Verdict: Ludicrously cheap cooling for a Xeon
You're spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting a cooler for Pentium 4 or Athlon XP CPUs, ranging from simple HSFs to phase-change systems, but there really aren't that many options for Xeon processors. The trouble is, the reference Intel HSF is very effective but damn noisy. That's why we chose two Xeon HSFs, the Akasa AK680CU and the Swiftech MCX603-V, to review this issue.
The AK680CU is best described as a fairly traditional HSF. The thin copper base sits on top of a skived aluminium heatsink made from 24 fins. Cool air is then pushed downwards over the fins and out of the ends of the heatsink by a 70mm fan.
Despite the fan's diminutive dimensions (it's only 15mm thick) the motor spins the blades at 3,800rpm and can shift a quite impressive 31.44cfm of air. All of this air movement does come at a price though - noise. Akasa claims a noise output of 34.5dB(A), which is quite a lot for an HSF these days.
We tested the AK680CU on a pair of 2.8GHz Xeon processors, overclocked to 3.04GHz, on an Asus PC-DL Deluxe motherboard. With the CPU sat idle in Windows we recorded a temperature of 39ûC, a pretty reasonable figure, all things considered.
With the CPU fully utilised, the temperature reading jumped up to 50ûC, but again this is pretty good. With the Xeons not overclocked and the fan speed down from 3,800 to 3,100rpm, there was much less noise, and a temperature increase of only two degrees - more than worth it if fan noise really irritates you.
CONCLUSION
What really makes the AK680CU so special is the price. Dabs will sell you one for just £12.50, well under a third of the cost of a Swiftech MCX603-V. And because the thermal performance between the two HSFs is so minimal, it's an incredibly easy decision to make.
