THG CPU Cooler RoundUp - Just Say No

[zenmaster]

The CPU Cooler reviews are one of the worst collection of reviwes I have ever seen THG do.

#1) They Failed Every Cooler that requires a Backplate, even though that is often a superior Design. I could understand breaking Coolers down into categories that do and do not require removing the motherboard. If somebody was going to upgrade a cooler, they may not want to do that. If they are building a new system, it's a non issue and is required for many of the better coolers. To simply "Fail" the best coolers due to subjective personal preference is poor work.

#2) Methodology: Closed Case results are far more important than open benchmark tests.

#3) Poor Selection of Parts: Many unusual coolers were selected and mainstream ones not included.

#4) Unusual Results: The results found here are often out of wack with reviews of the same product by numerous other sites. An explanation as to the possible differences should be noted in the article. What did you do right that everyone else did wrong?


While this article had an ambitious goal, it failed miserably.
I would suggest that the regulars here make a point of NOT referring posters to that article as reference to the worthiness of any CPU Cooler. If you must, other reviews should also be linked to allow for counter-views since often THG stands alone in its opinion of many of the coolers.

 

[Evilonigiri]

Yes, these articles are some of the worst I ever seen and would not recommend anybody to solely rely them.

That being said, the relative performance of the coolers and the noise level somewhat matches other reviews that I've seen. I think that the noise level charts can be referred to, they aren't very different from other reviews.

Other than that, it failed.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Agreed.

Imo, Frostytech dose better CPU cooler reviews than the THG. After all that's what Frosty is all about.
http://www.frostytech.com/

Its a waste of time and bandwidth.


Btw I am calling BS on the temperatures.My OCed E2180 @ 3.2Ghz and 1.42v, maxes out at only 65C (under prime 95, both cores, stable 6hrs.)! and thats with a low quality cooler. (OCZ Vanquisher). Apparently the OC is 120W! according to :
http://extreme.outervision.com/tools.jsp#cpuoc

I also realise its a Dual core but could there be so much different?

see for your self:

 

[bardia]

I completely agree that these were the worst set of reviews I've seen THG do in years. Failing all the backplate coolers was just downright noobish, much less accurate. I've seen a lot of backplate coolers (i.e., Zalman) that were a heck of a lot easier to install than the push-pin design.

For example, I bought a few mini-typhoons for some gaming PCs I was building at work. To put a mini-typhoon on a P5K required uninstalling the motherboard, setting it on a role of duck tape (to provide back support), and putting about 130lbs of downward pressure on the motherboard. I thought I was going to snap it and then die of a heart attack.

The push-pin put so much pressure on the MB that it even warped it just enough to pull the chipset heatsink just above the CPU Heatsink off of contact with the chip itself!

I would have traded that mini-typhoon for ANY BACKPLATE model on the market in a second. When using fairly large heatsinks, backplates are easier to install, not harder. Most users don't have a problem taking out a MB, but the do have a problem putting the kind of enormous pressure that push-pins require onto a motherboard. How many users have constantly (and understandably) spammed the forums crying that they're worried they hurt their CPU because of the amount of pressure involved?

Meh. I've got a review of my own.

THG Heatsink Roundup: fail.

 

[mtyermom]

I can vouch for the difficulty of the push-pins. I just installed a Scythe Ninja Rev. B on my q6600 G0 in an MSI P6N SLI Plat (nf650i) and it was AWFUL. Now I know why people were saying they were afraid that they would break their motherboard. What's more, I've read that the Rev. A ninja had a backplate... !!! I don't get why push-pin cooler mounts "pass" the test, I could never have installed the push-pin bracket of my ninja with the board inside the case. So, having to install with the board out of the case regardless, I'll take the more secure and easier to install backplate method any day.

 

[night_wolf_in]

yeap. lets just that we forget this horrible experiance or reading three articles where the conclusion was a fail.

 

[hcforde]

I thought, What was wrong with me? I was thinking these reviews were off kilter, and where are the Thermalright 120's. Toms is NOT what it use to be .

 

[randomizer]

*Expects thread to be locked/deleted*

 

[ThepiliGrim]

I don't think you are right .... I don't post often, however, sometimes i get angry with people like you! First, more articles are about to come. Toms are the only guys that take look at the details .... Just as an example .... Zerotherm Nirvana NV120. Only Toms told us about the possibility of "short circuit"... I have read over 15 reviews of this cooler and nobody warned about "the hardware killer" . On the other hand ... I have mounted many coolers with push pin system ... and it isn't perfect /introduced with Intel's BOX cooler, as far as I know/. However, I personally have no problems with it /my CPU cooler is Arctic Cooling Freezer7 Pro /... So in conclusion don't be so sure that Toms are wrong ... after all they show the "score" and "temps" of the "failed" coolers ... Don't blame me for the post ...pls

 

[rockbyter]

#1 - Backplate coolers - Many gamers and enthusiasts hesitate when buying a cpu cooler if it requires pulling the whole system apart. Removing the motherboard is not a task for the faint of heart - they use a scale of 1-10 based on the difficulty for end user, not someone that can rebuild a system in 5 minutes or less. Think of the installation benchmark as just a difficulty rating, nothing more. Cooling performance is what we really want to see, so pay attention to it, and let the other people that want to see installation info - see it.

#2 - to measure the performance of a heatsink, only the performance of a heatsink, testing on a board consistently a hundred times, we can tell exactly how the design of the metal combined with a fan the way the manufacturer made it WITHOUT any additional air flow. With just a 60mm fan sitting in line with the heatsink can change the cooling performance of that heatsink. The crappiest and cheapest box heatsink can cool a processor quite well if we put a 120 mm fan within 2 inches of the thing, and a power supply over top drafting the heat out.

#3 - They aren't done, there are more to come. I have 3 they said they would be 'benchmarking' but have not come to pass. WAIT FOR THE REST.

#4 - See #2 - Unusual results are because no 2 systems are in the same case, with the same fans, with the same power supply, and same peripherals. You cant compare any two sites directly too each other. Only the same article. This will be the first one where heat was applied to a ton of heatsinks, and we get to see what happens.

Everyone should consider that the more metal surface area there is, the higher heat load the heatsink can dissipate. If a heatsink on a board outside of a case can keep a 133 watt quad core at a reasonable temperature, then an overclocker is going to take note of that heatsink. The end-user is going to read the same chart and say - OH, that one performs a little worse, but is easy to install - and buy that one. ALL of the heatsinks are going to perform exceptionally better when put on a slower processor or a dual core. My C2Q6600 at 3.6 GHz is most definitely going to generate more heat than any of these results are seeing, so let the best heatsink win on a board, so i know where i can go to stay cool and perhaps a little quieter because the heatsink performs better on its own without help. Everyone likes the idea of not hearing their computer.

If you cannot logically assemble the data that is shown in these article sets, then thats a whole different problem.

 

[bobbknight]

Realistically, coolers were left out that should have been included, pretty much this article was crap. Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 7 they showed a picture of it, they listed Arctic, but no review. What did make the review and get a high rating was the Coolermaster unit which specs out lower than the Freezer Pro 7. Good Lord give me a break.

 

[randomizer]

I would think that requiring a backplate is something to boost score, not lower it. I'd much rather spend a few minutes removing the mobo to add a backplate than remove the mobo and get a new one because the socket warped under stress. Oh, and some people find that the push-pins on the stock cooler pop out, so imagine a 1kg cooler with pushpins and no backplate...

 

[rockbyter]

the backplate issue would essentially be inverted depending on whether or not you are savvy to removing the motherboard.

 

[randomizer]

Well if you aren't then you probably aren't savvy enough to bother to install an aftermarket heatsink, or shouldn't be considering it anyway.

 

[LukeBird]

Some of it I thought was useful and some not.
I think running a CPU that is more popular would have been a better idea. (Perhaps an AMD & Intel, for example a 6000+ & an E6850?)
I think it was better they didn't test in a case, because no two cases are going to have the same airflow, so that's a pointless test. As a comparison, the cooling tests provided info, but some (most) were struggling to cool the quad, whereas my (supposedly hot & mega power hungry) 125W 6000+ has never been over 58C with both cores at full loading for hours in Seti@Home.
Interesting, but not something I would rely on for a purchase.
Which I shall expand on a little, I've had a look at the Zalman reserator as a bit of a toy to cool my video cards & CPU but there was no mention that the Zalman WCooler could have additional components attached. Which lets face it, would tempt more people to buy.

 

[Grimmy]

<--looks at the title [:kentuckyranger:3]

No NO NO NO No no no no no...
No NO NO NO No no no no no NO NO NO no
No NO NO NO No no no no no NO NO NO no
No NO NO NO No no no no no NO NO NO no
No NO NO NO No no no no no NO NO NO no

NO NO NO no no no NO NONONONONONONOnononononNONONOOOOOooooo MORE. . o O (Whew!)

[:zorg]. o O (That's for more then 80 HS... *cough)

 

[SirCrono]

Except for the whole bacplate fiasco, which I think was perhaps directed to some less savvy users, I found the article quite good, it acurrately compared a lot of coolers under the same conditions in both cooling performance and noise output, if that's not a good review then I must be out of my mind, also it's true they left a few know/reputable coolers out of the test, and they shouldn't, but those coolers have so many reviews that it doesn't matter that much.

 

[spoonboy]

The CPU Cooler reviews are one of the worst collection of reviwes I have ever seen THG do.

#1) They Failed Every Cooler that requires a Backplate, even though that is often a superior Design. I could understand breaking Coolers down into categories that do and do not require removing the motherboard. If somebody was going to upgrade a cooler, they may not want to do that. If they are building a new system, it's a non issue and is required for many of the better coolers. To simply "Fail" the best coolers due to subjective personal preference is poor work.

#2) Methodology: Closed Case results are far more important than open benchmark tests.

#3) Poor Selection of Parts: Many unusual coolers were selected and mainstream ones not included.

#4) Unusual Results: The results found here are often out of wack with reviews of the same product by numerous other sites. An explanation as to the possible differences should be noted in the article. What did you do right that everyone else did wrong?


While this article had an ambitious goal, it failed miserably.
I would suggest that the regulars here make a point of NOT referring posters to that article as reference to the worthiness of any CPU Cooler. If you must, other reviews should also be linked to allow for counter-views since often THG stands alone in its opinion of many of the coolers.

agreed, it was amateur hour at THG that day.

 

[blashyrkh]

jesus christ!!! The E2180 consumes 120W when OCed from 2 to 3,2GHz???
Holly crap that's a lot!!!
....umm....
Yea, that article wasn't that bad but I feel it was directed to total noob system builders in which case I give it a thumbs up.
If you guys are such pro's and know-alls, you shouldn't have read it in the first place

 

[Grimmy]

After the 2nd, I didn't even look at the 3rd. Especially after seeing so many people disappointed, I wasn't even going to waste my clicks.

 

[SpinachEater]

I am on your side here but why do we need a 4th thread on this?

 

[hcforde]

jesus christ!!! The E2180 consumes 120W when OCed from 2 to 3,2GHz???
Holly crap that's a lot!!!
....umm....
Yea, that article wasn't that bad but I feel it was directed to total noob system builders in which case I give it a thumbs up.
If you guys are such pro's and know-alls, you shouldn't have read it in the first place

This is suppose to be an enthusiast site, not a noob site. If they are changing focus please let me know. An enthusiast does not mind doing what is necessary for the performanceand are here to assist noobs getting up to speed. That is the way I look at it anyways.

thanks for your time

 

[randomizer]

This is suppose to be an enthusiast site, not a noob site. If they are changing focus please let me know.

*Goes back in time by 2 years*

Hey hcforde, they are commercialising this site, it's not for enthusiasts any more.

 

[bardia]

Push-pins or backplates in and of themselves do not equate to ease of use or lack thereof. The difficulty of the installation itself is what matters. It doesn't matter what your level of experience is, using 130lbs of force for some of these custom coolers with push-pins, or worse, having to push down with a screwdriver, is far harder and far more likely to damage componants than a similiar backplate model. Indeed, many pushpins require you taking out the board anyway, because most boards don't have enough support to provide the resistence necessary for installing them.

So, while a stock heatsink might be the easiest on the market to install, a heavy push-pin is the hardest.

Should we start counting threads about new builders having difficulty with push-pins or backplates? I've yet to see a cry for help from a backplate user, but I see people scared to death that they ruined their CPU on a daily basis because of the rediculous amounts of force required by some pushpins. Or pushpins that pop out, or break, or get stuck, or any number of issues.

My point about the push-pins stands. In and of themselves it is not a difficulty issue. For a small light heatsink pushpins are the way to go, for a heavier heatsink, if it doesn't have a backplate it should be immediately failed.

It's so obvious.

 

[Shadow703793]

#1 - Backplate coolers - Many gamers and enthusiasts hesitate when buying a cpu cooler if it requires pulling the whole system apart. Removing the motherboard is not a task for the faint of heart - they use a scale of 1-10 based on the difficulty for end user, not someone that can rebuild a system in 5 minutes or less. Think of the installation benchmark as just a difficulty rating, nothing more. Cooling performance is what we really want to see, so pay attention to it, and let the other people that want to see installation info - see it.

#2 - to measure the performance of a heatsink, only the performance of a heatsink, testing on a board consistently a hundred times, we can tell exactly how the design of the metal combined with a fan the way the manufacturer made it WITHOUT any additional air flow. With just a 60mm fan sitting in line with the heatsink can change the cooling performance of that heatsink. The crappiest and cheapest box heatsink can cool a processor quite well if we put a 120 mm fan within 2 inches of the thing, and a power supply over top drafting the heat out.

#3 - They aren't done, there are more to come. I have 3 they said they would be 'benchmarking' but have not come to pass. WAIT FOR THE REST.

#4 - See #2 - Unusual results are because no 2 systems are in the same case, with the same fans, with the same power supply, and same peripherals. You cant compare any two sites directly too each other. Only the same article. This will be the first one where heat was applied to a ton of heatsinks, and we get to see what happens.

Everyone should consider that the more metal surface area there is, the higher heat load the heatsink can dissipate. If a heatsink on a board outside of a case can keep a 133 watt quad core at a reasonable temperature, then an overclocker is going to take note of that heatsink. The end-user is going to read the same chart and say - OH, that one performs a little worse, but is easy to install - and buy that one. ALL of the heatsinks are going to perform exceptionally better when put on a slower processor or a dual core. My C2Q6600 at 3.6 GHz is most definitely going to generate more heat than any of these results are seeing, so let the best heatsink win on a board, so i know where i can go to stay cool and perhaps a little quieter because the heatsink performs better on its own without help. Everyone likes the idea of not hearing their computer.

If you cannot logically assemble the data that is shown in these article sets, then thats a whole different problem.

Couldn't agree more. I would trade in a push pin design for a back plate in a heart beat. Just try installing a OCZ Vanquisher (or other OCZ cooler) and you will see what I mean, I almost broke one of the pins trying to install that stupid cooler (lucky for my I got it for like $<10). As supremelaw said push pins are more prone to breaking.