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#888 - Xigmatek Cooler Roundup |
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Written by Zach Jeffers
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Sunday, 04 November 2007 |
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Page 5 of 5
Results and Conclusion:
For testing of the Xigmatek HDT-S1283, HDT-S963 and XP-S964 we used the following hardware:
Enclosure: Antec P190 (Noctua NF-S12 intake fans) with included PSU's
Processor: AMD 3800+ X2 (Socket AM2)
Motherboard: ECS
KA3 MVP
Memory: Crucial
Ballistix 2gig (2 x 1gig) DDR2 PC2-6400
Video: GECUBE Radeon X1950 PRO 256MB DDR3 PCIe x16 HDCP Edition
Storage: 2 x Western Digital SATA RE 250gig 2500YS in RAID0 and 1 x Seagate 7200.10 320 GB SATA2
Optical: Plextor PX-740UF PATA
During testing we cleaned the CPU surface free of the previous samples leftovers. We then applied a fresh film of thermal grease and let the cooler burn in for an hour. While some people prefer a full 24hr burn in to get ‘optimal grease adjustment’ I have yet to see a realistic differential between the two time spans.
As you can see, these three Xigmatek CPU coolers perform really well at idle; staying under 30 Celsius. While the Xigmatek coolers didn’t quite beat out the last group of Scythe coolers, they still gave them at fight with only a two degree difference. At load temperatures, the Xigmatek coolers rose between six and 8 degrees. This is where the Xigmatek coolers out perform the Scythe coolers. The Scythe coolers have an average of 9 degrees of thermal change where as the Xigmatek coolers. This, however, does not out do the Noctua’s single degree jump! Over, Xigmtek’s coolers stand their ground.
Xigmtek’s cooler series has a lot of potential. They have some great numbers straight out of the box with near silent fans. The Xigmatek XP-S964 has a great new design that is sure to get the curiosity out of some builders. I still have a hard time believing that skewing the shape of the block will help the heat transfer. Essentially you are taking cooling ability from one corner and pushing it off the opposite. I really believe that if this cooler had a standard square block, the numbers may have improved.
The Xigmatek HDT series coolers have a soon to be classic design down pat. The only thing I could even recommend for these coolers is that they drop the head room to make them a bit more universally compatible with cases featuring side intake fans (most high end cases do). They have great numbers cooling our rig. I would say that these are definitely a competitor in your next cooling solution decision.
Overall the Xigmatek coolers have excellent build quality, great cooling ability and innovative design. These are definitely Kickass coolers. As we stated at the beginning of the review, Xigmtek is not a widely known company. This has a downside; they are not always available or sometimes at a reasonable price. Oddly enough Xigmatek is not the only company out there making these heatsinks. If you are not able to get a hold of a Xigmatek HDT series cooler, you can always keep an eye out for the Kingwin RVT series coolers which is the exact same cooler! Same ‘Heatpipe Direct Touch’ design, same rubber fan mounting system. So all in all, you can should be able to find these great coolers where ever you live. Our thanks go out to Xigmatek for supplying these samples for review and their continued support of 3dGameMan.com!
> ADDITIONAL INFO/COMMENTS IN THE FORUMS <
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Pros |
Cons |
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- Great Looks
- Excellent Build Quality
- Great Temps!
- Easy Installation
- Silent PWM Fans
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- Possible Sizing Concerns
- XP-S964 Awkward Centering
- Availability
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