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
Apack	Zerotherm BTF90		20.5	52.1
Coolermaster	Hyper6	high	20.5	54.7
Apack	Zerotherm BTF80		21.3	51.9
Thermaltake	Venus 12	high	21.7	68.1
Cooljag	SFO-Q	high	22.2	60.6
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
Verax	Helado		24.3	36.3
AVC	Z7U3301001 (stock 939)	high	24.6	59.9
Zalman	CNPS8000	high	24.8	57.4
Gigabyte	3D Cooler-Ultra	high	24.8	63.0
OCZ	Tempest		26.0	51.6
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
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
Verax	Quattro 1	high	30.7	55.4
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
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
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 OCZ Tempest heatsink produced a rise above ambient temperature result of 26.0°C. To achieve that temperature, 51.6 dBA of noise was generated by its 95mm fan spinning at stock speeds.

This is OCZ's latest attempt at cracking the heatsink market, and by and large the OCZ Tempest is a good cooler for mainstream users. It has plenty of company from other after market heatsinks in a similar thermal class, but in a couple specific situations you'll still be able to find quieter AMD Athlon64 heatsinks that operate with less noise. The Verax Helado PWM-T is one prime example that FrostyTech recently evaluated. Of course, with OCZ products consumers are almost certainly assured that the Tempest heatsink will be available in their local computer stores, and for less than $50USD; the same cannot be said for other more boutique heatsink brands.

If you find yourself swapping out fans on a regular basis as part of your own quest to find the quietest solution that still affords respectable thermals, you'll quickly come to appreciate the quick release fan clip. It also makes a periodical dust bunny cleaning all the more realistic. Ultimately, the OCZ Tempest heatsink is a good mid-range heatsink for K8 processors, and if that doesn't fit the bill it also works with all current Intel Pentium processors.

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