Introduction
Games and multi-tasking can really turn up the heat on your CPU. If you suffer from a smoking hot core you might what to try Speezes new cooling solution. Speezes new product 5E055B1H3R, named the Copper Rock, is supposedly the smaller brother of the Big Rock. It would nice to see how the Copper Rock compares to its Big Brother.
Specs
| Fan Dimension: | 60x60x15mm |
| Rated Voltage: | 12VDC |
| Speed: | 5000±10%RPM |
| Air Flow: | 23.10CFM |
| Noise: | 31.8dBA |
| Heatsink Dimension: | 63x60x42mm |
| Heatsink Material: | Copper |
Taking the cooler out of its box, the first thing I noticed was the pure copper heat sink. Unlike its brother, the Copper Rock is quite ordinary looking. The Copper Rock comes with a 5000RPM fan, which is pretty much industry standard. Hopefully, its mundane looks are overshadowed by it cooling abilities.
Installation
The Copper Rock was much easier to install than the Big Rock. I was able to use my hand to clip it onto the core. The Copper Rocks smaller size allowed for a better fitting on the core. Now, lets see if little brother can compete with big brother.
Test Procedures
The Test System:
AMD Duron 750Mhz Greenie
SOYO SY-K7V Dragon Motherboard
P4 300W PS
Prime95 v2.1 (Torture Test Mode)
Ambient heat 23°C
Silvergrease (>7.5W/mK thermal conductivity)
Idle temperatures were taken after 15 minutes of 0% CPU usage, and full load temperatures were taken after running Prime95 for 8 hours at 100% CPU usage. CPU temperatures were taken using the motherboards internal sensors.
Test Results
| Cooler | Idle | Full Load | Idle | Full Load
|
| CPU | Duron 750Mhz | OC Duron 963Mhz |
| Big Rock 5T060B1H3R | 33°C
(91.4°F) | 34°C
(93.2°F) | 37°C
(98.6.4°F) | 41°C
(105.8°F) |
| Copper Rock 5E055B1H3R | 32°C
(89.6°F) | 35°C
(95.0°F) | 42°C
(107.6°F) | 45°C
(113.0°F) |
Big Rock puts little brother in his place! The Copper Rock runs hotter than the Big Rock and hotter than other copper cooler reviewed.
The performance of the 5E055B1H3R Copper Rock is actually sub par with most pure copper heat sinks (see CopperOrb, Zalman, Gladiator). It is my opinion that poor design, air flow and coppers inherent ability to retain heat led to the higher temperatures.
Conclusion
The Copper Rock is a victim of coppers ability to retain heat as well as poor airflow design. Normally, copper heat sinks would dissipate heat rapid if the CFM and fan speed is adequate enough. Furthermore, the Copper Rock is noisy for its size, running ~32db with only 5000RPMs is a little excessive for a compact design. I would like to see Speeze come up with a new copper cooler that would remedy all the flaws in the Copper Rock. If you are looking for good CPU cooler to cool your core, I suggest you look at the Big Rock.
Rating
| Installation: | 89% |
| Noise: | 87% |
| Performance: | 71% |
Overall Score: 82%
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