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
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
Evercool	Magic Cooler		46.6	55.5
Scythe	Samurai SCSM1000	low	50.9	30.9
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 to a simulated k8 cpu die by the frostytech thermal platform, the asus star ice heatsink posts two extremely disparate test results. One set is very good if you can overlook the 67.4dBA whine produced by the 80mm fan as it whirls around to achieve a 22.8°C rise above ambient temperature result. The other is actually the worst ever K8 test result we have ever witnessed since the FrostyTech Mrk.II platform came into service!

Although a +92.4°C rise above ambient temperature result is listed, the temperature was actually still climbing... Once the thermocouple reported 116°C, the test was stopped for concern the plastic might begin to melt. The Asus Star Ice performed extremely badly with its fan running at the quietest (34.4 dBA) speed setting, so its effectiveness as a low noise heatsink is certainly very disappointing.

There is a lot more that could be said about the problems caused by the plastic shell of the Star Ice heatsink, but it's pretty clear the situation is beyond salvage. Bottom line, the Asus heatsink is either too loud, or way too hot. There are plenty of other K8 heatsinks to select from which offer better thermals at lower noise levels, so it really isn't even worth modding the Asus Star Ice to try and improve its thermal performance. If the Asus Star Ice were yellow, it would well and truly be a "lemon" in all senses of the word.

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. EKL V8 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. Cooljag SFO-H (68YC) Skived Athlon64 Heatsink Review
7. Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 Heatsink Review
8. Noctua NH-U9 Low Noise Heatsink Review
9. Coolermaster Hyper48 KHC-L91 Heatsink Review