Alpha AMD XP heatsink S-PAL8055F Review
CPU Cooling by piotke @ 2004-06-12
ALPHA is back with an improved AMD XP heatsink, the S-PAL8055F, does bigger mean better? Does it stand a chance against the SP-97?s heatpipes? Time to find out!
Review
Introduction
Introduction
Not that long ago, when you wanted the best cooling solution for your AMD Socket A system, you heard only one name, "Alpha PAL8045". When Thermalright introduced their SLK (SLK-800, SLK900, SLK 947, ...) heatsinks and Swiftech updated their MCX series they passed the PAL8045 in performance, but the difference was not that big.
But when new heatsinks equipped with heatpipes started appearing on store shelves it was clear that Alpha’s time was over. The PAL trailed the Thermalright SP-97 by more then 10°C in our heatsink roundup last year.
But now ALPHA is back with an improved AMD heatsink, the S-PAL8055F, does bigger mean better? Does it stand a chance against the SP-97’s heatpipes? Time to find out,
So today, me and my monkey, will find out if we have a new Socket A heatsink king.
Specifications:
Total Weight: 519 grams
Overall height: 86 mm
Material: 6063 Aluminum
Finish: Black anodized
Embedded: Copper 1100 or 1020
More information can be found here.
Package
S-PAL8055
All the screws and clips and stuff needed for installation
A little bag of thermal paste
A clear and decent manual
Content from the box, click for bigger picture:
The heatsink close up:
They have improved the old PAL design by making the it larger and using round pins in the middle and square ones on the outside to increase airflow
Installation:
The PAL8045 didn't score very high when it came to installation easiness. The mainboard had to be removed for installation, and when removing the heatsink the little standoffs came off also, so you ended up having to use pliers to get them unscrewed. Does the S-PAL bring an improved installation method?
Well, you no longer need to remove your motherboard, so that’s a plus, but how exactly do you get it installed?
Make some kind of bracket, and put it over the socket.
Put the heatsink on the CPU, and put the bolts with the springs through the heatsink. Then screw it together.
Attach the fan to the top cover, and then put the cover on the heatsink.
Doesn’t look too difficult and if you are a patient person it is really straight forward. But it’s not quite plug-and-play yet, due to the great quantity of little bolts and high DIY interaction required.
On the left you see the bracket, on the right it is installed.
Time for some testing ->>
Not that long ago, when you wanted the best cooling solution for your AMD Socket A system, you heard only one name, "Alpha PAL8045". When Thermalright introduced their SLK (SLK-800, SLK900, SLK 947, ...) heatsinks and Swiftech updated their MCX series they passed the PAL8045 in performance, but the difference was not that big.
But when new heatsinks equipped with heatpipes started appearing on store shelves it was clear that Alpha’s time was over. The PAL trailed the Thermalright SP-97 by more then 10°C in our heatsink roundup last year.
But now ALPHA is back with an improved AMD heatsink, the S-PAL8055F, does bigger mean better? Does it stand a chance against the SP-97’s heatpipes? Time to find out,
So today, me and my monkey, will find out if we have a new Socket A heatsink king.
Specifications:
More information can be found here.
Package
Content from the box, click for bigger picture:
The heatsink close up:
They have improved the old PAL design by making the it larger and using round pins in the middle and square ones on the outside to increase airflow
Installation:
The PAL8045 didn't score very high when it came to installation easiness. The mainboard had to be removed for installation, and when removing the heatsink the little standoffs came off also, so you ended up having to use pliers to get them unscrewed. Does the S-PAL bring an improved installation method?
Well, you no longer need to remove your motherboard, so that’s a plus, but how exactly do you get it installed?
Doesn’t look too difficult and if you are a patient person it is really straight forward. But it’s not quite plug-and-play yet, due to the great quantity of little bolts and high DIY interaction required.
On the left you see the bracket, on the right it is installed.
Time for some testing ->>
Testing
Testing:
Three different 80mm fans were used:
Low noise/rpm:
SANYO 80mm 109P0812M701
Airflow: 20.13 CFM
Noise: 21 dBa
Nominal speed: 2000rpm
80x80x15mm
Medium noise/rpm:
Delta 80mm AFB0812SH
Airflow: 46 CFM
Noise: 40dBa
Nominal speed: 4000rpm
80x80x25mm
High noise/rpm:
Delta 80mm FFB0812EHE
Airflow: 80.16 CFM
Noise: 52.5 dBa
Nominal speed: 5700rpm
80x80x38mm
Room temperature: 25°C
No case used
Thermal paste: generic compound
At default Athlon XP speed and core voltage the new S-PAL trails by 4-5 °C. You have to keep in mind that the SP-97 is the best AXP heatsink around at the time of writing. So the performance of the new Alpha can hardly be called "bad", just not as good as the SP-97. :)
The Medium noise/speed fan was used in this test
In the second batch of test I raised the core voltage to 1.85 V, this increases the heat output from ~68W to ~75W. Since heatpipes’ efficiency increases further when the heat output rises we see the SP-97 pull away. The S-PAL keeps the CPU’s temperature under 50°C and will give the end-user some headroom for overclocking.
Onto the conclusion ->
Piotke's Test Setup | |
| CPU | AMD Athlon XP 2400+ |
| Mainboard | Asus A7N8X-E dlx |
| Cooling | - Alpha S-PAL8055F - Thermalright SP-97 |
Three different 80mm fans were used:
Low noise/rpm:
SANYO 80mm 109P0812M701
Medium noise/rpm:
Delta 80mm AFB0812SH
High noise/rpm:
Delta 80mm FFB0812EHE
At default Athlon XP speed and core voltage the new S-PAL trails by 4-5 °C. You have to keep in mind that the SP-97 is the best AXP heatsink around at the time of writing. So the performance of the new Alpha can hardly be called "bad", just not as good as the SP-97. :)
The Medium noise/speed fan was used in this test
In the second batch of test I raised the core voltage to 1.85 V, this increases the heat output from ~68W to ~75W. Since heatpipes’ efficiency increases further when the heat output rises we see the SP-97 pull away. The S-PAL keeps the CPU’s temperature under 50°C and will give the end-user some headroom for overclocking.
Onto the conclusion ->
Conclusion
The aftermath...
Did Alpha set out to create the next high-end performer with their S-PAL series? I don't think so, rather a revision so it can keep up with newer AXP CPU's out there. They improved the old PAL design by making it larger and using round pins in the middle and square ones on the outside to increase airflow, it paid off, but not enough to make it the #1 again.
The cooling performance is certainly not bad, but nowadays a lot of heatsink manufactures use heatpipes to give their product an edge in the “temperature/noise ratio battle”. This method increases overall price, this can give conventionally build heatsinks an advantage if they use competitive pricing.
The Thermalright SP-97 can be yours for ~$50, while I found the S-PAL8055F priced at more considerate ~$30 at NewEgg. Deciding between these two (or other high end heatsinks) will depend on your needs and requirements. If you want a capable heatsink which comes at a fair price then you can’t go wrong with the Alpha. For those seeking the best of the best at no matter what price, we can heartily recommend the SP-97.
PRO
Good performance with low RPM fans
Competitively priced
CON
Installation method can be tedious if you are not the patient type.
No longer the king of XP heatsinks
I would like to thank Takashi from Alpha for giving us the possibility to review this fine product.
Questions/Comments: Forum thread
Did Alpha set out to create the next high-end performer with their S-PAL series? I don't think so, rather a revision so it can keep up with newer AXP CPU's out there. They improved the old PAL design by making it larger and using round pins in the middle and square ones on the outside to increase airflow, it paid off, but not enough to make it the #1 again.
The cooling performance is certainly not bad, but nowadays a lot of heatsink manufactures use heatpipes to give their product an edge in the “temperature/noise ratio battle”. This method increases overall price, this can give conventionally build heatsinks an advantage if they use competitive pricing.
The Thermalright SP-97 can be yours for ~$50, while I found the S-PAL8055F priced at more considerate ~$30 at NewEgg. Deciding between these two (or other high end heatsinks) will depend on your needs and requirements. If you want a capable heatsink which comes at a fair price then you can’t go wrong with the Alpha. For those seeking the best of the best at no matter what price, we can heartily recommend the SP-97.
PRO
Good performance with low RPM fans
Competitively priced
CON
Installation method can be tedious if you are not the patient type.
No longer the king of XP heatsinks
I would like to thank Takashi from Alpha for giving us the possibility to review this fine product.
Questions/Comments: Forum thread