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)
AVC	Z7U7414001 (stock AM2)	high	17.0	63.0
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
Zalman	CNPS9500 AM2	high	23.0	53.2
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	CNPS9500 LED	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
Zalman	CNPS9500 AM2	low	29.2	36.0
Vantec	Mach1	high	29.2	56.9
AVC	Z7U7414001 (stock AM2)	low	29.6	48.1
CoolJag	SFO-D(18SC)		29.6	64.0
Zalman	CNPS9500 LED	low	29.7	36.2
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
Zalman	CNPS7000B-CU	low	44.9	33.2
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 Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink yields a very nice rise above ambient temperature at the slowest fan speed of 29.2°C, with just 36.0 dBA noise. When the CNPS9500 AM2's fan speed is increased from 1350RPM to 2600RPM, the socket AM2 heatsink posts much cooler temperatures. The full speed test produces about 53.2 dBA noise, but the rise above ambient temperature result drops to just 23.0°C - very nice indeed!

If we examine the thermal test results for the Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink we can see that the best results are obtained by running its fan at slightly less than full fan speed. The large drop in noise output from the fan speed reduction only translates into a temperature increase of about 6°C. For most computer users, that's an easy trade off to make.

The only other heatsink in the reference list that comes close in terms of thermal performance to the Zalman CNPS9500 AM2's thermal performance / noise level ratio is the Zalman CNPS9500 LED... and that's because it's an identical model save for the shinny chrome plating and green fan lights.

While about half the reference heatsinks tested above will be socket AM2 compatible, the AVC Z7U7414001 is the one cooler AMD supplied with official socket AM2 reference systems. This Asia Vital Components (AVC) heatsink was also used with dual core Athlon64 FX processors, as it relies upon the center-tab clips of both socket 754/939/940 and socket AM2 heatsink retention frames.

The Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink compares well to the AVC Z7U7414001 where quiet is concerned, and the AVC Z7U7414001 triumphs where sheer cooling ability is the deciding factor.

As a heatsink, the Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 functions best as a low noise cooler. With that translucent 92mm fan glowing green and spinning at 1350RPM, the heatsink maintains good temperatures and excellent noise levels. At full fan-speed, the CNPS9500 AM2 heatsink handles the heat very well, while maintaining an acceptable degree of noise. With the introduction of AMD socket AM2 Athlon64 processors, the K8 heatsink field just got a little complicated - the Zalman CNPS9500 AM2 is a great place to begin.

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