FrostyTech Mk.II Synthetic Thermal Heatsink Test Results Intel Pentium D / Extreme Edition & Quad Core class heatsinks tested at 150W Intel Core 2 Duo / Pentium 4 / Celeron class heatsinks tested at 85W Results based on readings from a 30x30mm copper interface die with 150W and 85W heat loads applied on the LGA775 version of the Mk.II Test Platform. Temperature results listed for each heatsink were calculated by determining the rise over ambient temperatures at time of test. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here. Socket 775 compatible CPU heatsinks
manufacturer:	model no.:	fan speed:	150w thermal test* (°c)	85w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
Thermalright	Ultra 120		17.8	10.6	53.7
3Rsystem	Iceage 120	high	18.2	12.1	47.9
Zalman	CNPS9700 LED	high	19.0	10.4	56.5
Thermalright	Ultra-90	high	19.6	13.0	56.2
Enzotech	Ultra-X	high	20.0	8.5	59.1
Apack	Zerotherm BTF90		21.8	12.7	52.1
Xigmatek	HDT-S963	high	21.9	13.7	50.2
Akasa	AK-965	high	22.2	13.8	48.1
Apack	Zerotherm BTF80		22.8	13.9	51.9
Cooljag	Falcon 92-AL	high	23.2	14.2	52.1
Rosewill	RCX-Z3	high	23.3	14.0	58.6
Scythe	Mine Rev. B		23.6	15.0	36.8
Cooljag	Falcon 92-Cu	high	23.6	14.8	52.8
3Rsystem	Iceage 120	low	24.0	15.0	35.4
Akasa	AK-920	high	24.3	14.1	52.9
Asus	Arctic Square	high	24.9	14.9	44.9
Akasa	AK-922 (EVObue)	high	25.5	15.4	60.3
Thermalfly	F1-IACSHA	high	29.0	18.3	60.4
nPowertek	TTIC NPH1000		29.3	16.8	47.5
Thermalfly	I75DUB	high	29.5	16.8	68.5
Zalman	CNPS9500 AT		29.6	17.3	53.3
Alpha Novatech	PRE9060M92P	high	29.9	18.5	51.5
Scythe	Kama Cross		30.0	18.8	40.0
Akasa	AK-961		30.0	18.7	60.7
Rosewill	RCX-Z2-EX	high	30.1	18.7	45.9
nPowertek	NPH-775-1		30.1	18.8	50.1
Sunon	Waturbo		30.6	18.3	57.5
Apack	CF800	high	31.4	20.7	48.4
Thermaltake	Jungle512	high	31.6	20.4	60.8
Coolage	Frozen Orb F0-Z924AL	high	32.0	19.9	48.9
Xigmatek	AIO-S80DP	high	32.4	21.4	55.0
Scythe	Katana II		32.5	18.6	37.9
Rosewill	RCX-Z2		32.6	19.3	59.9
Zalman	CNPS7700-Cu	high	32.9	19.7	50.7
Apack	CF900	high	32.9	20.3	48.3
Evercool	PT02-9232CP		33.3	19.9	63.3
Zalman	CNPS7700-Cu LED	high	33.5	20.6	49.8
Intel	Stock Pentium D	high	33.8	20.7	47.5
nPowerTek	SF775-2	high	34.7	21.1	64.6
Akasa	AK-960E		36.1	21.4	56.3
Thermalfly	I75DUH		37.8	22.8	48.7
Cooljag	OAK-H	high	38.5	22.9	55.7
Cooljag	OAK-H2	high	38.6	24.1	55.6
LS Cable	SHS-T700		38.7	22.8	48.5
Intel	Stock Pentium D	low	40.3	23.9	40.5
Intel	Stock Core 2 Duo		49.2	29.0	36.7
Spire	Fourier IV SP607B3-C		63.6	18.7	60.2
Cooljag	OAK-H	low	95.3	54.5	29.5
			150w thermal test (°c)	85w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
*heatsinks are ranked according to the 150w 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.

the heat output from intel processors varies widely between single and multi-core processors, so frostytech tests heatsinks with two thermal values which represent the upper limits of each breed. to start with, a 150w heat load was applied by the intel lga775 version of frostytech's synthetic thermal test platform. The 3RSystem Iceage 120 heatsink yielded a rise above ambient temperature of only 18.2°C (47.9dBA) at a stock fan speed of 2200RPM. The CPU equivalent of this test would be an Intel Core 2 Quad, Pentium D/Extreme Edition class processor. With such a low rise in temperature, the Iceage 120 heatsink takes the number two position in this Intel reference list. Impressive!

The speed of the 120mm fan on the 3RSystem Iceage 120 heatsink was then reduced to about 1000RPM. With a reduced fan speed noise levels decreased to 35.4 dBA, and the test temperature rose to 24.0°C over ambient.

When faced with a 150W heat load and a slowly spinning fan, 3RSystem's Iceage 120 heatsink maintained significantly better results than the stock Intel LGA775 heatsink... and in fact the majority of Intel heatsinks Frostytech compared it against.

For the next round of tests on the Frostytech Mrk.II synthetic thermal test platform, an 85W heat load was selected. The Iceage 120 heatsink maintained an excellent 12.1°C rise over ambient at default fan speed, and 15.0°C at a reduced fan speed. Once again, the 3RSystem Iceage 120 heatsink posts very good thermal results.

Compared to the stock AMD Athlon64 AVC Z7U7414001 (AM2) heatsink at full tilt the 3RSystem Iceage 120 heatsink is much quieter, and a bit cooler. On the Intel platform, the Iceage 120 is dramatically cooler and about as loud as the stock Intel Pentium D/Core 2 Duo bifurcated-fin heatsinks.

As we've seen from the thermal and acoustic test results for both AMD and Intel platforms, the 3RSystem Iceage 120 is an excellent lower-noise heatsink at the top of its game. However, 3RSystem would do well to revise the clip mechanism and make it a bit easier to center it on the base of the heatsink. In an open top test environment it was tricky to keep the mounting clip centered on both those steel pins, so we can foresee some frustration coming from them in the confines of a computer case. Otherwise, the quiet low-RPM hydraulic bearing fan, anti-vibration pads, and performance of the Iceage 120 heatsink come together very nicely. Recommended for Intel or AMD processors.

The 3RSystem Iceage 120 heatsink is available through JustPCUSA.com in US/Canada, international vendors are listed here.

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