Arctic Cooling 4Pro L Pentium 4 Heatsink Review - Page 2 of 2 Posted:  March 17, 2004 Author:  Jason Kohrs Manufacturer:  Arctic Cooling Source:  Quiet PC Testing was focused on two phases: How loud and how cool.... The noise portion of the testing was conducted first.  Using a Seasonic Super Versatile mATX power supply jumpered for use as an external power source, I ran each heatsink with no other devices that could create noise. I compared the relative noise production of the Arctic Cooling 4Pro L to the Speeze LeopardClaw, Evercool CUW8-715 (both reviewed here), and the stock Intel heatsink that came with the 2.6C processor that will be used later in the testing. Even at the Arctic Cooling 4Pro L's highest speed setting (rated at 3000 RPM) it was the quietest of the 4 coolers on the test bench.  Using the PCI bracket speed controller to drop the speed to medium (rated at 2500 RPM) provided a significant drop in noise, and then heading down to low speed (rated at 2000 RPM) brought the sound to a whisper.  For reference, the fan on the stock heatsink spins at about 2800 RPM, and the Speeze and Evercool units are both rated for about 3500-3600 RPM. In the review of the other coolers I commented at how surprised I was that the two after market solutions were louder than the stock heatsink, and I was grateful to see the 4Pro L create less noise at all speeds. Now on to the cooling portion of the testing.  Test system hardware specifications: • Intel Pentium 4 2.6C processor • Abit IS7-G motherboard • (2) 40 GB Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 8 hard drives in RAID O • (2) 256 MB sticks of Geil PC3200 DDR memory • 420W Enlight dual fan power supply • 24X CDROM • Gigabyte Radeon 9600XT AGP card • AMS gTower aluminum case The following software was used in testing the CPU temperature: • Motherboard Monitor 5.3.4.0 (to acquire CPU and system temperature) • SiSoft Sandra 2004 SP1 “Burn-In Wizard” • Folding@Home 4.0 (to stress the processor) • Windows XP Professional SP1 With only Motherboard Monitor 5.3.4.0 running, the system was first allowed to idle for 2 days after installation, so that everything could stabilize and a good baseline of temperatures could be recorded.  Then, both SiSoft Sandra 2004’s ‘Burn-In Wizard’ and Folding@Home were run for a minimum of 2 hours at each of the 3 speed settings in order to stress the CPU, and to generate additional heat to be dissipated. All phases of the testing were conducted while maintaining an ambient (room) temperature of 20-21 degrees Celsius and a system (case) temperature of 28-30 degrees Celsius.  The chart below details the results of the testing, with the Arctic Cooling 4Pro L set to High, Medium, and Low speed... The results show that it doesn't take much airflow to cool this processor at idle conditions, but stressing the CPU is where greater airflow becomes essential.  As a note, Motherboard Monitor reported the following speeds, as compared to the rated speeds... High:  Rated for 3000 RPM, MBM 5 reported 2900-3000 RPM Medium:  Rated for 2500 RPM, MBM 5 reported 2200-2400 RPM Low: Rated for 2000 RPM, MBM 5 reported 1800-1900 RPM The chart below shows the Arctic Cooling 4Pro L at the High setting as compared to the stock Intel cooler, the Evercool CUW8-715, and the Speeze LeopardClaw... The results show that the Arctic Cooling 4Pro L isn't your best choice if cooling performance is your only concern. The temperatures are not terrible, and only slightly warmer than the stock cooler, but its the noise production that compensates for this.  The 4Pro L produces less noise than any of the competition in this review, and if having low (or no) noise is a high priority, there is no concern with the temperatures reaching unsafe territory. Conclusion: The Arctic Cooling 4Pro L Pentium 4 heatsink is an attractive device that lives up to the billing of "Super Silent". The unique styling of the fan is visually appealing and contributes to the low noise production by eliminating much of the air restrictions found on a typical fan. Like most products today, the 4Pro L comes with LED lighting, and the blue glow produced is quite intense and can easily illuminate your entire case. The combination of the unique fan, LED lighting, and wiring sheathed in white makes the device worthy of being shown off through the window of a modded case. The PCI bracket fan controller is a nice touch, allowing the end user to adjust the speed of the fan without the need for an external controller. Although it is far more convenient to have the speed control in the front of the case, being on the back is far better than nothing at all. The 4Pro L is capable of operating with less noise than the other three heatsinks tested in this review, and does so without jeopardizing the CPU with dangerously high temperatures. The temperatures were the highest of the competition on hand, but they were not terrible, and I think they could be improved.  The AMD Socket A version of this heatsink comes with a copper base, and I am surprised that the Pentium 4 version is 100% aluminum.  A copper base is generally accepted as providing better heat transfer from the core to the cooler, and I believe the benefits would be worth considering in this application. Available from Quiet PC for $21.95, the Arctic Cooling 4Pro L is an excellent choice for those seeking to cool their Pentium 4 processor without going deaf or breaking the bank.  The price matches up well with many low to mid priced coolers on the market that definitely don't offer the style or silence found here. The Arctic Cooling 4Pro L earns an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars thanks to its unique styling, low noise output, and quality construction/design. The only area keeping the 4Pro L from a perfect rating, which I think could easily be remedied, is the thermal performance. Final Rating (4 out of 5 stars): Pros: • Quiet operation • Stylish design - unique fan, LED lighting, sheathed leads • Variable speed fan with 3 position switch • Attractively priced Cons: • Less than impressive cooling performance Special thanks to Quiet PC for providing the Arctic Cooling 4Pro L Pentium 4 Heatsink to BigBruin.Com for review! 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