| Update History | |
| June 24, 2008 | Zerotherm Zen and Noctua NH-C12P added. Zalman Reserator1 removed. |
| June 9, 2008 | Thermalright HR-01 Plus, four Xigmatek models, and Scythe Zipang added. |
| March 22, 2008 | Ninja demoted one point. |
| Jan 16, 2008 | Long overdue update, many additions and retirements. New ones on the lists in light blue/violet. |
| Aug 21, 2006 | A handful of new coolers added. |
| Jan 29, 2006 | First update in a year, much needed, many changes. |
| Jan 23, 2005 | Added several new models. |
| Sept 22, 2004 | Added Thermalright XP-120, Scythe NCU-2000 |
| Aug 25, 2004 | Complete overhaul of recommended HS tables, many new models added, some retired. Ranking system changed to make use of full 1-10 range. |
| Aug 7, 2003 | Zalman 7000 Cu/AlCu, Scythe Kamakaze & Arctic Cooling SS 4 Pro TC added. All coolers for current CPU combined into one table -- too many multi-platform models made for much repetition. |
| June 17, 2003 | Arctic Cooling SS Pro TC added; Swiftech MCX models downgraded - recent testing shows very good performance with high (read: noisy) airflow but mediocre cooling with low airflow. There are better choices for less money for quiet cooling. Rankings reshuffled a bit based on recent work. |
| Feb 24, 2003 | Thermalright SLK-900U and Zalman ZM80A added |
| Dec 3, 2002 | Zalman 6500al-cu and Thermalright AX478 added; other changes to P4 list based on P4 HS roundup. |
| Oct 29, 2002 | Changes to Socket-A list based on Socket-A HS roundup |
| July 17, 2002 | First published. |
|
CPU HEATSINKS, REVIEWED | |||||
| Make / Model |
Q |
CPU |
Comments |
$ |
Source |
| Thermalright HR-01 Plus |
9 |
AM2, 775 |
Updated version of HR-01 with six heatpipes instead of four, and 120mm fan clips works exceptionally well with very low airflow. Not super heavy, same mounting mechanism as U120. HR-01X variant with different hardware allows free rotation of mounting position on AM2 for correct fan position. June/08. |
50~55 |
|
| Xigmatek HDT-S1283 |
9 |
AM2, 775 |
A tower configuration, 3 U-shaped heatpipes, a 120mm fan and "direct touch heatpipes" in the base combine for exceptional performance in this modestly priced heatsink. The stock 4-pin PWM fan is decent at minimum speed; replace it with a super-quiet one for great low airflow performance. June/08. |
35~40 |
|
| Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme |
9 |
AM2, 775 |
Bigger version of U-120 with six heatpipes instead of four, the U120E beats all other HS tested thus far. Any 120mm fan works. Same mounting mechanism as U120. Jan/08. |
55~65 |
|
| Thermalright Ultra-120 |
8.5 |
K8, 775 |
Huge tower heatpipe heatsink just edges the Ninja for cooling.Works great with a Nexus 120 fan. Heavy, cannot be rotated 90 degrees on K8 socket. Check on AM2 clip. Aug/06 |
45~50 |
|
| Apack ZeroTherm Zen FZ120 |
8.5 |
AM2, 775 |
Another huge tower heatpipe heatsink. Secure and easy to use spring-loaded bolt mounting system for 775; can rotate for fan airflow directionality on AMD boards. Excellent performance. Fan noisy at full speed but quiet when slowed. June/08. |
40~50 |
|
| Noctua NH-C12P |
8.0 |
AM2, 775 |
Carefully designed and manufactured top-down cooler with unusual features. All joints soldered for maximum heat transfer throughout, excellent spring-loaded bolt-through mounting. Unusual fan has high turbulence noise at 12V, but when used with supplied speed reduction adapters, works silently. High price might be the only quibble. June/08. |
~65 |
|
| Scythe Mugen (Infinity) |
7.5 |
478, K8, AM2, 775 |
Huge tower heatpipe heatsink with both tightly and loosely spaced fins, one of the biggest in the enthusiast PC cooling market today. The stock fan is pretty quiet, the performance is better higher airflow than lower. Decent mounting clips. Jan/08. |
45~50 |
|
| Scythe Andy Samurai Master |
7.5 |
478, K8, AM2, 775 |
A gigantic blow-down heatsink that performs well with its stock 120mm fan, althought it more optimized for best cooling with high airflow (noisier) rather than lower airflow (quieter) fans. Jan/08. |
~35 |
|
| Scythe Zipang |
7.5 |
AM2, 775 |
Huge, fairly light, blow-down, asymmetrical design uses 6 loop-around heatpipes and a super quiet 140mm fan for very quiet, excellent performance. A bit more airflow would have been useful. Jan/08. |
45~55 |
|
| Asus Triton 75 |
7.5 |
AM2, 775 |
This fairly light, blow-down, Thermalright-derivative lookalike offers excellent performance with any 120mm fan of your choice. Socket 775 mounting is not fun but it works. Excellent pricing. Jan/08. |
~35 |
|
| Thermalright SI-128 |
7.5 |
AM2, 775 |
Large area of aluminum fins only connected via four heatpipes to a minimalist base. It's bigger than the earlier XP120 but easier to mount. The latest version (not reviewed) uses bolt-through mounting for both 775 and AM2. A very good performer. Jan/08. |
~45 |
|
| Xigmatek HDT-D1284 |
7.5 |
AM2, 775 |
Fairly light, blow-down 120mm fan design with four heatpipes offers good performance about on par with Asus Triton 75. PWM fan is noisier than it has to be except at min speed. June/08. |
40~45 |
|
| Xigmatek HDT-S964 |
7.5 |
AM2, 775 |
A tower configuration, 3 U-shaped heatpipes, and "direct touch heatpipes" in the base combine for excellent performance in this modestly priced heatsink. The stock 4-pin PWM fan is OK at minimum speed; replace it with a super-quiet one for great low airflow performance. June/08. |
~33 |
|
| Scythe Ninja Mini |
7.5 |
478, K8, AM2, 775 |
A shorter version of the Ninja, designed to fit in lower profile cases such as the Antec NSK2480/Fusion, in which it can run fanless with most systems due to close proximity of case fans. More even spacing of heatpipes than the original helps performance, which is excellent for the size. Stock 80x25mm fan is pretty quiet. We don't like the 775 mounting hardware much but it works. Jan/08. |
~35 |
|
| Thermalright XP-120 |
7.5 |
478, K8, 775 |
Large area of aluminum fins profiled to clear motherboard components, nickel-plated copper base and five heatpipes for a very light (370g) HS designed for a 120mm fan. With the right quiet 120mm fan, it's both super quiet and cools incredibly well. Sept 22/04 |
40~45 |
|
| Scythe Ninja+ Rev B |
7.5? |
K8, 775 |
Big tower heatpipe heatsink with loosely spaced fins was once tops on our list, but tests with latest 775 push-pin equipped Plus Rev. B forces a markdown. See discussion in Ninja Copper Review. March 22/08. |
~40 |
|
| Zalman CNPS-9500 |
7.5 |
478, K8, 775 |
Zalman's first CPU heatsink to use heatpipes and cross-flow fan configuration; it's the most sophisticated implementation of a CPU heatpipe HSF. A top performer, but the 92mm fan acoustics could be better. Can be freely rotated for best airflow configuration. Modest weight considering the performance and all-copper construction. Jan 2006. AM2 clip in latest production models. |
50~60 |
|
| Apack ZeroTherm BTF80 / BTF90 |
7.5 |
K8, AM2, 775 |
Unusual butterfly-shaped fins on these copper and copper/aluminum HS tha integrated a 92mm fan. Excellent performance, mounts with fan blowing in any direction. Availability a question. Aug/06. |
~50 |
|
| Thermalright HR-01 |
7.5 |
478, K8, 775 |
TR's first entry into the tower style heatsinks was meant to be passive, but cannot be freely rotated for best airflow configuration. With a 120mm fan, it's competitive with the big boys. Very easy to use clip, no native fan mounts. A bit top heavy. Jan 2006. |
40~50 |
|
| Noctua NH-U12 |
7.5 |
478, AM2, 775 |
Large tower heatsink for 120mm fan, similar to Thermalright HR-01 but bigger. With lower airflow, it's competitive. Cannot be freely rotated for best airflow configuration. Noctua comes fanless, but with fan clips; the Coolink comes with a mediocre fan, and simple fan controller. Good mounting systems. A bit top heavy. Jan 2006. Now with AM2 compaitbility - Jan 2008. |
~60 |
|
| Thermalright XP-90C |
7 |
478, K8, 775 |
It's an all-copper version of the XP-90. We haven't reviewed it, but we're pretty sure it deserves this rank. A bit heavy but small enough to fit in most systems. Jan 2005 |
45 |
Friends & colleages |
| Scythe Mine (Rev. B) |
7 |
478, AM2, 775 |
The Mine is a tower HS, the offsping of a Ninja and a Kamakiri, with genes from the Samurai Z mixed in. It has a very smooth quiet 100mm fan. Very good cooling, but not quite as good the best. It cannot be rotated 90 degrees. Aug/06. Now with socket AM2 compatibility - Jan 2008. |
30~40 |
|
| Thermalright XP-90 |
7 |
478, K8, 775 |
It's the XP120 scaled down for a 92mm fan that fits on a wider variety of systems. Well designed heatpipes and large area fins with very tight clip for a light (340g) HS. With the right quiet 92mm fan, it's both super quiet and cools very well. Jan 2005 |
30 |
|
| Zalman 7700AlCu |
7 |
478, K8, 775 |
120mm fan version of 7000 benefits mainly from larger fan, as total fin area is only 3% higher than 7000. Still a top performer, but let down by a fan that's not a top performer, acoustically. Copper version is mighty heavy. Jan 2005 |
35~40 |
|
| Zalman 7000/A, both Cu & AlCu |
7 |
478, K8, A, 370 |
Zalman's flower turns radial and gets a quieter embedded 92mm fan. Big, powerful cooling, modest noise (Fanmate1 controller included), secure mounting system, low 445g weight for AlCu (which matches 773g Cu performance). Original version compatible w/P4 & K8; newer "A" version adds Socket-A compatibility. Tight fit on some boards and cases where PSU is very close to CPU. June 17/03 |
28~35 |
|
| Noctua NH-U9 |
7 |
478, K8, 775 |
Tower heatsink for 92mm fan, similar to Thermalright HR-01 but smaller. Cannot be freely rotated for best airflow configuration. Noctua comes fanless, but with fan clips; the Coolink comes with a mediocre fan, and simple fan controller. Good mounting systems. Jan 2006. |
~45 |
|
| Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 / 64 Pro |
6.5 |
775 / K8 |
Tower heatsink w/mechanically decoupled 92mm fan, like earlier Freezer model, but bigger and with better fan frame. Both versions can be freely rotated for best airflow configuration. Cooling performance is very good at standard fan voltage, but too loud. When fan is slowed to a quiet level, cooling performance is disportionately poor because fins are spaced too tightly. Mounting system is standard Intel for 775, and captive standard clip for K8. Cooling for VRM with airflow deflector fins is claimed. Note that the untested 64 Pro has a slower fan, which will impact both cooling and noise. Jan 2006. |
~25 |
Reviewed (7 version) |
| Arctic Cooling Freezer 4 / 64 |
6.5 |
478 / K8 |
Their first tower heatsink, frameless integrated fan is easily damaged. Cooling performance is good at standard fan voltage, but too loud. When fan is slowed to a quiet level, cooling performance remains OK. Mounting consists of standard clips, whether for soket 478 or K8. The HS cannot be rotated freely (to aim the fan at the exhaust case fan.) Jan 2006. |
~25 |
Reviewed (4 version) |
| Alpha PAL8952 |
5.5 |
478 |
Taller variant of 8942, black anodized aluminum pins, large copper inset base. Great spring-loaded bolt-through board mounting as usual, and blow-up airflow optimized for exhaust ducting fun. 645g, suitable for 80mm fan. Aug/04 |
~40 |
|
| Zalman CNPS-6000Cu |
3.5 |
A, 370 |
2700 sq cm surface, copper, 462 gram flower-style HS. FB123 fan bracket and handy Fanmate1 fan speed controller. Standard clip with useful tool, flexes too easily from spec. Cooling power is OK, but bettered by Zalman's P4 offerings. 6000AlCu variant has central copper fins with aluminum fins on either side for lower weight, slightly lower cooling power, and lower price. 6/02 |
26 |
|
|
OTHER HEATSINKS | |||||
| Make / Model |
Q |
APP* |
Comments |
$ |
S |
| Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 |
8.0 |
VGA |
Simple brute-force design with huge cooling fin surface area outperforms just about everything else available — even run passively! With active cooling, it's good enough for any GPU today. Low cost makes it a real winner, espcially with new Rev.2 that increases compatibility to much wider range of video cards. Jan/08. |
~25 |
|
| Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 |
7.0 |
VGA |
Performance very close to the S1, with slightly smaller size and just two heatpipes. The main downsides is that it doesn't fit all the hottest VGA cards. Reviewed along with very quiet and effective dual-fan Turbo Module, which fits both S1 and S2. Jan/08. |
~22 |
|
| Xigmatek Battle-Axe |
6.5 |
VGA |
Four heatpipes in direct contact with the GPU, a large array of fins and two 92mm fans can't help but give excellent cooling. The fans are rather noisy, though, and the mounting hardware is terribly flimsy. Too pricey. Jan/08. |
45~50 |
|
| Zalman VF-1000CU |
6.5 |
VGA |
Natural upgrade from VF-900CU sees a near-doubling of fin area and much improved cooling performance with the same acoustics; the same fan is used. Excellent mounting system. Jan/08. |
~40 |
|
| Zalman VF-900CU |
5.5 |
VGA |
Deceptively small yet effective and quiet (when undervolted) video card cooling with this heatpipe-enhanced HSF from Zalman. Much more effective than the pipe-less VF-700CU. Aug/06 |
32~44 |
|
| Zalman ZM17CU |
3.5 |
VGA |
Passive all-copper HS for video card. Elminates noisy fan on many video cards. Suitable for hottest high power models only with cooling fan. 6/02 |
20 |
F |
| Zalman ZM80-HP |
4.5 |
VGA |
Passive all-copper heatpipe sandwich HS for "virtually all kinds of video cards" according to Zalman. An optional fan kit helps with really hot cards. There are 3 variants, A, C and D -- details of which are best discovered on Zalman's web site. (D model has 2 heatpipes). They work fairly well, but correct installation can be a little tricky. A model reviewed. Aug/04 |
25~35 |
|
| Globalwin VOS32 |
3.5 |
S-2 S-A |
Monstrous aluminum omni-directional fins model is best ever for Slot (P2, P3, K7) CPUs. Supplied with 2 60mm fans, not quiet; with finesse, can run sub-GHz CPUs w/o fan. Check for space on motherboard. 6/02 |
30 |
F |
|
Alphatech 3125 / 7125 |
3.5 |
S-2 S-A |
Similar to GW VOS32, slightly smaller, copper inset in base. Alpha trademark of black anodized fins. 2 60mm fan design, can run many Slot CPUs w/o fan. 7125 for Slot-A. 6/02 |
32 (no fan) |
O, R |
| Zalman ZM-NB47J |
- |
chipset
HS |
Much taller replacement HS for northbridge chipset on most motherboards. Eliminate small noisy fan safely. Should cool better than NB32. 6/02 |
7 |
R |
| Zalman ZM-NB32J |
- |
chipset HS |
Replacement HS for northbridge chipset on most motherboards. Eliminate small noisy fan safely. 6/02 |
6 |
F |
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