Introduction
The arena of CPU cooling is littered with choices. Keep the stock cooler, go water cooled, go aftermarket air cooled, go budget, go high end tower cooler, or take a couple of aspirin and worry about it tomorrow. With CPUs running hotter and hotter, especially overclocked, tomorrow might be to too late. Wait that extra day and you might manage to get a puff of that “Magic Blue Smoke” to expel from your machine. That's never a good thing.
More and more I get people approaching me asking about cooling their rig. Sunbeamtech never really crossed my mind when people ask me. I tend to go with Thermalright, Zalman, Noctua, or Tuniq myself. After having my hands on the Core-Contact Freezer from Sunbeamtech, I might have to start adding them to the list of viable solutions to today's cooling needs.
The Core-Contact Freezer comes in an attractive blue box, with enough information and specifications on the outside to assist you in the informed purchase of the C-C Freezer.
Inside the box, the Core-Contact Freezer is protected by a clam shell plastic pack. The Core-Contact Freezer arrived safely and the packaging is adequate to protect it during shipment.
Packaging / Fan
Packed in with the Core-Contact Freezer, you'll find a retention bracket for the Intel LGA 775 socket. One nice touch is that you won't have to remove the motherboard to install the bracket. A gentle push and the pegs are through the mounting holes, then insert the four included buckles and the mounting platform is ready. That earns a lot of points with me. If you're on AM2, you should already have a compatible bracket on your board.
You'll also find a fan controller and screw to attach it to a PCI slot. It's a nice addition but the fan included with the CPU Cooler runs at 16 – 20 dBA and you really don't need it because the fan operates whisper quiet.
You will of course find the Core-Contact Freezer itself, and a set of mounting wires. The mounting wires are used to mount the fan before the install. If you go that route, you might have to re-mount the fan after the install as they tend to come off easily during handling.
The instructions say there are a couple of bolts in the pack, designated “2pcs CR-TF-6” - those were nowhere to be found but weren't needed for the install and look like thumb screws for the back of the case more than any thing.
It's a 12 volt, Magnetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing 120mm fan that draws .16 amps from the CPU fan header on your motherboard. It spins at between 1000 – 2000 RPM and pushed 90.65 CFM at max settings. The AMBF (Average Mean Time Between Failure) is 50,000 hours.
I was rather surprised the fan didn't really have a quality feel to it but operated flawlessly and as stated, was whisper quiet.
A nice surprise I found in the bundle was the Tuniq TX-2 TIM (Thermal Interface Material). Tossing in a syringe of their best CPU Grease impressed me. It's a trend I've been seeing more often. In the past, a lot of companies toss in some generic TIM of questionable origin and even more questionable quality.
Adding their top of the line Tuniq TX-2 earned them a few brownie points and will help to keep the cost of using the Core-Contact Freezer down as you won't have to go out and purchase a high quality TIM to make the best use of your new acquisition.
Alternative Fan
I always like to know if a different, perhaps higher quality fan is going to make a difference in the cooling of expensive CPUs. After all, an alternative fan that drives the temps down a few degrees gives you a little more headroom for overclocking which is all the rage.
For the alternative fan I chose the Noctua NF-P12 120mm fan.
The NF-P12 120mm fan has a nine blade design with vortex control notches cut into the blades. It also features SC-Drive (Smooth Commutation) and reduces torque variations. It has SSO-Bearing Technology that ensures quiet operation and exceptional long term stability.
Here are the Specs on it at max settings which I used in testing.
RPM 1300
CFM 92.3
dB(A) 19.8
Watts 1.08
Volts 12
MTBF 150,000
During testing, the fan was whisper quiet and performed flawlessly. It also has the advantage of coming with four vibration compensators which were supremely handy in keeping the retention wires on the Core-Contact Freezer.
While the CFM and Static pressure are similar to the fan provided with the Core-Contact Freezer, the MTBF on this fan is 3x longer than the Sunbeamtech model. The bundled fan operates on Magnetic Fluid Dynamic Bearing and MTBF is 50,000 hours. The Noctua MTBF is 150,000 and operates on Self Stabilizing Oil Pressure Bearings.
The differences might be small on the surface but the added life of the fan, and not having Magnetic Fluid Bearings make the Noctua an attractive option. Magnetic Bearings seldom give a warning that they are going out and with the Sunbeam fan's quiet operation, unless you have auto notify of the fan's shut down in BIOS enabled, it could lead to problems down the line.
Closer Look
The Direct Contact Heat Pipes are the center of attention on this style cooler. There are four heat pipes, and unlike conventional coolers, they come into contact with the CPU Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) directly.
Unlike some of the Direct contact coolers I have seen, the Sunbeamtech cooler has a nice polish to it. During the razor blade test where I run a razor blade across the base, it was extremely flat. While there are four heat pipes, they run across the sink and appear as eight protrusions from the top of the heatsink.
Taking a look at the assembled Core-Contact Freezer, you'll see Sunbeamtech's take on a hold down mechanism. They've chosen a clip type system that features an easy install. After mounting the retaining bracket, make sure to put a thin coat of thermal paste across the bottom of the heatsink. I used a plastic bag stretched over my finger. Don't use too much, but use enough to fill any gaps between the heat pipes and metal in between them.
Don't rely on the grain of rice and squash it with the CPU cooler method on this type of heatsink. It's been tested extensively both by me and others and it doesn't produce reliable results. After spreading the TIM across the base of the sink, spread another thin layer across the CPU and you're ready to mount.
Here's a closer look at the business end of the Core-Contact Freezer. You can clearly see the retention bracket and smooth flat surface of the base. The edges and metal in between the pipes is where you should concentrate on packing the TIM.
For visual comparison purposes, I put the Core-Contact Freezer next to a Thermalright Ultra 120 which I keep around for testing. You can see the Core Contact cooler is as tall as the TRUE and a decent amount thicker. The major difference is the TRUE isn't a Direct contact CPU cooler.
The fins on the Core-Contact Freezer are made of aluminum and are more flimsy than the TRUE so you'll need to exercise a little care when it comes to the install. The Core-Contact Freezer is strictly a single fan sink, while the TRUE can be used in Push / Pull if desired.
Specs / Installation
I borrowed the specifications for the Core-Contact Freezer from the Sunbeamtech website for you to take a gander at.
Weighing in at 590g and having a height of 155mm, you need to consider if the Core-Contact Freezer is going to fit in your system. Keep in mind that you need to add the additional 25mm thickness of the fan making it 129mm wide.
It takes up more room than the TRUE and sits fairly low to the motherboard. It fit on the Asus P5K-E I tested it on but just barely... and not without a little adjustment.
You can see the fan retention wire was in direct contact with the NB heatsink and the Core-Contact Freezer itself barely cleared it. It was such a tight fit that the Mosfet cooler had to slightly lean to accommodate the massive sink.
Here we have a side by side of the Core-Contact Freezer installed so you can access the size. The shot on the left is the stock fan and on the right is the Noctua NF-P12.
Testing / Conclusion
Here's the skinny on the test rig I used.
Mobo: Asus P5K-E
CPU: Intel E2180
Ram: Mushkin 1 X 1 gig ddr2 800
Case: Thermaltake M9 full Tower
HD: Western Digital 80 Gig
PSU: SolyTech 480w
Fans: 2x 120mm Thermaltake front/rear push/pull
I could have thrown a Quad at the Core-Contact Freezer but I chose the Dual Core E2180 because I've tested it with a bunch of coolers, the same coolers I tested on the Quad Q6600, and the temps always come out within a degree of each other. I'd attribute that to the older 65nm design of the E2180. I was quite surprised when I bought it that it pushed so much heat. It makes for a good test because of the similar heat signature to the Quad.
Testing And Methodology:
1.Ambient Temps were kept at 72 Fahrenheit
2.Idle tests were performed from a cold start with 30 minutes down time to cool the rig.
3.Load tests were performed after the 30 minute idle without shutting down
4.After the load tests, the machine was shut down for 30 minutes to cool off
5.The Tuniq TX-2 was cleaned off and reapplied for each sink tested
6.Orthos Prime was used to stress both cores simultaneously
7.No particular effort was made to close background programs
8.The overclock was from 2.0 GHz to 2.5 GHz with a voltage of 1.26 Vcore
The Sinks And Blocks Tested:
1. Stock Intel Cooler
2. Stock Core-Contact Cooler
3. Core-Contact Cooler w/Noctua NF-P12 Fan
4. NexXxos Water Block
5. Thermalright XWB-01 Water Block
The Water Rig Consisted Of:
1. Swiftech MCP350 3/8" barb pump
2. Swiftech Micro Reservoir
3. Swiftech MCR320 triple 120mm Radiator
4. 3x Yate Loon 83 CFM 120mm fans in pull config on radiator
Right out of the gate you can see that the stock cooler just wasn't cutting it and had the highest idle temp of the group registering at 43 C.
The Core Contact cooler with both the stock fan and Noctua came in at 36 C, a 7 C advantage over the Stock Intel Cooler. The Thermalright Water Block came in at an idle of 33 C, the best of the bunch, and the NexXxos came in behind the Core Contact Freezer at 38 C. I'd say that is because of the acrylic design of the NexXxos.
With the overclock at idle, we see much the same thing with nothing more than a degree or two difference which is to be expected because I trimmed the voltages down to an absolute minimum to attain complete stability.
Running at the stock E2180 speed of 2.0 GHz under Orthos load stressing both cores, the Stock Intel cooler ran at 58 C which is considerably higher than I allow my rigs to run. The Core-Contact Freezer kept it down to an acceptable 48 C with both the stock and Noctua fans. The Thermalright held the line at 44 C and the NexXxos didn't do any better than the air coolers.
With the OC under load, the Core-Contact Freezer held the line at 51 C after a half hour of stressing with Orthos. I actually let it run another half hour but recorded the temp at the half hour. After an hour, the Temp remained at 51 C with the stock fan and 50 C with the Noctua. I don't know about you, but ~50 C is my cut off. If a CPU cooler won't hold my CPU down to ~50 C, I don't use it.
With the OC, the Intel cooler was dragging the rear and IMO more fit for cooling my calculator than my computer, a sad showing at 60 C. I had to shut the test down prematurely because the temp was rising sharply.
The NexXxos Water Block held to a pathetic 49 C and is probably destined for eBay. The Thermalright held the line at 45 C and in every case was by far the best cooling solution but not to be held to the same standard as air cooling.
The Sunbeamtech Core-Contact Freezer did a good job keeping the E2180 heat pump in check. It's massive stature, and four direct contact heat pipes combined with both the Stock and Noctua fan did a respectable job. The machining of the base was held to tight specifications and didn't require lapping.
The install was reasonably easy and I didn't have to remove the motherboard to accomplish it. Other than a wire clip slipping off (more due to gorilla hands than design), it went smoothly and was accomplished with little more than a glance at the easy-to-understand instructions.
At an idle, it kept within 3 C of the Thermalright Water Block and crushed the stock Intel cooler by an impressive 7 C. Under an overclocked Load using Orthos, which is the standard I go by, the Core-Contact Freezer kept the line at 51 C stock and 50 C with the Noctua. The OC difference between the Thermalright water block and the air cooler was only 6 C; pretty respectable for an air cooler.
I did find the tremendous size to be a little intimidating, and some boards out there simply won't allow for a clean install of the sink without obstructions. I would have liked to seen the opposite side of the sink set up for an additional fan with two extra fan clips included. That might have decreased the size and increased the cooling a little, further exhausting the heat out the rear pull fan in many systems.
I've tested a lot of coolers, many heavier than the 590 gram Core-Contact Freezer, but even with it's lighter weight, it performed as well as most of them.
Pros
Cools good
Installs Easy
Quiet Operation
Accepts any 120mm X 25mm fan
Tuniq TX-2 included
Cons
Size/Possible conflict with Mobo Hardware
Single Fan design
If you've got the room for the Core-Contact Freezer in your case and the hankering for some decent overclocking, Sunbeamtech has a winner in their Core-Contact Freezer. OCIA.net has awarded it our Seal of Approval.
(origin: http://www.ocia.net/reviews/corefreezer/page1.shtml Author: Mark Taliaferro)
No comments:
Post a Comment