The Results Of The Overclocking Test
The test system with the Hydrocool200 ran for more than 72 hours in the stability test with a CPU clock of 3.5 GHz. It remained perfectly stable throughout the test.
The maximum CPU clock we attained was 3.61 GHz, although the system was stable for only a few hours.
Since we could not manage to run the other cooling systems stably with an FSB clock of 233 MHz, we made our comparison measurements with the FSB clocked at 230 MHz (CPU clock 3.45 GHz = 230 MHz * 15). Please note that the noise measurements were taken with an ambient/ background noise level of 31 dB(A).
The boxed cooler is just fine if you use your PC mostly for word processing.
After all, your standard office applications (word processing, spreadsheets) don't put a big strain on your processor, so the CPU load is extremely low. We recommend the Zalman for users with sensitive ears. It combines a low noise level with outstanding cooling capabilities and an acceptable price.
The two water cooling systems keep the die temperature at a much lower level so that there's still enough of a cushion for future CPUs with higher heat loss ratings.