Off the Cheap End – Aluminium for low-end CPUs
While the smaller Core 2 models receive box coolers with slower fans, Intel really cuts costs on the models it considers the low end. These would be the processors belonging to the Pentium DualCore E2100 series, although they, too, are based on the Conroe core. These models only come with aluminium cooler.
Since aluminium is far cheaper than copper, there is a lot of potential to save cost here. Additionally, they can skip a very expensive production step, since they do not have to mill the aluminium frame to embed the copper core used in higher-end models for thermal reasons. Also, using aluminium has a positive effect on the cooler’s weight. At only 330 grams, it is the lightest air cooler in our test field and a full 106 grams lighter than the copper version.
Thanks to the low thermal power dissipation of the CPUs belonging to the Pentium DualCore line, even the aluminium versions of the cooler only need one of the slower fan models. Thus, the noise level is on par with that of the (slower) copper core version.
The cooling performance of the aluminium version is pretty much what you would expect from a designated low-end solution. Under full load the CPU gets so hot that it is forced to throttle its clock speed. We measured a processor temperature of nearly 98°C. The CPU’s idle temperature lay at 54°C.
| CPU | 100% load | idle |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature PWM | 98 °C | 54 °C |
| Noise | 40.2 dB(A) | 39.2 dB(A) |
| Fan speed | 1740 rpm | 820 rpm |
| Weight | 330 grams | |
| Intel socket | 775 |
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You slip into German on page 7 around half way up.
You slip into German on page 7 around half way up.
I thought hes got to be kidding then I looked down page 7 and lmao. Its a whole paragraph in German.
Question to the article creator; Is this the last in the cpu cooler charts 2008?
lol @ the German
How come the Arctic Freezer Pro 7 was not covered in this series? It's quite a popular cooler and I would be interested in seeing how it compares (as that's what I'm using).
that german has got to be the best typo ever. you tested stock coolers but didnt test an arctic cooler 7? the articles all say that arctic cooling is represented in this test but I fail to see where?das ist nicht los!!
You slip into German on page 7 around half way up.
My apologies.
Thanks for the heads-up...
We translators also have our off days. Consider me awake now
I think box coolers have to compromise between price and performance, so it's pretty much a foregone conclusion as to one's expectation.
However I have had some pleasant surprises; a lot of the boxed AMD processors I have bought (S393 and AM2 in medium speed ranges), have had pretty good coolers. Granted they run on cool processors so they aren't really pushed to the limit, but they do perform excellent: low-noise, good cooling, good MTBF, and decent overclocking results.
Something else I've also noticed - price doesn't buy a good cooler. Some of the more expensive devices are very noisy, bulky and (as I did), you end up wondering where you went wrong. I've bought expensive coolers with copper fins and small fans and had to remove them..they're simply too noisy. I replaced them with devices from Cooler Master etc (some of which were the cheapest I could find i.e. bargain basement), and have had no problems whatsoever. I don't work for Cooler Master but credit is where credit's due - they do their job and they generally do it well.
I think you can get a good boxed cooler, but it's the luck of the draw depending on the platform and particular processor model. If you have an overtly noisy cooler you can always alter your BIOS settings to only spin the fan up when a critical point is reached. Most CPU's just run idle a lot of the time so there's no point suffering or wasting electricity.
p.s. Please..please..manufacturers, you know the LED fans? Please put a switch on them will ya?