Antec Performance CPU Cooler Review

Features:

• Lightweight copper heatpipe and aluminum fin hybrid design
• Ball bearing fan for extended life.
• Performance is compatible with:
  – Intel® socket 478 Celeron®, Celeron® D, Celeron® M, Pentium® & Pentium® M
  – AMD socket 754, 939 & 940 Sempron™, Turion™, Opteron™, Athlon™64 & 64FX
• Air Flow 30 CFM
• Acoustic Noise 34.9 dBA (max)

Specifications:

• Overall dimensions:
  AMD: 100 x 80 x 74 mm
  Intel: 72.5 x 78.5 x 74 mm
• Heatsink Dimentions: 45 x 80 x 74 mm
• Net weight:
  AMD: ~297g
  Intel: ~291g
• Thermal Resistance: 0.26º C/W
• Fan Size: 70 x 70 x 15 mm
• Fan Speed: 3800 RPM
• Air Flow 30 CFM
• Acoustic Noise 34.9 dBA (max)
• Static Pressure: 0.138 inch-H2O
• Voltage & Current 12V / 030A /3.6W

The Competition:

     Since my AMD box is currently running an AeroCool GT1000 cooler, I will be comparing the Antec unit to both the GT1000 and my OEM cooler.  The GT1000 is a much more expensive unit so I expect the CPU Cooler to weigh in between the two.  The size difference is also noticeable.

     With the GT1000 installation, my motherboard almost looks like the accessory not the other way around.  This thing is definitely overkill for my AMD Athlon 64 3000+.

     In stark contrast the Performance CPU Cooler is only slightly taller than the OEM heatsink.  Because only two screws attach the heatsink it is important to alternate tightening them to prevent damaging your CPU.  And don't forget the goop!

     The resulting skyline is simple but effective.  Antec blends the advantages of heat pipe technology with the limited space so many motherboards force onto us with capacitors and other components placed closely around the socket.

     The simple mounting can be clearly seen here.  The included 70 mm fan moves a solid 30 CFM and maxes out at about 35 dBA. This ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard is pretty representative of the spacing found on most Socket 939 boards.

     Here is the completed install as showcased in our Titan 550 review.  Shiny!  The rest of the build features a 2 Gb OCZ Gold Edition GX XTC kit, and a Gigabyte X1800XL.  The Titan 550 contains a set of 30 Gb drives from both Maxtor and Western Digital and a NEC 3500A DVD burner.  Cooling was assisted only by the power supply and the visible 120 mm fan.  Many heat pipe solutions can be run without the added fan, that option was not presented with the Performance CPU Cooler so all testing was performed in the stock configuration.  All testing was performed using a Centech laser thermometer.

      This chart shows the temperatures as recorded from the center of the heat sink.  The ambient room temperature was 72 degrees and confirmed at the 120 mm exhaust fan to match.  The Titan 550 case is larger than a standard gaming case and with the single OEM 120 mm fan it runs slightly higher than ambient even while idling.

     This chart shows the CPU core temperatures both at idle and at load.  These temperatures were confirmed using Hardware Monitor V4.2.4.2.  Here we can really see the advantages over your stock cooler.  Both under idle and at load the Antec Performance CPU Cooler provides a measurable advantage over the OEM cooler.  Surprisingly the numbers also hit pretty close to the GT-1000 weighing in at over twice the cost!

Conclusion:

     As expected the Antec cooler outperforms the OEM solution by a noticeable amount in every test.  Antec's goal of providing an affordable alternative to the throw away OEM cooling solution is a success.  With a price point of about $20 you have absolutely no good excuse to use an OEM cooler.  Even against the expensive GT-1000 cooler the Antec posts numbers that are more than adequate for any of the supported CPU sockets.  Looking for a performance boost that won't break your budget, the Antec Performance CPU cooler proves a small investment in cooling can yield big results.

Lowest Price: $19.99 at Radio Shack