Thanks Merc: Speeze CPU cooler

[blakerwry]

[quote="blakerwryThe Palomino is an Athlon model 6 while the Duron 1.1 is a model 7... both use the same voltage, but the Durons are spec'd to run a bit cooler.
[/quote]

woops, clock for clock the Durons are spec'd to run a little hotter then the palomino actually. But at 1.1gHz I wouldn't worry.. that's about 20% less heat than my 1700+

 

[time]

I just used a Spire Falcon Rock II (get it right, chaps!) on a Thoroughbred XP2400+. It overclocked from 2GHz to 2.25GHz without breaking a sweat. The socket temperature sensor said 41C (106F) with a room temperature of about 24C (75F). I saw similar readings on a different brand of motherboard with a different chipset.

Spire rates it up to Athlon XP3000+, and I don't doubt it for a minute. I also believe that a more powerful fan would push this cooler even further, because there are nice big gaps between the fins (less pressure).

Clocker, how did you go raising the actual CPU clock with your 2400? I didn't push it, but I felt this one was going to top out at about 2.3GHz if I increased the voltage enough. However, it was stable at 2.2GHz without any tweaks.

Mind you, this was on a Gigabyte 7VAX. If I can believe the PC health stats, it was already delivering a higher voltage than spec (over 1.7V). Certainly, I had much less success with an Epox 8RDA+.

 

[Clocker]

time-

I had a 2400+ (2Ghz) that was a relatively early vintage so I don't think it overclocked that well. I normally run it at 200x10.5 (2100) but my max clock speed can be seen below. Too bad multipliers only come in 0.5 increments or I could have used 200hz fsb (synched) all the time.

Like I mentioned, I normally run at 2100mhz at 1.7v at 200fsb and 400mhz memory. It seems plenty fast and I don't feel the need to push for a max overclock all the time...

I think if you bought a new 2400+ today, it would overclock better than mine by a pretty wide margin.

C

 

[Clocker]

Wow. THe Speeze cooler came from Newegg today. Talk about superfast shipping...and I didn't even pay extra for faster processing!

This cooler looks excellent. I wish the clip was a little nicer but for $8 there is no wany I'm complaining. I would have ordered two or three of these coolers if Newegg didn't want to charge me $5 to ship each one. Once I try it out maybe I'll order more of them. More family upgrades are coming up soon....

C

 

[Clocker]

Thanks for the tip on this fan guys!

C

 

[Mercutio]

I got my hands on a few Microflow coolers today. Haven't tried them yet, but my first impression is a little disappointment. I'm now used to the punishing bulk of the WhisperRock. The Microflow is maybe 2/3rds the size of the big guys, with a less substantial fan. Clip certainly is better, though.
I'll have more details later this evening, as I'm probably going to "waste" my first one on a Tbird 1.4 with a dying retail fan.

 

[blakerwry]

I just bought another whisperRock III.. How do you think these two compare? noise, cooling, etc.

Is the microflow taller or shorter than the whipserRock?

 

[Mercutio]

Maybe half as tall, or a little more. I think it's a little louder than the WhisperRock, but it cools quite well. 4C cooler than my last read of the stock HSF, but those are both readings at idle temperatures (the PC in question had been serving files for the last couple of months, and after replacing the fan I waited about 45 minutes into it resuming its filesharing task to peek at the hardware monitor).
Some things I like: The microflow's power cord is jacketed and insulated. It looks a lot like a shoestring. I doubt it makes much functional difference. The clip is as handy as I expected, of course, and for the first time in ages I was able to snap on a HSF effortlesslessly.

The Microflow cot me a whopping $1 more than the WhisperRocks I get from newegg, cools well and is really damn quiet. Sorry there isn't more quantification, but that's not exactly my department. Seems like a good deal to me, plus I received it maybe 18 hours after I ordered it (kdcomputers.com, free Airborn Express 2nd day, but mine came sooner).

 

[CougTek]

4C cooler than my last read of the stock HSF, but those are both readings at idle temperatures...

Do you have one one WhisperRock III close in order to compare? Also, could you run something that'll make the CPU work a lot, like FAH for instance?

A smaller cooler that is just as effective and relatively quiet seems like a good deal to me. The ultimate question is : Will you use it in your future systems? I think the answer will tell everything about your impression about it.

 

[Mercutio]

I would use either a Microflow II or a WhisperRock. They both cool well, and they're both quiet. I didn't have to pay for shipping on the more expensive Microflow, and with other things being as they are, I'd take the Microflow for its better clip. If I had to pay shipping charges, making the Microflow more expensive than my WhisperRocks, I'd have a much harder decision to make.

In my home machines, these quiet Spire/Speeze coolers have almost completely replaced other (mostly retail stock) HSFs. Since each change was a $12 - $14 expenditure per machine that I didn't really have to spend, I really can't think of a higher recommendation.

 

[time]

Is it just me, or is Spire completely blowing away all competitors? (no pun intended)

Maybe they employ one or two real engineers?

I just noticed the upcoming KestrelKing II (SP708B3). If their thermal resistance claim of 0.28C/W is to be believed, this is the mother of all air coolers. And with a 70mm fan only 7dB louder than the 80mm Falcon Rock II! I can't wait for the 80mm version ...

 

[Mercutio]

Why isn't anyone else talking about them? They're hard to find and this thread probably has a link to every review of these coolers online.

 

[CougTek]

Time,

The thermal resistance has a lot to do with the thermal dissipation area. The KestrelKing II is a heatsink for the Opteron platform, which feature a large dissipation surface much like Pentium 4. The heat transfer is therefore a lot easier to make and the thermal resistance is lower than on socket-A heatsinks.

Spire has 0.26°C/W coolers for the Pentium 4 platform. And it's not because they are incredibly well made compared to their socket-A brothers.

 

[e_dawg]

There is nothing special about the performance about these coolers -- i.e., they don't cool any better than their competitors. The big thing is that they are cheap and yet don't suck.

Tell me, where can I find these coolers in Canada? Who is this mystery contact, blakerwry?

If I had known about these coolers (assuming they were available in Canada), I might have bought one instead of the Tt Volcano 7+, which performs well (rated at 0.29-0.32 C/W), and is quiet (24 dBA on low)... but it costs a small fortune. Right now, my CPU reads 45 C, while the mobo temp is 36 C with a Palomino 1800+ running at 100% crunching UD work units. I wouldn't mind running the CPU at 50 C if I could save a good $30.

 

[blakerwry]

I honestly dont know where you can get them in Canada, you'll have to search.

The guy I know said he had two good options one was the FalconRock (original) and the other was something like a Vantec Aeroflow.. he said cost of each was in the $40CAN range and the Vantec had less "sucking noise" so he bought it.

I asked him where he went and he said he had been to too many stores to remember which one had the FalconRock

 

[NRG = mc²]

I just noticed the upcoming KestrelKing II (SP708B3). If their thermal resistance claim of 0.28C/W is to be believed

http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/cnps7000cu.htm

0.20C/W :mrgrn:

 

[CougTek]

http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/cnps7000cu.htm

0.20C/W :mrgrn:

Weight = 773g

No thanks

 

[blakerwry]

dang it! newegg.com just lowered the price of the whisperRock III... just 2 days after I ordered my third!

 

[CityK]

So what is it, $6 now as opposed to $7 ?

CK

 

[blakerwry]

It's $7 instead of $8... it also seems that they're made better.. the latest one that I just recieved has black wrap encasing the wires similar to what can be found on enermax PSU's. It also has heatshrink tubing on both ends of the wrap to keep it in place... personally, I think it makes this cooler look alot better if you have a window on your case.

 

[Mercutio]

... and, of course, they do this just after I finish buying my coolers. Inconsiderate so-and-sos.

 

[blakerwry]

i dont have a window on my case, so i wont be swapping the old one out for the new one... but if I did have a window I would certainly do it. I think it's a nice touch, especially if you already have wrap on most of your wiring.

 

[CougTek]

... and, of course, they do this just after I finish buying my coolers. Inconsiderate so-and-sos.

I don't think the MicroFlow II you bought are inferior even to an improved WhisperRock III. The MicroFlow II is a better overall cooler : smaller and slightly more effective plus a better clip design. Almost as silent and you paid only 2$ more per cooler than you would have for the new WhisperRock III.

The only real bad thing about Spire's coolers is that they aren't available in Québec. Calice.

 

[CityK]

Was looking at the Spire website again and noticed that a "WhisperRock IV" is in the works - supposed to be quieter. And check out that purrty blue fan - I betch ya that helps its cooling performance.

http://www.spirecoolers.com/asp/fcc.asp?ProdID=105

They really don't like to follow a uniform naming convention do they (5F263B1M3 :right: SPA04B2)

 

[blakerwry]

I installed my new whisperRock III the other day... I was quite surprised at how loud it was... I tried setting the fan to full speed on my main rig and realized that both coolers made the same amount of noise...

I didnt think my 75gxp's were loud either, until I hooked one up and was flabergasted by how much noise it made....

And then I realized just exactly how much quieter my PC has become over the last several months.


The noise generated by an AMD retail cooler is just appauling to me at this point.

 

[mubs]

The thread that will not die!

Something I read here says pressure is very important in reducing thermal resistance. Since the Speeze coolers seem to come with super-stron clips, they probably clamp down real hard on the processor, and this may be the secret to their performance.

 

[blakerwry]

The last one I installed didn't seem all that tight... although I usually loosen them up a bit because I'm afraid of damaging the CPU...

But yes, I agree it's good to have pressure so that you squeeze the excess grease out and ensure as much contact between the die and the metal.

 

[blakerwry]

IT IS ALIVE!!!


Independant Spire heatsink comparision; (FalconRock II, FridgeRock, and Microflow II)

http://www.thetechlounge.com/review.php?REVIEWDIR=spirecoolers

 

[blakerwry]

i would ahve liked to see them also run tests with a control fan so we can get an idea about the efficiency of the coolers.

 

[Mercutio]

My experience from having both a Microflow and a FalconRock II has been basically a 2 degree temperature differents and a way, way louder drone from the fan. I'll take my FalconRock.

 

[time]

I'd have to suggest that the reviewer didn't mount the Falcon Rock correctly. Those results are ridiculous.

 

[Mercutio]

Particularly given that the FalconRock is rated for at least an XP2800.

 

[blakerwry]

Particularly given that the FalconRock is rated for at least an XP2800.

Are they that bad? considering he's using an Athlon 1.4gHz...non XP... that would be a thunderbird.. aka hot and slow.

Merc, have you gotten any of the wire sleeved coolers yet? like the microflow pictured in the article...

I almost got another whisperRock, but instead got a shuttle SS51G with its integrated ICE.


Wish I had an ICE in my regular box, those are kick ass.

 

[Mercutio]

I can't see the pictures Blake. I do have a Microflow II.

I don't understand how the author of that article can show such a big difference between Falconrock and Microflow.

 

[blakerwry]

What i meant was have you gotten any of the Speeze coolers that have a wrap/sleeve around the 3 wires? Two of the coolers in the article had the "plain jain" no wrap with just the 3 seperate wires and one microflow had the wrap that kept the wires bundeled together.

 

[Mercutio]

The shoelace? Yup. The Microflows have those, as I reported about 30 posts ago. They're a nice touch and certainly a cosmetic improvement. No complaints.

 

[CityK]

We should just turn this thread into a monthly news letter Anyways, on to business:
------------------

SPEEZE IN CANADA!! Thats right sports fans, now you too can buy these almost legendary, Mercutio approved, low noise (high) performanc coolers.

It appears that Tigerdirect has taken over a reseller and turned it into their north of the border operation/raquette. They offer units under both the Speeze name and the Cables Unlimited (like Blake had highlighted many moons ago). Personally, not having looked at it too closely yet, I'm confused by the pricing....it appears that the same unit(s) appear multiple times but at different prices and stock availability!! Which leads me to question Tigerdirects credibliity (maybe I'll start a thread about it soliciting responses from our American viewers).

Apparently Spire also makes watches. I'm sure they are all the rage in Europe

Also Speeze/Spire related is the creation of a Speeze website itself. Previously, if you went to Speeze you were redirected to the Spirecoolers site. I found this out when I tried to determine one of the models on that Tiger Direct site and used "Speeze" under google. I was shocked my the change (fugly). It wasn't till a few minutes ago when I got back to posting the news to this thread that I discovered the "old" Spire website (which has more info btw) and the new Speeze site are seperate entities unto themselves.

CK