Recommended Heatsinks updated

[Lt_Dan]

alot of the HS have replaceable fans. so quiet isn't spesific to any of those HS (if you don't include air noises because of fin density or such)

most of the HS reviewed are towers if you make 2 categories for tower vs. top-down it will be funny.

[D4Peter]

There is no "TDP" nor "watts" on the "recommended heatsinks" page!
What could be more basic than the performance of a cooler?
(With more or less airflow. For example "airflow from fan attached to the sink", "airflow from a (PSU- or case-)fan nearby", "airflow from just the natural (hot-upward) convection".)

[MikeC]

There is no "TDP" nor "watts" on the "recommended heatsinks" page!
What could be more basic than the performance of a cooler?
(With more or less airflow. For example "airflow from fan attached to the sink", "airflow from a (PSU- or case-)fan nearby", "airflow from just the natural (hot-upward) convection".)

Your comments really aren't very clear, but it appears you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how we assess the performance of a heatsink... and what the recommended pages are about. To start with the latter, the recommended lists are just that -- lists, summaries of what we recommend. There is no good way to summarize our review results on that page. To understand more clearly why we recommend the HS that we do, you must read the reviews.

To move on to how we assess the performance of a heatsink, we judge a heatsink to be better when it achieves greater cooling with less noise -- the latter usually means less airflow or lower RPM. The thermal load is predefined and set by the heatsink testbed.

[MikeC]

Complete overhaul of the recommended heatsinks again. Too many changes to list. 20 May 2010.

[KayDat]

Wow, so many changes and updates. Makes me happy. =D

What does F and R mean, under the source column?

[mr_plow_king]

The Scythe Mugen 2 Source link is incorrect. It takes us to the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme review instead of : http://www.silentpcreview.com/scythe-mugen2

P.S. Congrats to MikeC for his 10 000 th post !

[quest_for_silence]

Complete overhaul of the recommended heatsinks again. Too many changes to list. 20 May 2010.

Dear MikeC,

I'd like to put you (more than) a couple of question, if I can.

You states in the article: "...What we are rating is the intrinsic cooling power of the HS...".

So, what's up with the Scythe Kabuto? In the SPCR test Lawrence Lee stated: "...The Kabuto is the best down-blowing heatsink we've tested, edging the previous top dog, the Noctua NH-C12P...". Also because you have ranked the Zipang, while Lee said: "...It's a toss-up as to which is the better choice. Price, noise and cooling are all very similar, with a bit of a nod to the Kabuto for maximum cooling with a very hot CPU...". Even with the new 1366 platform SPCR ever used the Kabuto for comparison purposes (and never mentioned the Zipang).

Another "lost in translation" one is the recently reviewed Titan Fenrir: it performed better than TR U120, but only this latter is ranked. Why?

And why the Armageddon ranks so high among CPU HS, higher than better performers such as the Cogage or the Mugen? I remember that Lawrence Lee stated in his conclusion "...there is little reason to choose the Armageddon over the Megahalems...".

I'd really like to read your notes about.

Regards,
Luca

P.S.: as I've already asked to you for the PSUs' list, I'd like to see a further section: "approved" (but not recommended), even for the HS list.

[MikeC]

quest_for_silence --

The Kabuto and Fenrir were just missed; they are there now -- and the Mugen 2 link corrected.

Armageddon matches the Megahelems in just about every way. It should be ranked side by side. The reason for Larry's comment is that the Armageddon can be harder to fit, and its fan clips are less versatile. But on some boards the Megahelems will block some RAM slots, while the Armageddon will not.

As for your approved list -- I don't think so. The lists are long enough as they are, and there is a range, from silent or near silent to pretty quiet. That's enough, imo. If someone really wants to know more, they can and will delve into all the reviews in a section, that would give them a lot more info.

[quest_for_silence]

It should be ranked side by side.

Thanks for the answer, MikeC.

I take the liberty to disagree, as it perform so well ONLY with the Scythe 140mm - which is still not an SPCR reference - but the clips don't work JUST with this fan (ok, and with many others), but it doesn't worth.

However, I guess that the Armageddon's link needs to be fixed.

Regards,
Luca

[KayDat]

Sorry to repeat myself, but what do the letters O, R and F mean, under the sources column?

[MikeC]

Sorry to repeat myself, but what do the letters O, R and F mean, under the sources column?

Source: All the recent additions to the lists are based on our own reviews, but in the past, a few recommendations were based on other sources of information.

Reviewed: Link to SPCR review.

F: First-hand knowledge gleaned by Silent PC Review staff.

R: Recommended by respected contributors and other associates.

O: Other manufacturer's info and reviews of other web sites

-- the above is back in the article.

[Mats]

Socket list:

Code: Select all

AM2	AMD; replaces 754, 939
AM3	Latest AMD; similar to AM2 but uses 4 bolts.

AM2, AM2+ and AM3 all have the same bracket with a 4 bolt design. I guess 1156 and 1366 should be in the list too.

[quest_for_silence]

Dear MikeC,

the Kabuto review link need to be fixed.

Regards,
Luca

[ame]

1. Arctic cooling freezer 7 PRO has a rev 2 that fits 1156 and 1366 sockets. I have used it on several (~10) builds recently and I can say for sure its the best bang for the buck out there, especially on 1156 i5 or i7s. The fan is very quiet.
Its a bit underpowered for an OCed 130W 1366 i7 but its defiantly not retired!!

2. Nocta's NH-U12P rating seems low as I recall in your reviews it was always better that Zalman CNPS10X , and about on par with TRUE but its still rated 0.5 lower?


On the same note, as I see it your rating is Q so top coolers at low speed get the highest score, regardless of their high speed performance.

Just look at your review table for the Zalman review

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1037-page6.html

or this later review of the Armageddon

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1039-page9.html

The 2 reviews tell the same story but the recommended chart seems off.

[MikeC]

1. Arctic cooling freezer 7 PRO has a rev 2 that fits 1156 and 1366 sockets. I have used it on several (~10) builds recently and I can say for sure its the best bang for the buck out there, especially on 1156 i5 or i7s. The fan is very quiet.
Its a bit underpowered for an OCed 130W 1366 i7 but its defiantly not retired!!

We've never considered the AC F7 to be a great quiet heatsink, merely good for the money, and not really good enough at any noise level SPCR finds ideal. Check our original review for details. Here's a key point from it: "the Freezer 7 Pro is really optimized for best cooling at high airflow and pressure. Its airflow-to-cooling ratio falls steeply as fan speed is reduced. Although the total cooling surface area is large, only at high fan speed (and pressure) can the airflow reach it to blow the heat way."

2. Nocta's NH-U12P rating seems low as I recall in your reviews it was always better that Zalman CNPS10X , and about on par with TRUE but its still rated 0.5 lower?

Fair enough, position adjusted up .5

[MikeC]

Minor update

[scdr]

In the table, the review link for the
Scythe Grand Kama Cross takes one to the Ninja2 review.

Should go to
http://www.silentpcreview.com/scythe-grand-kama-cross

Thanks.

[dhanson865]

Given the new review I thought I'd do a quick price check of the top half of the test results on the temp rise chart. I dumped the ones that were overpriced vs the performance or had mounting issues and came up with this short list. Prices were from a quick google search and include S&H and taxes for my zip code in the US.

Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C $66
38 degree rise 790g
Mounts both ways on AMD boards. Editor's Choice, best on SPCR list at end of 2010. Presumably will get a 9.5 or 10 on the recommended list (as of this writing the best unit gets a 9.5).

Noctua NH-U12P $64
39 degree rise 600g without fan / 770g with stock fan
Mounts both ways on AMD boards. Good choice for those that move their PC a lot and are afraid of heavier heatsinks. Gets a 9 on the recommended list.

Scythe Mugen-2 $44
39 degree rise 870g including fan
Mounts with "proper" orientation on AMD boards but only mounts in that one direction. Gets a 9 on the recommended list.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus $29 (best bang for the buck)
41 degree rise 626g including fan
Mounts both ways on AMD boards based on http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/ai ... rance.html

Again the Cooler Master 212 Plus is light enough for those afraid of heavier heatsinks. Gets a 8.5 on the recommended list because the stock fan throbs but for a SPCR regular this is easy to fix with a fan swap. Grab your favorite 12cm/120mm fan and make it right.

[MikeC]

Minor update -- TRUE rev C added.

[dereksbelanger]

Would love to see some updates. Nothing really new since May 2010. Not a single AM3 or AM3+ compatible cooler in the whole list!

[nstarz]

Any plan of updating the list? Maybe remove any that isn't for sell on newegg or other major sites?

[jeekub]

+1 for update! No AM3,3+ or 1155, which have been with us for two years? For such a renown site it's pretty bad ; )

For me it feels like this site is mostly kept going by the forum community. I wish I could get more editorial content. For example, fan/HS roundups like there used to be would be awesome.

[ghia]

I read SPCR and forum every day. I read that the genesis is the no1 HS for quiet/silent cpu cooling.
I do not understand why it is not the NH-D14 because looking at the results from the Noctua test with 2 nexus fans:

-12V/16dBA: 31 delta C
- 9V/13dBA: 33 delta C
- 7V/12dBA: 36 delta C

These temps are lower per dBA than any other cooler tested with the ref. 140 mm Noctua:

Prolimatech Genesis seems the best but:
- 7V/15-17dBA: 37 delta C
- 6V/12-14dBA: 39 delta C

The Noctua with 2 nexus 120 fans wins by 6 deg C at 16dBA and by 3 deg C at 12 dBA

WHY ?

[Potenza]

A polite request: perhaps it's time for another update?

[MikeC]

A plote request: perhaps it's time for another update?

We'd been working on it... and here it is. Completely changed, now really up to you: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks

[Potenza]

Great, thanks a lot! Just bought myself a Mugen 4. The new ranking is slightly more complicated, but after a good read it all makes sense.

[quest_for_silence]

A plote request: perhaps it's time for another update?

We'd been working on it... and here it is. Completely changed, now really up to you: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Recommended_Heatsinks

Mike, some things in that revision don't convince me.

For instance, look at the Noctua NH-D14 topping the chart (and by a large margin over its successor, whose review link is also the wrong one), from where those figures come from?
With reference to the second place, the Genesis, same question: and given that there's the Genesis in the chart, why are not the other Prolimatech coolers listed in that chart (at least the Megahalems, quoted in the Genesis test)?
And what about the VGA coolers tested after the Scythe Musashi? Where are the Prolimatech Mk26, the Thermalright Shaman, the Arctic Accelero Xtreme Plus, and the Gelid Icy Vision?

Eventually, what did I miss?

[thierry.]

If I may add some comments, as a "new reader" of that page. (Just comments, no complains. The list is already great help !)

- it's not so clear what is new with the latest "big changes". (But ok, maybe it's not the point of this list)

- I wanted to see for the Kotetsu, which seems to be the king.
It's the top of the list, with single fan.
I could not find it in the list (page 3).
If it's the "king", maybe it would be nice to have some more info about it.

Thanks a lot.

[quest_for_silence]

I wanted to see for the Kotetsu, which seems to be the king.
It's the top of the list, with single fan.
I could not find it in the list (page 3).

Good catch (probably I was scatterbrained)... and a minor question (to MikeC): where in the article are the reviewed "fanless" coolers, like the NoFan, the Heligon, the HR-22? Does SPCR deliberately choose to not recommend any fanless cooler anymore?

[MikeC]

Guys, my apologies for posting this w/o more thorough review. My self-imposed deadline caused errors, obviously. I must have missed the Kotetsu, and I did forget the nofan. Data for D14 comes from... http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1020-page6.html