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Coolink Corator DS Heatsink Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Friday, July 23, 2010
Benchmarks
The Coolink Corator DS is designed for Intel Socket LGA1366 / 1156 / 775 and Athlon 64 processors. Here is an overview of the system and testing methodology.
The system as it was tested
EVGA X58 LE Intel X58 Chipset
Core i7 920 (2.66Ghz) 4 x 256KB L2, 8MB L3 Cache 4.8GT/s QPI
Coollink Corator DS
OEM Heatsink
The E-LEET tuning utility was used to obtain and record system temperature data and being that this is a quad core processor we need something that will work across all of the cores at once. For this task we're using a new version of Prime95 (p95v255a) that will allow you to spawn (n) instances to test with.
Core i7 920 (2.66Ghz) 4 x 256KB L2, 8MB L3 Cache 4.8GT/s QPI
Coollink Corator DS
OEM Heatsink
The E-LEET tuning utility was used to obtain and record system temperature data and being that this is a quad core processor we need something that will work across all of the cores at once. For this task we're using a new version of Prime95 (p95v255a) that will allow you to spawn (n) instances to test with.
Editors note: Even though the Windows 7 task manager reported 100% processor usage we could never attain a 100% of the rated heat output as documented by Intel (see below) when using Prime95 as a basis for that heat production. Knowing this we ran the stress test until the maximum temperature was attainted and stabilized.
Other things to consider when judging software induced heat output.
a) Clock throttling by the processor at high temperatures.
b) Normal software isn't designed to produce maximum heat output.
c) Variances of cooling temperature.
d) Variances in CPU load.
e) Inaccuracies in thermal diode readouts.
Of course the list goes on..
Our testing methodology is aimed to provide a real world look into this heatsink given the test system provided.
Other things to consider when judging software induced heat output.
a) Clock throttling by the processor at high temperatures.
b) Normal software isn't designed to produce maximum heat output.
c) Variances of cooling temperature.
d) Variances in CPU load.
e) Inaccuracies in thermal diode readouts.
Of course the list goes on..
Our testing methodology is aimed to provide a real world look into this heatsink given the test system provided.
Default Speed
A C/W rating can quickly be calculated using this formula.
C/W = (CPU temp - Ambient temp)/(Variance(%) * CPU Watts)
Allowed variance for this test = 85%
CPU Watts = 130W
0.18 C/W = (45C - 25C)/(.85(130W))
C/W = (CPU temp - Ambient temp)/(Variance(%) * CPU Watts)
Allowed variance for this test = 85%
CPU Watts = 130W
0.18 C/W = (45C - 25C)/(.85(130W))
Overclocked
For this next test the FSB was cranked up to 180Mhz and the test was re-run.
To calculate a new C/W rating for this test we will need to factor in the increased processor wattage. The formula and constants for this are listed below.
ocC/W = dCPU Watts * (ocMhz / dMhz) * (ocVcore / dVcore)2
ocMhz = 3800
dMhz = 2660
ocVcore = 1.35
dVcore = 1.20
The variance still applies for our C/W calculation
Allowed variance for this test = 85%
CPU Watts = 235W
0.18 C/W = (61C - 25C)/(.85(235W))
ocC/W = dCPU Watts * (ocMhz / dMhz) * (ocVcore / dVcore)2
ocMhz = 3800
dMhz = 2660
ocVcore = 1.35
dVcore = 1.20
The variance still applies for our C/W calculation
Allowed variance for this test = 85%
CPU Watts = 235W
0.18 C/W = (61C - 25C)/(.85(235W))
Benchmark Conclusion
In our heatsink and waterblock tests we don't really focus on overall load temperatures but rather how well the product can remove heat given a specified heat load. Since this is a real world testing method we need to take into consideration real world variables and estimate tolerances. This is why we normally only apply 85% of the total wattage output to our heat calculations.
The resulting C/W number is used to rate how efficient a heatsink or waterblock is based on the given heat load. These numbers can be used to determine heat capacity, the larger the difference the less efficient the heatsink is. (aka not good for overclocking)
Here we have a heatsink that can clearly handle and overclocked system at over 200W of power. In these tests you'll notice that the C/W numbers remained the same between the default and overclocked tests. All this indicates is that while CPU core temperature went up 20 degrees the heatsink was able to dissipate the heat at the same rate. It also means the larger heatpipes seem to be working well, if not better than coolers using the smaller heatpipe diameters.
Keep in mind these calculations are provided for demonstration purposes only and may not reflect the actual lab tested C/W rating, but we're pretty close.
The resulting C/W number is used to rate how efficient a heatsink or waterblock is based on the given heat load. These numbers can be used to determine heat capacity, the larger the difference the less efficient the heatsink is. (aka not good for overclocking)
Here we have a heatsink that can clearly handle and overclocked system at over 200W of power. In these tests you'll notice that the C/W numbers remained the same between the default and overclocked tests. All this indicates is that while CPU core temperature went up 20 degrees the heatsink was able to dissipate the heat at the same rate. It also means the larger heatpipes seem to be working well, if not better than coolers using the smaller heatpipe diameters.
Keep in mind these calculations are provided for demonstration purposes only and may not reflect the actual lab tested C/W rating, but we're pretty close.
