Introduction

A whole year passed since our last roundup of Pentium 4 heatsinks, as with the Athlon XP roundup I did in August we see the integration of heat pipes on a lot of the high end models.

This will be a to the point review, each heatsink will be evaluated on easiness of use and installation, compatibility with different platforms and of course its performance will be thoroughly tested.

This review is split into 3 parts; The first part describes each heatsink in detail with pictures, good/bad points and performance with different fans and settings. In the second part I put up all heatsink in one large table with the fan configuration which has proven best in the separate tests. And finally the last part consists of extra tests with a conclusive thought.

This review is part of an even bigger one as I continue to receive P4 heatsinks for review; the newcomers will be evaluated in the upcoming part 2. This review is all about the following contestants:

Aerocool DP-102

Aerocool HT-101

Coolermaster Hyper6

Coolermaster Vortex

Evercool CUW8-715

Scythe FCS-50

Scythe NCU2000

Speeze Coppersnake

Swiftech MCX478-V

Thermalright SP-94

Thermalright XP-90

Thermalright XP-120

TTIC NPH-1

So let’s get on with the show

Test setup

My trusty P4 2.4 "C" was dusted off and ready for another 40+ hour of torture testing:

JMke's Test Setup
CPU	Intel P4 2.4 "C" @ 3 Ghz - 1.65v vcore
Mainboard	Asus P4C800
Memory	1 * 256Mb PC3200 Mushkin Special Series
Video	ATI R9000 Passive Cooling

all results were taken with room temperature at ~25°C, but temp fluctuations, different mounting and user error can account up to 1-2°C of inaccuracy in the obtained results. Please keep this in mind when looking at the results. Each heatsink was tested repeatedly; if I got questionable results I restarted the test.

Setup was installed in a case less environment

System was stressed by running two instances of CPU Burn for 30min (after Thermal Compound’s burn-in); this application pushes the temperature higher then any other application or game I’ve yet encountered.

An aluminum P4 default heatsink was included for reference, it features a medium loud 70mm.

Arctic Silver kindly send us their “Lumière” thermal testing compound which has the same colour as Ceramique, but only a break in time of 30min!

Arctic Silver’s ArctiClean was used to clean off thermal paste of the CPU and heatsink between tests


Fans used

Most of these heatsink support 80mm fans, some support both 80 and 92mm, and one or two were able to fit a massive 120mm fan:

Coolink 80mm High/Low specs of this fan here. Very loud at maximum speed. Average noise production when running at low speed.

Papst 92mm Ultra High Multifan 3312 (pic) very high output fan, with large dead spot in the middle. Very loud.

Papst 92mm High/Low 3412 N/2GL rated at 36CFM at ~23dBA. It is virtually silent at low speed setting and remains silent even when running at full speed.

Papst 120mm High/Low 4412 F/2GLL (pic) rated at 18dBA at max speed it delivers ~40CFM. Was run at max speed ~1250rpm and at ~850rpm, more specs here. Very silent at lowest setting; audible at highest speed.

YS-Tech 120mm FD1212257B-2I (pic) , rated at 45dBA at max speed (~2600rpm), more specs here, was tested at maximum speed and is very loud.


With all the details explained it is time to meet our first contestant ->

Aerocool DP-102:

The Aerocool DP-102 has been around for some time now, it’s a copper tower heatsink with a heatpipe in the middle; using a removable bracket you are able to mount up to two fans, either 70mm or 80mm in size. I received an older version which relies on the Intel bracket for installation, however the latest version available from Aerocool features a backplate.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:

Copper heatpipe

70 and 80mm fan support (2*)

580gr without fan


Construction:


click the thumbs for a larger picture

The heatsink itself is well constructed, the base is fairly smooth but machine marks can be seen. Switching between AXP and P4 platforms requires changing the mounting plate you see on the pictures above. The fan bracket needs some adaptation in order to switch between support for 70 and 80mm sized fans.


Installation:


click the thumbs for a larger picture

The older version of the DP-102 I’m testing here requires the removal of the fan bracket to be able to push down the clips into the lips of the P4 bracket. This is fairly easy and doesn’t require you to remove the motherboard, however…


Problems and issues:


click the thumbs for a larger picture

No matter in which direction I placed the fan holder, it would obstruct with Intel bracket and prevent proper installation of any fan. In the picture on the right you can see the only way I was able to mount the fan, but this in turn obstructed the DDR ram slots on the motherboard, so I ended up taping the 80mm Coolink fan to the heatsink for the performance tests.

I contacted Aerocool concerning this problem and they confirmed that I had an outdated version of this heatsink:

Our DP-102 original design was for AMD socket with dual fans option of 6cm/7cm fan and with 7 to 8cm fan adaptor for 8 cm fan. YES, there is a problem to install 8cm fan with the P4 clip-on clips in our first edition of DP-102. This is a known problem but we have solved this problem in our new version of DP-102. Instated of using clip-on clips, we are using 4 spring-screws and back plate to mount the heat sink

Performance:

So after taping the 80mm Coolink to one side of the Tower I started my temperature tests:



With the fan at High settings the DP-102 turns in some respectable results, at low speed settings it beats the Intel cooler while being less noisy. Although I wasn’t able to test it here, mounting 2x fan will give you a nice balance between noise and performance as seen in this review at Viperlair, do note that it will require a lot of free space around the CPU socket and won’t be possible on all motherboards.


Let’s take a look at its brother, the HT-101 ->

Aerocool HT-101:

Aerocool’s HT-101 was released after the DP-102 and shows a more streamlined design, it does away with the single heatpipe in the center, and features 3 separate heatpipes in a U form which are joined in a copper base. The fan bracket also support 2 fans to be installed.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* 3 Copper heatpipes in a U form joined at the base
* 70 and 80mm fan support*2
* 1x 80mm fan included
* 470gr without fan


Construction:


click the thumbs for a larger picture

The overall finishing of this heatsink is quite high, the base is smooth with no visual marks of machine lapping. Its compact size makes it light weight, even though it is made for the most part out of copper. Changing between AXP and P4 mounting gear takes some time, the included manual comes in very handy as it explains the required steps in detail.



Installation:


click the thumbs for a larger picture

Installation is not straight forward and requires you to remove the motherboard from the case. Place the back plate at the correct spot, then place the motherboard on a flat surface; now comes the tricky part, you have to put the plastic stand-offs over each mounting hole, then place the heatsink on the CPU and have your screwdriver and screws ready to fix the unit in its place. This could have been made easier by securing the stand-offs to the P4 metal mounting plates.

Problems and issues:

Depending on the orientation of the CPU socket you might have problems with larger north bridge heatsinks or capacitors which are too close to the socket. Mounting 2 fans might prove challenging.

Performance:



The HT-101 delivered performance on par with the DP-102 with 40°C at high fan speed; but at the fan’s more silent setting it pulls away. The more closed fan bracket allows air to be ducted and pass through the whole heatsink, whereas with the DP-102 the air could still escape at the sides.

The design of the HT-101 can be seen in a more extreme version, turn to page to discover the Hyper6 from Coolermaster ->

Coolermaster Hyper6:

When Coolermaster uncovered their new high end heatsink at Cebit 2004 it made quite an impact. Weighing in close to 1kg it almost triples Intel maximum weight specs for the P4 heatsinks. 1kg of copper, 3 heatpipes it sounds promising and extreme!

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* 3 seperate copper heatpipes joined at the base
* 80mm fan support (a second fan be mounted if you find the correct mounting screws)
* 80mm fan included with rheobus
* 990gr without fan

Construction:



click the thumbs for a larger picture

The Hyper6 has an outstanding finish, the base is extremely smooth, the overall construction is well thought out, the different platters have see-saw dents to increase cooling surface.


Installation:


click the thumbs for a larger picture

Installation is a breeze as it uses Intel’s default retention bracket. The clips slide over the lips with great ease. The heatsink sits quite high and towers over your motherboard, installation of the Coolink 80mm fan went without issue.

Problems and issues:


click the thumbs for a larger picture

Although Coolermaster came close to perfection with this heatsink, they are a few bad points, the included “universal” mounting bracket which is required for installation on A64 platforms does not fit my Asus P4C800, not a big problem but worth mentioning. The fan bracket sits a trifle loose and with the included 80mm Coolermaster fan it will vibrate and create quite some noise, even at low fan speed. Due to its high weight I strongly recommend removing the heatsink when transporting your PC, the damage 1kg of loose metal can do inside your PC is not to be underestimated. Coolermaster is using a custom Fan design which requires shorter screws for mounting, swapping the fan with one of your own is not plug and play as you have to have the correct screws.

Performance:



The default Coolermaster fan spins slower then the Coolink at high speed, but faster at low speed, this can be seen in the graph above. The Hyper6 delivers stunning performance even with the fans running at their slowest setting.


Onto our next victim ->

Coolermaster Vortex Dream:

The Vortex Dream is Coolermaster’s mainstream heatsink and fan solution; aimed at increasing performance over the default Intel stock heatsink while keeping noise levels to a minimum, does it succeed?

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* Full copper design
* 70mm fan support
* 70mm fan included with rheobus
* 485gr without fan


Construction:



This heatsink has a very compact design and will fit any motherboard without issue, the core of the heatsink is made out of full copper with a whole collection of fine fins soldered into the center. The base is very smooth; machine lapping is only faintly visible.

Installation:



Installation very straightforward and is as easy as installation the default Intel cooler, a well implemented method of using clips which are attached to both the heatsink and fan.

Problems and issues:

Due to its small size only 70mm fans are supported, this limits the amount of fan-choices to a minimum. The included 70mm at High speed is quite loud, but drops below the noise level of the Intel HSF when the rheobus is turned to its lowest setting. The smaller the fan, the higher the pitch of the fan noise, this fan is only a bit louder @ low then the Coolink 80mm fan @ low.

The default fan configuration has the fan blowing cool air down onto the heatsink, changing the direction of the fan did not cause performance differences, this 70mm CoolerMaster fan also uses custom mounting screws and you’ll need an extra set of screw in order to switch the fan’s orientation and secure it.

no finger guard on the fan!

Performance:



With the 70mm fan running at high speed the performance is more then adequate to keep this overclock CPU running within specifications. Lowering the fan speed brings the temperature up to the level obtained with the Intel Stock cooler, but at lower noise level!

Evercool CUW8-715:

This Evercool heatsink is also aimed at the mainstream market like the Coolermaster Vortex.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* Copper base with fins soldered on
* 70mm fan support
* 70mm fan included
* 345gr without fan


Construction:



Overall good finishing on this compact heatsink, although machine lapping marks can be seen on the base. The small fins are soldered into the base and are aligned to put out at each side of the heatsink.

Installation:



Plug and play installation and makes good use of the Intel retention bracket.

Problems and issues:

The small 70mm is noisy when running at full speed, considerably louder then the stock Intel fan, after hooking it up to a rheobus and halving its rotation speed the noise level drops enough to make it silent, but…


Performance:



The performance is not good, swapping out your Intel stock cooler for the Evercool CUW8-715 will give you a louder, but not necessarily much cooler, PC. Lowering the speed of the 70mm caused the temperature to rise past 70°C and the system powered itself off.

I received word from Evercool that they have a new mainstream P4 HSF cooler ready for testing and I will include this updated version in the 2nd part of this roundup.

Scythe FCS-50:

This is Scythe’s first heatpipe equipped heatsink aimed at the high end aircooling market, featuring a rather unique design it will be interesting to see how it performs

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* Copper base with Heatlane heatpipe going in a circle around the whole design
* 2*80mm fan support
* 1*80mm fan included with rheobus
* 625gr without fan


Construction:





A smooth copper base is the building block on which a rather uniquely formed heatpipe is placed. SilentPCReview has a nice write-up on how this heatpipe works; in short: the wraparound Heatlane heatpipe transfers the heat from the copper base to the fins which in turn are cooled down by the installed fan(s). In the bottom three pictures you can see the heatpipe from up close. Depending on the orientation of the heatsink and setup within your case changing the direction of the fan will give better/worse performance. This flexible design allows you to find the best performance in your case (no pun intended).


Installation:



The installation is identical to previous Scythe products, it’s not completely plug and play and requires the use of a lengthy Philips screwdriver. You place the mounting bracket over the Intel retention bracket clips, then place the heatsink in the middle, align the holes and screw the heatsink down. Everything is clearly explained in the included manual.

Problems and issues:



Installation with only one fan will not present serious troubles as you can chose which side of the heatsink the fan will fit best. On the Asus P4C800 it cleared the north bridge heatsink by a few millimeters, but at the other side no objects could obstruct the installation. Golden rule: when selecting a larger heatsink for your system do some research before making a buying decision.

Performance:



The default fan equals the performance of the Coolink at high settings, but its lowest setting is considerably slower then our Coolink fan, causing the P4 to overheat. The performance of the FCS-50 is impressive and sits next to the Hyper6 and SP-94 at the top!

Scythe NCU2000:

In a world of 100+Watt CPU’s it is hard to imagine a passive cooler being sold this day, say hi to the Scythe NCU2000, aimed at very silent computing. But in order to achieve this goal you better have sufficient airflow inside your case. Let’s take a closer look at the unit.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* Passive cooling!
* Copper base, aluminum fins, Heatlane heatpipe technology
* no fan support
* 505gr without fan :-)


Construction:





In the top right picture you can see that the heatsink’s design is similar to that of the FCS-50, the Heatlane heatpipe once again transfers it heat to the fins which are placed at each side of the pipe. The finishing on the heatsink is top notch and the copper bottom plate is very smooth!



Installation:



First thing you need to do is assemble the NCU2000, after spreading a thin layer thermal compound on the base you screw on the copper bottom plate for P4. A64 users have another route to take. Both installation methods are described step by step in the included manual and it won’t take long before you are ready to install the unit. Utilizing the Intel retention bracket I was looking forward to some plug and play action. Unfortunately it takes a bit longer to get secure the heatsink in its place, the best method I’ve found was to turn the screw halfway through two metal strips and then placing them under the lips of the retention bracket, making sure the bottom of each screw is aligned with the little “cup” cutout in the copper bottom plate. A few turns of the screwdriver later the NCU2000 sits securely on your CPU.


Problems and issues:

The whole installation method is not exactly pick up and play, it requires some time and concentration, seeing as the bottom plate is not integrated into the base of the heatsink by default it will have a negative impact on performance, as thermal compound can only do “so” much. Scythe traded in performance for cross-platform compatibility and I can only applaud this, but if the performance hit is not too big.

Performance:

In the test below the heatsink was tested with active cooling installed, later in the review you will find performance numbers of a more passive setup. How did I attach the Papst 120mm fan? Take a look at the picture in the installation section :)



Although the NCU2000 was not meant to work with active cooling installed, it still delivers impressive numbers, 47°C with the 120mm Papst fan running at high speed, which is still fairly silent! Dropping to the fan speed has only a minor effect as it increases temperature by a mere 3°C.

Speeze Coppersnake:

Speeze has an extensive line-up of end user friendly heatsinks, their Coppersnake is a stock cooler replacement aimed at the mainstream market.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* 70mm fan support
* 70mm fan included
* 500gr


Construction:



The solid copper base is very smooth, a series of thin fins are soldered into this base. The heatsink’s compact design promises easy installation

Installation:

2 metal spring clips secure the heatsink in its place, plug and play.

Problems and issues:

When I first started the performance tests the system shut down after a short period of time, removing the heatsink revealed the problem. The base was not making sufficient contact with the CPU core, this problem can be avoided by making sure you don’t have a retention bracket with those 4 plastic mounting plugs. We encountered a similar issue with CoolJag's 66IC heatsink here.

The 70mm fan is noisier at full speed then the Intel’s fan.

Performance:



The Coppersnake delivers average performance numbers at High fan speed, but is unable to keep the temperature within acceptable limits when the fan speed is halved.

Swiftech MCX478-V:

This Swiftech has been around for some time now and has been regarded upon for its fine balance between noise and performance.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* Big copper base, alu fins soldered in, flower design
* 80 and 92mm fan support
* 620gr without fan


Construction:



A very thick copper base with a perfect base finish, the small helicoid pins point outwards in a flower pattern. Workmanship on this heatsink is excellent.

Installation:



2 Clips secure this heatsink in the Intel retention bracket, you have to apply quite some pressure to hear them go “click”, you have to watch out not to bend any of the helicoid pins in the process as the one of the side tend to break of easily. Overall thumbs up for this tool less installation method.

Problems and issues:

I encountered no issues with the Swiftech MCX-478 whatsoever!

Performance:



Swiftech recommends the use of an 80mm fan on this heatsink for performance as the 92mm sized fan has to cope with a larger dead spot in the middle. This can be witnessed as the Ultra Loud 92mm Papst is only able to keep up with the smaller 80mm at High speed. When setting the 80mm to “low” not enough fresh air passes to the pins to keep the CPU from passing critical temperature. The normal 92mm Papst is fairly quiet, even at 12V, with this fan the MCX478-V is able to keep the temperature below 60°C and provide a more ear-friendly HSF combo.

Thermalright SP-94:

Our first Thermalright entry is the high end SP-94 which has proven itself in the past.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* A full copper heatsink with 3 heatpipes running through the middle
* 80 and 92mm fan support
* 590gr


Construction:



The finishing on this heatsink is simply excellent, the 3 heatpipes are joined at the base , which is very smooth and shows machine lapping only faintly. The heatsink large size can be a source of concern when you first see it, but Thermalright compiled a motherboard compatibility list which proudly states:

.

The 3 heatpipes deliver different performance depending on the heatsink’s orientation. Horizontal gives best performance, while vertical will give 1-2°C higher results.


Installation:


Installation requires motherboard removal; you first mount the back plate, then place the heatsink on the standoffs and screw it secure. Then you attach the fan clip for either 80 or 92mm fans. It is a straightforward installation but takes some time, the Thermalright website has a guide which helps you through the process step by step.

Problems and issues:

I had no problems with the SP-94.

Performance:



The best configuration for the fans seemed to be blowing down onto the heatsink “sucking” air away decreased performance. Performance scales up with each increase in CFM of the fan used. I included the Coolermaster Hyper6 fan as I noticed some changes in performance versus the testing I did earlier between these two heatsinks. However, when using the Coolermaster fan the performance was the same as tested before. With the Coolink 80mm at high the SP-94 delivers the best performance seen so far. At the other end of the scale we see the Papst 92mm at low setting equal the Stock Intel cooler, I had to put my ear next to the Papst in order to hear it spin.

Thermalright recommended fan is a Panaflo 92mm (pic), I’ve included it here, as you can see it pushes more air then the Papst fan, but it is also louder.

Thermalright XP-90:

This is Thermalright’s latest additions to their high end heatsink family. Made from copper and aluminum it aims at offering the performance of the SP-94 at lower cost.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* Copper base with with 4 heatpipes, fins in aluminum
* 80 and 92mm fan support
* 360gr


Construction:




The design of the XP-90 and XP-120 is very similar as you can see in the comparison pictures above; the XP-90 is the smaller one of the two. Thermalright stepped away from their tried and tested SLK/SP design of heatsink and went back to drawing boards. They came up with this, a mixture of heatpipes, copper and aluminum, rolled into one. The heatpipes are joined in a copper base, and the heat from the heatpipes is transferred to aluminum fins which are spread out to create the largest possible surface. This creates a new challenge when it comes down to motherboard compatibility. Where as the older SLK/SP models only had the occasional run in with a difficult motherboard layout, with the XP-120 the problem was much larger, their compatibility list for the XP-120 (P4/A64) features a lot of text in the comments field next to a whole line-up of motherboards, including my Asus P4C800. For those who can not fit the XP-120, Thermalright designed the XP-90 which fits every motherboard out there, either A64 or P4, so that’s good news!

Another novelty in comparison with the SP-94 is that heatsink orientation no longer influences performance! The heatsink comes with 2 rubber bands which need to be placed between the fan and the heatsink to remove vibration noise


Installation:



Motherboard removal is advised but not required, you will have to go to some length to access the 4 clips and push them over the Intel retention bracket’s lips. For removal a screwdriver will come in handy. Overall not too much hassle to install the heatsink and it can be removed and installed quite easily if the motherboard is outside of a case.


Problems and issues:

compatability: No remarks here, you need to have quite a fancy north bridge heatsink in order to cause problems with the XP-90, and if you do want to use a fancy NB sink, then you can simply turn around the XP-90 and be done with it!

fan mounting clips: the included clips only with fans which have open corner flanges

Performance:



The only fan which did not provide enough airflow to keep the system stable was the Papst 92mm at “low” setting, the SP-94 has a large copper base to use as a buffer zone and this gives it the edge. You might have noticed those 120mm results in the list. Using the 92mm fan clips and some rubber bands you are able to secure a 120mm fan on the heatsink, although I do not recommend it for running 24/7, unless you swap those rubber bands for more stronger gear. The Panaflo 92mm delivers some excellent results, only beaten by the Coolink which is much noisier, and the YS-Tech 120mm. Putting a fan in “suck” configuration can shaves 1-2°C from your temperature.

Overall performance of the XP-90 can be summed up very quickly: good performance with high speed fans, excellent performance with low speed fans.

Let’s take a look at its bigger brother ->

Thermalright XP-120:

The XP-120 features native 120mm fan support, quite a rarity in the CPU cooler market, when it was first introduced a lot of people questioned its compatibility with current and future motherboards, time for Thermalright to prove themselves

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:


there is a P4 only version out there, the other is for P4 and A64
The difference is clearly marked on the packing box

* Copper base with with 5 heatpipes, fins in aluminum
* 120mm fan support
* 370gr


Construction:




Excellent finishing, a very smooth copper base, no less then 5 heatpipes which disperse their heat to aluminum fins which cover the surface the size of an 120mm fan. A small rubber strip needs to be attached at each side to reduce vibration noise.


Installation:




Motherboard removal is strongly advised, not all motherboard can accommodate the large size of this heatsink, please refer to these lists from Thermalright(P4/A64). Getting the clips under the Intel retention bracket’s lips can be quite a challenge, even more so then with the XP-90, overall straightforward installation.

Problems and issues:

Depending on which motherboard you have, you might encounter mounting difficulties, on the Asus P4C800 the XP-120 will bend some of capacitors next to the CPU socket.

fan mounting clips: the included clips only with fans which have open corner flanges

Performance:



Seeing as the XP-90 provided excellent performance, it would be a shame to see the XP-120 perform worse, luckily it doesn’t disappoint, with impressive temperature results at both low and high settings its claims a place at the top of the ranking.

TTIC NPH-1:

Our last contestant comes from the lesser known TTIC, since they are responsible for making the winner in our Athlon XP HSF roundup I have high hopes. The NPH-1 has a heavier brother, the NPH-101, the sole difference is the copper fins versus the aluminum fins on the NPH-1. Both turned in identical performance results in my earlier tests.

Specifications:

This heatsink can be installed on:



* Copper heatpipe, aluminum fins
* 2*70mm fan support
* 2*70mm fans included
* 475gr


Construction:



A large heatpipe in the middle, small aluminum fins. Unfortunately the base does not look very smooth, large machine marks can be seen, however in my earlier tests versus the NPH-101 which has a much smoother base I could not find any performance differences.


Installation:


Motherboard removal is required, you place the base plate at the back, then put the motherboard on a flat surface, place the heatsink over the 4 mounting holes and start screwing until you have properly secured the heatsink. A very straightforward installation. For the best performance the 2 fans need to installed in suck/blow configuration.


Problems and issues:

To be able to mount the 2 fans your motherboard can not have a large north bridge heatsink, or the CPU socket orientation must be different.

the smaller 70mm fans are LOUD at full speed, but luckily they become rather silent when their rotation speed is cut in half.

Performance:

The ability to mount 2 fans can provide a nice performance boost, whereas with the other heatsinks in this test who support 2 fans I only included one to represent the most “fair” and obtainable results, I feel confident that the TTIC with its small low profile 70mm fans will not cause compatibility problems in the same order as the larger 80mm equipped heatsinks.



For those who read through the previous test I did of the NPH-1, you won’t be too surprised to see these results, TTIC has made a small powerhouse as this heatsink delivers excellent performance with a single fan, and even better when 2 fans are used!

Results: High & Low Speed Fans

Here’s our test system again:

JMke's Test Setup
CPU	Intel P4 2.4 "C" @ 3 Ghz - 1.65v vcore With Arctic Silver Lumiere
Mainboard	Asus P4C800
Memory	1 * 256Mb PC3200 Mushkin Special Series
Video	ATI R9000 Passive Cooling

If the result of a fan equals 0°C then it means the System reached critical temperature, it crashed.

Only results included here with the fans specified on the 1st page of this article, I did not have a common 70mm, so the stock one delivered with the heatsink was used.

Noise ranking, remember that a larger fan is more silent then a smaller one, so noise-wise 70 > 80 > 92 > 120mm.

all results were taken with a room temperature at ~25°C, but temp fluctuations, different mounting and user error can account up to 1-2°C of inaccuracy in the obtained results. Please keep this in mind when looking at the results.

Fans @ LOW speed



The Coolermaster Hyper6 takes the lead here temperature wise closely followed by the NPH-1 and Thermalright’s XP-120, but looking at noise/performance it’s Thermalright XP-120 which takes the crown. The Aerocool, Scythe and other Thermalright heatsinks are all closely together, with a temperature difference between them of 2°C. When looking at the mainstream cooling solutions we only see the CM Vortex in the graph still holding the system below critical temps.


Fans @ HIGH speed



Turning the dial on the rheobus to its maximum setting changes the layout of the graph a bit. The SP-94 becomes the sole leader, followed by a pack consisting of the Hyper6, FCS-50, NPH-1 and XP-120. The XP-90 and Aerocool heatsinks are in the middle of the graph with still excellent numbers.

The XP-90 catches up with the XP-120 when both are using the same 120mm Papst fan, the Swiftech MCX-478V is barely able to shake of Coolermaster’s Vortex which precedes the NCU2000. The Coppersnake sits at the way station between good performance and average “so-so”. None of the heatsink performed worse then the Intel Stock Aluminum, luckily! :-)


Onto our passive cooling tests ->

Passive tests:



I placed the 120mm Papst 30cm away from the CPU and aimed it at a predefined angle towards the heatsink, the 120mm Papst delivers 40CFM at 18dBA, so only a minimal amount of air turbulence was created. A more extensive article with in-case testing is scheduled for release next month so look at these numbers as a guideline, they are not definitive.

Only the NCU2000 was designed for passive cooling, but I though it would be interesting to see how the other large heatsinks would handle P4 when they were passively cooled.

P4 @ 2000Mhz – 1.65v vcore



The NCU2000 does what it is supposed to do, very good. No other heatsink comes close, although the XP-120 is showing impressive numbers. The Hyper6 is handicapped due to the metal fan bracket which blocks most of the air from passing through its copper fins. Aerocool’s DP-102 is very close to critical temperatures.

P4 @ 2400Mhz – 1.65v vcore



When we add 400Mhz to the clockspeed all results increase quite linearly with ~5°C, the DP-102 drops of the list, while the Hyper6 is running very close to the limit.

Overall I was quite surprised by the results of XP-120, which provided impressive numbers when compared to the NCU2000.


Detail test: XP-90 vs SP-94

Since the XP-90 was touted as the SP-94 killer, here are all the different results I obtained in one graph, color coded for your viewing pleasure



What conclusion can we draw from the above numbers?

80/92mm @ High: SP-94 takes the lead

80mm @ Low: comparable performance

92mm @ Low: XP-90 takes the lead

Now remember that comment I made on the SP-94 detail page about heatsink orientation:

Horizontal gives best performance, while vertical will give 1-2°C higher results.

Let’s take worse case scenario and add 2°C to the results of the SP-94:

80/92mm @ High: SP-94 lead is reduced

80mm @ Low: comparable results

92mm @ Low: the XP-90's lead increases

Since most users are moving away from small, noisy fans the XP-90 will accommodate their needs excellently, providing better performance with large low speed fans when compared to the SP-94.

With all the results compared it is time for a summary and conclusion ->

Specification summary

A quick overview of Socket compatibility and fan support:



None of the heatsinks will fit Intel's latest LGA775 type socket. The Scythe FCS-50 sticks out as the only heatsink which fits all other platforms.

Update: I was informed that Thermalright has released a LGA775 retention bracket for Socket 478 coolers, pictured here. So every Heatsink in this roundup which uses the default Intel retention bracket can be installed on LGA775 by using this nifty product!



The entrees made with * require extra modifications in order to make the fan fit.



Intel specified 450gr as the maximum weight for P4 heatsinks, about 8 out of 13 heatsinks tested are in close range of these specifications, 4 others have 200gr extra weight which is no cause of concern yet. The Hyper6 is extremely heavy, close to 1kg!

Installation summary

Points are deducted from 10 where issues where found with motherboard compatibility, or during installation. Over complicated installation procedures are penalized, as is the requirement for motherboard removal.



The MCX478-V, Vortex and Evercool score quite high due to their compact size and easy installation method, the Coppersnake loses a few points due to issues with certain P4 retention brackets. Overall compatibility is quite good as most manufactures try to get their heatsink to match Intel's specifications. For those who don't you best contact their support service which can provide you with a definitive answer on whether a certain HSF will fit your motherboard or not. I had the hardest time getting the HT-101 installed due to many loose parts which needed to be aligned "just right" in order for it to fit. The DP-102's install was excluded as I had a version which was using an outdated mounting method.


Performance summary

A compiled graph of the 60 results from all heatsinks with different fan configurations. 0°C entrees where the heatsink could not keep the CPU under critical temperature were removed.


Too small to read? Click the image for the full size version

We see quite a large difference between those tests run with High speed fan versus Slow speed setting; the Hyper6 is the first entry with the Coolink 80mm @ low, closely followed by TTIC NPH-1 with 2x70mm fans. The passive tests were also included in the graph, do note that the CPU speed was lower with these tests. All heatsinks with temperatures below 50°C can be classified in the higher performance category; those who pull it off with the equipped fan running at low speed are truly high end. Thermalright is well represented in the top ranking; the Hyper6, NPH-1 and FCS-50 are able to keep up with the toughest competition, closely followed by Aerocool's line-up.

Although it is not apparent when looking at the graph above, the sound generated with different sized fan should be calculated in the end results. Those heatsinks which support larger fans and provide good performance have the noise level advantage. The XP-120 with its 120mm fan support does an excellent job of keeping the CPU cool at extremely low noise levels, when equipped with the Papst 120mm fan (which is rated at ~18dBA @ full speed) CPU temp does not pass 45°C under load, even when the fan's rotation speed is cut in half.


Conclusion

After spending countless hours with close to 8kg of P4 coolers it is time to draw a final conclusion. When the SP-94 was introduced last year it took an impressive lead over the competition, this competition has now caught up with the top performer. Thermalright's new heatsinks are geared towards low noise operation and succeed very well at their job. But they are not the only ones to offer this performance, giving the user plenty of choice when picking up a high performance heatsink.

Many factors decide which heatsink will go best with your current PC and your budget, using Google's price finder, Froogle, I compiled the following price list, the prices are averages, you might find the listed heatsink at a lower/higher price in a local shop near you.



You have to remember though that some products have been on the market for time now time, and their initial launch price has been lowered quite a bit since then. I won't name an ultimate winner in this 1st part of this roundup, in this summary I have presented to you all the information needed to make an informed decision when upgrading your cooling. Combining your preferred performance, installation method, compatibility and price range you can see which heatsink will fit you best.

I hope you found this roundup useful, and do stick around for the 2nd part which features more new comers from Thermalright, Coolermaster, Speeze, Evercool and others!

For more information on the heatsinks and the manufactures please visit their homepage:

Aerocool: HT-101 and DP-102

Coolermaster: Hyper6 and Vortex Dream

Evercool: CUW8-715

Scythe: NCU2000 and FCS-50

Speeze: Coppersnake

Swiftech: MCX478-V

Thermalright: SP-94, XP-120 and XP-90

TTIC: NPH-1

Question/Comments: forum thread