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Cooling Performance and Noise Measurements

Test Setup

Gigabyte KN88XP
Windows XP Pro SP1
Motherboard Monitor 5
Prime95
Seagate Barracuda SATA V 120 GB
GeForceFX 5950 Ultra

The test system is only used to do the temperature monitoring. Noise measurements are recorded with an OMEGA HHSL-1 soundmeter. Our noise tests are taken using only a SilenX iXtrema PSU (rated at 23db) and cooler so that no other components would artificially inflate the noise measured.

We compare the 3D Rocket Cooler Pro to Gigabyte's heavy hitting all copper 3D Cooler-Ultra. You might recall that the 3D Cooler-Ultra is 780g of copper loving - easily one of the heaviest coolers on the market today alongside Thermalright's current behemoths.

Cooler Temperatures (degrees C)

Amazingly the 3D Rocket Cooler Pro OUTPERFORMS the all copper 3D Cooler-Ultra. Weighing 25% less, using a less expensive and less conductive material, but sporting a larger size, the 3D Rocket Cooler Pro manages to excel at cooling. I like to think that the rocket effect of cooling the surrounding area and pushing air away from the CPU dead air zone helped.

Cooler Noise (decibels), ambient noise is 37.7db

Noise measurements are taken at our test lab which has a high ambient noise of 37.7db. Measurements are taken 2feet from the cooler in an open bench setup. These numbers do NOT reflect what you will hear in your system since you will be using an enclosed rig and the system is also normally placed 4-6ft from the user. However, we use them as a comparison to give you an idea of noise differences.

Noise wise the cooler isn't as stellar. The noise level of the 3D Rocket Cooler Pro is noticeably higher than the 3D Cooler-Ultra - a lot of this would have to do with the design of the cooler forcing the air in through a specific channel. We saw the same effects when blower type fans were used in video cards and we see it here now again.

Conclusion

The 3D Cooler series needs little introduction, and it rates as one of the most well received coolers. These coolers are a favourite for their sharp looks, their installation versatility, and their handy fan controls. The 3D Rocker Cooler-Pro makes a sharp looking addition to any rig. With all parts installed it looks great and it performs even better than its all-copper cousin. For some, the added bonus of additional airflow outwards onto surrounding components will be that extra cooling they've been looking for. The biggest downfall of the 3D Cooler series is cost. As great as they look and as interesting as their design might be, these coolers run in the same cost range as heavyweight coolers from Thermalright, the reigning champion for ultra high-end heatsinks, and the same cooling performance with lower noise can be had at lower cost if you were to check out Thermaltake's Silent Boost series of coolers. Still, we see enough questions from interested enthusiasts to know that Gigabyte's coolers are definitely popular. This latest entry is a nice touch for enthusiasts who want that extra airflow on surrounding components, and thus we award it our newly redesigned Innovation Award.