Introduction After both leading processor manufacturers announced the end of the gigahertz race, users who hoped that their new PC would finally be truly fast and quiet, briefly breathed a sigh of relief. The most optimistic of them hoped that Intel would finally make the processors of the Dothan family available to the masses, but this, unfortunately, did not happen. Instead of one "heat generator under the lid", both Intel and AMD offered two! The issue of increasing productivity was solved by a banal method, which is known to everyone from the first grade - addition. If it is impossible to further increase the frequency and thereby achieve a noticeable increase in performance, then one of the most simple ways is to increase speed by parallelizing computational threads. The fact that there is little sense from this for an ordinary home machine today, to put it mildly, is of absolutely no concern to anyone. Both trendsetters in the CPU market need sales, and the new concept of "dual-core" is quite capable of providing them. However, it is the manufacturers of cooling systems who will say the greatest thanks for such titanic efforts to promote multi-core processors that few people really need at home. It's no joke - the appearance and the total area of ​​the processor itself remained unchanged, and all that has grown is performance and heating. Moreover, if you can argue about the first one for a long time - an ordinary user will hardly notice any increase in a number of typical multimedia and gaming applications, then everything is very transparent with heat dissipation - it has grown quite significantly. By and large, we still need to say thank you for the fact that by doubling the number of cores, the developers failed to double the final heat dissipation of the entire structure. However, even what happened as a result was enough to bring such giants of air cooling as Zalman 7000Cu and Zalman 7700CU to their knees. This is expressed in the fact that if the latter is still able to keep the temperature of a dual-core Intel Pentium Extreme Edition with a clock frequency of only 2.8 GHz, but based on the SmithField core in the region of 75-80 degrees at an ambient temperature of 20-22 degrees, then for 7000CU this task already beyond our strength - the temperature exceeded 85 ° C, after which we stopped further experiments with it. The situation with the new processors is practically no different from that with the latest revisions of the Intel Pentium 4 on the Prescott core - the speed of heat removal from the processor core plays a very important role. There are two options left - either use coolers with heat pipes, with a separate base and radiator, or water cooling systems. The price of such a choice, today, differs by about half - the average price level for ready-made CBOs is about two times higher than that for top models of coolers with heat pipes. We are in no way going to bypass the topic of water cooling systems and plan to devote one of our next reviews to it, but today it is air coolers that are in the focus of our attention - 4 different, but, nevertheless, very worthy models, which very well illustrate the state of affairs in the market similar devices. Moreover - apparently, even Intel is not going to abandon classic cooling systems in the near future - the BTX standard provides for air coolers, albeit of a somewhat unusual design. Among the main trends that prevail today in this market sector, in addition to the quality of cooling and minimizing noise levels, one can note such a significant increase in the dimensions of the radiator and a noticeable emphasis on the aesthetic component. Manufacturers of even inexpensive COs seem to have realized that a consumer who buys such a utilitarian thing as a processor cooling system for quite a tangible amount of money has the right to at least count on a pleasant appearance of his purchase. However, in those matters that relate to appearance, few can argue with Thermaltake products - its solutions have always pleased the buyer with their original design. The tradition has been followed in the company's fresh line of coolers - our guests today are no exception, and any of them will look good in the currently popular cases with a side window. As for overall characteristics, the user will not have any special problems here either - he will not have to specially select a case for the cooler he likes. All models are quite normally placed in a standard ATX case.
There are different approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of processor coolers, but the most optimal method will be one that is close to "combat" conditions.

Test Methodology

To evaluate the effectiveness of coolers, we assembled a top modern PC in the following configuration -

Motherboard Intel i955X;
Processor Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 2.8 GHz (SmithField Core);
RAM 2х512 MB DDR2 Kingston KHX5400D2/512;
Video card ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition 256 MB;
Hard Drive: Western Digital WD1600JB;
NEC ND-3540A (Black);
Power Supply Zippy HP2-6460P;
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS case.

The case was not chosen by chance - it is one of the most convenient cases for assembling the system, featuring a productive and quiet ventilation system.
Testing was carried out in two modes - Idle(simple system) and Burn(running 2 copies of CPU Burn).
To take readings of processor temperatures, a program was used Motherboard Monitor version 5.3.7.0.
The room temperature during testing was 21°C and did not change during testing.
To test all the coolers, we used the KTP-8 thermal paste, which was not included in the kit.
The noise level was assessed subjectively, with the remaining fans completely stopped, and was separately specified in the conclusions for each participant. We did not carry out instrumental measurements, because, as practice has shown, dry numbers practically do not allow us to adequately compare two different coolers.
Perhaps enough theory - let's get to know the test participants better -

Thermaltake Big Typhoon (CL-P0114)

Opens our testing one of the biggest coolers in model range company - Big Typhoon is quite a typical modern solution in the field of cooler building for the "best" processors. To a person who has not followed this market sector for a couple of years, such dimensions may simply seem huge - one box alone can easily pack three or four ordinary two-year-old coolers.

If you meet by clothes, then there are no complaints - the packaging is in the best traditions of the genre. In addition to the cooler itself, there is a small black box in the box -

A neat box with the name of the cooler contains a set of universal fasteners, two leaflets with instructions and a bag of thermal paste.

The set of fasteners is implemented very well - it allows you to install Big Typhoon on almost all modern boards, and you practically do not need a screwdriver for assembly. In order to ensure the safety of the motherboard, the kit includes two rubber gaskets that completely repeat the shape of the metal mounting plates.

Gaskets, unfortunately, are not reusable - once installed, they crumple and become very thin.
Also, separately in the package there is a special compact fastener designed for installing the cooler on motherboards with Socket LGA 775 and dense placement of components.
It is a set of three elements -

And after assembly, it turns into a compact design, which in size only slightly exceeds the size of the cooler itself -

Despite visually large dimensions and a somewhat unusual layout, technically, Big Typhoon is a completely traditional design for cooling systems of this type.

Nothing new - a copper base, a set of heat pipes and a large plate heatsink.
All this is blown by Thermaltake's proprietary 120mm fan with a rather low rotational speed of 1300 rpm.

At first glance, the rotation speed is low, but given the total area of ​​the heatsink and the size of the fan, it is more than sufficient - the air flow that it creates when passing through the heatsink blows almost the entire upper part of the motherboard - chipset heatsink, memory modules, power system mosfets processor and even the back side of the video card.
There are no innovations in the design of the radiator -

Massive copper base with clamped heat pipes and a heatsink with aluminum fins. Classic design with an optimal combination of weight and size characteristics and efficiency. The use of copper fins in this case is simply impractical - the radiator will turn out to be very heavy, and not every motherboard will be able to withstand its installation.
The design of the radiator is separate -

It is divided into two parts, each of which serves 3 heat pipes. Both parts are additionally fixed with a frame on which the fan is attached.
The quality of base processing is average -

The base is matte, and traces of the cutter are clearly visible. However, for modern processors with their own heat-distributing covers, such processing is quite enough - if you don’t aim to win back every fraction of a degree with blood, then you won’t have to polish the base.
The cooler is quite easy to mount on the motherboard -

Thanks to the radiator placed up on the heat pipes and convenient fasteners, its installation is quite simple and does not require much time. Big Typhoon is perfect for those motherboards that either don't have a lot of space near the processor socket or are equipped with overall northbridge heatsinks - the shape of the base and mounting kit allows you to easily install it on a motherboard with almost any layout of elements. The only thing that can become a limiting factor is the case - nothing less than a full-fledged ATX will do.
In Thermaltake Armor, the system fit without problems, which is not surprising - the case is clearly capable of accommodating any existing CO without any problems.

The subjective impressions of the Big Typhoon are very pleasant - despite its impressive dimensions, it has a rather convenient fastening system, light weight and practically no problems when installed on the motherboard. Given the overall set of characteristics, you can safely count on the successful completion of the test program -

The results are very impressive - the temperature of such a hot processor in full load mode is only 63°C, which is more than an excellent indicator. The temperature in idle mode and there is nothing special to comment on - the processor is almost cold. Taking into account the fact that ordinary user applications simply won’t be able to warm up the processor in the way that CPU Burn does, it’s safe to say that in the hot summer time in an ordinary unconditioned room, the cooler will not allow even one of the most powerful processors to overheat today's day. Moreover, even if the system is assembled in a case of a classical design, the Big Typhoon has enough performance margin to ensure the normal functioning of the system.
As for the noise level, it is almost imperceptible in a conventional classical system. A rotational speed of 1300 rpm is clearly not enough to create any noticeable noise, and long heat pipes perfectly play the role of dampers and easily dampen all vibrations. When the case fans are completely stopped, you can hear a quiet rumble, which is created by the cooler's rolling bearings. You can easily get rid of this drawback if you slow down the fan speed to 1000-1100 rpm. In this case, the efficiency drops slightly, but the noise practically disappears.
In summary, we can say that the purchase of Thermaltake Big Typhoon, in addition to the fact that the user receives a cooling system with an excellent set of characteristics, will also be an excellent long-term investment - the cooler is quite capable of surviving one or even two platform changes, even if the heat dissipation of processors will continue to grow at the same rate.

Thermaltake Big Typhoon

+ Excellent cooling quality, convenient mounting design, almost silent operation.

- Not found.

= An excellent choice if you need a good air cooler that can be easily installed on any modern platform.

Estimated price - $42.

Thermaltake Sonic Tower (CL-P0071)

Our acquaintance with the Thermaltake cooler range continues with a very original design with a slightly strange name - Sonic Tower. It is a large passive type radiator. A very bold decision, given the level of heat dissipation of modern processors - as a rule, manufacturers prefer not to take risks and still equip their products with at least low-speed fans. The meaning of the name is somewhat incomprehensible - why "Sound Tower"? After all, the passive design is completely silent, and this name is somewhat inconsistent with the design of the radiator. Apparently, the manufacturer simply had no choice - the more appropriate name "Silent Tower" is already taken by one of the company's early products.
The box is not inferior in size to that of the Big Typhoon -

The scope of delivery is also very similar -

The only difference is two additional brackets for mounting a 120mm fan, which did not fit in a cardboard box with fasteners. There is nothing unusual in the box itself -

Instructions and a set of fasteners. The mount is arranged in such a way that the clamping bar at the radiator is universal and can be used for all platforms. There is even a set of fasteners for the K7 platform, but only for the holes near the socket, which is quite understandable - the mass of the radiator is more than tangible, and it is simply impossible to fasten it directly to the socket itself. Moreover, the fastening screws are special, with a hexagon head, which is also included in the kit.

The radiator has a completely familiar design -

Roughly speaking, it resembles a Big Typhoon radiator turned upwards with a slightly increased fin area. Aluminum fins start almost from the base of the cooler, which is somewhat inconvenient and can create a number of problems when installing it on the motherboard.
The processing of the base is rather mediocre, like that of the previous participant.

To make a completely passive cooling system without even leaving the possibility of installing a fan, Thermaltake did not begin -

Accurate holes in the radiator fins are designed specifically for installing aluminum corners, to which any 120mm fan you like is attached. The corners are fastened with screws, and during this process it is almost impossible to avoid a slight deformation of the upper ribs -

This practically does not affect the efficiency, because this part of the radiator, when the fan is installed, still ends up in a dead zone and is not blown. The appearance with the installed corner practically does not change -

After both corners are installed, you can mount the fan. However, when looking at the rather large lower part of the heatsink, we had a number of doubts about the possibility of mounting it on a test board, which were fully confirmed -

The bottom corner rested on the chipset heatsink, which made impossible installation radiator. After a little thought, we decided to limit ourselves to only the upper corner, deciding that it would be enough.

After removing the lower corner, the heatsink normally stood on the board and was fixed without any problems. The fan we borrowed temporarily from the Big Typhoon is just the right size and has a very low noise level. As we expected, one corner for attaching the cooler is enough -

Problems arose when we tried to install the entire design on the board -

The radiator with the fan installed completely blocked the first memory slot on the motherboard. In our case, this is still not very critical - the bar with a little effort, but still got up, into the next slot. But on other boards with a denser placement of components, there may be problems with installing a heatsink. In addition, you should pay special attention to the placement and height of the chipset cooling system - the Sonic Tower has very low radiator fins, which creates a number of problems that sometimes cannot be solved without instrumental intervention when installed on motherboards smaller than Full ATX.
In Armor, the system becomes just perfect -

The placement is really optimal - the radiator is just opposite the exhaust fan, which, in fact, creates an ideal picture of the placement of the passive cooling system. The air flow created by two 120mm coolers is more than enough for the radiator to function in passive mode. Those for whom this is not enough can use a system with a fan installed -

This configuration provides, perhaps, the most efficient scheme - the air coming from the intake fan is blown through the heatsink and immediately thrown out of the case. Most likely it will not be possible to seriously compete with Big Typhoon, but, apparently, the developers did not set such a goal.
We present the results in two modes - in completely passive and with a fan installed -

The final picture is impressive - in passive mode, the temperature was only 72 degrees! The result, as for a simple radiator, albeit a large one, is more than outstanding.
With the fan installed, the results almost completely repeat those of the Big Typhoon, which is not surprising - these two cooling systems are very similar in design and only slightly differ in the heat transfer area, which in this case turned out to be unprincipled.
Without a doubt, the main trump card of this radiator is the ability to work in passive mode, and taking into account the price, it has practically no competitors in this. But for the full functioning of the Sonic Tower, you need a high-quality case with good ventilation around the processor area, otherwise its advantages will simply be leveled.
It won't be possible to call it a real alternative to the Big Typhoon - both in the passive mode and with the fan installed without airflow, the chipset heatsink, power system mosfets and memory modules remain. In our case, thanks to the well-organized ventilation of the case, overheating of these components was not observed, but, unfortunately, we cannot guarantee this in a different configuration.
As for noise issues, the situation is simple - in the passive mode there is simply no noise, and with the fan installed, the situation is similar to that of the Big Typhoon, from which the fan was borrowed. In our opinion, it's simply pointless to operate the Sonic Tower with the cooler installed - it's easier to immediately purchase the Big Typhoon, which is noticeably more functional.

As a conclusion, we can say that Thermaltake has very successfully proved the possibility of using passive cooling systems on modern processors. The only but - even in the presence of a normal case, the presence of an air conditioner is highly desirable. However, if you do not have a top dual-core processor, then the last recommendation can be omitted.

Thermaltake Sonic Tower

+ Passive radiator, a good set of fasteners, rather low cost, the ability to install a fan.

- A number of installation problems caused by the large dimensions of the radiator.

= One of the best passive cooling systems available on the market.

Estimated price - $30.

Thermaltake Silent Tower (CL-P0025)

The next on the list is a model that has been on the market for quite a significant period of time - Thermaltake Silent Tower is a classic implementation of the usual heat pipe cooler. The box, in comparison with its predecessors, looks quite small -

The delivery set is already familiar - the cooler itself and the box with fasteners -

The scope of delivery and fasteners is almost exactly the same as that of the Big Typhoon -

Only the instructions and the complete thermal paste differ.
The design, as we mentioned, is classic - a rectangular radiator with three heat pipes.

The base is quite compact, so there will be no problems with mounting the Silent Tower on the motherboard -

It is processed in the same way as in the previous two coolers -

As we expected, the cooler is quite easily placed on the motherboard.

There are more than enough distances to the heatsink and memory modules -

In the case, the cooler looks rather modest -

If we compare it with previous test participants, then there is even too much space around it. However, as it turned out, this has little effect on efficiency.

The results are pretty good. The time-tested design is by no means going to lose ground - given the noticeable loss in the heat transfer area, the Silent Tower is only slightly behind the test leaders. A powerful fan with a speed of 2500 rpm helped him noticeably in this. In addition to being the fastest cooler in testing, it is also equipped with an original design fan with side slots, which, according to the manufacturer, increase efficiency. As a matter of fact, there are no complaints about this - just its efficiency is quite decent. However, this is not the only characteristic that we evaluated - there is also noise. Here everything is a little worse than expected. Undoubtedly, as part of a regular system with classic 80mm coolers that have a similar speed, its noise will simply be invisible. But in our case, against the background of almost inaudible case fans, it was heard very well. In general, we can say that the cooler is perfect for a typical configuration, but if it is used as part of a system focused on maximum quiet operation, it will require some refinement.
The conclusions about the cooler are simple - a classic design, optimally suited for mid-range systems. It is problematic to recommend it for cooling the fastest processors - too high level noise and the presence of more productive competitors. However, if you are not bothered by noise, then with a little "finishing with a file" the cooler can noticeably improve its characteristics, which cannot be said about the two previous participants, the only question is the expediency of such improvements - for the money that is asked for Silent Tower, you can buy Sonic Tower, the possibilities of which are much greater.

Thermaltake Silent Tower

+ Small size, good efficiency, ease of installation.

- Pretty noisy (relatively) fan.

= A classic implementation of a cooler with heat pipe technology, which is by no means going to give up its positions without a fight.

Estimated price - $29.

Thermaltake PIPE101 Rev.2 (CL-P0006)

Our four participants are closed by a rather unusual solution with a somewhat nomenclature name PIPE101 Rev.2. Selling a radiator that was originally designed to install a fan without one is a somewhat unusual move for the mass user market. Unlike the Sonic Tower, the PIPE101 is simply not designed to operate without a fan. However, many will find such a decision quite justified - the ability to choose a fan according to their needs is a rather convenient option, and since Thermaltake products were originally designed for enthusiasts, such an approach can only be welcomed. The radiator itself is quite compact, so the box with the cooler is quite small.

The delivery set is similar to the rest of the test participants - the radiator itself and a small box with the name of the cooler -

The box contains a set of fasteners, instructions and thermal paste.

The set of fasteners was chosen quite well, since the overall dimensions and weight of the heatsink are relatively small, there are no special frills in the form of reinforcing plates on the back side of the board - they are simply not necessary. Everything is more than traditional, the usual clips for Socket 478 -

To all appearances, the manufacturer does not consider half a kilo of the net weight of the heatsink alone to be a sufficient reason to include fasteners using the holes near the socket in the delivery package. However, given the fact that not all motherboards for the Socket A platform have such holes, then this approach looks quite reasonable.
The radiator itself is completely copper with four heat pipes.

The design is quite classic, but the benefits of heat pipes here are not entirely obvious - the radiator is already a single whole, so their role is reduced to additional heat transfer to the upper part of the fins. In this case, heat pipes are nothing more than an auxiliary element necessary for the most uniform heat removal from the base of the radiator. The base, in turn, does not differ in ideal processing, like the rest of the test participants.

As we have already mentioned, for modern processors with heat distributing covers, such a parameter as a perfectly flat base surface is not critical. However, taking into account the weight and size characteristics of the heatsink and its cost, it has a chance of becoming quite popular among users of the Socket A platform, and in this case the quality of the base processing means quite a lot. However, those users of this platform, who are not satisfied with the standard cooler, are quite difficult to scare with such a procedure as polishing the base.
For testing, we installed a 92mm Thermaltake fan with a rotation speed of 1800 rpm.

In theory, installing a faster fan should improve performance, but even at 1800 rpm. The hum from the cooler is already quite noticeable, and creating another noise generator was not part of our plans at all.
When assembled, the system is quite compact, and the user will not have any problems with placing the board in any modern case.

Compared to the rest of the participants, PIPE101 looks very small - against the background of 120mm case fans, it simply got lost. As for efficiency issues, the results are quite good -

74 degrees for such a compact cooler with not the most efficient fan is a result that deserves at least respect. Undoubtedly, recommending it as a good option for top-end processors is rather problematic - the result of 74 degrees was achieved at a fairly low ambient temperature, and to repeat this, at least the user needs an air conditioner, which does not always correspond to reality. The Thermaltake PIPE101 Rev.2 would be a pretty good choice for a mid-range system with not the most powerful CPU, and judging by the price, it is positioned in this sector.
As for the noise level, there is nothing special to say here - it depends on the type of installed fan. In our case, there was practically no noise in a closed case - it did not exceed the noise level of regular case fans. If you stop them, then there is still a slight noise from the cooler. It's not worth focusing too much on this - in a conventional system, the noise of a processor cooler in an assembly similar to ours will most likely simply be invisible. In all other cases, the type of installed fan will decide everything.
Fans of the Socket A platform will surely like PIPE101 the most - its potential is more than enough to cool any processor for this platform in absolute silence.

Thermaltake PIPE101 Rev.2

+ Small overall dimensions, a classic set of fasteners, the ability to choose a fan.

- Not the best design for cooling modern top processors.

= Good cooler for midrange systems.

Estimated price - $30.

Summarizing

As a summary, we can say that in general, all participants, in one way or another, successfully passed the test. For a more visual assessment, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the summary chart of test results -

The division of coolers into two groups is quite clearly visible - leaders and laggards. The leaders confidently keep the temperature under load at around 65 degrees and below, while the rest do not manage to drop below 72. However, by and large, the lagging one is Thermaltake PIPE101 Rev.2. Its design does not allow it to compete on equal terms with modern solutions that feature massive heatsinks, and even a completely copper construction with heat pipes is not able to save the situation - the final heat transfer area is too small. As for 72 degrees for Sonic Tower in passive mode, these results are incomparable with those of PIPE101 for obvious reasons.
Strictly speaking, it is Sonic Tower that deserves the title of test leader - a completely passive heatsink that can cope with such a hot processor is a rarity on the market. And if you look at its cost, then all questions disappear completely - given its capabilities, it is simply unrealistic to find an alternative to it in this parameter. The only thing that can stop a potential buyer is the size of the cooler. If you do not want to worry about the size of the radiator and possible problems with installation, but there is a need to purchase a good air cooler, check out the Big Typhoon. At a cost of $10 more than the Sonic Tower, it has a classic design, almost does not concede to it in terms of heat transfer area and has very good functionality. As for the difference in price, it is quite justified - one 120m fan of this class will cost no less than the same $10.
Silent Tower, as well as PIPE101, cannot be recommended as universal cooling systems - it is better not to purchase them for cooling top-end processors.

Today we have 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 new 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. For now, let's get to the news.

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 performance and low price. Add to this good accessibility 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.

Time passed, the cooler could well have been discontinued. Only now the company decided not only not to curtail the release of such a successful product, but also to start producing its updated version. In today's material, 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 Xigmatek Achilles. At the moment it is the top model in the Xigmatek product hierarchy. For quite a long time, coolers of the S1283 series and solutions based on them held the lead in efficiency. Of which, by the way, there were several. After all, it's no secret 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 appearance: nickel-plated heat pipes, installed a quieter backlit fan and called it a "red scorpion". The new model, named Achilles, has not only inherited the same modded appearance, which will surely delight aesthetes, but also received a number of functional changes that should significantly affect efficiency.

As a result, we have, in fact, two updated versions familiar coolers. Which of the manufacturers of the novelties turned out to be more successful? This is what we will try to figure out. For now, let's move on to our first guest - Thermaltake Big Typhoon VP.

Thermaltake Big Typhoon VP

The packaging of the cooler surprises with its dimensions. Thermaltake never skimps on this aspect. Due to the large area of ​​the box, the manufacturer managed to put on the surface a lot of various useful information - characteristics, photographs, etc. In our opinion, the presence of such data is never superfluous.

The cooler itself is placed in a plastic cocoon - a moment that allows you to make the transportation process safer for the product.

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

The design of the Big Typhoon has not changed. We have a standard VX model. It seems to us that the company could well make 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 controller. The maximum impeller speed bar is limited to 2000 rpm - this is a rather serious indicator. Not everyone will be comfortable using such a noisy cooler. So slowing down is the first thing we would advise you to do.

The only pity is that you can use the speed controller only by removing the housing cover. Otherwise, it is impossible to access it. However, it 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 be changed in the "typhoon", but what remains in a similar VX version.

The plates are too close to each other. This leads to poor ventilation. In a poorly ventilated case, Big Typhoon can simply "suffocate".

Secondly, a radiator should be installed in the base, which will partially remove the load from the heat pipes. A similar approach has been used by Scythe for a long time. As you know, their products do not suffer from low efficiency. In addition, upset the quality of processing base. It seems that the company alternates models with good processing and with bad ones. For a long time, the soles of Thermaltake coolers could frighten the faint of heart, a little later Thermaltake V1 and MaxOrb cooling systems appeared. They didn't have that problem anymore. Why do we again see a rough and raw sole?

A third change would be to shorten the heatpipes, which theoretically could speed up the transfer of heat from the base to the heatsink. In a word, there are enough options for improvement. Only now the company decided to leave everything as it is.

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

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

Mounting an additional fan is easy. True, you first 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, the possibilities of this function should not be overestimated. The tilt can be changed in a fairly small range - from 0 to 45 degrees. On this platform, you can install fans of different sizes - from 40 mm to 120 mm, depending on your needs.

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

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

On the net, by the way, you can find quite a lot of dissatisfied exclamations about this method of fastening. All of them concern, basically, the pressure force of the cooler to the processor's heat spreader. There are also concerns that the clip may not support the weight of the cooler (more than 800 g) and unhook 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 weak pressure. The most important thing is uniformity. If the sole of the cooler is even, then there will be no problems. And the presence of backlash is characteristic of quite a few solutions, for example, Zalman products. You should not attach special importance to this.

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

As you can see, without an additional fan, the novelty 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 directly above the graphics card. You will 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 our case, by the way, is far from being the smallest one, it can exist in only one version (when we are talking about a 120 mm fan). Otherwise, it will rest against something: HDD, case wall, power supply, etc. In general, only the owners of open stands will be able to appreciate the functionality of the Big Typhoon VP. There they will be able to deploy it in any way. And there will be more use from an additional fan. In the case, all this looks somehow awkward. Moreover, many video cards have turbines as cooling systems (most AMD products, and since some time NVIDIA as well), such additional airflow will not do much for them. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves, only testing will show the real alignment of forces. In the meantime, let's move on to the next product of today's review.

Xigmatek Achilles-S1284

For a long time, Xigmatek products were shipped in colorful cardboard boxes. In our opinion, this is the most best option. The surface of the box is quite informative, and removing the cooler without damaging it is not difficult. This time the company decided to diversify its approach by wrapping the product in plastic. It doesn't look very good, to be honest.

The first thing I want to talk about is the equipment. The manufacturer included in its composition all the necessary fasteners, thermal paste, installation guide and rubber clamps for installation.

Initially, the fan is located in the package separately from the cooler. Therefore, at first we will talk about the element designed to cool the Achilles radiator. The operating speed is 1500 rpm. The cable is branched into four pins. There is PWM support, so you can control the rotation speed of the impeller using the motherboard. The lowest bar is 800 rpm - this mode will be an ideal choice for lovers of silence.

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

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

The weight of the cooler without a fan is 660 g. Accordingly, with it it exceeds 700 g. Not so little. However, do 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 in two rows on the sidewalls, which makes it possible to avoid air flow losses when blowing through the fins. Finally, the radiator itself has also changed. He became much thicker. It is likely that now it will need a more efficient fan.

As already mentioned, there are four heat pipes. Studying the products, Xigmatek, we noticed a long time ago 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. It is this method that is used in the Xigmatek Achilles cooler. At the moment, all Xigamatek solutions designed for processor cooling work on this principle.

In general, he justifies himself. After all, we do not have a loss of efficiency due to the absence of such a thermal mediator as the sole. 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 probability of local overheating in the region of "dead zones", i.e. where the soleplate does not come into contact with the processor. However, this disadvantage cannot be called otherwise than theoretical, because. in practice, products that work according to 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. You can see it without even taking it off. 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 in this case is not required. By the way, it will not be required in the case of AMD platforms either. For fixing, a metal swing bracket is used there, clinging to a standard mounting frame. I am very pleased that Xigmatek is trying to simplify the installation process for the user as much as possible. It is also important that, along with simplicity, fasteners are distinguished by quality. The pressure is quite strong, there are no problems with uniformity either.

True, there are complaints about the VTMS clips. This is not the first time we have encountered this problem. It is present in almost all products from Xigmatek. Its essence lies in the fact that the clips are too rigid, 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 flexes. If we were the company, we would pay attention to this. The main thing in the clamp is uniformity. It is not worth pressing the cooler like a vise into the motherboard. Moreover, the cooling system has serious weight indicators.

Xigmatek Achilles installed. During operation, it can please the user with a pleasant backlight that combines orange and white. At night it looks great. For sure, for lovers of spectacular coolers, this will be a nice addition.

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

Test stand and testing

Testing methodology

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

All testing of air cooling systems is carried out in a normal room, without the use of an oven, which brings 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 relevant information is present on the graphs with the results.

The basis for any comparison is the similarity of conditions. Therefore, coolers are always tested on the same day. 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 temperature in the room. After that, the doors and windows no longer open, which ensures the stability of conditions.

Before the main start of the heating program, the cooler warms up in the system for some time. 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. After that, the load is stopped and the system is idle. Only when a stable minimum temperature is reached, this indicator is removed.

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

The second source of information for us are special thermocouples. In total, 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 keep 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 similar temperatures, so the output of information about at least one of them is quite enough to find out the level of cooling efficiency of the zone near the socket.

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

Studies also show that many thermal interfaces may change certain properties over time. Thus, performance can either improve or deteriorate. In order to prevent such changes from affecting the compared performance of different coolers, the thermal interface is reapplied during any manipulation with the cooler (change of platform during testing: transition from an open bench to a case-based version). 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 thermal paste is carried out with alcohol, which leads to a complete cleaning of the processor cover. Thus, a greater "purity" of 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 terms of noise. Thus, to equalize the conditions, we use several modes of testing certain coolers. Typically, when the product uses a RPM level between 1300 and 2000 rpm, we test the first and second cases. If, even at minimum speed, this product turns out to be objectively noisier than analogues at comparable speeds, then the speed level is found at which the noise level will be comparable to analogues. The cooler will be tested not in two, but in three modes. Namely - at the quietest speed level found, at 1300 rpm and at 2000 rpm. Of course, there are certain exceptions when a more extensive study needs to be carried out within the framework of a particular study. In this case, other modes can be used. 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 whose design does not allow changing the fan. However, many tower-type 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 cooler design 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 can be somewhat adjusted within the framework of a particular study.

The utility used to heat processors has changed over time. The main reason for this was that over time, programs came out that could heat 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, Generation Core, 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 loading 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 already classic S&M utility fits perfectly. It provides high-quality, atypical heating for any other utilities. In addition, it has a number of other useful features, among which the most important for us is the display of temperature information, including on a real-time graph. At the moment, the version of the utility is 1.9.0a.

* The provisions of the methodology described above refer only to testing cooling systems for processors. In the case of other cooling systems, the relevant rules and study tools are used.

Test results

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

The results are rather controversial. The reason for this is the incredible density. It is difficult to talk about the winners, to put it mildly. We can consider Xigmatek Achilles as the nominal leader. This cooler managed to outperform the Big Typhoon VX by 0.2 degrees. But you understand, all this is a measurement error. In fact, all products showed an almost equal level of effectiveness. However, here another moment comes into force - the level of turnover. "Winner" works unlike the quieter Typhoon, seriously noisy at 2000 rpm. But when the impeller speed is reduced to 1300 rpm, the 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 was to be expected. Of course, theoretically, an additional fan could lower the temperature in the case itself and help itself. But that did not happen. We have absolutely identical level of efficiency. The difference is within the margin of error.

Finally, let's take a look at the Achilles results again. Yes, of course, this decision can be considered a winner, given the level of speed and relatively quiet operation. However, note that the advantage over the "Red Scorpion" is some 1.5 degrees. This is rather strange, because the design of the heatsink has been redesigned in the new product, 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 studied the base of the cooler, in particular, the imprint of the paste on the processor and tubes, and noticed that one of them had almost no contact with the heat spreader. In other words, only three heat pipes worked out completely. The fourth performed its function with large losses in efficiency. As a result, it is easy to understand why the novelty failed to unambiguously establish itself as a leader. Is this a special case, or do other instances have such a 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 fail to report this problem to Xigmatek so that the engineers turn their attention to this aspect.

And now let's see how the coolers proved to be in terms of cooling the board elements. Here Achilles is an outsider. It is explained simply. The radiator has become noticeably thicker compared to previous models. Air hardly passes through it, and, accordingly, blowing the board is seriously difficult. Hence the loss not only to Thermaltake coolers, but also to the previous model - S1283.

Typhoons did not show anything special. It has been said for a long time that excellent airflow around the socket area with this cooler is a myth. 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 will hardly feel any serious airflow. Of course, there is some advantage over some tower-style products, especially when compared to the massive Scythe Mugen. However, compact towers like the Xigmatek S1283 are not inferior in cooling efficiency to the zone near the processor.

Finally, let's turn our eyes to the chip temperature graph Radeon video cards 3870x2. We used this card for a reason. It has significant heat dissipation. The extra airflow obviously won't hurt her. However, a turbine is responsible for its cooling, scooping cold air in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe hard drive. It's not difficult to understand that a fan located somewhere in the middle of the card's cooling system will do almost nothing. Unless the PCB temperature drops 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 small, however, keep in mind that the card worked in idle time at the minimum turbine speed.

As a result, an additional element in the form of a fan gives a small increase in blowing efficiency. Of course, in the case of a different video card, everything 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 obviously hastened with the release of a new product, overestimating its potential. At the moment, Big Typhoon VX is sold at a not-so-low price. It will not be a surprise if the VP modification seriously surpasses him in this. But why will it be needed even at a higher price, when it is no different?

Conclusion

The novelties left a very ambiguous impression. Let's face it, manufacturers needed 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 Big Typhoon VP. This decision was frankly disappointing. The efficiency is no different from the standard modification, and the dimensions of the cooler are downright obscene. Xigmatek Achilles also makes me happy and sad at the same time. It certainly has some interesting ideas. This applies to both the four heat pipes and the redesigned heatsink. However, quality blunders (in this case, it concerns our copy) did not allow the novelty to fully open up. 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 not much point in acquiring the VP modification.

Xigmatek Achilles-S1284- certainly an interesting solution. The company's engineers designed a well-thought-out design of the radiator, while 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 tubes in the coating and the installation of a spectacular backlit fan. In a word, a real supercooler. However, for the full disclosure of the potential was not enough workmanship. 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 disappointing. In general, the company has something to work on, otherwise the champion will come out with an Achilles' heel.

The holiday season has been around for a long time. And many could already taste the beauty of summer weather. The bright rays of the sun surround us everywhere these days. The temperature in the shade sometimes reaches thirty degrees. But how does the "iron hard worker" - a computer feel in such conditions? Frankly, in such conditions it is difficult for him. But no one asks him, and he just as obediently continues his daily work. But the biggest hardships at such moments are experienced mainly by the processor ...

Instead of the cool air that its cooler needs to get from the outside of the case to cool the "flaming heart", it receives hot air currents, whose presence once again stimulates a further increase in temperature. And what to do in such cases? For most enthusiasts in the vastness of our country, this has long ceased to be a problem. On the market now in a large assortment you can find a stunning selection of different cooling systems. And if with the choice of water systems, there are small problems 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 cooling system based on his financial wealth, the need for 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 they offer coolers that are very similar in appearance. Their designs and method of heat dissipation are often similar. In such a situation, the buyer raises the question of the advisability of buying a particular cooling system. In such cases, he turns to the media to clarify the situation in this matter. It's good that today there are a lot of different tests of most coolers on the Internet. We are such an institution. Today I will try to answer some questions that a person who is faced with the question of buying a processor cooler may have.

Thermaltake Big Typhoon

Today our guest is a representative of the well-known company Thermaltake, 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 when you take this box in your hands, you feel the weight and dimensions of this cooling system. It is worth saying that we will not recognize anything other than the name on the front of the package. This also applies to the side part. But behind the manufacturer gives us some information. Including a barcode and, more interestingly, information about the possibility of installing various fans, but more on that later. But, perhaps, at this point I should stop looking at the packaging, and I need to start removing the cooler from its "cocoon".

And finally, he appears before us. Its dimensions are really big. This impression is created, first of all, 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, typical for Thermaltake company, orange color, covered with a metal casing with an emblem, respectively, of the same manufacturer. "TT" - this is how it is customary to abbreviate the name "Thermaltake". For me, this is an extra 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 we already have, but differs by the presence of a speed controller, whose presence, to be honest, is incomprehensible to me. Something like this would have been useful in the Volcano days, also made by Thermaltake. But here we have a "low-speed" low-speed fan. He does not really need such a regulator, however. Although it is worth saying that this manufacturer has always loved to please the buyer with various trinkets. We can recall a similar phenomenon in the cases of their production. Returning to our configuration, we do not have a speed controller. But to be honest, I'm not very upset. Since it is always possible to connect a cooler to 5V. Speaking about the second version of a possible fan, its difference lies in the presence of LEDs. That will help embellish your case with blue backlight. On this, let's move on from describing the fan to a look at the design of the cooler, fortunately, we have something to look at. The power cord, which is a fairly standard 3-pin, is covered in a nice white aesthetic to my surprise. To be honest, you don't see this very often. But this once again emphasizes the great look of the cooler. But this cord has a serious minus. This is its length. She is very small. Therefore, you will not be able to put the cooler in any way, otherwise it will not allow you to use the power cord, which will not reach the connector on the motherboard. Still, this is not a very pleasant moment.

And once again we can estimate the dimensions of this giant. It is worth saying that it has six copper heat pipes (and here they are!), Soldered to the base, and passing through a heatsink consisting of thin aluminum fins with a relatively small thickness. The ribs are quite close to each other. The distance between them is very small. How this will affect how air flows through these slots is hard to say. But, I hope, the wizards 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 from there. So, if you decide to use this cooler in your case, do not forget to make sure that your case does not have dust clods. This may not have the best effect on the effectiveness of the "Big Typhoon" in the future.

Now let's look at the base. And here already Thermaltake obviously did not try. We can see the very poor quality of the base processing. The traces of the cutter are clearly visible to the eye. However, most coolers from this manufacturer have a similar omission. Not really a problem in too in large numbers orders, and the fact that the gentlemen from Thermaltake do not have time to process the base? It is worth noting that such a flaw can greatly affect the efficiency of the cooler. Now let's move on to the equipment 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 admit, the manufacturer pleased me. We have an instruction manual illustrated with color photographs with printed comments. You will not find this even at Zalman. Whose illustrations are still black and white and are pictures rather than photographs. Such approach of Thermaltake cannot but rejoice. And when evaluating a cooler, such moments can play an important role. Because correct installation- this is exactly what most experts from various sites have problems with. Because of what we can meet serious discrepancies in the results. We could observe a similar situation in the case of Zalman 9500. In the case with which, however, there was some defect in the base, namely a slight bulge in the center. But it was also often possible to see problems associated with insufficient cooler pressure, which inevitably led to poor performance. Returning to our cooler, it is worth saying that we also have three bags in the package. In one of them we have fasteners, screws, nuts, etc. In the other two, you can see the 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, Typhoon passed the test by lightly polishing the base with 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 efficient design, without regard to the roughness of the lower part of the coolers.

And now let's move on to installing Big Typhoon on the motherboard. In this case, on Socket 939. Speaking of other sockets, it's worth saying that everything seems to be enough. In all cases, we use the standard Back-Plate from Thermaltake, which we fasten from the back of the motherboard with long screws, on which, on the other hand, we put red spacers and wind yellow aluminum washers.

Next, we use the same Back-Plate, only this time we place it on the base of the cooler. Depending on the socket, the number of screws used varies. For Socket A,478,775 it is four, for Socket 754/939 we need two screws, which can be seen in the photo.

Next, from the top, we fasten the screws with small nuts, which, frankly, is like death. This is a fairly long procedure, if done carefully and to 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. For mounting on Socket A,478,775, two installation options are used. One is called Alternative, and I have already described it. It is identical for all sockets. The second is referred to as Standard. Theoretically, this method is very simple. We use the standard Back-Plate that comes with the motherboard, and we already screw the mounting frame from Big Typhoon to it. But it didn't work for me. The screws were not long enough. No matter how much effort I made, it did not lead to anything other than scratching the base. Having tightened one of the screws, it was not possible to cope with the second one. From my efforts, the metal mounting frame began to bend, and I decided to stop trying to install it. 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 yellow washers, with which we secure the Back-Plate. As a result, it looked like the photo above.

It is worth saying that due to the fact that the fan on the cooler is located on the top part, this immediately removes all sorts of problems with the necessary rotation. Since all the air is taken from above, and not from the side, as is the case with most heat pipe coolers.

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

In the case, the cooler looks amazing. It is worth noting that there are no problems with contact with wires or heatsinks of the north bridge. Typhoon got up in the hull very well. About 1.5 cm remains to the video card, which is quite enough. Although, problems are possible if your card has large memory heatsinks on the back. But in most cases they will still be placed a little lower than the cooler fan. And in the area where the heat pipes and the radiator are located, there should not be any contact. At the base, Typhoon also does not touch any batteries on the motherboard. And it is worth noting the important fact that among the tested coolers today, 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 an IDE hard drive, there were no problems with the cables. There is no contact either with them or with wires from Molex going to the motherboard. In our case, the cooling on the northbridge is located under the video card, which definitely guarantees that there will be no problems when installing a large cooler on the processor. But I can tell you with confidence that there will be no problems on other motherboards with a standard location of the radiator on the northbridge.

After carrying out some tests and removing the cooler from its rightful place, the cast of thermal paste on the processors was the same as you see 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. After that, I decided to re-test, but during installation, carefully monitor the spin 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 accurate and correct as possible during installation. Then the cooler went through a full cycle of tests. The results we will see later.

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

Next, a fan from Titan was installed on the cooler. It was with him that Scythe Ninja was tested. The fan at maximum speed is quite noisy, but at the same time it develops a decent level of speed, namely about 2200RPM. Compared to the standard one, whose revolutions according to the declared characteristics are 1300RPM, during my testing, a value of about 1400RPM was recorded. It is worth saying that in this version the cooler works very quietly. For me, this mode can be considered almost silent. The noise level is much lower than that of standard cabinet 80s. When the fan was connected to 5V, the cooler turned from almost silent to completely silent. And for this Thermaltake thank you very much. True, it is worth saying that despite the statements of both the company itself and the owners of this cooler, Typhoon does not at all have such an advantage as blowing the elements of the motherboard. At 5V, it's quite hard to feel the air flow even with a hand placed close to the cooler's heatsink, let alone the motherboard, which is located ten centimeters lower. Although not everything is so sad, at maximum speed, the cooler still creates a certain air flow, capable of reaching the motherboard elements to some extent. But, sorry, I wouldn't call it a blowout. On the other hand, it is worth noting that after installing the fan from Titan, the airflow really began to take place and, moreover, it was very serious. The temperature of the batteries on the motherboard after that dropped noticeably, by about 7 degrees. Although the temperature on the processor did not change much. It is worth noting a very serious drop in the efficiency of the cooler after switching from 12V to 5V. In this case, the airflow 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 review it. It comes with a 100mm fan, which pales a bit compared to Thermaltake's 120mm fan. Since these coolers need a large air flow to adequately blow the radiator, which can only be created by a large fan. In our case, it is slightly less than one might expect. In this case, it is worth waiting for a sufficiently high noise level. The manufacturer claims fan speed from 1800 to 3600! Moreover, in the latter case, we can get such speed only if there is PWM on the motherboard. Our current motherboard DFI nForce 4 Ultra LP, unfortunately, does not have such, so the tests were carried out at a relatively minimum speed of 1800RPM. It is worth saying 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. Also increased in size and fan. Now, as I said, it is 100mm, instead of 80m, like the model without a plus. The weight has also changed. This time it is 795, while the previous modification weighed about a kilogram! Speaking about the design of Hyper 6+, it is worth saying that it is already a fairly standard scheme for most heat pipe coolers. These are six heat pipes made of copper, which in turn are strung with aluminum fins. The ends of the tubes are soldered to a copper base. The cooler fins are covered with metal sidewalls.

The cooler also comes with a metal shroud, which is screwed together with the supplied fan.

On the top 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 the Hyper 6+, like all tested coolers today, was treated with GOI paste. But it is worth saying that in the initial delivery Hyper 6+ comes with a very good base quality. There are no traces of cutters, no roughness. There is also a slight mirror reflection. In this case, we have a polar situation in comparison with the cooler from Thermaltake. V this moment Cooler Master did their best. The quality is comparable to that of Zalman.

Next, we will proceed with the installation. It is worth saying that it is the same for all sockets, as in the case of Big Typhoon. It involves installing the mounting frame you need 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 use of the Back-Plate had to be abandoned due to a problem with the length of the screws. And here we meet the same shortcomings that we could see from Thermaltake. So it was decided to install Hyper 6+ in the same way as Big Typhoon. Used Back-Plate from Thermaltake:

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

There was also a problem with the cooler's power connector. The capacitor next to it did not allow to insert the power cord, which, unlike the Typhoon, has a longer length and is gifted with 4 pins. 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 mounting the motherboard is rather complicated. It will take some serious effort to tighten the screw. However, the previous cooler had no problems with this.

The Hyper 6+ case is very spacious. There is a serious space 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 in such a way that the air was blown back to the case fan on the back of the case.

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

After removing the cooler, I found serious problems with the contact between the base of the Hyper 6+ and the processor. This conclusion can be drawn based on the fact that the main part of the thermal paste remained on the processor's heat-distributing cover. Several times I had to remove the cooler. I used various methods fastening, but this did not lead to positive changes. It is worth saying that the cooler itself was held on the motherboard rather rigidly. It was not clear to me what the bad clamp was connected with. I can assume that the matter is in a defective mounting frame, perhaps in something else. But one thing is clear that there are problems in the mount. This was also indicated by the fact that during the tests the cooler almost did not heat up. The upper part of it 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's worth saying that there are no problems with it. At 1800RPM it's pretty quiet, though louder than the Big Typhoon at 1300RPM. Unfortunately, the lack 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. According to Cooler Master about 46.4 dBA! On the whole, the cooler is made quite well, and if there were incomprehensible problems with the pressure, 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 rather rare guest on our market. On this we move on to the next rival TT Big Typhoon, but already made in Japan.

Scythe Ninja

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

I'll start with the fact that this cooler is made in Japan, which is a rarity these days due to more Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese production. First of all, such a pedigree inspires some confidence among most users. Whether the cooler justifies it remains to be seen.

Ninja has very large dimensions compared to the cooler we just reviewed. The dimensions are 110x110x150, which cannot but cause a feeling of respect for such a structure. Although, in general, the structure itself is quite standard for heat pipe coolers. Since we can already observe 6 heat pipes on which aluminum plates are strung, and the copper base is also characteristic. But what, perhaps, is out of the scope of this cooler's analogues is the length of the tubes. From the side 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.

The ends of the tubes have aluminum tips. And in the center of all the plates is a large round hole.

The base area is quite large, like the Big Typhoon, but still has a rectangular shape rather than a square one. After using this cooler for some time, I have some marks 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 base of the cooler has a very good workmanship and initially has a mirror reflection, which is good news.

First of all, the cooler is a passive cooling system. But we have the ability to install a fan with a diameter of 120mm on it. By the way, it is worth mentioning that Scythe has a solution already with the fan already installed. It is referred to as the Scythe Ninja Plus, which retails for just over $45 for the regular version. The price of the passive version is about $40. The fan is installed using the wires provided for this purpose, which are included in the kit. Also, we have the opportunity to install a second fan. But for this, you yourself need to come up with what you will use to fasten. An ordinary copper wire is quite suitable for this role, which, if properly bent, would allow the fan to be fixed. And 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 tests, we again used a fan from Titan, which allowed us to develop 2200RPM.

It's time to start installing. First, I will describe how the cooler is installed on various sockets. Firstly, there is no support for Socket A at all, most likely due to the manufacturer's fear that such an overall cooler can chip the chip of fragile Athlon XP processors with the appropriate pressure. In general, their warnings are not in vain, because the weight of the cooler is 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 simplest 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 slightly more complicated. We will have to install the Back-Plate from the back of the motherboard, screw the appropriate fasteners to it from the front and hook Ninja on 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 the one that we can find 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 last installation, it is worth mentioning one important fact. Namely, after a long 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. With all my attempts to still remove the Back-Plate, they did not lead to success. A metal plate with a sticky base did not want to separate. More precisely, the metal part could be separated, but what was located under it, unfortunately, was not. So before I started testing today, I didn't have a Back-Plate for Ninja. But fortunately, it is not needed for installation on Socket 939, since the standard Back-Plate is used. I advise 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 up the near-socket platform of the motherboard boards, which will encourage more sticking of the Back-Plate.

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

It is worth noting 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. This mount provides excellent clamping. The Japanese were very successful in this approach.

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 during the last testing on the Asus P5WD2 motherboard, near the socket of which there is an overall heatsink on the north bridge, there were no problems.

A fairly small distance remains to cables and Molex 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 cast of thermal paste on the processor was as shown in the photo above. It is worth saying that with the clamp, as expected, there are no problems. As with his strength, so with uniformity.

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

AMD box cooler

The last tested opponent 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 characteristic of standard cooling. Although, it's worth saying that AMD still makes BOX quite efficiently and soundly unlike Intel, which, even when SmithField appeared on the market, continued to assemble them with the same inefficient, noisy coolers. The fan speed ranges from 1200 to 3600RPM.

The base, made entirely of aluminum, as is the case with all the coolers already described, was also manually polished with GOI paste to specular reflection. It is worth saying that already initially the quality of the foundation was quite good.

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

Today BOX made me extremely happy. Its simplicity and relatively normal noise level allow me to speak about it only in a positive way. And now, after a long 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, with the exception of BOX:

Characteristics of tested coolers

Cooler Specifications	Cooler Master Hyper 6+	Scythe Ninja	Thermaltake Big Typhoon
Cooler dimensions, mm	88x88x35	110 x 110 x 150	122x122x103
Rated voltage, V	12	0	12 (7 starters)
Rated current, A	—	—	—
Power consumption, W	—	—	~3.6
Radiator material	Aluminum plates strung on 6 heat pipes and a copper base		Aluminum plates on a copper base and 6 copper heat pipes
Dispersion area, sq.cm	—	—	—
Fan speed, RPM	1800 ~ 3600	—	~1400
Air flow generated by the fan	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
Gross weight, g	795 (no fan)	665	813
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 comes with	Thermal paste from Cooler Master	Thermal paste from Scythe based on silicone	Thermalpaste from Thermaltake
Approximate retail price, $	~45-50	~40	~35-38

Test stand and testing methodology

It is worth saying that on the day of testing, the temperature in the room was about 32 degrees! Outside the window it was possible to observe approximately the same values. It is this value that the results of coolers in a calm state will rest on. 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:

• Is Thermaltake Big Typhoon a smart buy?
• KPT-8, is there an equal to it?
• Cheap case and heat pipe cooler, does it make sense?
• Does the Athlon Venice require a high performance cooler?

These are the questions I will try to answer. 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 testing in the case, we used 80mm Thermaltake fans, with a speed level of up to 3000RPM. One of them was located on the front of the hull below and worked for blowing. The second was on the back of the case and worked for blowing. The third was installed on the case door and worked for blowing. Testing was carried out in two versions: with and without a side fan.

Tested coolers (in order of testing):

• 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 increased voltage (2600MHz, 1.68V). In the overclocked case, I deliberately took a very high voltage level in order 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 in two ways. 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 on the same level. Outsiders can only be attributed to Box, operating in 5V mode and Scythe Ninja, which was deprived of its fan and was a passive option. It is also worth mentioning 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 not be less than 32 degrees.

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

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

Next, I turned on the fan on the case door. Such a manipulation allowed the cooler from Thermaltake to improve its result a little more, while Ninja didn't improve much. Well, we can say with confidence that Big Typhoon succeeded in cooling the processor even in such difficult conditions, but what can we say about cooling the motherboard elements?

In general, the results of the 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, these are TT Big Typhoon and Scythe Ninja again. But it is worth noting that when using a standard fan, Typhoon shows very modest results, yielding even to 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 observe the most modest results at all. Only in this case the temperature of the motherboard went over 60 degrees! So, in the standard configuration, Typhoon, as a means of blowing the motherboard, is still rather weak, although when using a more resourceful fan in this component, it can become a leader.

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

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

As we can see, even in such heat, at a not very high voltage during overclocking, Big Typhoon keeps the processor within 50 degrees. For this he can put a solid five! Efficiency is top notch.

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

conclusions

And now it's time to move on to the conclusions. I hope, based on the results of today's testing, we can say with confidence that the Thermaltake Big Typhoon is the best that can be found on the market today in the free market. At its low price, this cooler shows the highest level of efficiency, according to this component outperforming Scythe's more expensive Ninja. Of course, the product from TT also has its shortcomings and there are a lot of them. Firstly, this is the insufficient length of the screws included in the kit, which does not allow for a successful installation of the cooler. Further, a serious disadvantage is very low efficiency when using low speeds, but with the correction that their use is rather irrational, due to the fact that even at 12V the cooler operates almost silently, but at the same time it demonstrates much more serious performance. As for replacing the fan, in this case, such an operation makes sense only if you need a serious airflow of the motherboard elements, otherwise, installing a noisier, but also more efficient fan to cool the processor will not betray anything new.

Speaking about the effectiveness of KPT-8 thermal paste, it is worth saying that there were no surprises. She once again proved that she has no equal yet, having outperformed her rivals with a serious backlog.

Further, today's testing clearly showed that the use of heat pipe coolers 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-performance coolers on the Athlon Venice, it's worth saying that from my point of view, this is rather unreasonable, due to the lack of influence of the cooler's efficiency on the overclocking potential of the processor. In this case, the Box option is quite enough.

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

Scythe Ninja — excellent level performance. The ability to install several fans, which allows us to call this solution the most efficient, but still quite extreme in terms of noise. The recent price drop due to the release of Ninja Plus once again raises interest in the Japanese product. This cooler can also be recommended to lovers of silence. Even in passive mode, the ninja easily handles not-so-hot CPUs with even a little overclocking.

Cooler master Hyper 6+— relative rarity, overpriced, impossibility to use the cooler at maximum speed on most motherboards, all this makes it impossible to speak positively about this cooler. Unfortunately, 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 decisions in terms of installing the cooler, and in the terrible noise at maximum speeds. 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 for this alone it should be given credit. Today, this cooler has not made any competition.

Box— Standard cooling pleased me. It has a decent level of efficiency, and does not irritate with noise. This cooler copes well with its duties of cooling the processor, both in normal mode and in overclocking.

The cooler, which will be discussed in this review, does not require long introductions, it has long established itself as a quiet and at the same time efficient processor cooling system and, in a way, has become a benchmark for other coolers. Yes, this is Thermaltake Big Typhoon, more precisely Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX. The latter is a modification of the original version, having received a faster fan with a maximum rotation speed of 2000 rpm and changing the mounts.

Full specification:

	Thermaltake BigType 120VX (CL-P0310-01)
Support for processor sockets	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
Products webpage
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 applied on the side.

On the back of the box, the best features are listed, along with photos of the Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX cooler from various angles.

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

The cooler comes with:

• small installation instructions;
• clamp on four latches for LGA 775;
• clamping clip for AMD platforms;
• thermal paste bag.

Cooler Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX has a fairly large size and weight of 827 grams. The radiator consists of 142 aluminum plates mounted on six 6 mm heat pipes. A large 120 mm fan is mounted on top of the heatsink, which blows air downwards, thus cooling not only the heatsink, but also elements around the processor socket, such as modules random access memory and a processor power stabilization unit.

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

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

To control the rotation speed of the 120 mm fan, a small regulator is installed in the top corner. With it, you can change the speed from 1300 to 2000 rpm. According to the specification, at maximum speed, the air flow reaches a value of 2.45 cubic meters per minute (86.5 CFM). The fan wires are in a protective casing. The catchy orange impeller is covered with a protective black grill, which reduces the chance of foreign elements getting into it. In addition to the main function, it also performs a decorative role; in the center it is decorated with the Thermaltake logo. At a speed of 1300 rpm, the fan runs almost inaudibly, but with an increase in speed, a noticeable noise appears.

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

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 - with a clamping clip with a lock. For Intel platforms with LGA 775 processor socket comes with a special clamp with latches, the same as in the "boxed" cooler. The process of installing and removing the cooler is quite simple and fast, but still there are some doubts about the reliability of the fasteners, given the weight of the Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX.

Testing

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

On the AMD platform:

Motherboard	ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe on nForce 570SLI (AM2, DDR2, ATX)
CPU	AMD Athlon 64 3600+ X2 (ADO3600JAA4CU), AM2, @2600MHz
RAM	2 x DDR2-800 512MB Transcend PC6400
video card	Gigabyte GV-NX76G256D GeForce 7600GS 256MB 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 the Intel platform:

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

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 is running when the user is working in office applications or browsing the internet.

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 single-threaded mode.

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

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

Conclusions.

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

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Elite novelties vs. Intel Core 2 Extreme

In the field of our attention - the next novelties of beautiful and expensive heat pipe coolers from famous manufacturers, which (coolers :)) will once again compete for the right to adequately cool the elite older model of today's top dual-core Intel desktop processor on the victorious Conroe core.

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

we have reviewed some of the most advanced heat pipe 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 unconditional attention and our high appreciation, 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 already noted in the “previous series”, the 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 heat spreader of these processors is only 60.1–61.4 degrees Celsius, nearly 10 degrees less than allowed for previous generations Intel processors Pentium 4, Pentium D and their counterparts. That is, the very 40% savings in power consumption of 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 they used for their much more voracious predecessors Pentium lines 4 and Pentium D.

First of all, we'll get acquainted here with the top-of-the-line Eclipse cooler in Cooler Master's all-rounder line, which didn't make it in time for 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 the Mind" :) - a new old friend, namely: the Thermaltake Big Typhoon cooler that has become famous in a year in a recently updated and improved reincarnation of Big Typhoon VX.

And at the same time - in addition to this - with the figures on the "dish" we will clarify the situation with the "correct" and "incorrect" orientation of coolers on heat pipes in space, since some "gourmets" still have "incorrect 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, today this cooler is the top one in the line (that is, the title one in the Chef's Offers section on the manufacturer's website) of universal (K8/LGA775) air coolers from this company.

I don’t know what kind of “eclipse” or “clouding” - namely, 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, which released such an ambiguous name “to the positive market” (and thus gave reason to gossip to reviewers;)), 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 the originality and "coolness" of the appearance dominates the 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 the CPU itself, but also the surrounding components (VRM, Memory, NB Chipset, and etc)."

Omitting advertising slogans like “it looks different because it really is different”, the 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 components surrounding it (VRM, memory, chipset). How new (and different) this idea “with a turbine” is, I don’t presume to judge, but similar (well forgotten;)) immediately come to mind.

However, in Eclipse, of course, there is a rational grain, since here a 4.5 mm copper base is connected to a radiator made of 0.5 mm aluminum plates not only with 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 points of contact between the fins and the base and the heat pipes are just a slight crimping of copper with a millimetric edging of the holes and edges of the fins, and the fins at the joints can be easily moved with a finger (I did not find any traces of hot glue). This method, of course, is easy to manufacture and is used by many (including other expensive coolers from this manufacturer), but thermal contact is not the best.

Unfortunately, the Eclipse finning area is not specified in the specifications, and calculating it on your own is a good task for entrance exams in mathematics at the Physics and Technology Institute due to the complexity of the shape of most of the ribs. :) Radiator dimensions - 132 by 120 by 105 mm. The weight of the cooler is considerable (670 grams), despite the use of aluminum. The “eclipse” (not to say in Russian;)) of the design is complemented by a transparent dark “half-casing”, in places (well, very “in places”) directing the air that goes up seems to be down (although in fact, who knows where). Moreover, the angle of inclination of this casing can be changed. Dimensions of the cooler with casing - 147x146x110 mm.

A non-standard "turbine" fan with a size of 66 x 68 mm on a sleeve bearing (long-life, life 40,000 hours) has cylindrically curved blades, is rated 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 mode of manual speed adjustment by a jumper, its minimum and maximum rotation speeds (according to specifications) are 1800 and 3300 rpm. respectively, however, with pulse-width (i.e. PWM) control from the motherboard, the rotation speed can vary from 900 rpm. At maximum speed, the fan performance is at 39.8 CFM. Noise at minimum speed - 17 dBA. Unfortunately, such a design solution for the rotation speed switch is inconvenient to place either on the front or on the back of the PC case, unless you use additional wires and output switches.

The cooler is attached to the motherboard either with a standard clip (for AMD processors, in the photo above), threaded through two slots through the radiator fins, or with a frame with 4 screws and nuts on the back side (for all Intel LGA775 form factor processors). In the latter case, the counter-frame, which prevents board deflection, is unfortunately not included in the package. But there is a hexagon for tightening nuts with a conventional screwdriver. The manufacturer declared an interference-free installation, but in practice it turned out that installing Eclipse, for example, on Intel board The D975XBX is only possible in one orientation, because in the other three "interference" between the heatsink, mounting frame, and parts on the board prevented this.

The cooler comes in a large package (I can't remember a bigger package for coolers right off the bat) with numerous inscriptions (specifications, list of supported AMD and Intel processors, etc.). The kit has 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 “giantness” (or “giantness”? :)), that is, its impressive size, this station wagon (K8 / LGA775) has a quite reasonable price ($20 cheaper than Eclipse) and excellent performance, putting it on a par with top competitor products.

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

A large 12cm TT-1225A fan in signature Thermaltake color not only blows over the fins and base itself, but also around 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 grille (output voltage at a minimum of 7 volts). Despite being relatively quiet, this fan delivers up to 86.5 CFM of airflow at a noise rating of 16 to 24 dBA.

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

• faster (at 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 complaints - both because of the complexity/labor-intensiveness of the installation, and the danger of the cooler being skewed and the thermal contact broken. Now it's easier: for the LGA775, a metal frame with standard swivel plastic caps is attached (like on a boxed cooler), and for AMD K8 processors - a clamping lever (the disadvantage of which, however, is the use of only one of the hooks on each side, which, with such 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 allows installation on most boards in any of 4 orientations.

The Big Typhoon VX comes in a red and black cardboard box with a clear plastic insert listing features, specifications and key features. 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 typical orientations of heat pipes in space.

Table 1. Specifications 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, cub. mm	132x120x105	132x120x105	122x122x103
Number of heat pipes	3	4	6
Material	Copper base, 6mm heatpipes, aluminum heat spreader fins
Fan
Dimensions, cub. mm	90x90x25	66x68 (turbine)	120x120x25
Bearing	sleeve	sleeve	long life
Rotation speed, rpm, ±10%	900-3000	900-3300	1300-2000
Speed ​​control	jumper and PWM (4-pin)	jumper and PWM (4-pin)	manual regulator (3-pin)
Maximum performance, CFM	55,3	39,8	86,5
Max. air pressure	-	-	2.22 mm H2O
Operating voltage, V	+5…+12	+5…+12	+7…+12
Consumed current, A	0,4	0,58	0,25
Noise level, dBA	17minimum, 25 medium	17 minimum	16-24
Life time, hours	40 000	40 000	-

Heat Transfer Test Method

As before, the Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93 GHz) operating at a clock frequency of 3.20 GHz by increasing the processor multiplier by one step above the nominal was chosen to counter the coolers for the processor based on the Conroe core. The clock frequency of FSB and memory on the Intel D975XBX board was nominal 266 (533/1067) MHz. Under such conditions, the processor provides an approximately dual-core CPU, the next in the line after the X6800. In addition, the frequency of 3.2 GHz is the almost guaranteed level to which the current Conroe overclocks without any effort from the overclocker. So at the same time we are testing 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), hard drive WD800JD and one 90mm front fan blowing at 2500 rpm. The same Zalman ZM-STG1 liquid thermal paste was used for all coolers, except for the Big Typhoon VX (it was tested with the "native" paste). The temperature in the room 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 utilities Everest Ultimate Edition 3.01.652, SpeedFan 4.30 and Intel DCC under MS Windows XP SP2 were used. At the same time, the rotation speed of the processor cooler fan was recorded. Processor load computations were simulated in the Conroe-optimized S&M 1.8.1 program for three different load levels:

• 100% (maximum possible warm-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 a typical office job, although such a statement needs additional verification).

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

Cooler Master Eclipse was tested by us in three fan operation modes: at +12V power supply, at fixed low speeds (jumper=2-3) and at the lowest speeds (completely open jumper). For the Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX, the tests were carried out at two extreme positions of its speed controller.

Was it a boy? (Does orientation matter?)

So, first of all, let's check whether the heat transfer of a heat pipe cooler depends on its orientation in space relative to the direction of gravity. Indeed, many still think that there is, since steam is lighter than liquid. ;)

The Big Typhoon VX cooler is convenient enough for such a check. It allows you to easily install itself in various positions, and is also equipped with a speed controller. Big Typhoon VX has been tested in three spatial orientations:

• The board is vertical, the tubes are 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 of the cooler on the orientation of the heat pipes in the gravitational field, if one 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 is this happening? Yes, because the manufacturers of heat pipes are still not bast shoes 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 gravity, providing evaporation at the hot end of the tube, wherever it is. :)

By the way, these diagrams clearly show that lowering the rotation speed of the Big Typhoon VX fan by a third (with a corresponding decrease in its noise level, see below) almost does not lead to a loss of heat transfer - the temperature of the components cooled by it rises by an average of only one degree! That is, the design of the radiator of this cooler is such that even at 1300 rpm. the cooler's efficiency is close to saturation (at higher RPMs, the bottlenecks are the tubes, their joints with the sole and fins, and also, perhaps, insufficiently free air flow between the fins - maybe they should be thinned out a bit). This means that there is no particular point in increasing the speed of this cooler to 2000 per minute. :)

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 are quite capable of cooling it to the passport temperature (let me remind you that the temperature inside the processor chip measured by us is several degrees higher than the temperature specified by Intel by the lid of his hitspreader). Slightly worse than the others, however, is the pretentious Mars from Cooler Master, but the latest Eclipse turned out to be in a good position, making a "warm company" (pardon the pun) for much cheaper CM Hyper TX and GT Igloo 5700 MC coolers. Big Typhoon frankly pleased, showing results at the level of the more expensive Zalman CNPS9500 AT and losing only to the super-elite 9700th Zalman! Moreover, the Big Typhoon VX turned out to be unconditionally the best at fan speeds lowered to 1300, demonstrating almost no deterioration in heat transfer (see above) and significantly outperforming even the Zalman CNPS9700 LED at the same fan 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% S&M, chart above), it turns out that the cooler disposition has not changed much: Big Typhoon VX is still third at full speed, competing with CNPS9500 AT, and the best at lower speeds , confidently outperforming CNPS9700 LED and cooling the board the best. Cooler Master Eclipse is on a good score, 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 standard temperatures at low speeds.

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

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 testing

Cooler noise was measured using a sound level meter VShV-003-M3 according to the previously developed method (see and ). The results are shown in the diagram along with the fan tachometer readings.

The Cooler Master Eclipse with a small diameter turbine fan turned out to be the quietest at low speeds (in PWM mode), beating even the Zalman CNPS9500 AT running at 660 rpm! Unfortunately, with such virtually inaudible work, it is only able to cope with the “office” (50 percent) load of our monster processor. Whereas at medium fixed speeds (1900 per minute), Eclipse, in principle, copes (in our conditions of cooling inside the case) even with 100% S&M loading of Conroe 3.2 GHz, while demonstrating noise at the level of 26 dBA (relatively quiet but still heard). The Big Typhoon VX makes about the same noise at the minimum, reduced to 1300 rpm. However, its heat transfer is incomparably higher! Given that at full speed the noise of the Big Typhoon increases to a very noticeable 38 dBA, and the heat transfer almost does not change, I think there is no need to say that using this mode of operation is practically pointless. :) And that "added value", which is due to the use of a more powerful fan and the presence of a speed controller, is unjustified. By the way, Cooler Master Eclipse at full speed turned out to be the noisiest of our players, and considering the above data on heat transfer, it probably also makes no sense to operate it in this mode, limiting itself to an average fixed speed or PWM control.

Conclusion

So, we got acquainted with another new product from Cooler Master - a "turbine" Eclipse model with 4 heat pipes, as well as a slightly modified Big Typhoon VX cooler from Thermaltake compared to a year-old model. Unfortunately, Eclipse turned out to be more in the spirit of Mars cooler from the same manufacturer (demonstrating moderate heat dissipation with fancy appearance and price), rather than continuing the traditions of this manufacturer's successful semi-budget Hyper TX line, worthy of all praise. In particular, it turned out that in terms of heat dissipation, Eclipse is generally no better than Hyper TX, 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 the Big Typhoon VX, which confirmed its highest efficiency, although its design, as we could see, is not free from flaws: its operation at more than 1300 rpm is simply not advisable.