10 Mammoth CPU Coolers: Size Does Matter
Conclusion
The Vanessa (L-Type) by Titan stands out, for its particularly good cooling capacity and extravagant design features. The Sonic Tower by Thermaltake also boasts an impressive cooling capacity, and if passive operation isn't feasible, an optional 120 mm fan can be added, albeit at an additional cost.
If you don't have a lot of space in your computer, the CNPS7700 Cu from Zalman is a good option, offering good cooling capacity with minimal noise emission at a reasonable price. Athlon XP users would do well to go for NorthQ's NQ 3312 model: it can be installed even on Socket A motherboards without retention module holes.
The losers in this test were the Vortex TX from Cooler Master and the StarIce from Asus. In both cases, either the cooling capacity was too low or the noise level was too high.
| Manuf. | Asus | Cooler Master | NorthQ | NorthQ | Titan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Star Ice | Vortex TX | NQ-3312 | NQ-3313 | Vanessa L-Type |
| Website | asus.com | coolermaster.com | northq.com | northq.com | titan-cd.com |
| Compatibility | |||||
| Socket LGA775 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Socket 478 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Socket 939/754 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Socket A (462) | Yes (retention holes needed) | Yes (retention holes needed) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Performance | |||||
| Thermal Resistance | 0.39 K/W | 0.39 K/W | 0.27 K/W | 0.37 K/W | 0.28 K/W |
| Temperature Intel Pentium 570 | 66 °C | 74 °C | 58 °C | 66 °C | 52 °C |
| Noise Level (Low Speed) | 47.9 dB(A) | 34.0 dB(A) | 33.4 dB(A) | 33.4 dB(A) | 33.9 dB(A) |
| Noise Level (Full Speed) | 62.8 dB(A) | 36.7 dB(A) | 43.8 dB(A) | 43.8 dB(A) | 37.0 dB(A) |
| Accessories | |||||
| Fan Controller | Included Regulator | PWM (Intel LGA775) | Included Regulator | Included Regulator | Included Regulator |
| Manuf. | Thermaltake | Thermaltake | Tuniq | Zalman | Zalman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Big Typhoon | Sonic Tower | Tower 120 | CNPS7700-Cu | CNPS7700-AlCu |
| Website | thermaltake.com | thermaltake.com | tuniq.com | zalmanusa.com | zalmanusa.com |
| Compatibility | |||||
| Socket LGA775 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Socket 478 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Socket 939/754 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Socket A (462) | Yes (retention holes needed) | Yes (retention holes needed) | No | No | No |
| Performance | |||||
| Thermal Resistance | 0.30 K/W | 0.26 K/W | 0.34 K/W | 0.25 K/W | 0.33 K/W |
| Temperature Intel Pentium 570 | 57 °C | N/A (passive cooling) | 54 °C | 56 °C | 63 °C |
| Noise Level (Low Speed) | 35.5 dB(A) | N/A (passive cooling) | 34.4 dB(A) | 31.9 dB(A) | 31.8 dB(A) |
| Noise Level (Full Speed) | 35.5 dB(A) | N/A (passive cooling) | 48.8 dB(A) | 38.7 dB(A) | 38.7 dB(A) |
| Accessories | |||||
| Fan Controller | None | N/A (passive cooling) | Included Regulator | Included Regulator | Included Regulator |
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