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Product:
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Micro Cool NorthPole Northbridge Cooler Set |
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Price:
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$43 (CAN) / $32 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Micro Cool
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Author:
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Mantis
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Date:
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October 1st, 2003
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Also included in the package is a set of 8 black aluminum heatsinks designed for use with MOSFET and PLL
chips. The heatsinks themselves are quite simple and feature an adhesive bottom. For those of you unfamiliar
with the terms MOSFET and PLL, they are defined as Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Filed-Effect Transistor and
Phase-Locked Loop respectively. The role of the MOSFET chips is to regulate power provided to the motherboard,
which is why you see many stipulations when discussing overall power efficiency in relation to the layout
of the ATX power supply connector and distance from the MOSFETS on the motherboard. The MOSFET chips are
known to run slightly hot, providing additional cooling to these chips under overclocked settings possibly
may aid in overall stability.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The first step in installing the Northpole Northbridge Cooler is to remove the existing cooling solution.
Once removed, users can proceed with installing a set of 2 standoffs that mount from the rear of the motherboard
using a set of nylon washers and a small bolt. One issue I did encounter was that the included nylon washers
were far too large and came in contact with the edge of the Northbridge preventing proper installation.
A set of smaller washers were substituted instead. Prior to installing the Northpole Northbridge Cooler,
the Northbridge was cleaned and a fresh evenly spread layer of Arctic Silver Ceramique Compound was applied.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The next step in installation is to line up the Northpole Northbridge Cooler accordingly and proceed to
place the mounting screws through the available flanges at the top and into the standoffs while tightening
each screw a little at a time until the springs are fully compacted. The use of a spring and washer coupled
with the mounting screw prevents any form of over-tightening that would result in damage to the chipset.
Once installed, the Northpole Northbridge Cooler is significantly taller than the existing stock solution.
Given the angle of the Northbridge, users with bulkier heatsinks may want to double-check their measurements
and clearance, as there is room for potential space restrictions. The installation of the black aluminum
MOSFET heatsinks is a very straightforward process. The above photographs demonstrate both units installed
onto my EPoX 8RDA+ motherboard.
Testing:
The test system consists of an AMD 1.47 GHz 1700+ Tbred B CPU, stock EPoX 8RDA+ V1.1 NForce2 Motherboard
2 x 256MB Corsair PC3500 Platinum XMS RAM in dual channel mode. The system will be tested under both stock
settings of 1.47Ghz and overclocked settings of 2.0Ghz (10.5 X 195FSB) in order to stress the efficiency of
the Northpole Northbridge Cooler. The comparison unit I will be using is the stock passive cooling found on
the EpoX 8RDA+. SiSoft Sandra 2003's Burn-In Wizard along with the Folding@Home Client was used to set the
system under 100% load for 12 hour intervals on regular priority. A fresh evenly spread layer of high performance
Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound was used for each unit. A stock voltage of 1.58V was sustained
to the chipset during the course of testing. Temperature results for idle and load was recorded from an
on die thermal probe attached directly to the Northbridge and MOSFETS.
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Micro Cool Northpole temperature results
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Given the obvious difference of using an aluminum passive stock heatsink compared to that of an actively
cooled copper unit, I was anticipating a noticeable temperature difference and performance. The Northpole
Northbridge Cooler was able to provide a welcome 5 degree drop to the Northbridge under stock idle and
load operation. The MOSFETS also warranted roughly a 2 degree drop under stock idle and load operations.
With an increased Front Side Bus of 195 MHz from a stock of 133 MHz, the Northpole Northbridge cooler was
able to achieve a load temperature of 40 degrees Celsius under overlocked load operation, four degrees
cooler that what the stock passive solution yielded. Using the Black Aluminum heatsinks provided an overclocked
load temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius to the MOSFETS, nearly three and a half degrees cooler compared
to no heatsinks.
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Conclusion:
The Micro Cool NorthPole Northbridge Cooler Set provides a quality solution for a slowly growing aspect
of enthusiast cooling. The overall construction is impressive and encompasses quality materials and
design. The thick copper base paired with 40mm fan & shroud ensures maximum performance for a variety
of different platforms. Consumers will appreciate the cross-platform compatibility that allows for the
NorthPole Northbridge Cooler to be easily adapted into new or existing motherboards that support mounting
holes around the Northbridge. The overall performance is acceptable yet consumers who are looking for
absolute maximum results should look towards the more advanced water cooling solutions. I didn’t encounter
any overly negative aspects with the exception of the included nylon washers being too large. Overall,
I’m rating the Micro Cool Northpole Northbridge Cooling Set a 9 out of 10.
If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Micro Cool
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Skiving Technology
- Copper Heatsink
- Quality construction
- Easy installation
- Included MOSFET and PLL Heatsinks
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Cons:
- Included nylon washers too large
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