Testing & Performance
Our testing procedure was performed in a room with a temperature of 19° C. Both coolers were reseated multiple times to ensure consistent results as well as to check how well the thermal paste spread. The heatsinks were also positioned vertically on the motherboard as is the case with most computers except HTPC systems. We did not test these coolers horizontally as both are too large for most HTPC machines. All fans in the test setup were run at 12v to ensure maximum cooling. The CPU in our test system is overclocked by 50% at 3.0GHz compared to 2.0GHz stock. CPU voltage was also increased to 1.4v compared to 1.32v stock.
For this test we used Core Temp version 0.99 beta and version 0.98.1. Results were consistent between both versions.
Test setup:
- CPU: Intel E2180 @ 3.0GHz, 1.4v (stock: 2.0GHz, 1.32v)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
- Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Results
| Idle | Load | |
|---|---|---|
| Scythe Mugen | 20° C | 53° C |
| Xigmatek HDT-S963 | 21° C | 55° C |
These results really make clear the benefit of exposed heatpipes in the base of the Xigmatek HDT-S963. Even with a 120mm fan as opposed to the 92mm fan in the Xigmatek cooler, the Scythe Mugen only performs better by a degree or two despite its obvious advantage over a 92mm cooler. On a positive note, the Mugen was able to keep CPU temps at a constant 20° Celcius while idle, which is only one degree above the temperature of the room testing was done in.