. It seems to us that the company could well have made adjustments, especially since there is clearly something to work on.

A 120 mm fan is responsible for cooling the radiator, an important feature of which is the presence of a speed regulator. The maximum bar for the impeller rotation speed is limited to 2000 rpm - this is a rather serious indicator. Not everyone will be comfortable using such a noisy cooler. So to slow down is the first thing we would advise to do.

The only pity is that you can use the speed regulator only by removing the housing cover. Otherwise, it is impossible to access it. However, this is not so scary. After all, you are not going to constantly change the fan speed. It will be quite sufficient to fix the speed once, for example, at around 1300 rpm - this is a quiet mode, while not hitting much in terms of efficiency.

And now - about what could have been changed in the "typhoon", but what remained in the form similar to the VX version.

The plates are too close together. This leads to poor air flow. In a poorly ventilated case, the Big Typhoon can simply "suffocate".

Secondly, a radiator should be installed in the base, which will partially relieve the heat pipes. This approach has been used by Scythe for a long time. As you know, their products do not suffer from low efficiency. In addition, the quality of the base processing was disappointing. It seems that the company is alternating between good and bad workmanship. For quite a long time, the soles of Thermaltake coolers could frighten the faint of heart, a little later the Thermaltake V1 and MaxOrb cooling systems appeared. They no longer had such a problem. Why do we see a rough and rough sole again?

The third change would be to shorten the heat pipes, which, in theory, could speed up the process of transferring heat from the base to the radiator. In short, there are enough options for revision. Only now the company decided to leave everything as it is.

The only innovation is the inclusion of an additional fan, which also operates in the range from 1300 to 2000 rpm.

It differs from the classic 120 mm Thermaltake fan with a modified blade shape, which should provide a lower noise level.

Attaching an additional fan is easy. True, first you need to unscrew the screws from the standard fan and remove the grille. After that, it is already possible to fix the metal platform, which, by the way, can change the angle of inclination. However, you shouldn't overestimate the capabilities of this function. The tilt can be changed in a fairly small range - from 0 to 45 degrees. On this site, you can install fans of different standard sizes - from 40 mm to 120 mm, depending on your needs.

To install the fan, two self-tapping screws are included in the kit. However, we did not manage to use them without accompanying problems. Unfortunately, one of them turned out to be defective due to its uneven thickness. As a result, it was possible to twist it only 2/3 of its length. However, we got out of this situation quite easily, deciding to screw in the self-tapping screw from below.

After that, we proceeded to install the cooler into the case. Immediately, we note that this process is as simple as possible and fully corresponds to what we could see in the VX model. In the case of fastening to the LGA775 platform, it will be enough for us to use a metal bracket with VTMS.

By the way, in the network about this method of fastening, you can find a lot of disgruntled exclamations. All of them concern mainly the force of pressing the cooler to the processor heat spreader. There are also concerns that the clip may not support the cooler's weight (more than 800 g) and come off during operation, which can damage both the motherboard and the video card.

However, we have a slightly different opinion on this issue. First, do not be afraid of a weak hold-down. The most important thing is uniformity. If the base of the cooler is flat, then there will be no problems. And the presence of backlash is characteristic of quite a few solutions, for example, Zalman products. You shouldn't attach any special importance to this.

Regarding the fact that the clip may not support the cooler's weight, we can also confidently say that such a probability is rather small. Such precedents, of course, are possible, but the fault here can only be defective fasteners. Today, when testing, we encountered low-quality screws. It is likely that a defective clip may be put in a box to someone. So be careful, carefully inspect the components of the package. In this case, the likelihood of unpleasant consequences is much less.

As you can see, without an additional fan, the new product is completely similar to the Big Typhoon VX. However, as soon as we attach this element, the cooler becomes even larger. We installed a fan right above the graphics card. You reasonably ask why not expand it so that it is, for example, above the memory. As it turned out, this is impossible. Such a design within the framework of our case, by the way, is far from being the smallest, can exist only in one version (when it comes to a 120 mm fan). Otherwise, it will run into something: HDD, wall of the case, power supply, etc. In general, only owners of open stands will be able to appreciate the functionality of Big Typhoon VP. There they can deploy it in any way. And there will be more power from the additional fan. In the case, all this looks somehow awkward. Moreover, many video cards have turbines as cooling systems (most of AMD products, and for some time also NVIDIA products), such additional airflow will give them little. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves, only testing will show the real balance of power. In the meantime, let's move on to the next product of today's review.

Xigmatek Achilles-S1284

For a long time, Xigmatek products have been delivered in colorful cardboard boxes. In our opinion, this is the most the best option... The surface of the box is quite informative, and it is not difficult to remove the cooler without damaging it. This time, the company decided to diversify its approach by wrapping the product in plastic. It looks, frankly, not very good.

The first thing I want to say is the package bundle. The manufacturer included all the necessary hardware, thermal grease, an installation guide, and rubber clips for installation.

Initially, the fan is placed in the package separately from the cooler. Therefore, first let's talk about the element designed to cool the Achilles radiator. The operating speed is 1500 rpm. The cable is split into four pins. There is PWM support, so you can control the speed of the impeller using the motherboard. The lowest setting is 800 rpm - this is the perfect choice for those who like quietness.

The fan is attached to the radiator with rubber clips. This operation is fast and convenient. In addition, the fan is held extremely securely.

Finally, before us is Xigmatek Achilles itself. In its design, it has a number of aluminum (by the way, rather thick compared to the previous cooler models) plates. Four nickel-plated copper tubes with a diameter of 8 mm each pass through them. The first change that immediately catches your eye is the number of heat pipes. Xigmatek has increased their number by one, which, of course, should be reflected in the rate of heat removal.

The weight of the cooler without a fan is 660 g. Accordingly, with it it exceeds the mark of 700 g. Not so little. However, one should not be surprised, because we are dealing with a supercooler.

Compared to the "Red Scorpion", the radiator has a number of differences. First, the profile of the plates has changed. Now they form a kind of ladder. At the same time, they are bent along the sidewalls in two rows, which avoids air flow losses when blowing the fins. Finally, the radiator itself has changed. It has become much thicker. It is likely that now it will need a more efficient fan.

As already mentioned, there are four heat pipes. Studying Xigmatek's products, we noticed for a long time that the company relies not on quantity, but on the total area of ​​removal. The diameter of each tube is 8 mm.

Heat-Pipe Direct Touch is a proprietary technology that allows heat pipes to directly contact the processor. This is the method used in the Xigmatek Achilles cooler. At the moment, all Xigamatek solutions for cooling processors work according to this principle.

In general, it justifies itself. After all, we do not have a loss of efficiency due to the absence of such a thermal mediator as the outsole. The heat is immediately transferred to the tubes, which are transferred to the radiator, where it is dissipated. However, this method also has a theoretical drawback - the likelihood of local overheating in the area of ​​"dead zones", ie. in places where the outsole does not come into contact with the processor. However, this shortcoming cannot be called otherwise than theoretical, since in practice, products using this principle usually show excellent results.

At the base, the heat pipes are flattened and aligned. Only the manufacturer apparently forgot about polishing. The quality in this aspect is clearly lame. This can be seen even without removing the protective film. But such flaws can seriously affect efficiency.

Installation on the LGA775 platform is extremely simple. To do this, just take two VTMS mounting clips and screw them to the base of the cooler. Then you can safely place the cooling system in the case. Removing the motherboard is not required in this case. By the way, it is not required for AMD platforms either. For fastening, a metal swing bracket is used there, clinging to a standard mounting frame. I am very pleased that Xigmatek is trying to make the installation process as easy as possible for the user. It is also important that, along with simplicity, the fasteners also differ in quality. The clamp is quite strong, there are no problems with uniformity either.

True, there are some complaints about VTMS clips. This is not the first time we have faced this problem. It is present in almost all Xigmatek products. Its essence lies in the fact that the clips are too stiff, so sometimes it is very difficult to snap them into place. If you do this, for example, on an open stand, you can see how seriously the motherboard bends. We at the place of the company would pay attention to this. The main thing in the clamp is uniformity. It is not necessary to press the cooler into the motherboard like in a vice. Moreover, the cooling system has serious weight indicators.

Xigmatek Achilles is installed. During operation, it can please the user with a pleasant backlight that combines orange and white colors. It looks great at night. Surely, for fans of spectacular coolers, this will be a nice addition.

So, the inspection of the products is complete. It's time to move on to the most important thing - testing. However, first we will tell you about how the testing process works.

Test bench and testing

Testing methodology

Any research would be unthinkable without strict adherence to the list of rules that must be followed when testing any cooling systems for processors. So, list of the main provisions of the testing methodology:

All tests of air cooling systems are carried out in a regular room, without the use of an oven, which makes the results as close as possible to those that most users can have. Testing can be carried out both when using an open stand, and in the case. At the same time, the corresponding information is present on the graphs with the results.

The basis for any comparison is the similarity of conditions. Therefore, testing of coolers is always carried out on the same day, because the next day, the room temperature may change significantly. In addition, testing begins only after a sufficiently long warm-up of the system and complete stabilization of the room temperature. After that, the doors and windows are no longer opened, which ensures the stability of the conditions.

Before the main start of the program for heating, the cooler warms up for some time in the system. Only after the completion of this operation is it possible to start testing. The basis for the results is the maximum temperature reached during heating. The load is then removed and the system is idle. Only after reaching a stable minimum temperature, this indicator is removed.

All data on the temperature indicators of the processor are taken from the corresponding sensor on the motherboard. A lot of conducted test studies clearly show that this method can be trusted, since the displayed values ​​are quite close to real ones. As a test motherboard, we use a product from ASUS, model P5B-Deluxe. Information about this board is also included in the configuration test bench described above.

The second source of information for us is special thermocouples. There are two of them in the system. One is responsible for displaying information about the temperature in the case. This is very important, because we must be aware of any fluctuations in testing conditions and try to maintain them at the same level. The second thermocouple is installed on one of the capacitors of the motherboard power system. Experiments have shown that all capacitors have close temperatures, so that the information output about at least one of them is quite enough to find out the level of cooling efficiency in the zone near the socket.

It's no secret that most manufacturers put branded thermal interfaces with their products. Often they have a decent level of quality and, accordingly, in practice they can achieve an excellent level of efficiency, but we always use one specific thermal interface to compare coolers. Previously, such a thermal paste was a domestic product manufactured by Khimtek - KPT-8. However, test studies have shown that the use of this thermal interface does not allow the most objective assessment of the effectiveness of a particular product. Therefore, at the moment we are using thermal paste from Arctic Cooling - MX-2.

Research also shows that many thermal interfaces can change certain properties over time. Thus, efficiency can either improve or deteriorate. To ensure that such changes do not affect the compared performance of different coolers, any manipulation of the cooler (changing the platform during testing: switching from an open stand to a variant with a case) is applied again the thermal interface. This leads to the fact that during testing of all cooling systems the thermal interface remains fresh and, therefore, has the same properties. In addition, the removal of the thermal paste is carried out with alcohol, which results in a complete cleaning of the processor cover. Thus, a greater "purity" of the comparison is achieved.

Another point that can affect the objectivity of product comparisons is that different manufacturers use different fans for their products. Accordingly, these fans can differ not only in terms of efficiency, but also in noise level. Thus, to equalize the conditions, we use several test modes for certain coolers. Typically, we test the first and second case when the product is using the RPM level in the range of 1300 to 2000 rpm. If, even at the minimum speed, this product turns out to be objectively noisier than its analogues at comparable speeds, then there is the speed level at which the noise level will be comparable to its counterparts. The cooler will be tested not in two, but in three modes. Namely - at the found the quietest speed level, at 1300 rpm and 2000 rpm. Of course, there are certain exceptions when a more extensive study is needed within the framework of a particular study. In this case, other modes can be used as well. In some cases, on the contrary, we use only one mode. However, conclusions about the cooler are based on the combination of noise and efficiency.

The case described above refers to coolers, the design of which does not allow changing the fan. However, many tower coolers, as well as other solutions, make it quite easy to change the fan to them. Therefore, we can often install more efficient fans. In addition, if the design of the cooler allows the installation of two fans, this manipulation is also carried out. However, depending on the nature of testing and the number of participants, the theses described above may be slightly adjusted within the framework of a particular study.

The utility used to heat up processors has changed for some time. The main reason for this was that over time, programs came out that could heat up processors much more efficiently than their predecessors. Of course, in this case, our choice during testing fell on them. At the moment we are using several utilities. For processors manufactured by Intel, in particular, the Core generation, the Intel Thermal Analysis Tool is used.

According to our observations, this program manages to create the most atypical level of heating, which allows one or another product to open up to a greater extent. In this case, the load mode of both processor cores is used at 100%. Presently latest version utilities - 2.05.

However, for AMD processors, it is necessary to use a different heating tool, and therefore the now classic S&M utility is perfect. It carries out high-quality heating, atypical for any other utilities. In addition, it has a number of other useful functions, among which the most important for us is the display of information about the temperature, including on a graph in real time. At the moment, the utility version is 1.9.0a.

* The above points of the methodology apply only to testing cooling systems for processors. For other refrigeration systems, appropriate rules and research tools are used.

Test results

Today, a non-standard solution is taking part in the research - Big Typhoon VP. Therefore, in order to comprehensively study this product, at the same time comparing it with analogues, we took data on three parameters: the temperature of the processor, motherboard batteries and the video chip of the video card.

The results are controversial. The reason for this is the incredible density. It's hard to talk about the winners, to put it mildly. Xigmatek Achilles can be considered the nominal leader. This cooler was able to outperform the Big Typhoon VX with an advantage of 0.2 degrees. But you understand, all this is a measurement error. In fact, all products showed almost the same level of effectiveness. However, another moment comes into force here - the level of revolutions. "Winner" is not an example of a quieter Typhoon, which makes serious noise at 2000 rpm. But when the impeller rotation speed is reduced to 1300 rpm, Thermaltake product becomes a relative outsider. Why relative? Because 4 degrees is not a critical lag. If we talk about a confrontation between the two Typhoons, then there is a draw, which is to be expected. Of course, in theory, an additional fan could reduce the temperature in the case itself and thereby help itself. But that did not happen. We have an absolutely identical level of efficiency. The difference is within the margin of error.

Finally, let's take a look at the results of Achilles again. Yes, of course, this solution can be considered a winner, given the speed level and relatively quiet operation. Note, however, that the advantage over the "Red Scorpion" is some 1.5 degrees. This is rather strange because in the novelty, the design of the radiator has been redesigned, a heat pipe has been added, and, given its diameter, this should have given a decent bonus in efficiency. What is the reason? And the reason was on the surface. After the test, we examined the base of the cooler, in particular, the paste imprint on the processor and pipes, and noticed that one of them had almost no contact with the heat spreader. In other words, only three heat pipes are fully operational. The fourth performed its function with great losses in efficiency. As a result, it is easy to understand why the new product failed to unambiguously establish itself as a leader. What is it - special case, or do other instances have the same problem? It's hard to say, after all, this is one of the first copies of the cooler. Such blunders are quite common among manufacturers. We will not hesitate to report this issue to Xigmatek so that engineers turn their attention to this aspect.

Now let's see how the coolers performed in terms of cooling the board elements. Here Achilles finds himself in the outsider. The explanation is simple. The radiator has become noticeably thicker relative to previous models. Air passes through it with difficulty, and, accordingly, the blowing of the board is seriously difficult. This is why not only the coolers from Thermaltake, but also the previous model - S1283 - lose.

Typhoons showed nothing special. For a long time we have been talking about the fact that excellent airflow around the socket zone with this cooler is a myth. Take a look at him, he has a very serious height. Now try to place your hand in the area of ​​the board elements while working. You are unlikely to feel severe airflow. Of course, there is some advantage over some tower products, especially when compared to the massive Scythe Mugen. However, compact towers like the Xigmatek S1283 are not inferior in the efficiency of cooling the area around the processor.

Finally, let's turn our attention to the graph of the temperature of the chip of the Radeon 3870 X2 video card. We used this particular card for a reason. It has serious heat dissipation. Additional airflow will obviously not hurt her. However, the turbine is responsible for its cooling, scooping cold air in the area of ​​the hard disk. It is not hard to understand that a fan located somewhere in the middle of the card cooling system will do almost nothing. Unless the temperature of the PCB will drop a little. Unfortunately, Riva Tuner does not display such information, and we had to be content with the temperature of the GPU board. As you can see, the difference is not great, however, keep in mind that the card worked idle at the lowest turbine speed.

As a result, the additional fan element provides a small increase in airflow efficiency. Of course, in the case of a different video card, things could be different. However, isn't it easier to take advantage of the standard capabilities of the case itself by using the fan pads? This, in our opinion, will be quite enough. Thermaltake clearly rushed to release a new product, overestimating its potential. At the moment, the Big Typhoon VX is sold at a not so small price. It will not be a surprise if the VP modification seriously surpasses it in this. But why will it be needed even at a higher price, when it is no different?

Conclusion

New items left a very mixed impression. Let's face it, manufacturers had to think twice before releasing them. On the one hand, they are, of course, highly efficient. In this regard, Achilles and the updated Typhoon can give odds to many products from third-party companies. The only catch is that their predecessors had the same abilities. This is especially true for the Big Typhoon VP. This decision frankly disappointed. The efficiency is no different from the standard version, and the dimensions of the cooler are downright indecent. Xigmatek Achilles also pleases and saddens at the same time. It certainly contains interesting ideas. This applies to both the four heat pipes and the redesigned heatsink. However, mistakes in quality (in this case it concerns our specimen) did not allow the novelty to be fully revealed. As a result, we have a minimal advantage over the previous model - Xigmatek S1283. So the bottom line is:

Thermaltake Big Typhoon VP- in general, a good product with good efficiency and versatility in installation on various platforms. However, there are no advantages over the VX version, so there is no particular point in purchasing the VP modification.

Xigmatek Achilles-S1284- definitely an interesting solution. The company's engineers have designed a fairly well-thought-out design of the radiator, while simultaneously including four copper heat pipes with a diameter of 8 mm each. In addition, the cooler is endowed with a pleasant appearance, thanks to the presence of nickel pipes in the coating and the installation of a spectacular backlit fan. In short, a real supercooler. However, the quality of workmanship was not enough for the full disclosure of the potential. One of the tubes had almost no contact with the base, which seriously affected the efficiency. In addition, the quality of the polishing of the sole was upset. In general, the company has something to work on, otherwise the champion comes out with the "Achilles heel".

The cooler, which will be discussed in this review, does not require much introduction, it has long established itself as a quiet and efficient processor cooling system and, in a way, has become a benchmark for other coolers. Yes, this is Thermaltake Big Typhoon or rather Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX. The latter is a modification of the original version, getting a faster fan with a maximum rotation speed of 2000 rpm and changing the mountings.

Full specification:

	Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX (CL-P0310-01)
CPU Socket Support	LGA 775, Socket 754/939 / AM2
Processor support	Intel Core 2 Exterme, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Pentium Extreme Edition, Intel Pentium D, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Celeron D, AMD Athlon 64 X2, AMD Athlon 64 FX, AMD Athlon 64, AMD Sempron
Radiator material	Copper base + aluminum plates (142) + 6 heat pipes 6 mm
Radiator dimensions, mm
Fan dimensions, mm
Rated voltage, V
Starting voltage, V
Power consumption, W
Rotation speed, rpm
Air flow CFM
Air pressure, mmH2O
Noise level, dB
Power connector	3-pin
Resource, hours
Thermal interface	in a bag
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average price

The Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX cooler is packed in a plastic case, placed in a red and black cardboard box with a window through which the cooler's appearance is quite clearly visible. The cardboard box is quite informatively filled; the full specification of the product is printed on the side.

The back of the box lists best qualities, and posted photos of the Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX cooler from different angles.

The package includes a small amount of components. It's just a shame for such a wretched amount of thermal interface, it will only be enough for one installation.

The kit comes with the cooler:

• small installation instructions;
• clamp on four latches for LGA 775;
• pressure clip for AMD platforms;
• a packet of thermal paste.

Cooler Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX has quite large dimensions and weight of 827 grams. The radiator consists of 142 aluminum fins mounted on six 6 mm heat pipes. A large 120 mm fan is installed on top of the radiator, which blows air downward, thus cooling not only the radiator, but also elements around the processor socket, such as RAM modules and the processor power stabilization unit.

The fan is screwed to the radiator frame with four screws.

In the profile, the shape of the bend of the heat pipes is clearly visible. The name of the company "Thermaltake" is engraved on the radiator frame.

To regulate the rotation speed of the 120 mm fan, a small regulator is installed in the top corner in the corner. It can be used to change the speed from 1300 to 2000 rpm. According to the specification, at maximum rpm, the air flow reaches 2.45 cubic meters per minute (86.5 CFM). The fan wires are in a protective casing. The eye-catching orange impeller is covered with a protective black grill, which reduces the likelihood of foreign elements entering it. In addition to the main function, it also performs a decorative role, in the center it is decorated with the logo of the Thermaltake company. At a speed of 1300 rpm, the fan runs almost inaudibly, but a noticeable noise appears as the speed rises.

The base thickness of the BigTyp 120 VX cooler is not very thick. For better heat exchange with heat pipes, grooves are made in it to the depth of the entire diameter of the pipes. The heat pipes are soldered to the base and covered with a thin enough copper plate with a stop for fasteners on top.

The quality of the surface treatment of the base leaves much to be desired, and there is no need to talk about some kind of mirror surface.

Finally, let's say a few words about the mount. The Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX cooler is attached to AMD platforms according to the box principle - a clamping clip with a retainer. Intel platforms with an LGA 775 processor socket come with a special clip with latches, the same as for a boxed cooler. The process of installing and removing the cooler is quite simple and quick, but still there are some doubts about the reliability of the fastener, given the weight of the Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX.

Testing

The test platform configuration with an AMD and Intel processor was assembled from the following components:

On AMD platform:

Motherboard	ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe on nForce 570SLI (AM2, DDR2, ATX)
CPU	AMD Athlon 64 3600+ X2 (ADO3600JAA4CU), AM2, @ 2600MHz
RAM	2 х DDR2-800 512 MB Transcend PC6400
Video card	Gigabyte GV-NX76G256D GeForce 7600GS 256 MB DDR2 PCI-E
HDD	Samsung HD080HJ 80GB 7200rpm 8MB SATA-300
Optical drive
Power Supply	Fortron ATX400-PNF 400W 120mm Low Noise Fan
	COLORSit ATX-L8032 + 92mm SilverStone FN91

On Intel platform:

Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-965P-DS4 (Intel P965 Express)
CPU	Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (LGA775, 1.86 GHz, L2 2MB) @ 2.8 GHz
RAM	2x DDR2-800 1024 MB PQI PC6400
Video card	EVGA GeForce 8600GTS 256 MB DDR3 PCI-E
HDD	Samsung HD080HJ 80GB SATA-300
Optical drive	ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA
Power Supply	Chieftec CFT-500-A12S 500W 120mm fan
	CODEGEN M603 MidiTower, 2x 120 mm blowing / blowing fans

We tested the cooler in three processor modes, with different fan speeds:

Idle... Idle mode, in which the processor load is minimal. In this mode, the computer works when the user works in office applications or is engaged in browsing Internet pages.

Normal... The processor load is at the level of 60%, as when performing simple tasks or tasks not intended for multi-threaded execution. We got this mode of operation when transcoding uncompressed wav to mp3 using the LAME codec, which works in a single-threaded mode.

Burn... The maximum processor load mode, which is typical for many resource-intensive tasks and modern games, was simulated by the processor stress test of the EVEREST program.

Who would have doubted, the expected excellent result is shown. The difference in readings at 1300 and 2000 rpm is 2-3 degrees, which can be easily sacrificed for a more comfortable and quiet operation.

Conclusions.

Cooler Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX is one of the best in terms of price and features. Maybe some "aesthetes" will not like its appearance very much, but people who need, first of all, functionality, will stop at it. A large 120 mm fan blowing down the air flow not only cools the heatsink, but also the elements on the motherboard surrounding the processor socket, which is very important during long-term system operation. Cooler Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX, even at a minimum speed of 1300 rpm, at which it is almost inaudible, is able to provide sufficient cooling for the processor. Therefore, it can be fully recommended not only for gamers and overlockers, but also for people who simply value peace and quiet.

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Elite novelties versus Intel Core 2 Extreme

In the field of our attention are new beautiful and expensive coolers on heat pipes from famous manufacturers who (coolers :)) will once again compete for the right to adequately cool the elite senior model of today's top-end dual-core desktop processor from Intel based on the victorious Conroe core.

• “Core 2 Extreme versus Zalman CNPS9700 LED and CNPS9500 AT and more. Or an extreme processor - an extreme cooler "and
• "Cooler Master Mars, Hyper UC, Hyper TX and others against Intel Core 2 Extreme - again aluminum against copper and heat pipes"

we have reviewed some of the most advanced heatpipe coolers from the elite of modern "cooler building". However, our task was not only to taste the coolers themselves, among which the Zalman CNPS9700 LED and Cooler Master Hyper TX deserved our unconditional attention and our high marks, but also to figure out what pitfalls await the user who is looking for new Intel Core processors 2 Duo / Extreme and, at the same time, did not consider it necessary to pay enough attention to their cooling, relying on their "40% lower" power consumption. After all, as we have already noted in the "previous series", pitfall(and at the same time - a stumbling block for a number of coolers) when cooling Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme is that the maximum temperature allowed by Intel specifications in the center of the hit spreader of these processors is only 60.1-61.4 degrees Celsius, which is almost 10 degrees less than allowed for previous generations of Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D and their counterparts. That is, the same 40% savings in power consumption Intel Core 2, which is promoted by the corporation in relation to the Pentium D line, is actually "eaten up" by more stringent requirements for the maximum allowable operating temperature, and new Intel processors need no less efficient coolers than those used for their much more voracious predecessors of the Pentium 4 and Pentium D lines.

First of all, here we will get acquainted with the top-end Eclipse cooler in the line of generalists from Cooler Master, which did not catch up with our previous testing of "tubular" products from this manufacturer. And "for the second" in today's exquisite menu at the request of some regular visitors of our restaurant "Pischa for Mind" :) - a new old friend, namely, the Thermaltake Big Typhoon cooler that has become famous over the year in a recently updated and improved reincarnation of Big Typhoon VX.

And at the same time - in addition to this - we will clarify the situation with the "correct" and "incorrect" orientation of coolers on heat pipes in space with the numbers on the "dish", since some "gourmets" still have "wrong orientations" in this regard. This menu item was added again "at the request of regular visitors." :)

Cooler Master Eclipse (RR-CCB-WLU1-GP)

As we have already said, now this cooler is the top-end in the line (that is, the title one in the “Chef's suggestions” section on the manufacturer's website) of universal (K8 / LGA775) air coolers from this company.

I do not know what kind of "eclipse" or "obscuration" - and this is how the word is translated from English eclipse- found such an ambiguous name on the heads of the marketing department of this company, who released such an ambiguous name "to the positive market" (and thereby giving reason to gossip the observers;)), but looking at it I get the impression that Cooler Master engineers have entered a similar phase, giving rise to one after another (remember Mars) products in which originality and "coolness" appearance dominates over concern for the actual efficiency and the consumer's wallet. :) However, as if to justify the name and design of Eclipse, the following tirade is given on the manufacturer's website:

“The look is different, because this cooler is different. Cooler Master "s brand new cooler - Eclipse is the realization of a lifestyle that integrates style and function, beauty and technology. Eclipse" s exceptional design of a gliding fan duct impeccably channels the airflow to cool down not only CPU itself, but also the surrounding components (VRM, Memory, NB Chipset, and etc). "

Omitting advertising slogans like "looks different because it is really different", its translation can be reduced to the fact that the special design of the "built-in" fan and the "pipe" in which it is placed, "unmistakably" directs the air flow to cool not only the processor itself but also the surrounding components (VRM, memory, chipset). How much this idea "with a turbine" is new (and different), I do not presume to judge, but similar (well forgotten;)) immediately come to mind.

However, the Eclipse certainly has a rational grain, since here the 4.5 mm copper base is connected to the radiator made of 0.5 mm aluminum plates not only by four standard 6 mm heat pipes, but also directly, that is, part of the radiator fins themselves touch the base of the cooler. Unfortunately, the contact points of the ribs with the base and heat pipes are just a slight crimp of copper with a millimeter edging of the holes and edges of the ribs, and the ribs at the joints can be easily moved with a finger (I did not find any traces of hot melt glue). This method, of course, is easy to manufacture and is used by many (including in other expensive coolers from this manufacturer), but the thermal contact is not the best.

Alas, the Eclipse finning area is not indicated in the specifications, but calculating it yourself is a good problem for entrance exams in mathematics at Physics and Technology, due to the complexity of the shape of most of the edges. :) The dimensions of the radiator are 132 x 120 x 105 mm. The cooler's weight is considerable (670 grams), despite the use of aluminum. Complementing the "eclipse" (not to say in Russian;)) of the design is a transparent dark "half-shell", in places (well, very "in places") directing the air going upwards, seemingly downward (although in fact, who knows where). Moreover, the angle of inclination of this casing can be changed. The dimensions of the cooler with a casing are 147x146x110 mm.

A non-standard "turbine" fan with a size of 66 x 68 mm on a sleeve bearing (long-life, resource 40,000 hours) has cylindrically curved blades, is designed for a maximum current of up to 580 mA and is equipped with a 4-pin connector (for PWM control) with an additional 3 - pin speed switch (jumper). In the manual speed control mode with a jumper, its minimum and maximum rotation speeds (according to specifications) are 1800 and 3300 rpm. accordingly, however, with pulse-width (that is, PWM) control from the motherboard, the rotation speed can vary from 900 rpm. At maximum RPM, the fan performance is 39.8 CFM. Noise at minimum revs - 17 dBA. Unfortunately, such a design for the rotational speed switch is inconvenient to be placed either on the front or on the back of a PC case, unless additional wires and lead-out switches are used.

The cooler is fastened to the motherboard either with a standard clip (for AMD processors, pictured above), threaded into two slots through the heatsink fins, or a frame with 4 screws fixed with nuts on the back (for all Intel LGA775 form factor processors). In the latter case, unfortunately, the delivery set does not provide for a counter-frame that prevents the board from bending. But there is a hexagon for tightening the nuts with a regular screwdriver. The manufacturer declared interference-free installation, but in practice it turned out that to install Eclipse, for example, on Intel board The D975XBX is only possible in one orientation, since in the other three "interference" between the heatsink, the mounting frame and the parts on the board prevented this.

The cooler comes in a large package (I can't remember the larger one for coolers) with numerous inscriptions (specifications, list of supported AMD and Intel processors, etc.). The kit contains everything you need, including a tube with branded thermal paste (the sole is protected by a sticky sticker). Separately, it is noted that the cooler is RoHS-compliant, that is, it is produced without the use of lead.

Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX (CL-P0310)

Despite its "gigantic" (or "gigantic"? :)), that is, impressive dimensions, this station wagon (K8 / LGA775) has a quite reasonable price ($ 20 cheaper than the Eclipse) and excellent performance, putting it on a par with top competitors' products.

A radiator with dimensions of 122x122x103 mm consists of a composite copper base 50x50x9 mm with six 6-mm copper heat pipes (3 on opposite sides) and 142 aluminum fins 0.3 mm thick with a total area of ​​about 7000 sq. cm, going in increments of 1 mm (this distance is critical to clogging with dust, and besides, the ribs are not very evenly spaced). Thermal contact of tubes with ribs - crimp and hot melt glue. The cooler weighs as much as 827 grams.

A large 12 cm TT-1225A fan in a proprietary Thermalteyke color blows not only the fins and the base itself, but also the components on the motherboard around the socket. The propeller consumption does not exceed 250 mA, the rotation speed is adjustable in the range from 1300 to 2000 rpm. by means of a miniature potentiometer installed in one of the corners of the fan grill (output voltage at a minimum - 7 volts). Despite the relative low speed, this fan provides an air flow of up to 86.5 CFM with a rated noise level of 16 to 24 dBA.

The updated model with the VX index differs from the progenitor of Big Typhoon not only

• a faster (maximum) fan and
• the presence of a built-in speed controller, but also
• mechanism for attaching the cooler to the board.

The fact is that the mechanism used in the previous Big Typhoon caused a lot of criticism - both the complexity / laboriousness of the installation and the danger of the cooler skewing with thermal contact failure. Now they did it easier: the LGA775 comes with a metal frame with standard rotatable plastic caps (like on a boxed cooler), and for AMD K8 processors - a clamping lever (the disadvantage of which is, however, the use of only one of the hooks on each side, which is the considerable weight of the cooler is fraught with chips and not very tight pressure). Nevertheless, with the new mounting mechanism, the installation of the cooler has become much easier. By the way, the design of the cooler is so successful (compact at the base) that it can be installed on most motherboards in any of 4 orientations.

The Big Typhoon VX is delivered in a red and black cardboard box with a transparent plastic insert and a listing of characteristics, specifications and main advantages. The package includes two assembled fastening mechanisms (clips), a white and fairly liquid thermal paste in a bag and a quick installation guide. We use this cooler below to check heat transfer in the 3 most characteristic orientations of heat pipes in space.

Table 1. Specifications of the considered coolers.

Model	Cooler master mars (RR-CCX-W9U1-GP)	Cooler master eclipse (RR-CCB-WLU1-GP)	Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX (CL-P0310)
Supported processors	LGA775 and Socket 754/939/940 / AM2 / F
Estimated retail price	55 USD	60 USD	40 USD
Thermal resistance, ° С / W	there is no data	there is no data	there is no data
Weight, g	672	670	827
Radiator
Dimensions, cubic meters mm	132x120x105	132x120x105	122x122x103
Number of heat pipes	3	4	6
Material	Copper base, 6mm heat pipes, aluminum heat dissipator fins
Fan
Dimensions, cubic meters mm	90x90x25	66x68 (turbine)	120x120x25
Bearing	sleeve	sleeve	long life
Rotation speed, rpm, ± 10%	900-3000	900-3300	1300-2000
Rotation speed control	jumper and PWM (4-pin)	jumper and PWM (4-pin)	manual adjuster (3-pin)
Maximum performance, CFM	55,3	39,8	86,5
Max. air pressure	-	-	2.22 mm H 2 O
Working voltage, V	+5…+12	+5…+12	+7…+12
Consumption current, A	0,4	0,58	0,25
Noise level, dBA	17min. 25 medium	17 minimum	16-24
Life time, hours	40 000	40 000	-

Heat transfer test procedure

As before, the Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93 GHz) operating at 3.20 GHz by increasing the processor multiplier by one step higher than the nominal was chosen to oppose the coolers to the Conroe processor. The clock speed of the FSB and memory on the Intel D975XBX was rated at 266 (533/1067) MHz. In such conditions, the processor allocates approximately a dual-core CPU, which is next in the line after the X6800. In addition, the 3.2 GHz frequency is the almost guaranteed level to which the current Conroes are overclocked without any effort on the part of the overclocker. So at the same time we are checking the "ability" of these coolers to overclock Core 2. Our heroes were accompanied by all heat pipe coolers from our two earlier reviews (see links at the beginning of the article).

The board with a processor and a gigabyte of DDR2 memory was located inside a closed midi-ATX Palo Alto PA-810 case with a HiPro HP-W460GC31 power supply (460 watts), an ASUS AX800 XT video card (ATI X800 XT), a WD800JD hard drive and one frontal 90 mm a fan working for blowing at a speed of 2500 rpm. The same liquid Zalman ZM-STG1 thermal paste was used for all coolers, except for the Big Typhoon VX (it was tested with the "native" paste). The room temperature during the measurements was maintained at 22 degrees Celsius. To measure the temperature of the processor and motherboard (near the voltage regulator on the processor), built-in thermal sensors and Everest utilities were used Ultimate Edition 3.01.652, SpeedFan 4.30 and Intel DCC under MS Windows XP SP2. Fan speed was recorded at the same time cpu cooler... The computational load on the processor was simulated in the Conroe-optimized S&M 1.8.1 software for three different load levels:

• 100% (maximum possible warming up, practically not found in real work),
• 75% (according to the creator of S&M, this is the level of a typical gaming environment) and
• 50% (according to the creator of S&M, this is the level of typical office work, although this statement needs additional verification).

Of course, measurements were taken even with the system and processor completely idle (0% load). The EIST technology was involved in the measurement process, since it better corresponds to the real situation (it is it, and not just the bare numbers of temperature, we are trying to simulate here). Therefore, in moments of short-term inactivity, the processor dropped the frequency to 1.6 GHz, which was clearly seen from the v 2.15 utility. With the help of the latter, the absence of throttling in the course of our measurements was also controlled (we turned off the standard mechanisms for activating throttling for the duration of the measurements).

We tested Cooler Master Eclipse in three fan operating modes: with + 12V power supply, with fixed reduced speed (jumper = 2-3) and at the lowest speed (fully open jumper). For Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX, tests were carried out at two extreme positions of its speed controller.

Was there a boy? (Does orientation affect?)

So, first of all, let's check if there is a dependence of the heat transfer from a cooler on heat pipes on its orientation in space relative to the direction of gravity. After all, many still think that there is, since vapor is lighter than liquid. ;)

Big Typhoon VX is a fairly convenient cooler for such a test, which allows itself to be installed in various positions without any problems, and is also equipped with a speed regulator. The Big Typhoon VX was tested in three spatial orientations:

• Board vertically, tubes in a vertical plane ("vertic");
• The board is vertical, the tubes are in the horizontal plane ("horiz");
• The board is horizontal (the case is laid on its side; no designation).

This, hopefully, will allow us to trace the dependence of the heat transfer from the cooler on the orientation of the heat pipes in the gravitational field, if such is suddenly found. ;) Let's take a look at the diagrams with test results at two rotation speeds.

It is quite obvious that there is no dependence on orientation, and the cooler cools the processor equally well (within the measurement error) for all operating modes. Why it happens? Because the manufacturers of heat pipes still don’t slurp soup and are well aware of the need to get rid of gravitational "anisotropy", for which they place a porous material inside the heat pipes, through the pores of which, due to the capillary effect, the liquid moves equally well along and against the direction of the action of gravity, ensuring evaporation at the hot end of the tube, wherever it is. :)

By the way, these diagrams clearly show that reducing the fan speed of the Big Typhoon VX by a third (with a corresponding decrease in its noise, see below), almost does not lead to a loss of its heat transfer - the temperature of the components cooled by it rises by only one degree on average! That is, the design of the radiator of this cooler is such that even at 1300 rpm. the efficiency of the cooler is close to saturation (at higher rpms, the tubes, their joints with the sole and ribs, and also, perhaps, insufficient free air flow between the ribs - maybe they should be diluted a little, serve as a bottleneck). This means that there is no particular point in raising the speed of this cooler to 2000 rpm. :)

Heat transfer test results

Now let's move on to the actual comparison of various coolers. Let's start, as usual, with the case of the maximum (100%) load of a dual-core processor in S&M, which is extremely rare in practice for a long time.

And even in such harsh operating conditions of a slightly overclocked "extreme" processor, almost all of the heat pipe coolers considered here can cope with its cooling to the rated temperature (let me remind you that the temperature we measure inside the processor crystal is several degrees higher than the temperature specified by Intel by the cover of his hit spreader). Slightly worse than the others, it is true, is the pathetic Mars from Cooler Master, but the latest Eclipse turned out to be on a good account, making up a "warm company" (forgive the pun) much cheaper coolers CM Hyper TX and GT Igloo 5700 MC. The Big Typhoon made me happy, showing results on the level of the more expensive Zalman CNPS9500 AT and yielding only to the super-elite 9700 Zalman! Moreover, Big Typhoon VX turned out to be the absolute best at reduced fan speeds to 1300, demonstrating practically no deterioration in heat transfer (see above) and significantly outperforming even the Zalman CNPS9700 LED at the same rotational speed! By the way, Big Typhoon VX turned out to be one of the best when cooling the motherboard near the processor.

If we switch to a more realistic CPU load (75% according to S&M, diagram above), it turns out that the position of the coolers has not changed much: Big Typhoon VX is still the third at full speed, competing with the CNPS9500 AT, and the best at lower speeds. , confidently outperforming the CNPS9700 LED and cooling the board the best. Cooler Master Eclipse turns out to be on a good track, keeping up with the CM Hyper TX and GT Igloo 5700 MC at full speed and being one of the few coolers capable of cooling our processor to nominal temperatures at reduced speeds.

If such a powerful processor is used “in an unusual manner” at “half load” (50% on average for S&M, diagram 3), then the situation becomes simpler, and almost any of our players, even working at reduced speeds, can be used overclocking Conroe up to 3.2 GHz. The leaders are the same here.

In the idle state (Idle mode, diagram 4), we don't have to worry about the Core 2 core temperature at all, if the system has an expensive cooler. :) :) :)

Acoustics tests

The cooler noise measurements were carried out using a VShV-003-M3 sound level meter according to a previously developed method (see and). The results are shown in the diagram along with the fan tachometer reading.

Cooler Master Eclipse with a small diameter turbine fan turned out to be the quietest at lower rpm (in PWM mode), even beating the Zalman CNPS9500 AT running at 660 rpm! Unfortunately, with such virtually completely inaudible work, it is only able to cope with the "office" (50%) load of our monster processor. Whereas at an average fixed rpm (1900 rpm) Eclipse, in principle, copes (in our conditions of cooling inside the case) even with a 100% S&M load of the Conroe 3.2 GHz, while demonstrating noise at the level of 26 dBA (relatively quiet , but still audible). The Big Typhoon VX makes about the same noise at the minimum, reduced to 1300 rpm. However, its heat transfer is incomparably higher! Considering that at full speed the noise of the Big Typhoon rises to a very noticeable 38 dBA, and the heat transfer hardly changes, I think there is no need to say that using such a mode of its operation is practically pointless. :) And that “added cost”, which is due to the use of a more powerful fan and the presence of a speed regulator, is unjustified. By the way, Cooler Master Eclipse at full speed turned out to be the noisiest of our subjects, and taking into account the above data on heat transfer, it probably doesn't make much sense to operate it in this mode either, limiting ourselves to an average fixed speed or PWM control.

Conclusion

So, we got acquainted with another novelty of the Cooler Master company - the "turbine" Eclipse model with 4 heat pipes, as well as with a slightly modified relative to the one-year-old model cooler Big Typhoon VX from Thermaltake. Unfortunately, the Eclipse turned out more in the spirit of the Mars cooler from the same manufacturer (demonstrating moderate heat dissipation with a sophisticated appearance and price), rather than continuing the tradition of the successful semi-budget Hyper TX line of this manufacturer, worthy of all praise. In particular, it turned out that the Eclipse is generally no better than the Hyper TX in terms of heat transfer, although its operation is much more noisy (in comparable modes). Can we recommend a $ 60 Eclipse to a user if there is a $ 27 Hyper TX from the same manufacturer, or, say, an even more efficient $ 40 Big Typhoon VX from Thermaltake (I'm not talking about Zalman coolers right now)? I think the answer is obvious. Another thing is Big Typhoon VX, which has confirmed its highest efficiency, although its design, as we could see, is not free from drawbacks: its operation at more than 1300 rpm is simply impractical.