Cooling Charts?

Should THG have a Cooling Chart?

  • Yes

    Votes: 39 97.5%
  • No

    Votes: 1 2.5%

  • Total voters
    40

ikjadoon

Distinguished
Feb 25, 2006
1,983
44
19,810
Following the great success of the CPU/VGA charts, has THG ever thought about a cooling chart? That would help a great many users, I think. I hate finding a review and learning that it only compares the cooler and stock cooler: how useless!

Just wondering!

~Ibrahim~
 

ZozZoz

Distinguished
Dec 7, 2006
487
0
18,780
Good idea, but there'd be too many assumptions:

1. Ambient temps - they'd have to graph not the actual cpu temps, but rather the difference between core temp and room temperature, and even then, results may vary depending on airflow within the case.
2. Thermal grease used (results will vary a lot depending on brand used)
3. Occasional "bad" heatsinks (like my 9500 with its uneven/warped base) which means some will not get the results expected according to charts.
 

chyort

Distinguished
Jan 27, 2007
73
0
18,630
well, you would be testing how efficiently it can dump heat, so just slap it onto a some kind of a heater that you can easily monitor/control and see what you get? :p

that would prevent the case airflow, ambient temp problems, and what ever else. And standardize the thermal grease.

And as far as bad heatsinks go, well that goes for pretty much everything. Aka, CPU's, Motherboards, Ram... you get the point :p
 

ikjadoon

Distinguished
Feb 25, 2006
1,983
44
19,810
The method prescribed is already in use by my favorite cooling website: Frosty Tech!

Full Report on Testing Methodology

I'd love to see THG adopt a similar testing methodology...Noise levels would be a must and a heat/noise ratio would be pretty cool.

~Ibrahim~

P.S. And who is the a$$hole who voted no? lol, jk!
 

apt403

Distinguished
Oct 14, 2006
2,923
0
20,780
Sounds like a great idea, 3 different charts, air cooling, water cooling, and phase change/chilled liquid cooling. Or maybe just one big chart.
 

tool_462

Distinguished
Jun 19, 2006
3,020
2
20,780
Air cooling should come first.

Liquid would be cool if they did a basic test of a few of the most common blocks and different combinations of blocks/tubing diameter/pump/radiators.

Phase change? We all know what happens, anyone interested in going that route will probably look to more specific sources for information regarding what condensers to use and if they are going TEC, how much wattage/efficiency etc.
 

yosefm

Distinguished
Oct 27, 2006
12
0
18,510
Good to see Frosty Tech mentioned - great site.
Dan's Data has a great testing methodology, but been a while (5/06) since he's updated the cooler section - that's what got me hooked on his site.
 

chyort

Distinguished
Jan 27, 2007
73
0
18,630
one chart for the heat sinks(air/liquid kits), and possibly a separate chart to compare the different thermal greases.

I say liquid kits because liquid cooling adds a lot more variables (Radiators, reserves, so on so forth)

And yeah phase change is a tad overkill really :p
 

seinfeld

Distinguished
Jan 31, 2007
103
0
18,680
this would be just what im looking for atm, as im trying to find the performance of the stock coolers to change to a quiter fan, if the chart existed id be off buyinga new fan
I think its a great idea