Inexpensive Coolers for AMD Processors

Part 1. ASUS, Foxconn, GlacialTech, Thermaltake, and Titan

We should complain about stagnation in the segment of budget coolers for AMD processors that has led to a monotonous product range. The roots of it are permanently growing manufacturing costs, high competition, price erosion, and serious pressure from boxed CPUs, which are very popular among end users and are supported by conservative PC builders. All these factors also narrow the segment of budget coolers.

Nevertheless, budget cooling systems for AMD processors are in a better position than products for Intel CPUs. Historically being designed for a rather bland thermal envelope of Athlon 64 processors, such coolers have always been notable for simple design and consequently wider profit margin keeping their production on a rational level even these days. As a result, the market of budget coolers for AMD processors is still saturated. Vendors often present new products in this very segment even though the budget cooling market for LGA775 platform is much bigger.

Thus we can state that the market of budget coolers for AMD processors is still alive. And it won't hurt to review some new products, namely 16 coolers from ASUS, Foxconn, GlacialTech, Thermaltake, and Titan. Following our good tradition, this shootout will be supplemented with technical ratings compiled from test results of many autumn and winter products launched this year.

ASUS K8A1-8LB3 and K8A4-8LB3

We'll start with two ASUS products - K8A1-8LB3 and K8A4-8LB3 coolers.

ASUS K8A1-8LB3 and K8A4-8LB3

The K8A1-8LB3 is a budget product, but it features an optimistic design - it's based on a neat aluminum heat sink (80x77x40 mm, 77x60 mm at the base) with decent finning (trapezoid fins, 0.8 mm at the base, 0.3 mm at the tip, at 1.5 mm steps, the total heat exchange surface is 1600 cm2). This heat sink and a 80x80x25 mm fan (plain bearing, nominal rotational speed - 3000 rpm) form a good thermal tandem.

Indeed, this product performs well. The K8A1-8LB3 demonstrates good results, consolidating interesting thermal parameter and acceptable noise characteristics. However, this cooler still has some design flaws: its toolless mounting clip is too hard and inconvenient (you have to use force to fix the heat sink in a socket), the on-board fan is not of the highest quality either.

As a result, the image of K8A1-8LB3 suffers, so it fails to raise to the top of our usability rating.

Another budget cooler (K8A4-8LB3) is actually an overhauled K8A1-8LB3 - this cooler comes with the same aluminum heat sink (80x77x40 mm) with some minor facelift changes (crosscuts in its fins, which should improve ventilation of near-socket components) and a faster fan (3400 rpm).

The retention module is also improved, it significantly facilitates the installation process, making it truly user-friendly. Another improvement is a new thermal interface - highly efficient thermal grease with advanced thermophysical parameters (based on aluminum oxide).

Unfortunately, performance of this product changes in the opposite direction. It actually overweighs all its technical improvements. The problem is in the new on-board fan with a poor aerodynamic configuration. It improves thermal efficiency of the K8A4-8LB3, but it significantly deteriorates noise characteristics of the cooler (its noise level has grown by 8 dBA, although its speed is increased insignificantly versus K8A1-8LB3). As a results, overall functionality of the K8A4-8LB3 is spoilt - it's outperformed not only by the old K8A1-8LB3, but also by many competing products. It sticks with the outsiders in our usability and economic ratings.

Foxconn NBT-CMAM22B-C and NBT-CMAM23B-C

Let's proceed to budget coolers from Foxconn - NBT-CMAM22B-C and NBT-CMAM23B-C.

Foxconn NBT-CMAM22B-C and NBT-CMAM23B-C

The NBT-CMAM22B-C looks unusual. Instead of the typical rectangular finned heat sink this product uses a complex configuration - a U-shaped base with impressive fins (80x80x47 mm, 78x68 mm at the base) not only inside the working medium, but also at the sides.

It's not an indubitable solution (it's a decoration rather than a real innovation), but the design of this heat sink offers very good parameters - trapezoid fins, 1 mm at the base, 0.3 mm at the tip, placed at 1.5 mm steps, total heat exchange surface - 1400 cm2. A copper disc (36x4 mm) pressed into the base acts as an extra thermal ameliorant.

With its individual heat sink and a fast 80x80x25 mm fan (combined bearing, 2500 rpm), the NBT-CMAM22B-C achieves a good balance between noise characteristics and thermal efficiency, it significantly outperforms older Foxconn products and competes well with other budget products. But the overall functionality of the NBT-CMAM22B-C is not very good, despite its good retention module and acceptable fan - it can hardly compete with more advanced budget coolers, you can see it in its total rating.

The Foxconn NBT-CMAM23B-C is a cut-down modification of the NBT-CMAM22B-C - the cooler is equipped with a slowed-down fan (combined bearing, 2000 rpm) and is based on a similar but smaller aluminum heat sink (77x77x38 mm, 77x68 mm at the base) with much weaker finning (rectangular fins, 0.9 mm thick, placed at 2 mm steps, total heat exchange surface - 900 cm2).

So you cannot expect miracles from the NBT-CMAM23B-C, of course. It demonstrates weak results and is outperformed by the NBT-CMAM22B-C both in thermal efficiency and in efficiency/noise ratio. It's only insignificantly better than the older products.

Even though this product goes only slightly behind the advanced NBT-CMAM22B-C in its overall functionality (improved noise ergonomics), it fails to get a decent usability rating. However, the NBT-CMAM23B-C fares better in the economic ratings - it comes closer to the leaders owing to its very attractive price tag.