A Roundup of Coolers for Pentium 4: Q4'2003
Glacialtech Igloo 4350 (Pro, Light)
Some time ago, we tested a few coolers by Glacialtech (those were Igloo 4300 & Igloo 4200) and found no advantages over the "boxed" cooler. Today we're looking into a new product line of the company which is based on the generic model Igloo 4350.
The Light model is aimed at the silence fanciers, while the Pro model, on the contrary, will be of use for the owners of powerful/overclocked processors.
In fact, all the three coolers offer the same design and the same radiator. The differences are only in the fan:
On the "Pro" model, there is a fan of 4200 RPM rotational speed. At this speed, the airflow will amount to 40.1CFM, with the noise level not exceeding 35dBa.
In practice, Igloo 4350 Pro makes quite an annoying noise. But for those who are primarily concerned by the noise level Glacialtech offers an absolutely silent cooler - Igloo 4350 Light. Its noise level is as low as 20dBa. That's a very good showing achieved due to the reduction of rotational speed to 2200 rpm. Of course, the generated airflow has also gone down (to 21CFM).
Besides, note that the manufacturing company does not recommend using the cooler with processors whose clock speeds exceed 2.8 GHz. Remember that the question is of the Northwood core. But if you buy a cooler targeted at joint use of a Prescott processor, then in the long run buying an Igloo 4350 Light cooler is not a wise option.
This can't be said about the Igloo 4350 cooler which offers the best ratio of noise to cooling efficiency.
The rotational speed of the fan is 2800 RPM, airflow = 24.3CFM, with the noise level not exceeding 26 dBa.
As regards the radiator, it is fully made of aluminum. However, that should not negatively affect the efficiency. Remember that Pentium4 offers a copper heat spreader that equalizes the chances of aluminum-copper and pure aluminum radiators.
The processing quality of the base is very good. Besides, a layer of thermal interface not inferior to KPT-8 paste is pre-applied on the base. Like in Spire coolers, the removal of the cooler is accompanied by pulling the processor out of the socket: this thermal interface proved to be so sticky.
As regards the convenience of installation and removal, then the cooler of Igloo 4350 series proved to be up to the mark. The smart design of the fasteners used on Igloo 4300 and Igloo 4200 models allows installing the cooler with a single motion.
Interim conclusion: of the three presented coolers, the most attractive is the generic model Igloo 4350. Besides, of interest may be the Igloo 4350 Pro version using a speed regulator. This allows smooth selection of the required balance between the cooling efficiency and the noise level. But Igloo 4350 Light looks attractive only if mid-range processors are used.
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