Acoustic Samples: Listen to this Heatsink!

With the Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink powered up, noise levels are not overly loud. This heatsink should work well in applications that call for lower noise, which is what we always like to hear. Nothing quite compares to listening to the actual noise created by a heatsink in operation. To listen to this heatsink, click on the little headphones icon below and play the sample MP3 files for the heatsink running with its fan at full speed, and reduced speed.

FrostyTech Acoustic Sampling Chamber - Full Speed
	Standard Waveform view of a 10 second recording. Click on the headphones icon to listen to an MP3 recording of this heatsink in operation. The fan is rotating at 2600 RPM

FrostyTech Acoustic Sampling Chamber - LowSpeed
	Standard Waveform view of a 10 second recording. Click on the headphones icon to listen to an MP3 recording of this heatsink in operation. The fan is rotating at 1350 RPM

Sound Level Measurements: Which Heatsink is Quietest?

Listening to the actual noise a heatsink makes allows you to hear what pure numbers alone cannot get across. To further emphasize FrostyTech's reliance on cold hard facts when evaluating a heatsink, we also take noise level measurements with a sound level meter.

FrostyTech.com Heatsink Noise Level Measurements Noise level Decibel measurements of each heatsinks' fan in operation are taken with the aid of a sound level meter and sound isolating enclosure. The values may be higher than the mfgr's listed specs, but are directly comparable to one another. Measurements are made on the dB (A) scale. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
Manufacturer:	Model No.:	*Fan Speed:	Noise Level (dBA):
Arctic Cooling	Silencer 64 Ultra TC	low	27.6 dB	Quiet
Verax	Quattro 1		30.9 dB
Zalman	CNPS7000B-CU	low	33.2 dB
Zalman	CNPS9500 AM2	low	36.0 dB
Zalman	CNPS9500 LED	low	36.2 dB
Gigabyte	NeonCooler 8-BL		42.0 dB
Coolermaster	Hyper48		43.6 dB
Arctic Cooling	Alpine64		43.9 dB
Dynatron	A22		44.5 dB
Zalman	CNPS7000B-CU	high	44.9 dB
Zalman	CNPS7000A-Cu	high	45.2 dB
Zalman	CNPS7000-Cu	high	45.2 dB
Noctua	NH-U12		45.4 dB
Ajigo	MF043-044		45.4 dB
Spire	SP741B3		45.6 dB
Scythe	Shogun	high	45.9 dB
Scythe	Kama SCKK1000		47.5 dB
AVC	Z7U7414001 (stock AM2)	low	48.1 dB
Spire	SP601B3		48.9 dB
Thermaltake	Silentboost K8		49.7 dB
Zalman	CNPS9500 LED	high	50.3 dB
Gigabyte	3D-Rocket		50.7 dB
Arctic Cooling	Freezer 64 Pro		50.9 dB
Evercool	K802-715		51.5 dB
Scythe	Samurai SCSM1000	high	51.6 dB
nPowertek	NPH K8-1		52.2 dB
Zalman	CNPS9500 AM2	high	53.2 dB
Jetart	JAX801		53.5 dB
Coolermaster	Hyper6	high	54.7 dB
Arctic Cooling	Silencer 64 Ultra TC	high	55.5 dB
Evercool	Magic Cooler		55.5 dB
Dynatron	SK-V24		56.4 dB
Gigabyte	3D Rocket-Pro	high	56.7 dB
Vantec	Mach1	high	56.9 dB
EKL	V8	high	57.5 dB
Noctua	NH-U9		58.4 dB
Alpha	PAL-8150		58.9 dB
Coolermaster	Aquagate Mini	high	59.2 dB
AVC	Z7U3301001	high	59.9 dB
Ajigo	MF064-074	high	60.3 dB
Cooljag	SFO-H	high	60.6 dB
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Pro	high	62.5 dB
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Ultra	high	63.0 dB
AVC	Z7U7414001 (stock AM2)	high	63.0 dB
Titan	TTC-K8ATB/825/SC		63.1 dB
CoolJag	SFO-D(18SC)		64.0 dB
ASUS	Starice	high	67.4 dB
Thermaltake	Polo 735	high	68.0 dB
Thermaltake	Venus 12	high	68.1 dB
Gigabyte	G-Power Pro	high	71.9 dB	Loud
			Noise Level (dBA)
*Unless noted, for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans only the 'high speed' (12V) fan noise measurement is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results for the low fan speed (~5V) tests reside in each specific heatsink review.

With its 92mm fan spinning at the full 2600RPM, the Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink produces about 53.2 dBA noise. By utilizing the included FanMate2 fan speed controller we can adjust fan speed down to just 1350RPM. At this much reduced speed the CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink puts out just 36.0 dBA according to our real world measurements from about 12" distance.

Also included in this acoustic reference list is an assortment of Zalman's recent K8 compatible heatsinks at high and low fan speeds. About half of the heatsinks listed are compatible with the revised AMD socket AM2 heatsink retention frame. The AVC Z7U7414001 heatsink is considered the reference socket AM2 heatsink approved by AMD.

Surface Finish and Flatness

Surface finish is an important factor that we all look for when holding a new heatsink. Flipping a cooler over to see how well the base has been machined is a quick way to judge the attention to detail that was put into making it. The following test involves the use of a Surface Roughness Comparator, which offers a concise cross section common machine surface finishes.

The Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink has a surface roughness of approximately 12 microinches, which is considered very good. Next, let's see how this heatsink handles the heat compared to a selection of other heatsinks!