FrostyTech.com Mk.II Synthetic Thermal Heatsink Test Results Results based on readings from a 38x38mm copper interface die with 125W heat load on the Mk.II Test Platform. Thermal Test values for each heatsink were calculated by determining the rise over ambient temperature at time of test. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here. Socket 939/940/754 compatible CPU heatsinks
manufacturer:	model no.:	*fan speed:	125w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
Noctua	NH-U12		17.5	45.4
Gigabyte	G-Power Pro	high	18.6	71.9
Noctua	NH-U9		18.8	58.4
Coolermaster	Hyper6	high	20.5	54.7
Thermaltake	Venus 12	high	21.7	68.1
ASUS	Starice	high	22.8	67.4
Arctic Cooling	Freezer 64 Pro		23.2	50.9
Coolermaster	Aquagate Mini	high	23.2	59.2
Thermaltake	Polo 735	high	23.4	68.0
Cooljag	SFO-H	high	23.6	60.6
Alpha	PAL-8150		23.7	58.9
Zalman	CNPS9500LED (clip parallel)	high	23.8	50.3
AVC	Z7U3301001 (stock 939)	high	24.6	59.9
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Ultra	high	24.8	63.0
Scythe	Shogun	high	26.0	45.9
EKL	V8	high	26.3	57.5
Gigabyte	3D Rocket-Pro	high	26.9	56.7
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Pro	high	27.0	62.5
Spire	SP601B3		28.3	48.9
Ajigo	MF064-074	high	28.8	60.3
Gigabyte	3D-Rocket		28.9	50.7
Vantec	Mach1	high	29.2	56.9
CoolJag	SFO-D(18SC)		29.6	64.0
Arctic Cooling	Alpine 64		30.5	43.9
Zalman	CNPS7000A-Cu	high	30.3	45.2
Dynatron	SK-V24		30.3	56.4
Zalman	CNPS7000-Cu	high	31.0	45.2
Coolermaster	Hyper48		31.7	43.6
Scythe	Kama SCKK1000		31.9	47.5
Scythe	Samurai SCSM1000	high	32.1	51.6
Zalman	CNPS7000B-CU	high	32.3	44.9
Thermaltake	Silentboost K8		32.3	49.7
Jetart	JAX801		33.2	53.5
Dynatron	A22		34.5	44.5
nPowertek	NPH K8-1		34.6	52.2
Ajigo	MF043-044 (stock 754)		35.0	45.4
Verax	Quattro 1		36.9	30.9
Arctic Cooling	Silencer 64 Ultra TC		37.5	55.5
Gigabyte	NeonCooler 8-BL		37.7	42.0
Titan	TTC-K8ATB/825/SC		38.7	63.1
Evercool	K802-715		42.1	51.5
Spire	SP741B3		43.2	45.6
Evercool	Magic Cooler		46.6	55.5
ASUS	Starice	low	92.4+	34.4
			125w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
*heatsinks are ranked according to the 125w thermal test results column (rise over ambient temp.). low temperatures with low noise levels are considered best. for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans, only the high speed (12v) fan test result is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results reside in each specific heatsink review.

With a 125W heat load applied by the FrostyTech synthetic thermal test platform, the Spire DiamondCool II SP741B3 heatsink manages a rise above ambient temperature result of 43.2°C, with 45.6 dBA noise. This is hotter than we anticipated, and underscores some of the peculiarities of this heatsinks' design and construction that were mentioned earlier.

The Spire DiamondCool II seems to have the body of a performance heatsink, but the fan of a low noise heatsink. Because the fan is 90mm diameter and relatively slow turning (2400RPM), it doesn't appear as though enough pressure is being generated to move the necessary volume of cool air through the very closely packed copper fins fast enough.

The heatpipes restrict airflow from entering the array of copper fins further still, and to be honest we're split down the middle on their practical effectiveness even.

The DiamondCool II's massive 10mm thick copper base is ideal for dispersing heat from the AMD Athlon64 CPU to a wider surface area, but 28% of its top surface is not in contact with cooling fins. It's a lot of copper, maybe more than is really necessary...

There's no contest that the Spire DiamondCool II SP741B3 is quiet, but its temperatures are a little high relative to the other low noise heatsinks in the reference list (look at the 'Noise Level' column to spot all sub-48dBA heatsinks). Given its materials and construction, we're really left wondering if the Spire DiamondCool II SP741B3 heatsink didn't first came off the drawing board with a high-power 70mm fan perched atop... For your money, Spire's other recent low-noise heatsink which is the Spire Verticool II, is a better buy.

Related Articles:

For more reviews on the latest heatsinks and cooling solutions, rely on FrostyTech's inventory of 350+ heatsink reviews. Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well...

1. ALPHA PAL-8150 ATHLON64 HEATSINK REVIEW
2. Spire VertiCool II SP601B3 AMD Athlon64 Heatsink Review
3. Gigabyte G-Power Pro GH-PDU21-MF Heatsink Review
4. Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro Athlon64 Heatsink Review
5. Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra TC Athlon64 Heatsink
6. Spire VertiCool II SP601B3 AMD Athlon64 Heatsink
7. Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 Heatsink Review
8. Noctua NH-U9 Low Noise Heatsink Review
9. Coolermaster Hyper48 KHC-L91 Heatsink Review