Cooling Efficiency Tests

During Linpack tests using the “weakest” cooling system of the today’s testing participants  we managed to overclock our 45 nm quad-core processor to 3.77 GHz (+25.7%). The nominal processor Vcore was increased to ~1.52 V in the mainboard BIOS (+32.2%):

The CPU could work stably at even higher frequency under workload created by OCCT (3.95GHz+). However, we decided to run the tests in second operational mode at the same frequency and Vcore settings. We did it not only in order to reveal the difference in CPU temperature under OCCT and Linpack, but also in order to see how exactly processor temperature changes depending on the cooler and the type of application running.

The detailed results of our cooling efficiency tests are given in the following table and on the diagram (the coolers are grouped according to their noise level):

Click to enlarge

Evidently, no wonder happened. The solid-copper version of Thermalright’s super cooler is only 1~2°C more efficient than its aluminum counterpart. So, we can conclude that the copper giant doesn’t really demonstrate any serious advantage. Too bad, I really hoped to see at least 4°C improvement.

Speaking of the maximum CPU overclocking results using the new Thermalright TRUE Copper Ultra-120 eXtreme cooler, we managed to get our CPU to run stably in Linpack at 3.84GHz with 1.55V Vcore. The test was performed in an open testbed with two ~2000 RPM fans:

As you can see, the peak temperature of the hottest CPU core reached 83°C. The cooler was pretty noisy at this point, but the main goal was to reveal its maximum cooling potential in the first place. By the way, we are not going to discuss any acoustic measurements today, because they are hardly different from what we have already talked about in our Fan Roundup.

Conclusion

What can I say? Thermalright TRUE Copper Ultra-120 eXtreme is a solution for real fans of the brand, for wealthy well-connected collectors who have desktop system cases or none at all. High price of the newcomer, its limited edition and heavy weight are yet another proof to the point. All others who would ever face the choice between the two, should probably settle for a significantly lighter Ultra-120 eXtreme modification with aluminum heatsink plates. However, it would be really nice if it were also bundled with retention clips and shock absorbing strips for two fans and a new LGA 1366 retention kit. And if they could also fix the base to make sure it is even, the super cooler could become even more attractive and competitive. And the happy owners of truly unique Thermalright TRUE Copper Ultra-120 eXtreme could polish the heatsink to mirror shine, put it behind the glass window as a work of art and 40 years down the road show it to grandkids while sharing extreme overclocking stories :)