In addition to our smoking hot new AMD processor, we've also opted to keep our old heater in commission - that is, we'd like to keep our old 530J around for overclocking testing. Unfortunately, due to issues with our usual C19-CRB Reference motherboard (a forgetful motherboard due to a shot CMOS battery, coupled with busy schedules), we've opted to re-test a group of heatsinks on the more modern Gigabyte 8I955X Royal Platform. Now, while we'd love to show you scads on scads of OCCT graphs here too, the program has an interesting conflict with this board - one which causes it to never finish. As such, we're left to just let the bloody thing run and record the highest temperatures seen by the program. Not as scientific by any means, but still functional enough to work out. Our test bed was as follows:
Test Platform
- Intel 530J "Prescott"
- Gigabyte 8I-955X Royal
- 2x512MB Corsair XMS2-6400
- 1x6800 GT
- Enermax Liberty 500W PSU
- Open Air Test Bench
Stock Clocks, Idle
- Blue Orb II: 33
- Intel Reference Solution: 37
- Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler Pro (High): 39
- Sonic Tower (Passive): 36
- Sonic Tower (Active): 34
- Big Typhoon: 33
Stock Clocks, Load
- Blue Orb II: 45
- Intel Reference Solution: 50
- Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler Pro (High): 45
- Sonic Tower (Passive): 44
- Sonic Tower (Active): 42
- Big Typhoon: 44
With clocks locked at their basic minimums, this is quite a tight race for the moment, but quite a few things are coming through - first and foremost, with an ultra low CFM fan, the Sonic Tower leads the pack, and even with no fans, it ties up with the current champion. How's that for performance?
Overclocked, Idle
- Blue Orb II: 42
- Intel Reference Solution: 44
- Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler Pro (High): 47
- Sonic Tower (Passive): 41
- Sonic Tower (Active): 39
- Big Typhoon: 39
Overclocked, Load
- Blue Orb II: 52
- Intel Reference Solution: 59
- Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler Pro (High): 56
- Sonic Tower (Passive): 45
- Sonic Tower (Active): 50
- Big Typhoon: 52
Well then, these numbers tell another story - with near double the dissipation area of the Big Typhoon, the Sonic Tower is perfectly capable of handling the overclocked chip, keeping it chilled, and even running it cooler than the reference solution can without making so much as a whimper. To top that off, with that low speed fan tucked between the blades, this heatsink easily eclipses the Typhoon's performance, giving it the crown for Intel Cooling.
