Most Popular HSF For Opty 165

[politbureau]

So the Thermalright SI-128 doesn't even fit into the top 5? Is the BT 4th with or without the mod?

LOL, and have you checked my math? gawd...

 

Ranked by Price...

 

1. $34.95 - Thermaltake Ultra-120

2. $35.95 - Scythe Ninja Rev B

3. $44.95 - Scythe Infinity

4. $39.49 - Thermaltake Big Typoon

5. $52.95 - Tuniq Tower

Good work polit

 

I tried the SI-128 for awhile, but wasn't impressed. I like the fact that it blows air onto the PWMIC and mosfets, but it's Goliath big and weighs a freekin' ton. Did not inspire me with confidence, hanging that off my chip., but performance was OK.

 

Anyway yeah, I did the whole BT + RAMsink thing and it worked well. I personally used OCZ Copper RAMsinks (C$14.99), cut them in half with a dremel, and attached them like the pic on page 3 of that post. With the stock fan I got a 2/4 degree decrease at idle/load, which is respectible for air.

 

With that mod, I'd up the BT to second place on the list, but it also increases the price by about $12, putting it in 4th place for cost.

 

Still, considering the Ultra-120 doesn't come with a fan, you might spend that anyway, plus the BT cooled the mosfets and PWMIC on my expert nicely.

 

Of all the heatsinks I've used (I have owned all of those and more.. sigh), the Typhoon always scaled the best with more powerful fans, so if you're willing to replace the fan for better performance (and noise), that might be the way to go. Plus it's "upgradeable," in a manner of speaking.

 

The rest of the field seems to top out with around 70CFM, perhaps due to the horizontal design, maybe not. With these I didn't notice much of a temp decerase between my Papst 4412FGML (67CFM) and Delta monster (120CFM), whereas the BT kept getting cooler.

[General Septem]

LOL, and have you checked my math? gawd...

 

Good work polit

 

I tried the SI-128 for awhile, but wasn't impressed. I like the fact that it blows air onto the PWMIC and mosfets, but it's Goliath big and weighs a freekin' ton. Did not inspire me with confidence, hanging that off my chip., but performance was OK.

 

Weight aside, how did it compare in performance to the top five?

 

Anyway yeah, I did the whole BT + RAMsink thing and it worked well. I personally used OCZ Copper RAMsinks (C$14.99), cut them in half with a dremel, and attached them like the pic on page 3 of that post. With the stock fan I got a 2/4 degree decrease at idle/load, which is respectible for air.

 

With that mod, I'd up the BT to second place on the list, but it also increases the price by about $12, putting it in 4th place for cost.

 

Still, considering the Ultra-120 doesn't come with a fan, you might spend that anyway, plus the BT cooled the mosfets and PWMIC on my expert nicely.

 

Of all the heatsinks I've used (I have owned all of those and more.. sigh), the Typhoon always scaled the best with more powerful fans, so if you're willing to replace the fan for better performance (and noise), that might be the way to go. Plus it's "upgradeable," in a manner of speaking.

 

The rest of the field seems to top out with around 70CFM, perhaps due to the horizontal design, maybe not. With these I didn't notice much of a temp decerase between my Papst 4412FGML (67CFM) and Delta monster (120CFM), whereas the BT kept getting cooler.

 

I see, thanks for the clarification. That mod brings the BT up to the price of a Tuniq roughly, so I have another question.

 

In terms of performance, would you recommend the Tuniq with an upgraded fan or the BT with RAMsinks and upgraded fan? Is the difference marginal?

[politbureau]

Weight aside, how did it compare in performance to the top five?

Probably third, but I didn't spend a lot of time tweaking it, and honestly I can't remember which fan I had on it, but I remember thinking it wasn't quite as good as the BT/Tuniq. Plus it needs a lot of space. It touched my RAM on two different mobos, so I ditched it.

 

I see, thanks for the clarification. That mod brings the BT up to the price of a Tuniq roughly, so I have another question.

 

In terms of performance, would you recommend the Tuniq with an upgraded fan or the BT with RAMsinks and upgraded fan? Is the difference marginal?

Tough question, and I'm no expert, to be sure, but I would probably go with the Tuniq, just because of personal preference.

 

However, it really does depend, and I don't want to say categorically what will work better for you. As with all things, it depends a lot on your setup. The BT pulls air down from the top, so if you have some sort of vent on the side of your case, it will work well. If not, the Tuniq can pull air laterally, but it can only mount one way (typically with the fan blowing up-down). The Scythe on the other hand can mount with the fan an any of the 4 sides, so is quite versatile.

 

And again, some heatsinks do better with higher CFM fans, others are great with low. So maybe the list should look more like this:

 

Best Performance with Yate Loon D12SL-12 (47CFM)

 

1. Tuniq Tower

2. Ninja

3. SI-128

4. Big Typhoon

5. Infinity

6. Ultra-120

 

Best Performance with Papst 4412 FGML (and higher CFM Fans)

 

1. Modified Big Typhoon (tie)

1. Lapped Tuniq Tower (tie)

2. Ninja

4. Infinity

3. Ultra-120

 

Best "Silent Performance" - Yate Loon at 7V (via Sunbeam Rheo)

 

1. Tuniq

2. Ninja

3. Infinity

4. Big Typhoon

5. Ultra-120

 

Best Stock Performance: Tuniq Tower

Best Scaling Heatsink: Big Typhoon

Most Versatile Mounting: Scythe Ninja

 

FYI, the Tuniq also comes with a horrible base finish. I lapped it immediately to 2500 grit, then finished with a metal polish for a mirror finish. This is reflected in the results, but it's still the best stock heatsink, even without lapping.

 

This is by no means categorical, so take from it what you will. I hope it helps!

[politbureau]

P.S. I should have mentioned this earlier, but I'm not a big fan of aircooling for Opterons. At 3GHz and 1.55v (+/-), an Opteron 150 (or 165) will be pushing 140W at load. That's pretty tough for any HSF to dissipate.

 

For example, the Tuniq claims a °C/W of 0.16-0.21.

 

At full load, the math works out like this:

 

Minimum (0.16): 42°C

Maximum (0.21): 49°C

 

Assuming 20°C ambient air temperature and 140W power at full load. Bear in mind that's strictly theoretical, and I would suggest that real-world numbers are going to be reasonably higher.

 

Watercooling is def the way to go if you have high overclocks in mind.

 

For the price of a couple decent heatsinks + fans, you can get the Corsair Nautilus 500 system, which seems to perform great. Read Thunda's review here.

[xenogear74]

Actually, I've also recently picked up the Noctua NH-U12F and I am very very pleased with it. High quality, very low temps and dead quiet. I highly reccomend. Can't pick it up at the 'egg though yet have to go to Frozen CPU or Performance PC.

[red930]

Thanks for all the posts,I've gathered a lot of info here on HSF choices,because of what has been posted I'm leaning now toward the Tuniq or TR 120.

 

The TR 120 needing a fan factors into the price/performance ratio and the ease of install is a slight factor.

 

Thanks for all the info guys

[THEnumber337]

I am happy with my Zalman 9700. Some people don't like it but I've been enjoying it. My Opty 165 idles around 21°C and dual prime95 never goes above 29°C.

[red930]

It's more informative when posting Air cooling results to give how much Vcore you're using at total MHz,ambient temps and probably even what case.

 

There are a lot of factors that affect the results

[THEnumber337]

It's more informative when posting Air cooling results to give how much Vcore you're using at total MHz,ambient temps and probably even what case.

 

There are a lot of factors that affect the results

 

True true, my apologize. Currently it's running stock speed with 1.15v, although I have only noticed a slight decrease in temps from stock volts it is only 1 or 2 degrees. The ambient temp is around 20°C and my case is in my sig

 

However, reducing the voltage has caused me to notice a decrease in idle and load core temps when I use Everest Ultimate. Core 1 usually loads about 34°C with core 2 loading around 30°C. When they were at stock volts they both loaded about 5°C higher than that.

[Retrospekt]

Well the Big Typhoon is the most popular, here is a great guide on how to modify it.

[Guest DasFox]

Well I bought the Tuniq, and Thasp you must have big hands or a tight fit in your case, because it was very easy for me to install the HSF, only took me 10mins.

 

 

You can change the stock fan for the Tuniq? I didn't really pay attention to it. I'd love to put a better fan in it. This stock one sucks.

 

This Yate Loon D12SL-12 (47CFM) is really the best one for it?

 

THANKS

[Guest DasFox]

Actually forget the Yate not strong enough, I went with more CFM.

 

I had credit with FrozenCPU, I didn't really want LED, but I went with this AeroCool 120mm Xtreme Turbine 89.39CFM.

 

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2498/......WkY&mv_pc=14355

 

http://www.aerocool.us/p-accessory/xtreme%...e%20turbine.htm