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Product:
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Thermalright SLK947U HSF |
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Price:
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$65 (CAN) / $50 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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ADPmods
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Author:
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Hi-TEK
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Date:
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January 14th, 2004
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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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The process of mounting the Thermalright SLK947U HSF requires a series of steps and must be installed
before the motherboard is mounted inside a case. To keep the unit stationary, four screws are inserted
into a nylon washer from the top of the motherboard secured into the black mounting bracket. The four screws
are covered with another set of nylon washers and springs in each corner. The heatsink is inserted onto
each screw and pushed down onto the dye of the CPU core to establish contact. In order to secure the
heatsink, each screw must tightened using a criss-cross pattern. Consumers should use extra caution
when performing this step as over tightening the heatsink can crush the CPU core and render the CPU
useless. Prior to mounting the Thermalright SLK947U HSF a thin layer of Artic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
was applied to the core of the CPU.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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To start performance tests, I assembled the following pieces of hardware to complete the system:
- Asus P4C800 Deluxe Motherboard
- Pentium 4 2.4B CPU
- 2 x 256MB OCZ PC3200 EL DDR 333 RAM
- MSI GeForce FX5200-TD128 128MB DDR w/ TV-Out
- Maxtor D40X-GL 60 GB Hard Drive
- D-Link DFE-530TX NIC Card
- Yamaha CRW2100E 16x10x40 IDE CDRW
- AeroCool AeroPower II+ 550w PSU
The Thermalright SLK947U HSF does not include a cooling fan, but this option can be purchased separately
from the ADPmods website. I will be using a Sunon KD1208PTB3 80mm cooling fan which is runs at 2900
RPM's and is capable of pushing 39 CFM with a noise level of 32 dBA. For comparison I will be testing
the Thermalright SLK947U HSF against the Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler.
Testing:
The "Burn-In Wizard" from SiSoft Sandra Pro 2004 is used to put the CPU under concentrated load for a
pre-determined amount of time. The options selected in "Burn-In Wizard" run the CPU and CPU Multimedia
benchmarks for approximately 15 minutes. The system is left alone for approximate 15 minutes before the
burn-in test is performed. Maximum temperatures are measured in degree Celsius and recorded using an
independent thermal probe and Motherboard Monitor 5.3.5.1 for idle, full load, idle overclock and full
load overclock. The system was run in normal mode at 2.4 GHz and overclocked mode (VCORE 1.67, FSB 170, Multiplier 17x)
in order to get the system running at 3.0 GHz. Ambient room temperature was measured at 28 degrees
Celsius.
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Click image for larger view
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Running the Thermalright SLK947U HSF against the Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler in a number of performance
tests provided some very impressive results. The Thermalright SLK947U HSF demonstrated better cooling
results in non-overclocked and overclocked modes. Overall test results for idle temperatures measured
approximately 33°C-36°C respectively, with 3°C difference between both models. Significant results
were achieved while moving to overclock idle and overclock full load testing where the Thermalright SLK947U HSF
still managed a 3°C decrease while maintaining decent system level temperatures. What should
be noted with these test results is that cooling performance is determined by the selection of the
cooling fan. Cooling fans that move more CFM will provide better performance long term but results may
vary.
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Conclusion:
The Thermalright SLK947U HSF despite its unorthodox design and weight can be considered one of the
best cooling heatsink solutions currently on the market. After running a series of tests with this
product over the course of a week, I was truly amazed by the results. The overall construction of the
SLK947U is excellent and designed to accommodate cooling fans rated from 72mm to 92mm. The copper core
is very smooth with a reflective finish which is suitable in its current format. The universal mounting
mechanisms make this product ideal for a wide variety of computing platforms. The only negative aspect
that I noted with the Thermalright SLK947U HSF was the lack of proper bundled instructions to simplify
the process of installing this product. The Thermalright SLK947U HSF would also be better suited to be
bundled with high performance thermal compound instead of generic white silicone compound. As previously
noted, consumers interested in this product should first consult Thermalright's motherboard compatibility
list for existing known motherboard issues prior to purchase. Overall, I'm rating the Thermalright SLK947U HSF a 9 out of 10
and MTB's Seal of Approval. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the
ADPmods website for more information or discuss
them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Visually stunning heatsink
- Easy installation
- Supports virtually all modern CPU's
- Excellent cooling performance
- Multiple cooling fan support
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Cons:
- Extremely heavy
- No instructions included in package
- Generic thermal compound
- Does not work with all motherboards
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