40 W Heat-Load (HTPC / Office PCs)
40 W Heat-Load (HTPC / Office PCs)
Test Details:
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To test the CPU cooling units we use the der8auer-Test-Bench. It has been modified with a Intel Core i7 4770K Heatspreader on the contact surface. The contact surface itself has been cut down to the shape of a 4770K DIE. This will make sure that the test bench creates heat load similar to a normal CPU and the results are equal to a normal test.
We use the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut thermal paste for all coolers to make sure the thermal paste is not limiting the test results.
Each cooler is mounted 3 times and we measure the temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the heat-base. This means that a lower temperature-difference (dT) equals a better performance.
In addition we measure the sound-level of all coolers in 30 cm distance.
All tests are done at 3 different fan speeds. 5 Volt, 7 Volt and 12 Volt.
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Result-Table Explanation:
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The result-table is fully sortable. Simply click on a category of the header such as Vendor or Height.
If you click on the Product in the table you can view the detailed product review page.
dT @ x V:
Delta Temperature at a given voltage (5, 7 or 12). Lower dT = better
A delta temperature of over 40 Kelvin is not recommended and would cause your CPU to overheat.
dB @ x V:
Sound-Level at a given voltage (5,7 or 12) in dB. Lower dB = better
<30 dB: unhearable
30-35 dB: very silent
35-40 dB: silent
40-45 dB: hearable
45-50 dB: distinctly hearable
>50 dB: annoying
Height (mm):
The total hight of the cooler measured in mm.
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40 W Heat Load Test results (HTPC / Office PC)
| Vendor | Product | dT 12V | dB 12V | dT 7V | dB 7V | dT 5V | dB 5V | Height (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noctua | NH-U12S (2 x fan) | 4.14 | 43.3 | 4.42 | 39.9 | 4.86 | 35.8 | 158 |
| Noctua | NH-U12S | 4.73 | 40.3 | 4.95 | 35.6 | 5.40 | 31.7 | 158 |
| Noctua | NH-U9S (2 x fan) | 5.33 | 46.9 | 5.77 | 41.1 | 6.41 | 36.6 | 125 |
| Noctua | NH-L12 | 5.73 | 41.9 | 6.37 | 37.4 | 6.78 | 33.7 | 93 |
| Noctua | NH-D9L | 5.84 | 43.5 | 6.97 | 38.1 | 7.96 | 34.1 | 110 |
| Noctua | NH-U9S | 6.64 | 43.6 | 7.15 | 38.3 | 8.03 | 34.2 | 125 |
| Raijintek | Pallas | 6.78 | 39.8 | 7.34 | 36.6 | 8.65 | 31.1 | 68 |
| Akasa | Nero LX | 7.79 | 48.4 | 8.99 | 39.6 | 10.09 | 34.4 | 59 |
| GELID Solutions | Siberian PRO | 9.96 | 39.4 | 11.04 | 34.2 | 12.60 | 30.5 | 89 |
| Noctua | NH-L9i | 11.03 | 41.8 | 13.51 | 36.8 | 15.55 | 32.3 | 37 |
| Akasa | K25 | 12.86 | 46.0 | 15.00 | 41.6 | 16.95 | 35.6 | 29.5 |
| Intel | E97379-001 | 12.30 | 42.9 | 13.68 | 39.6 | 16.93 | 38.8 | 45 |
| Akasa | CCE-7106HP | 12.86 | 46.0 | 15.00 | 41.6 | 16.95 | 35.6 | 29.5 |
| Akasa | CC7122BP01 | 13.51 | 43.2 | 15.84 | 40.9 | 18.58 | 37.4 | 26 |
| GELID Solutions | Slim Silence i-Plus | 14.16 | 44.2 | 16.04 | 37.8 | 18.71 | 32.6 | 28 |
| GELID Solutions | Siberian | 15.45 | 38.0 | 17.28 | 33.9 | 19.86 | 31.1 | 66 |
| Akasa | CC7129BP01 | 17.71 | 44.2 | 20.51 | 37.3 | 23.52 | 33.5 | 21 |