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
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
Zalman	CNPS7500-Cu LED	high	36.4	22.9	50.9
Thermalfly	I75DUH		37.8	22.8	48.7
Akasa	AK-975CU	high	38.4	23.0	47.7
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 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.

intel processors vary widely in heat output between single and multi-core processors, so we rely on two values which represent the upper limit of both existing cpu families to test thermal solutions. with a 150w heat load applied by the intel lga775 version of frostytech's synthetic thermal test platform, the Spire Fourier IV heatsink maintains a pretty poor temperature of 63.6°C over ambient (with 60.2dBA noise).

For a heatsink made entirely of copper, these results are particularly surprising. We can only assume the heatpipes are not functioning properly, either because of poor design, defect, or that the system has been stalled by the 150W heat load used in this test.

The Spire Fourier IV heatsink next tested with an 85W heat load, akin to a Pentium D or Core 2 Duo processor. This time around the Spire Fourier IV heatsink performed much better; temperatures held steady at a nice 18.7°C over ambient at full fan speed. Once again, the fan noise was a bit loud (60.2 dBA) for a CPU cooler compared to the many other alternatives noted in the reference list above.

When the 92mm fan on the Spire Fourier IV heatsink fan is running at full tilt, blowing air up from the bottom to the top, the thermal results on the LGA775 platform are only good with an 85W heat load. The heatsink is ill equipped to handle a 150W heat load. In Frostytech's tests, we observed a quick rise in temperature followed by a slow but steady crawl up the temperature dial. This leads us to believe the four 6mm diameter heatpipes stalled, perhaps as a result of their ~240mm length and two 90 degree bends.

Ultimately, the Spire Fourier IV heatsink is not a cooler we recommend, although it is completely suitable for processors with a TDP around 85W, as noted. The AMD platform saw only satisfactory performance on the whole, and with a loud fan, heavy weight, and utterly cumbersome mounting system the Spire Fourier IV heatsink makes a poor choice.

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