I have been a fan of MAX pc for a good long time!
YES!! They do know what they are talking!!
They took into account several criteria....
Noise.....
ease of installation.....
benchmarks....
How they tested......
We installed each heatsink on 2 platforms.......
AMD...Intel....duh...
using the following mobo`s....
ASUS A8N SLI with an FX55 CPU........
Abit AA8 with Prescott 3.6 CPU!
temp reading were taken using thermal diodes on the mobo`s.
Using ASUS A1 Utility and Abit uGuru Utility.
To measure noise levels they took the motherboard into the quietest room and lowered it into a foam chamberwith only the CPU fan attached.
Took reading with a sound meter from a distance of 24 inches.
Finally they measured temps under full load using CPU Burn in for one full hr!!
Ok so I just got the new September issue of MaxPC. They had an article in which they tested 10 different cpu coolers and I have to say that I am completely confused by their testing methodology, specifically their noise measurements. For some odd reason they seem to think that 62dBA is quiet. Is anyone else irritated by this complete lack of intelligence on their part?
I see nowhere in that article they say that 62dba is quiet? What I do see is that every CPU coller tested had a noise level over 60dba...
Considering they used what was sent them.....
I just don`t understand how you can misrepresent that article by making such an uninformed statement like that without stating the whole picture?
Is 62 dba loud....depends on alot of variables?
In my case No its not loud! Of course I have 8 fans running not including the CPU...video card or the Power supply fans!!
In all fairness to the peeps at MAXPc.......nowhere did they state that 62Dba was quiet!!
And the Winner is.......
"Whew! This was a close contest. Several heatsinks left us thouroughly impressed, and we were suprised to have so many contestants fighting for top honors!
When it came down to the final tally,we had to pick nits: We took into account the temps and sound output,considered installatyion difficulties,and sought counsel from our spirit animals.
In the end it was clear the Cooler master`s Hyper 6+ is the top choice.
We found this heatsink to be virtually without fault. Sure, it`s huge and heavy, but we didn`t encounter any clearance issues, installation was effortless, and the part delivered stunning performance.
What`s more, you can add a second 1000mm fan for even more colling power.
Thermalright`s impressive XP-90 is the runner-up. Its compact size, great price, and excellent performance make it a contender for anyone who needs a cool CPU!!"****
Taken from MaximumPC September2005 page #53