Best CPU-Cooler Performance

Overclocking is a lot like skydiving and break dancing: not everyone does it, but it's really fun for those of us who do. There's a level of overclocking for every enthusiasts, from simple speed bumps to the record-breaking liquid nitrogen extreme projects. Overclocking is addictive, and before you know it the bug has you looking at hardware that might cost as much as a low-end computer system. Allow me to stand and tell you my name is Olin Coles, and I'm an overclocker. I'm not ashamed; at least not for being a PC-hardware enthusiast... but my occasional leap from an airplane or casual windmill-to-poplock is another story.

Overclockers demand only the best performance from their computer hardware, which is why the aftermarket heatsink industry is thriving with competition. Using both the overclocked 140W AMD Phenom-II X4-965 BE and six-core Gulftown Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition processors, Benchmark Reviews tests several new thermal solutions for our Best CPU Cooler Performance Intel/AMD Q1-2010 article. Notable entries include the ProlimaTech Armageddon, Cogage Arrow, Noctua NH-D14, Thermalright Venomous-X, and Zalman CNPS10X-Performa.

Two desktop processors stand at the forefront of enthusiast wish-lists: AMD's Phenom-II X4-965 CPU and Intel's Core i7-980X Extreme Edition "Gulftown" 6-core processor. In response to requests from our community, Benchmark Reviews decided it was time to give AMD their time in our Best CPU Cooler Performance series. So in this Best CPU Cooler Performance Q1-2010 article, an overclocked AMD Phenom II X4 965 "Black Edition" processor was used (original 140W version), and given a heart-warming 1.55 volts to the vCore so it could reach 4000MHz (4GHz) stable. Likewise, our hexa-core Intel Core i7-980X Gulftown received 1.375V for a stable-but-warm 4.0GHz overclock on the capable ASUS P6X58D-Premium motherboard.

This article is huge, and lets face it, you're probably going to skip directly to the results. Fight the urge! Please take the time to read this entire article to best absorb all of the information contained. I've put a lot of time into this work, and not everything is revealed in the charts.

Computer hardware is an ever-evolving industry, and since Moore's law only applies to an exponentially growing transistor count then there should probably be another law for cooling. In the very recent past there have been two major trends which have accelerated the performance potential of CPU cooler. That first development was the use of heat-pipes to directly contact with the CPU surface; which resulted in the Heat-pipe Direct Touch technology. The second development is by no mean a new concept, just new to our industry in specific. For many years now heatsinks have been full of right angles, but very recently companies have begun to recognize the need to disrupt smooth airflow and reduce the laminar skin effect which allows air to travel just above the solid surface. Some manufacturers have used at least one of these new concepts in their product design, and only a few are beginning to incorporate both. Benchmark Reviews will see how much this affects the overall performance as we test a large segment of enthusiast cooling products.

Benchmark Reviews strives to offer the overclocker and PC-hardware enthusiast community solid evidence reflecting the true performance of computer products through rigorous testing and evaluation. I personally understand that many of the readers who visit Benchmark Reviews have been involved with other community websites for several years, and therefore take our test results personally. So now that our test process has been reworked, we have collected the most complete source of benchmark results possible and gathered in a controlled environment. The purpose of this article from our quarterly series is to document performance and declare the best CPU coolers available for the Intel LGA1366 and AMD AM2/AM3 sockets as of Q1-2010.

Before the Intel Core i7/X58 platform arrived, the Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors did their part to separate the cream of the crop from our large collection of LGA775 coolers. In a previous Best CPU Cooler Performance article, Benchmark Reviews retired the LGA775 platform from its testing duties and made room for the up-and-coming LGA1366 socket. It didn't take long to collect several CPU coolers designed for the Intel Core i7 CPU & X58 platform. It's a mistake to think that any LGA775 cooler can do just as well with the new LGA1366/Core i7 platform; primarily because the size and location of processor cores has changed.

Before we inspect each member of our new CPU cooler collection, let's establish that our tests consist of methods we have determined to be the best for our one singular purpose. Our methodology isn't written in stone, and could very likely be changed or modified as we receive justification (and feedback from the community). Our scope is limited to stand-alone products only, meaning those products which can be installed and operated without additional critical components needed or kit construction. This generally excludes most commercial liquid cooling systems, which may potentially offer better performance than the products we test for this article but require components to be assembled from various options and equipment. Suffice it to say, the vast majority of gamers and enthusiasts are using air-cooled solutions and therefore we target this review series towards them. We encourage hardware enthusiasts to utilize the equipment available to them, and select the cooling fan that best suits their needs. Just keep in mind that exceptional cooling performance must begin with the CPU cooler, and end with the cooling fan. It's the foundation of the unit that makes a difference, which is exactly what we're after in this article.

Thermally Conductive Elements

Manufacturers have made a small fortune off of confusion tactics and misinformation. Marketing departments often times neglect to refer back to solid science when making their bold claims, which is why we have assembled a complete list of thermally conductive elements in the reference chart below.

It's very well known that Silver, Copper, Gold, and Aluminum together comprise the top four most thermally conductive elements. However, without knowing the thermal conductance of these elements you might be fooled into thinking the performance was close. As it turns out, Silver and Copper both offer nearly twice the performance of Aluminum when transferring thermal energy such as heat. The reason Aluminum is used in so many applications is because it's the least expensive top-tier metal available. Most Thermal Interface Material and CPU coolers use several different elemental ingredients to work together, but after a careful inspection of the performance levels it comes as a surprise to me that some of the most popular products make use of such poor conductive elements.

Recipes usually call for only the finest ingredients, and the very same principle is true for overclocker and hardware enthusiast products. Thermal pastes are often times mixed from at least a dozen different components, while heatsink coolers may use only one or two different metals. Armed with the knowledge above, you might expect any silver-based product to be a clear-cut winner... but building a superior product by design is different than what you receive in execution. Production and material costs usually dictate how the product is designed and fabricated.

Keep these materials in mind as we take a look at the new products Benchmark Reviews has collected for this round-up article, beginning with our first contender...

3R-System IceAge Prima Boss-II IA-120B2

Korean-based 3R-System, Inc. produces the IceAge Prima Boss-II IA-120B2, which is a strong seller worldwide except for perhaps the Americas where they're a relative unknown.

3R-System devotes five staggered heat-pipe rods to the 152mm tall IceAge Prima Boss-II, and notched aluminum heatsink plates allow for up to two 120mm fans to be attached to the dense aluminum finsink.

The added heatsink above the heatpipe base helps the IA-120B2 model cool better than its predecessors, although 3R-System offers a tall 160mm version named IceAge Prima BossII-HQ.

Features and Specification

• Name: 3R-System IceAge Prima Boss-II
• Model Number: IA-120B2
• Size (LxWxH): 131x95x152mm
• Weight: 1.61 LBS (730 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 5x 8mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 120mm fans
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base Finish: Polished-Nickel Heatpipes
• MSRP: Check Prices

The IceAge Prima Boss-II uses a combination of familiar CPU cooler technologies on their IA-120B2 model, primarily the mounting clip system which appears to be based on the Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer CR-CCTF or Titan FENRIR TTC-NK85TZ. Installation requires access to the backside of the motherboard, and for AMD systems the plastic mounting-clip frame must be removed to accommodate the custom 3R-System backplate. 3R-System has included a small application syringe of IceCream-V2 thermal paste, which should be applied according to our Best Thermal Paste Application Methods guide.

Overclocking enthusiasts have learned through experience that three 8mm heat-pipes make full contact with most AMD Athlon-II and Intel Core Duo processor, while four heat-pipes nearly cover the full surface of the newer Phenom-II or Core-i7 CPUs. Using both the overclocked AMD Phenom-II X4-965 BE (140W version) and six-core Gulftown Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU's, Benchmark Reviews evaluates cooling performance with the 3R-System IceAge Prima Boss-II IA-120B2 CPU-cooler.

Cogage Arrow CPU Cooler

Cogage is the mainstream branch of Thermalright products, and the name stands for Computer and Gaming Gear. They've already earned a strong name for themselves with the launch of their Cogage TRUE Spirit CPU cooler, which is a more-affordable version of the extremely popular Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme CPU cooler.

Designed with nearly twice the heatsink radiator offered in the TRUE Spirit, the Cogage Arrow CPU-cooler follows Thermalright's penchant for building powerful heatsinks.

Features and Specification

• Name: Cogage Arrow
• Model Number: CPU-TRI-72
• Size (LxWxH): 147x123x160mm
• Weight: 1.82 LBS (825 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 4x 8mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: 120mm Fan Support
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366 (AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 Optional)
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base: Smooth C1100 Nickel-Plated Copper
• Price: $69.95

Cogage includes a single 120x120x25mm PWM cooling fan with the Arrow heatsink, along with a tube of (C-rated) Chill Factor thermal paste. Despite their 'mainstream' intentions, Cogage (Thermalright) is an Intel-centric company. The Cogage Arrow heatsink support the most current LGA775/1156/1333 sockets, but because most Thermalright coolers share the same mounting clip system a separate $10 AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 kit will expand compatibility to Athlon and Phenom processors.

The oversized Cogage Arrow heatsink may not fit with some motherboards, and may also block system memory DIMM slots, so make sure to check compatibility prior to purchase. The contact surface finish is similar to past Thermalright products, and offer a smooth but slightly textured and unpolished finish. Unless the surfaces is lapped flat and polished smooth, it's recommended that a thicker TIM be used to fill the small ripples in the base of the Cogage Arrow.

Coolink Corator-DS Heatsink

Coolink has a reputation for offering quality cooling components to the greater European region, with products like the Coolink Silentator delivering good performance without much noise. Almost twice the size of their Silentator model, the Coolink Corator-DS offers a twin-finsink radiator design with four copper 8mm heatpipe rods connecting each side to an all-copper base.

While the dual heatsink radiator design may look very familiar, the exposed copper heat-pipe rods have been fused together with the copper base, making this one of the few HDT designs to use similar metals for the mating surface.

Features and Specification

• Name: Coolink Corator-DS
• Model Number: 4716123313519
• Size (LxWxH): 155x140x121mm
• Weight: 2.29 LBS (1040 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 4x 8mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: 120mm Fan Support
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base: Smooth Copper
• Price: Check Prices

Coolink isn't a household name here in North America, but merchants like FrozenCPU keep inventory of this product line. A full-size tube of Coolink Chillaramic thermal paste is included with the Corator-DS heatsink, the very same TIM that topped the results of our 80-way Thermal Interface Material Performance Test mega-article with an A- rating.

Using both the overclocked AMD Phenom-II X4-965 BE (140W version) and six-core Gulftown Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU's, Benchmark Reviews evaluates cooling performance with the Coolink Silentator CPU-cooler.

CyberPowerPC XtremeGear HP-1216B

Some elite-level PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts might be familiar with premium system builder CyberPowerPC. Building from the 3R-System IceAge Prima Boss-II design, they introduce the CyberPowerPC XtremeGear HP-1216B CPU-cooler.

The XtremeGear HP-1216B devotes five staggered heat-pipe rods to form a 152mm-tall CPU-cooler unit, and notched fins allow for two 120mm fans to be attached to the unit.

The added solid heatsink above the heatpipe base helps the XtremeGear HP-1216B further improves cooling performance.

Features and Specification

• Name: CyberPowerPC XtremeGear
• Model Number: HP-1216B (SKU FA-212-103)
• Size (LxWxH): 131x95x152mm
• Weight: 1.61 LBS (730 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 5x 8mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 120mm fans
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base Finish: Smooth Copper Heatpipes
• MSRP: Check Prices

The XtremeGear HP-1216B utilizes a familiar bolt-through mounting clip system, which means that installation requires access to the backside of the motherboard. Because of the bolt-through design, AMD systems must remove the plastic clip bracket surrounding the processor socket in order to accommodate the custom backplate. CyberPowerPC has included a small application syringe of generic thermal paste, which should be applied according to our Best Thermal Paste Application Methods guide.

CyberPower-PC offers the heatsink as an option on the custom systems, or available separately direct from XtremeGear for the low price of only $22$49. Budget-minded overclockers take notice, because the HP-1216B CPU Cooler could very well compete for the best value in the cooling aftermarket.

EDITOR'S NOTE: It appears that CyberPower-PC took advantage of the media coverage, and raised the price of their HP-1216B heatsink by 128%.

Dynatron Genius-G950 Heatsink

Taiwan-based Dynatron Corporation has been an active member of the aftermarket cooling industry since 1991; and although they've designed dozens of heatsinks and cooling products, very few people in North America are familiar with the name. The Dynatron Genius-G950 heatsink utilizes a twin-tower radiator design with a centrally-located cooling fan, very similar to the Cooler Master V8.

Four individual 8mm heat-pipe rods span across to both MicroFin heatsink radiators, but unfortunately the proprietary fan does not allow overclockers to replace the unit with one of their own choosing.

Features and Specification

• Name: Dynatron Genius-G950
• Size (LxWxH): 124x148x120mm
• Weight: 1.75 LBS (795 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 4x 8mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Proprietary 120mm
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base: Polished Nickel-Plated Copper
• MSRP: Check Prices

The Dynatron Genius-G950 heatsink comes with a small tube of GE-Toshiba TIG830SP thermal compound, and a bolt-through mounting kit with backplate. The polished contact base works best with thin low-Viscosity thermal pastes, and covers large processors very well. Using both the overclocked AMD Phenom-II X4-965 BE (140W version) and six-core Gulftown Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU's, Benchmark Reviews evaluates cooling performance with the Dynatron Genius-G950 CPU-cooler.

Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution

Introduced with the retail Core i7-980X EE processor kit, the Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution (ATS) offers two user-defined cooling profiles: Quiet (Q) and Performance (P).

Four 8mm copper heat-pipe rods connect to the copper base in a traditional 'U' design, and the 100mm Nidec UltraFlo fan glows with a blue LED similar to past Extreme Edition coolers.

Switched to Quiet-mode the Intel DBX-B cooler produces 20 dBA @ 800RPM, while Performance-mode creates a very-audible 35 dBA @ 1800RPM.

Features and Specification

• Name: Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution
• Size (LxWxH): 100x70x140mm
• Weight: 1.5 LBS (680 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 4x 6mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Proprietary 100mm
• Application: Intel LGA1366
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base: Polished Copper
• MSRP: Check Prices

Intel does not have any plan to market the DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution as a standalone product, since it's designed to be part of the Intel Core i7-980X BX80613I7980X box kit.

Noctua NH-D14 140mm Cooler

Computer hardware enthusiasts and PC overclockers are familiar with the Noctua brand name. Based in Austria and known for their brown-colored fans and Athene Noctua owl logo, the Noctua NH-D14 delivers big cooling potential with little noise emission.

The SecuFirm2 mounting system mates the polished nickel base firmly to either AMD or Intel processors, which connects six heatpipes into two separate finsink radiators.

The Noctua NH-D14 includes two NF-P14 140mm fans, but can also accept up to two NF-P12/120mm cooling fans.

Features and Specification

• Name: Noctua NH-D14
• Size (LxWxH): 140x130x160mm
• Weight: 1.98 LBS (900 Grams without fans)
• Heatpipes: 6x 6mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 140mm or 120mm
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base: Polished C1100 Nickel Plated Copper
• Price: $87.95

Noctua includes a full-size tube of enthusiast-rated NT-H1 thermal paste with the NH-D14 heatsink, which should be applied sparingly to the smooth polished surface. FrozenCPU offers the Noctua NH-D14 for $87.95, which seems pricey until you consider the two 140mm NF-P14 fans, bolt-through mounting kit, and NT-H1 TIM that all come with the giant-sized heatsink kit.

ProlimaTech Armageddon Heatsink

When enthusiasts hear the name ProlimaTech they immediately think of their award-winning Megahalems heatsink series, which now includes Megahalems Revision-B and the dark-tinted MegaShadow CPU coolers.

ProlimaTech has proven themselves to be the name to beat in aftermarket cooling products, and all of their heatsinks utilize the industry's very best bolt-through mounting clip system.

Twisting their previous designs to include both dark-tint finish and six 6mm heatpipe rods, the ProlimaTech Armageddon heatsink accepts dual 140/120mm cooling fans and offers excellent cooling potential.

Features and Specification

• Name: ProlimaTech Armageddon
• Size (LxWxH): 144x60x160mm
• Weight: 1.65 LBS (750 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 6x 6mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 140mm
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366 (AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 Optional)
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Extremely High
• Base: Polished C1100 Nickel Plated Copper
• MSRP: Check Prices

All twelve heatpipe ends are separated and given full contact with passing airflow. In all of our tests, the ProlimaTech Armageddon CPU-cooler performed much better when the heatsink was positioned horizontally with fans exhausting heated air directly towards the top of the computer case. Vertical heatsink orientation still provides good results, but internal heat-pipe liquid must overcome more travel against gravity.

Much like their Megahalems heatsink series, the ProlimaTech Armageddon is Intel-only. However, a separate $10 AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 mounting kit will expand compatibility to Athlon and Phenom processors.

While the ProlimaTech Armageddon CPU cooler does not come with any fans, there are enough retaining clips to support two units. Also included with the Armageddon heatsink is a full-size application syringe of Prolimatech PK-1 thermal paste, which earned high ratings in our 80-Way Thermal Paste Review article.

Thermalright Venomous-X Heatsink

For as long as Benchmark Reviews has tested CPU coolers, the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme (TRUE) has been a top contender.

Although the TRUE leaves behind a very long legacy of revisions and changes, Thermalright has moved on with an improved design that borrows from established technology.

The Thermalright Venomous-X is the fruit of those labors, and concentrates six 6mm heat-pipe rods into a staggered 'U' layout placed among dense aluminum "bent winglet" finsink plates.

Features and Specification

• Name: Thermalright Venomous-X
• Model Number: CPU-TRI-71
• Size (LxWxH): 125x158x160mm
• Weight: 1.82 LBS (825 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 6x 6mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 120mm
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366 (AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 Optional)
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Extremely High
• Base: Polished C1100 Nickel Plated Copper
• Price: $69.99

Aside from the improved Venomous-X heatsink design, Thermalright has introduced a new high-pressure bolt-through mounting system. This kit is only sold with the Thermalright Venomous-X heatsink, but with enough feedback from consumers Thermalright may soon offer it seperately for previous heatsink products. The Thermalright Venomous-X heatsink support the most current Intel LGA775/1156/1333 sockets only, for an additional $10 the AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 mounting kit will extend compatibility to Athlon and Phenom processors.

Better than previous TRUE heatsinks, the Thermalright Venomous-X receives a polished nickel finish on the contact base and removes the need for lapping. The extremely high-pressure mounting system paired to the flat polished contact surface means that a thin application of low viscosity thermal paste such as the included Chill-Factor TIM will offer the best results.

Thermaltake Contac-29 CLP0568

Thermaltake has been one of the most boldly-marketed companies to ever sell aftermarket cooling products. Their heatsinks and CPU-coolers generally offer either fresh new looks (a la Thermaltake SpinQ) or great performance (Thermaltake V14-Pro), but rarely do both work together nicely.

Switching from previous designs, the Thermaltake Contac-29 borrows from the time-proven Heat-Pipe Direct Touch (HDT) design first noticed in the Xigmatek HDT-S1283 heatsink, and keeps to the traditional 'U-tower' heatpipe rod layout.

Features and Specification

• Name: Thermaltake Contac-29
• Model Number: CLP0568
• Size (LxWxH): 120x50x159mm
• Weight: 1.23 LBS (558 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 3x 8mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 120mm
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Average
• Base: Smooth Copper Heatpipes
• Price: $36.99

Priced at $36.99, the Thermaltake Contac-29 CLP0568 is targeted at PC hardware enthusiasts and budget-minded overclockers. While the AMD clamp mounts exposed copper HDT rods very well to the processor and transfers heat to the twin-fan aluminum finsink, a standard push-pin mounting clip system keeps this cooler from reaching its very best possible performance with Intel CPUs.

Using both the overclocked AMD Phenom-II X4-965 BE (140W version) and six-core Gulftown Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU's, Benchmark Reviews evaluates cooling performance with the Thermaltake Contac-29 CPU-cooler.

Xigmatek Balder SD1283 CAC-SXHH3-U06

Xigmatek has taken Heatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) technology to new levels with their large CPU-cooler product line. Based on a blend of HDT-S1283 and Dark Knight S1283V designs, the Xigmatek Balder SD1283 utilizes three 8mm copper heat-pipe rods in a U-tower configuration with jagged aluminum fin plates.

The Xigmatek Balder SD1283 includes one 120mm cooling fan, but can fit a second unit on the reverse side of the heatsink.

NewEgg sells the Xigmatek Balder for $44.95, which puts this heatsink on the high-side of prices compared to other CPU coolers.

Features and Specification

• Name: Xigmatek Balder SD1283
• Model Number: CAC-SXHH3-U06
• Size (LxWxH): 120x50x160mm
• Weight: 1.54 LBS (700 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 3x 8mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 120mm
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base: Smooth Nickel-Plated Heatpipes
• Price: $44.95

Nickel-plated copper heatpipe rods receive a polished finish at the HDT base, similar to the Dark Knight version. Both the AMD socket-frame clip and the Intel ACK-17361 bolt-through kit keeps contact pressure very high on processor.

Zalman CNPS10X-Performa Cooler

Zalman, the company behind years of quiet cooling products, has taken their Zalman CNPS10X-Extreme design, and given it several tweaks to help focus purpose on specific needs.

The Zalman CNPS10X-Performa is designed for serious overclocking projects, and in many ways could be a better performer than the CNPS10X-Extreme.

Features and Specification

• Name: Zalman CNPS10X-Performa
• Size (LxWxH): 132x100x152mm
• Weight: 1.65 LBS (748 Grams)
• Heatpipes: 5x 6mm Sintered
• Fan Placement: Supports 2x 120mm
• Application: Intel LGA775/1156/1366, AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3
• Clip System: Bolt-Through with Back-Plate
• Mounting Pressure: Very High
• Base: Smooth Copper
• MSRP: Check Prices

The Zalman CNPS10X-Performa heatsink keeps the five 6mm copper heatpipe rods used for other CNPS10X-series coolers, but improves the finsink design with more aggressive central bands of rippled aluminum fins and allows a second 120mm fan to be mounted on the backside. These ripples reduce laminar airflow, and create a more efficient heatsink.

Included with all Zalman CNPS10X-series coolers is a small 3.5-gram pouch of Super Thermal Grease ZM-STG2M, the very same TIM that topped the results of our 80-way Thermal Interface Material Performance Test mega-article with an 'A' rating.

Zalman CNPS10X-Quiet Cooler

Keeping to their core philosophy, the Zalman CNPS10X-Quiet delivers performance without the noise.

Designed to cooler enthusiast computer systems and moderately overclocked processors, the Zalman CNPS10X-Quiet promises the same high-performance level of cooling that other CNPS10X-series heatsinks offer.

Features and Specification

With a less-dense fin array, the Zalman CNPS10X-Quiet heatsink is designed for lower-pressure cooling fan; primarily those fans which operate with minimal noise.

Using both the overclocked AMD Phenom-II X4-965 BE (140W version) and six-core Gulftown Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU's, Benchmark Reviews evaluates cooling performance with the Zalman CNPS10X-Quiet CPU-cooler.

Contact Surface Preparation

Processor and CPU cooler surfaces are not perfectly smooth and flat surfaces, and although some surfaces appear polished to the naked eye, under a microscope the imperfections become clearly visible. As a result, when two objects are pressed together, contact is only made between a finite number of points separated by relatively large gaps. Since the actual contact area is reduced by these gaps, they create additional resistance for the transfer of thermal energy (heat). The gasses/fluids filling these gaps may largely influence the total heat flow across the surface, and then have an adverse affect on cooling performance as a result.

Surface Finish Impact

CPU coolers primarily depend on two heat transfer methods: conduction and convection. This being the case, we'll concentrate our attention towards the topic of conduction as it relates to the mating surfaces between a heat source (the processor) and cooler. Because of their density, metals are the best conductors of thermal energy. As density decreases so does conduction, which relegates fluids to be naturally less conductive. So ideally the less fluid between metals, the better heat will transfer between them. Even less conductive than fluid is air, which then also means that you want even less of this between surfaces than fluid. Ultimately, the perfectly flat and well-polished surface is going to be preferred over the rougher and less even surface which required more TIM (fluid) to fill the gaps.

This is important to keep in mind, as the mounting surface of your average processor is relatively flat and smooth but not perfect. Even more important is the surface of your particular CPU cooler, which might range from a polished mirror finish to the absurdly rough or the more complex (such as Heat-Pipe Direct Touch). Surfaces with a mirror finish can always be shined up a little brighter, and rough surfaces can be wet-sanded (lapped) down smooth and later polished, but Heat-pipe Direct Touch coolers require some extra attention.

To sum up this topic of surface finish and its impact on cooling, science teaches us that a smooth flat mating surface is the most ideal for CPU coolers. It is critically important to remove the presence of air from between the surfaces, and that using only enough Thermal Interface Material to fill-in the rough surface pits is going to provide the best results. In a perfect environment, your processor would mate together with the cooler and compress metal on metal with no thermal paste at all; but we don't live in perfect world and current manufacturing technology cannot provide for this ideal environment.

Mounting Pressure

Probably one of the most overlooked and disregarded factors involved with properly mounting the cooler onto any processor is the amount of contact pressure applied between the mating surfaces. Compression will often times reduce the amount of thermal compound needed between the cooler and processor, and allow a much larger metal to metal contact area which is more efficient than having fluid weaken the thermal conductance. The greater the contact pressure between elements, the better it will conduct thermal (heat) energy.

Unfortunately, it is often times not possible to get optimal pressure onto the CPU simply because of poor mounting designs used by the cooler manufacturers. Most enthusiasts shriek at the thought of using the push-pin style clips found on Intel's stock LGA775 thermal cooling solution. Although this mounting system is acceptable, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Generally speaking, you do not want an excessive amount of pressure onto the processor as damage may result. In some cases, such as Heat-pipe Direct Touch technology, the exposed copper rod has been pressed into the metal mounting base and then leveled flat by a grinder. Because of the copper rod walls are made considerably thinner by this process, using a bolt-through mounting system could actually cause heat-pipe rod warping. Improper installation not withstanding, it is more ideal to have a very strong mounting system such as those which use a back plate behind the motherboard and a spring-loaded fastening system for tightening. The Noctua NH-U12P is an excellent example of such a design.

In all of the tests which follow, it is important to note that our experiments focus on the spread pattern of thermal paste under acceptable pressure thresholds using either a push-pin style mounting system or spring-loaded clip system. In most situations your results will be different than our own, since higher compression would result in a larger spread pattern and less thermal paste used. The lesson learned here is that high compression between the two contact surfaces is better, so long as the elements can handle the added pressure without damaging the components.

Thermal Paste Application

The entire reason for using Thermal Interface Material is to compensate for flaws in the surface and a lack of high-pressure contact between heat source and cooler, so the sections above are more critical to good performance than the application of TIM itself. This section offers a condensed version of our Best Thermal Paste Application Methods article.

After publishing our Thermal Interface Material articles, many enthusiasts argued that by spreading out the TIM with a latex glove (or finger cover) was not the best way to distribute the interface material. Most answers from both the professional reviewer industry as well as enthusiast community claim that you should use a single drop "about the size of a pea". Well, we tried that advice, and it turns out that maybe the community isn't as keen as they thought. The example image below is of a few frozen peas beside a small BB size drop of OCZ Freeze TIM. The image beside it is of the same cooler two hours later after we completed testing. If there was ever any real advice that applies to every situation, it would be that thermal paste isn't meant to separate the two surfaces but rather fill the microscopic pits where metal to metal contact isn't possible.

After discussing this topic with real industry experts who are much more informed of the process, they offered some specific advice that didn't appear to be a "one size fits all" answer:

1. CPU Cooling products which operate below the ambient room temperature (some Peltier and Thermo-electric coolers for example) should not use silicon-based materials because condensation may occur and accelerate compound separation.
2. All "white" style TIM's exhibit compound breakdown over time due to their thin viscosity and ceramic base (usually beryllium oxide, aluminum nitride and oxide, zinc oxide, and silicon dioxide). These interface materials should not be used from older "stale" stock without first mixing the material very well.
3. Thicker carbon and metal-based (usually aluminum-oxide) TIM's may benefit from several thermal cycles to establish a "cure" period which allows expanding and contracting surfaces to smooth out any inconsistencies and further level the material.

The more we researched this subject, the more we discovered that because there are so many different cooling solutions on the market it becomes impossible to give generalized advice to specific situations. Despite this, there is one single principle that holds true in every condition: Under perfect conditions the contact surfaces between the processor and cooler would be perfectly flat and not contain any microscopic pits, which would allow direct contact of metal on metal without any need for Thermal Interface Material. But since we don't have perfectly flat surfaces, Thermal Material must fill the tiny imperfections. Still, there's one rule to recognize: less is more.

Heatpipe Directional Orientation

Heat-pipe technology uses several methods to wick the cooling liquid away from the cold condensing end and return back towards the heated evaporative end. Sintered heatpipe rods help overcome Earth's gravitational pull and can return most fluid to its source, but the directional orientation of heatpipe rods can make a significant difference to overall cooling performance. For the purpose of this article, all CPU-coolers have been orientated so that heatpipes span from front-to-rear with fans exhausting upward and not top-to-bottom with fans blowing towards the rear of the computer case. This removes much of the gravitational climb necessary for heatpipe fluid working to return to the heatsink base. In one specific example, the horizontally-mounted ProlimaTech Megahalems heatsink cooled to a temperature 3° better than when it was positioned vertically. While this difference may not be considered much to some people, hardcore enthusiasts will want to use every technique possible to reach the highest overclock possible.

Heatsink Test Methodology

Benchmark Reviews is obsessed with testing CPU coolers, as our Cooling Section has demonstrated over the past few years. We've solicited suggestions from the enthusiast community, and received guidance from some of the most technical overclockers on the planet. As a result, our testing methodology has changed with every new edition of our Best CPU Cooler Performance series. Because of this, each article is really its own stand-alone product, and cannot be fairly compared to the others. This particular article is a perfect example of that principle, since we're using a fresh methodology. Benchmark Reviews continues to test CPU coolers using the stock included fan (whenever applicable), and then replace it with a high-output fan for re-testing.

Manufacturers are not expected to enjoy this sort of comparison, since we level the playing field for all heatsinks by replacing their included fan with a common unit which is then used for every CPU cooler tested. Many manufacturers include fans with their heatsink products, but most 'stock' fans are high-RPM units that offer great airflow at the expense of obnoxiously loud noise levels. By using the same model of cooling fan throughout our heatsink tests, we can assure our results are comparable across the board. This is one of the more significant changes we have made to our test methodology, since many of the benchmark tests we have conducted in the past have compared the total package. Ultimately we're more interested in the discovering the best possible heatsink, and we believe that you'll feel the same way.

Testing was conducted in a loosely scientific manner. Ambient room temperature levels were maintained within one degree of fluctuation, and measured at static points beside the test equipment with a calibrated digital thermometer. Manufacturer-supplied thermal paste was not used in these tests, and a common Thermal Interface Material of our choosing (listed in the support equipment section below) was utilized instead. The processor received the same amount of thermal paste in every test, which covered the ICH with a thin nearly-transparent layer. The heatsink being tested was then laid down flat onto the CPU, and compressed to the motherboard using the supplied retaining mechanism. If the mounting mechanism used only two point of force, they were tightened in alternation; standard clip-style mounting with four securing points were compressed using the cross-over method. Once installed, the system was tested for a baseline reading prior to testing.

At the start of each test, the ambient room temperature was measured to track any fluctuation throughout the testing period. Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition was utilized to create 100% CPU-core loads and measure each individual processor core temperatures. It's important to note that software-based temperature reading reflects the thermal output as reported from the CPU to the BIOS. For this reason, it is critically important (for us) to use the exact same software and BIOS versions throughout the entire test cycle, or the results will be incomparable. All of the units compared in our results were tested on the same motherboard using the same BIOS and software, with only the CPU-cooler product changing in each test. These readings are neither absolute nor calibrated, since every BIOS is programmed differently. Nevertheless, all results are still comparable and relative to each products in our test bed (see The Accuracy Myth section below).

Since our test processor report core temperatures as a whole number and not in fractions, all test results utilize EVEREST to report averages (within the statistics panel), which gives us more precise readings. To further compensate for this, our tests were conducted several times after complete power down thermal cycles. Conversely, the ambient room temperature levels were all recorded and accurate to one-tenth of a degree Celsius at the time of data collection.

When each cooler is tested, Benchmark Reviews makes certain to keep the hardware settings identical across the test platform. This enables us to clearly compare the performance of each product under identical conditions. While the ambient room temperature did fluctuate between 20.0~21.0°C during testing, the thermal delta would not change enough to impact our test results. Benchmark Reviews reports the thermal difference in test result charts. For the purpose of this article, thermal difference (not the same as thermal delta) is calculated by subtracting the ambient room temperature from the recorded CPU temperature.

Intel Test System

• Processor: Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition 6-Core Gulftown CPU BX80613I7980X
• Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D-Premium (Intel X58-Express Chipset)

AMD Test System

• Processor: AMD Phenom-II X4-965 BE (140W version)
• Motherboard: ASUS M4A79XTD-EVO (AMD 790X Chipset)

Support Equipment

• Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition v5.30
• Tuniq TX-3 (No curing time necessary or given)
Yate Loon 120x120x25mm fan, model D12SH-12 (88 CFM Advertised @ 40 dBA) 12V/0.30A
Xigmatek 140x140x25mm XLF-F1453 fans, model CFS-SYGJS-LU1 (65.5 CFM Advertised @ <16 dBA) 12V/0.30A
Xigmatek CrossBow ACK-I7361 (supports xxxx1 / xxxx2 / xxxx3 cooler models)
Xigmatek CrossBow ACK-I7363 (supports xxxx4 / xxxx5 / xxxx6 cooler models)
Thermalright LGA1366 Bolt-Thru-Kit UPC 814256-00079 (supports all TRUE and TRUE Spirit models)

All of the tests in this article have been conducted using vertical motherboard orientation, positioned upright in a traditional tower computer case. Heatsinks are positioned so that heatpipe rods span horizonally, and described in our Heatpipe Directional Orientation from the previous section.

At the start of our test period, the test system is powered on and EVEREST system stability tests are started with Stress CPU and Stress FPU options selected. For a minimum of sixty minutes (one hour) EVEREST loads each CPU core to 100% usage, which drives the temperature to its highest point. Finally, once temperatures have sustained a plateau, the ending ambient room temperature and individual CPU core levels are recorded thus completing the first benchmark segment.

The second test segment involves removing the stock cooling fan (while the system is still under load) and replacing it with a high-output 120 mm Yate Loon D12SH-12 cooling fan. The system is given thirty additional minutes with EVEREST loading the CPU cores before final temperature readings are taken and recorded.

The Accuracy Myth

All modern processors incorporate an internal thermal diode that can be read by the motherboards' BIOS. While this diode and the motherboard are not calibrated and therefore may not display the actual true temperature, the degree of accuracy is constant. This means that if the diode reports 40°C when it's actually 43°C, then it will also report 60°C when it's truly 63°C. Since the design goal of any thermal solution is to keep the CPU core within allowable temperatures, a processor's internal diode is the most valid means of comparison between different heatsinks, or thermal compounds. The diode and motherboard may be incorrect by a small margin in relation to an actual calibrated temperature sensor, but they will be consistent in their margin of error every time.

AMD X4-965: Stock Cooling Fan

When it comes to personal computers, you could probably divide users into two separate groups for almost any one topic. This article is no different, and those two groups include both enthusiasts and overclockers. Hardcore overclockers and serious hardware enthusiasts may not consider the stock cooling results very interesting, but they're welcome to skip ahead into the next section where we add a high-performance fan and then add overclocked values. Believe it or not though, some people are on a budget and don't have the extra money to spend on aftermarket cooling fans or an additional bolt-through mounting kit; sometimes they just want good cooling right out of the box. This section is for them.

In regards to fan noise, there are those of us who want it quiet while other will tolerate an eardrum-ringing whine. Since noise is a problem and not a solution, I believe that most enthusiasts want as much performance as they can get without additional tweaking and time-intensive modifications. That's what this test section is all about: how the cooler performs out of the box. For the "Stock Cooling Fan" results, Benchmark Reviews tests our collection of AM2/AM3 CPU-coolers for this article using the following criteria: Each cooler is tested with the manufacturer-included fan, so that performance will be relevant to consumers using the product in stock form.

In these stock-fan cooling tests, Benchmark Reviews tests each CPU cooler with the AMD Phenom-II X4-965 overclocked to 4.0GHz at 1.55V. Benchmark Reviews has tested several new products (along with a few top-performers from the previous series) in stock form for the AMD AM2/AM3 socket results charted above. The performance results position the coolers in the following order, with the temperature difference noted (CPU core temp minus 20-20.7°C ambient room temp) beside them:

In stock form with a high-temperature overclock, there are more than a few aftermarket coolers that fail to perform when put to task. Consider this when you're paying for a new CPU cooler, because some are designed for looks while others are meant for performance, and seldom do both come in the same package. Please note that certain coolers have been excluded from this test because they do not come with a cooling fan (such as the Xigmatek Thor's Hammer). Other coolers, such as the Prolimatech Megahalems, Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme, and Cogage TRUE Spirit do not come with AMD mounting brackets and must be purchased seperately.

AMD X4-965: High-Output Fan

Overclockers are known for being particular to their equipment, which is why Benchmark Reviews changes our format with each new project. Although it's impossible to nail-down which fan is the overwhelming choice for overclocker project, most enthusiasts would agree that the higher the airflow the more appropriate the fan. Because of size and design constraints in most of these products, a 120x120x25mm fan is as large as we can go with our collection of CPU coolers. This section uses the high-output Yate Loon D12SH-12 cooling fan on each product tested. The D12SH-12 cooling fan forces an impressive 88 CFM of air at a moderately noisy 40 dBA, and performs better than several 120x120x38mm fans we've tested (more on that later). In my experience, the Yate Loon D12SH-12 is one of the best 120mm cooling fans available in regards to the noise to performance ratio.

While our stock-fan performance tests utilize aftermarket CPU coolers in stock form, this section makes use of Yate Loon D12SH-12 cooling fan to tame the 4.0 GHz overclock at 1.55V on the AMD Phenom II X4 965. While some enthusiasts have dared to trespass beyond this voltage, Benchmark Reviews needed our test system to remain functional long enough to complete testing on nearly twenty various products under several different conditions. Our readers must remember that every product must pass testing on the same motherboard and processor, or the testing must be redone completely. This is why we backed down from 1.6V after a few tests, since three of the top coolers we tested could barely keep the temperatures under control.

All of the top performing CPU coolers have a few things in common: bolt-through mounting clip systems that create impressive contact pressure. Adding a high-volume fan ensure that the cooler performs at it's very best. Listed in their order of overclocked cooling performance, these are the Best CPU Coolers for an overclocked AMD AM2/AM3 socket, with the temperature difference noted beside each cooler (CPU core temp minus 20-20.7°C ambient room temp):

Without a doubt, the Scythe Mugen 2 SCMG-2000 is making a solid name for itself by leading the results with 26.2°C over ambient. This reinforces my Honorable Mention in the Benchmark Reviews Editors Choice Awards 2009. Xigmatek's S126384 does well enough to tame our overclocked processor down to 27.6°C over ambient. The new Zalman CNPS10X-Performa impressed us with an overclocked temperature of 29.8°C over ambient.

Of course, we can't forget that several high-end coolers didn't get tested on the AMD platform for lack of mounting hardware. Popular top-performers like the Prolimatech Megahalems, Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme, and Cogage TRUE Spirit will have to live in an Intel-dominated world... at least until the mounting kits arrive. In the next section, these heatsinks (and a few others) are tested on the six-core Intel Core i7-980X Gulftown processor.

Intel 980X: Stock Cooling Fan

Benchmark Reviews tries to cover every angle, but sometimes it's just not possible given our time constraints. Past articles from our 'Best CPU Cooler Performance' series have largely focused on the Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad LGA775 socket, and while the results are relevant to users owning that series of processor, the new Core i7 platform is completely different. To the inexperienced enthusiast, a top-performing LGA775 cooler might be (mistakenly) considered worthy for cooling a new LGA1366 Core i7 project. This would be a grave error, because not only are the two processors different in overall size, they also place the processor cores in different locations. Simply stated: what worked well on a Core 2 platform may not work very good at all with Core i7.

Since our Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition six-core Gulftown test processor has been overclocked to 4.0GHz for both LGA1366-based heatsink tests, the only real difference will be the fans used. For the "Stock Cooling Fan" results, Benchmark Reviews tests our collection of LGA1366 heatsinks for this article with the manufacturer-included fan, so that performance will be relevant to consumers using the cooling product in stock form. Manufacturer-supplied stock cooling fans usually offer either extremely high airflow or incredibly low noise, so there's a lot riding on what's packaged with the kit. Sure, there's added importance on the cooler's design and construction, but at the stock level these factors really don't carry tremendous weight.

Benchmark Reviews has tested several new products (along with a few top-performers from previous tests) in stock form for the Intel LGA1366 socket, with the average temperature difference (core temp minus ambient temp) noted beside each heatsink:

Using the included stock fan, the $69.95 Cogage Arrow yields an impressive performance of only 28.8°C over the ambient room temperature. For only $34.99 though, the Scythe Mugen-2 nearly ties performance by earning 29.0°C over ambient. Zalman's CNPS10X-Permorma also joins the top heatsinks after posting 29.71°C, while the Titan FENRIR and Thermolab BARAM chase it similar results. Not far behind the leaders is giant-sized Noctua NH-D14 that produced 30.09°C with two NF-P14 140mm fans. At an affordable $39.95 price point, the Cogage TRUE Spirit brings top-end performance to mainstream enthusiasts on a budget.

The Coolink Corator-DS heatsink offers excellent cooling performance with very little noise, and produced only 31.48°C over ambient with the stock SWiF2-120P fan. Tuniq's Tower-120 Extreme, the inexpensive CyberPowerPC XtremeGear HP-1216B, Xigmatek Balder SD1283, and 3R-System IceAge Prima Boss-II all battle within the 32°C range.

A noisy ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120-Premium delivered 33.44°C over ambient, while a much more quiet Cooler Master Hyper-N620 produced 34.27°C. The Thermaltake Contac-29, twin-fan Noctua NH-U12P SE1366, and Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution each offered a silent 36°C over ambient temperature. All in all, every single heatsink performed very well with an already-overclocked Intel 980X processor running at 4.0GHz with 1.375 volts.

If you want to see how all of these coolers performed with a high-volume cooling fan attached to the overclocked 980X processor, please continue into the next section...

Intel 980X: High-Output Fan

Overclockers are known for being particular to their equipment, which is why Benchmark Reviews changes our format with each new project. Although it's impossible to nail-down which cooling fan is the overwhelming choice for overclocker projects, most enthusiasts would agree that fans with the best static pressure and highest airflow are the most appropriate. Because of size and design constraints in most of these products, a 120x120x25mm fan is as large as we can go with our collection of CPU coolers. This section uses the high-output Yate Loon D12SH-12 cooling fan on each product tested. The D12SH-12 cooling fan forces an impressive 88 CFM of air at a moderately noisy 40 dBA, and performs better than several 120x120x38mm fans we've tested (more on that later). In my experience, the Yate Loon D12SH-12 is one of the best 120mm cooling fans available in regards to the noise to performance ratio.

Overclocked to 4.0Hz @ 1.375V, Benchmark Reviews tests our collection of heatsinks on the hexa-core Intel Core i7-980X Extreme Edition. While some enthusiasts may dare to trespass beyond this voltage, Benchmark Reviews needed our test system to remain functional long enough to complete testing on nearly twenty various products under several different conditions. Our readers must remember that every product must pass testing on the same motherboard and processor, and if one of these fail all the testing must be redone completely.

All of the top performing CPU coolers have a few things in common: bolt-through mounting clip systems that create impressive contact pressure. Although some mounting systems are better designed than others, The mounting system on the Prolimatech Megahalems and Armageddon heatsinks use a bolt-through system with slotted alloy plates to ensure a perfectly centered cooler, which was a good bit better than the Xigmatek Crossbow kits we use on compatible coolers. The new mounting kit that comes with the Thermalright Venomous-X heatsink creates a dangerous amount of contact pressure, although we were able to tighten the cooler all the way without incident. Thermalright's Ultra-120 eXtreme, Cogage TRUE Spirit, and Cogage Arrow all use a similar bolt-through kit that creates substantial contact pressure. At least half of our CPU cooler collection have very flat mirror-finished contact surfaces, whereas the other half use Heat-pipe Direct Touch (HDT) technology. Every single one of these coolers have either large-gauge heat-pipes, or several pairs of heat-pipe rods integrated into the base. In my opinion nearly every single product on this chart is an outstanding aftermarket cooler, but only a select few can be considered the very best!

Knowing that this would stir some controversy, many of these heatsinks were tested seven or more times each, with the highest and lowest results thrown out with the remainder averaged. Benchmark Reviews reveals the results of our Intel LGA1366 CPU-cooler performance tests using high-output cooling fans in the chart below:

When a heatsink costs $65, it had better be real good... and thankfully the ProlimaTech Megahalems is. Cooling to a temperature of only 24.29°C over ambient, the Megahalems has only one competitor with close reach: the $70 Thermalright Venomous-X heatsink with 24.47°C. Both heatsinks come with polished base and outstanding bolt-through mounting system, and neither forces you to use an under-powered stock fan, so take your pick!

Proving (to me, at least) that our Benchmark Reviews Editors Choice Award was hard-earned, the Scythe Mugen-2 produces 26.03°C at the entry-level price of $35. If you're not after any overclocking records, and you don't mind the giant hassle for installation, this could easily be the best value of the bunch. The equally-large Cogage Arrow delivers a similar 26.53°C. Titan's FINRIR cooler produces 27.92°C, which nearly identical to the Zalman CNPS10X-Performa, Coolink Corator-DS, and Cogage TRUE Spirit.

Equipped with two large Xigmatek 140x140x25mm XLF-F1453 fans on an even larger heatsink, the Noctual NH-D14 finds itself midway through our results with 29.10°C. Equally large, and equally-equipped with the same two 140mm Xigmatek cooling fans, the ProlimaTech Armageddon cools to 29.38°C without a peep. Perhaps it's the two extra cores on Gulftown, or the less-than-stellar mounting kit, but the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme falls down a few spots and rubs elbows with a $22 XtremeGear HP-1216B; which delivered 29.42°C and also matched the more expensive 3R-System IceAge Prima Boss-II. At 29.52°C over ambient, the massive Tuniq Tower-120 Extreme offered respectable performance, but the $64.99 price tag is a little too far off from fair market value.

For the first time in our testing, an Intel cooler has finished with top-level results. Set to 'Performance' fan speed, the Intel DBX-B Advanced Thermal Solution produced a notable 29.65°C over ambient temperature, which comes just barely ahead of the premium Xigmatek Balder SD1283 and Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384 heatsinks. The Noctua NH-U12P may be listed nearly the bottom of our chart, but 31.68°C is only five degrees from the top! To that same extent, the budget-priced Thermaltake Contac-29 finished our tests with 32.60°C.

Enthusiast Fan Comparison

Over the past few months there have been several requests by our readers for Benchmark Reviews to begin testing these coolers by using many different enthusiast level fans. While the idea seems interesting enough, the actual undertaking would be unreasonably time consuming. As it is now, each cooler already takes about two hours to install, prepare, and test; and most coolers receive five or more tests in stock and overclocked conditions. The test process for an individual cooler could take several days depending on ambient temperature and humidity.

In this section, we've taken the Yate Loon D12SH-12 that's been used for the past year of high-output testing and compared it to the Scythe Ultra Kaze, which is a 38mm thick enthusiast fan. I've heard a great number of enthusiasts claiming phenomenal results with the Ultra-Kaze, but it's not like me to believe hearsay. In this section, I've taken the opportunity to directly compare several 'high volume' test fans. Here's how it was done:

Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition is used to create full loads on each core utilizing the system stability test (Stress CPU and Stress FPU options), and also measure individual CPU core temperatures. After a minimum of sixty minutes at full load, temperatures sustain a plateau and the ending ambient room temperature and individual CPU core levels are recorded. The fans are quickly replaced while the system is still under load, annd given thirty additional minutes with EVEREST loading the CPU cores before final temperature readings are again taken and recorded.

• Intel Core i7-920 2.66GHz LGA1366 Processor
• Yate Loon 120x120x25mm model D12SH-12 (88 CFM @ 40 dBA) 12V/0.30A
• Scythe Kaze-Jyuni Slip-Stream 120x120x25mm fan, model SY1225SL12SH (110.31 CFM Advertised @ 37.0 dBA) 12V/0.53A
• CoolAge SX2 120x120x38mm fan, model CA-120SX2 (80 CFM Advertised @ 32 dBA) 12V/0.19A
• Scythe Ultra Kaze 120x120x38 model DFS123812H-3000 (133.6 CFM @ 45.9 dBA) 12V/0.60A

It becomes evident that there's a point of diminishing returns for every CPU cooler, and when 'over-fanned' the results collide closely together. Although the 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7-920 processor we've used for this test does a decent job of separating the crowd when these coolers keep their stock fan, once a high-output fan is attached there's really not much separating them all. So it's a good bet that most of these top-performing products could cool an overclocked system extremely well, but these days only the very best will do. Much like the Thermal Interface Material testing we've conducted, all of the high-performance products are beginning to perform at nearly the same levels. Eventually, I expect to see the same technology used in all cooling products with the difference being the application. This is where experience comes in handy, and we've shared some of this with you in our Best Thermal Paste Application Methods article. Remember, less is more when it comes to thermal paste, and soon CPU coolers may offer the same paradigm.

Taking a small collection of CPU coolers, Benchmark Reviews tested the performance of four different fans.

As you can see from the chart above, the Yate Loon 120x120x25mm model D12SH-12 fan performs the best compared to other enthusiast cooling solutions. Rated at 88 CFM by the manufacturer, I suspect that these are conservative figures. Operating on 0.30A, the Yate Loon D12SH-12 certainly moves a lot more air than suspected for a $7 fan. The real trick is in the operating voltage, which ranges from 6.5-13.8V, allowing enthusiasts to move the hot wire to either the 5V+ or 12V+ power lead. So until I'm given a good reason to think otherwise, Benchmark Reviews will continue to test high-output overclocked results with what I consider to be the best value in fans.

CPU Cooler Final Thoughts

There is one minor drawback to using the Core i7 or Phenom II processors which affects overclockers: the difference in CPU cooler mounting dimensions. Many overclockers and enthusiasts have grown to cherish their favorite cooler, and trust them to cool the hottest system they can build. The problem is that now many manufacturers are offering free adapter kits, or include an adapter with their current model coolers, which leads to bigger problems because of processor differences. For all of our LGA1366 test products, we used the Xigmatek ACK-I7361 or ACK-I7363 CrossBow bolt-through mounting kits whenever possible.

Heatsinks made for the old LGA775 platform are designed for use with a Core 2 (Duo or Quad) or Pentium 4 and D processor with an integrated heat-spreader measuring 28.5 x 28.5mm (812.25mm total area), but the LGA1366 socket requires a much larger 32 x 35mm (1120mm total area) footprint to accommodate the extra 591 'pins'. Then there's the LGA1156 socket, which measure 30mm square for 900mm of area. If you use an LGA775 or LGA1156 cooler on a LGA1366 socket, your missing out on up to 38% (307.75mm) of the contact surface. Additionally, the cores are located in slightly difference locations; the Core 2 Quad is slightly spaced away from the center, while the Core i7 is concentrated there.

The Phenom II processor series from AMD offer a very large 37.31 x 37.31mm (1392.04mm total area) integrated heat-spreader surface, which is the largest processor surface I can recall since the original Intel Pentium (I) days. Compared to Intel's Core 2 Duo and Quad processors which measure 28.5 x 28.5mm, the Phenom II offers over 71% more contact surface area. If you compare the latest Intel Core i7 processors which measure 32 x 35mm, then the Phenom II series offers 24% more contact surface area. For overclockers, this will mean a much larger area to cool, but also much more manageable temperatures.

There are a lot of different products out there, and believe it or not we exclude a few from each article because they don't stack up well at all. So this is why you may not see some of the coolers other sites have tested in our results. Because of space and time limitations it's just simply not feasible to review them all, but it's certainly worth mentioning which products should be avoided. So I began to carefully think about it and nearly constructed a real-time chart which places products into different levels of performance. That's when I realized that performance is relative, too, and what performs well today might be considered low-end only a year from now. Perhaps the best method for testing is to use a synthetic system to generate the same exact load for each and every test conducted. This would stand the test of time much better than any computer system or processor platform would, because temperature is a static measurement, but it wouldn't take into account the differences seen between processor model architecture.

The synthetic test unit might generate 250W of thermal energy, but every CPU series has a different layout and might not mate perfectly to a particular cooler. This brings me to my final point: there's a cooler for every processor and purpose. The ordinary casual computer user is fine with the included thermal cooling solution that comes with the retail processor kit. Systems built with a Core 2 Duo processor and three-piped HDT cooler (like the HDT-S1283 or Vendetta 2) will not be cooled the same as a Core 2 Quad processor because of where the cores align with the heat-pipes. Likewise, coolers built around the Core 2 LGA775 design may not perform well at all with the Core i7 or Phenom II platforms. This is why the research is so critical, and understanding the product is important.

There's no good way to describe how much work goes into these article, although this particular project has a table of contents nearly a mile long. Just look at it! →

My point is this: when an article grows to twenty-four pages long, our beloved Best CPU Cooler Performance series must be reduced to cover only the most significant products on the market. It's difficult accept this, especially since there are so many products that deserve attention even if they don't top our results. In order to hit the target audience with the most relevant product coverage, we'll need your feedback. So please use the comment system at the bottom of our articles to offers some friendly feedback.

Best CPU Cooler Conclusion

Between this Best CPU Cooler Performance project and the previous Q3-2009 Best CPU Cooler Performance article, I've learned that processor architecture can have a major impact on heatsink performance. I'm not referring to speed or voltage here, because those factors are a given when it comes to cooling. What I'm referring to is how the 45nm Intel Bloomfield Core-i7 is going to have a 'heat signature' area that differs slightly from 32nm Gulftown. In fact, Gulftown's 248mm² die package is closer to a Lynnfield Core-i7 CPU. Those heatsinks with a larger contact surface (and heatpipe base) will best serve 45nm AMD Phenom-II processors with a 258mm² die or 45nm Intel Core-i7 quad-core 263mm² Bloomfield CPU's. Essentially, it's important to research the cooler's physical information in addition to performance results when you're shopping for a CPU cooler. It's not a one-size-fits-all heatsink market, and the biggest cooler doesn't always provide the best performance. With these consideration in mind, I will offer several different product suggestions based on my experience:

High-Performance Heatsinks

Ignoring budget and the hardware envolved, my suggestions can be based purely on cooling performance.

1. ProlimaTech Megahalems: Using the best mounting system I've ever tested, this cooler delivers extraordinary contact surface pressure between the processor and polished finish on the heatsink base. As of March 2010 the ProlimaTech Megahalems was available at FrozenCPU for $62. AMD users will also want the AM2/AM2+/AM3 mounting kit for an extra $10. Adding two Yate Loon D12SH-12 fans in a push-pull configuration for $7 each will make Megahalems unstoppable.
2. Thermalright Venomous-X (RT): The new 'Pressure Vault' mounting system offers incredible contact pressure, and pairs a polished contact surface to densely packed heatsink that supports two 120mm cooling fans. The kit costs $80, and the optional AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 adds another $10, plus you'll need to purchase fans. Once installed, Venomous-X delivers on its years of past design experience.
3. Scythe Mugen-2 SCMG-2100: Trailing right behind the two leaders is the $35 Mugen-2 cooler, which already includes AMD mounting hardware and a premium Scythe Kaze-Jyuni Slip-Stream fan... all for only half the cost of the the other two options. The SCMG-2000 model has already received honorable mention for our Editors Choice Award pertaining to value, and it consistently finishes at the very top.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Scythe Mugen-2 Revision B model SCMG-2100 heatsink is identical to the first version, model SCMG-2000. The only difference is that Mugen-2 Rev. B uses a newly developed F.M.S.B. (Flip Mount Super Back-Plate) for more convenient mounting onto the motherboard. The SCMG-2000 thermal paste has been replaced by SCYTE-1000. There should not be any cooling performance between the two Mugen-2 models.

AMD AM2/AM3 Considerations

Let's face it: AMD users get cheated when it comes to high-performance CPU-coolers. It's not fair, and it's not right, but this is how big business works. Considering that the ProlimaTech Armageddon, Megahalems, Thermalright Venomous-X, Ultra-120 eXtreme, Cogage Arrow, and TRUE-Spirit all neglect AMD owners, I'm not going to suggest that you give these companies your business... even if they do offer optional mounting kits for additional cost. There are plenty of excellent heatsinks out there besides these, and since AM2/AM3 Athon-I/II and Phonom-I/II processors have a larger Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS), you'll want to focus on coolers that have a larger base.

This means HDT coolers using four heatpipes is better than three, and even five-piped heatsinks are a good choice. New products such as the Zalman CNPS10X-Performa are cross-platform compatible, allow for two 120mm fans, and have performed very well in our tests. Of course, the $63 Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384 has plenty of performance with the right fan(s) attached, but the $35 Scythe Mugen-2 is really just as good and also costs much less. If you're an entry-level hardware enthusiast has doesn't have a lot of experience building computer systems, then a few of the coolers we've tested might be more trouble than they're worth for you to install... such as the Mugen-2, XtremeGear HP-1216B, or IceAge Prima Boss-II... all of which perform well but also require more effort than normal to complete installation.

Some of the older products still deliver great performance, even against the newest top-performers. The classic Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is a product that presently sells for $40. An even better price on the exact same design can be found in the Kingwin RVT-12025, a clone of the HDT-S1283, but with a silent low-volume cooling fan. The RVT-12025 presently sells for only $25, making it the most affordable top-performance product available; leaving money to upgrade the fan and mounting kit. There really are a lot of options out there, and hopefully this series has helped clarify your decision.

Intel LGA1366 Considerations

Users of Intel processors need to pay careful attention to their processor size and the number of core it contains. When choosing a HDT-based cooler, the older LGA775 and even the newer LGA1156 CPUs all work best with three 8mm heatpipe rods in the base, or four 6mm rods. Larger Nehalem-based LGA1366 Core-i7 processors with the 263mm² die are large enough to use four 8mm heatpipe rods in the base, and five 8mm rods (such as those in the IceAge Prima Boss-II or Tuniq Tower-120 Extreme) just barely make full contact. They key here is to choose a cooler with enough heatpipes to saturate the base, but not too few that they are overloaded. On the other hand, Westmere-based 32nm processors won't have as much die space to cool, and so some of the LGA775 and LGA1156 heatsinks may work perfectly well on them.

If you're looking to cool your overclocked CPU on a budget, and the $35 Scythe Mugen-2 is too large for your application, then consider the Cogage TRUE-Spirit, but four heat-pipe rods may limit the thermal range this cooler can handle compared to more robust coolers. You'll want a better fan (or two), and the aftermarket Thermalright LGA1366 Bolt-Thru Kit for an extra $10, but there's certainly some performance to be had from the TRUE Spirit. Once inventory is available, the Zalman CNPS10X-Performa is a cooler worth considerating. Beyond these, there are only a handful of other CPU coolers I might consider worthy of high-temperature overclocking projects on the LGA1366 socket. Xigmatek's HDT-S1284EE offers four 8mm heatpipe rods in the base, and sells for $40, and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus isn't a bad deal for $29.

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