X-bit labs

Roundup: Four Spire Coolers vs. Four Overclocked Kentsfield Cores in Summer Heat

Category: Coolers

by Sergey Lepilov

[ 06/29/2007 | 10:04 PM ]

Today we would like to introduce to you a roundup of four Spire coolers from different price categories and varying in design. They are DiamondCool, VertiCool IV, Fourier III, and Fourier IV. We will not only examine their design and performance but will also pay special attention to their noise levels.

Table of contents:

• Spire Testing Participants
  
• DiamondCool (SP507B7-U)
  
• VertiCool IV (SP608B3-C)
  
• Fourier III (SP606B3) & Fourier IV (SP607B3-C)
  
• Specifications
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Thermal Performance
  
• Noise Level
  
• Conclusion
  

This next round of our CPU cooler tests fell on a week of scorching hot weather when the thermometer reported 32°C and higher, when people would drink pails of water and other liquids per day, and when a slightest puff of the wind seemed like God’s grace. It’s hard to live in such weather but it is good for the hardware reviewer’ work: if a cooler passes tests successfully under such conditions, its stable operation at lower ambient temperatures is guaranteed. To make the testing even more rigorous, I installed an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor onto the testbed. This CPU is very hot even by today’s standards, having a TDP of 105W.

For this test session I take four Spire coolers from different price categories and varying in design: DiamondCool, VertiCool IV, Fourier III, and Fourier IV. They are going to pass a trying ordeal considering the above-mentioned conditions, yet this only makes it the more interesting to me. Besides examining and testing the coolers, I will measure their noise. The measurement method will be explained in the last section of the review.

Spire Testing Participants

DiamondCool (SP507B7-U)

The junior model among the reviewed ones comes in a small cardboard box that shows the manufacturer’s name and has a sticker that indicates the product model. There is nothing else on the box:

Well, it is a low-end model and the manufacturer’s desire to save on everything is understandable. The box contains a brief installation manual and a plastic back-plate:

The Spire DiamondCool is small by today’s standards at 92x92x53cm.

It is small but surprisingly heavy for its size. The all-copper heatsink consists of 55 thin ribs that have contact with the copper base as well as with the copper pipes. The pipes are unusually thin, with a 4mm diameter.

The cooler exhibits superb quality of manufacture on every side. Just take a look at this cutie: