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Site Admin Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 3258 Location: Pinecrest, FL	Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:47 am    Post subject: Arctic Cooling Copper Lite   In almost every modern computer, there is some sort of fan frantically trying to dissipate the heat that the processor creates. Most of these heatsink & fan combos are a block of finned metal with a fan bolted to the top. Arctic Cooling decided to take a different approach to mainstream air-cooling by mounting the fan above the heatsink by rubber struts. Introduction: CPU Cooling is a touchy subject. Many factors go into what is the "best" cooling solution. For many the sheer temperatures are all that matter, but at the same time, with increased cooling capacity normally comes a louder system, and usually a larger space requirement (and most of the time, a higher price tag). For most people, the "best" cooling solution is something that keeps the system within a safe temperature range (less than 60oC is preferable), doesn't drown out conversation, fits inside the case, and can be purchased at a reasonable price. Arctic Cooling claims to have brought all of the above requirements together in the Copper Lite for AMD Duron, Semperon, and Athlon XP processors. Let's take a look. The Copper Lite: Arctic Cooling claims the following on the box: Lightest Low Noise Cooler Extremely Quiet Patented Fan Casing High Cooling Performance Easy Installation Clip Screw Lock for maximum safety during Transport Long Lifetime 6 Years Guarantee The most first thing to examine on the Copper Lite is its fan. Most computer fans have a square or rectangular casing around them because the fan is round while the heatsink is square or rectangular. The rectangular casing forces air to go through the gaps in the casing and out the other side. The Copper Lite has its fan mounted with 4 rubber struts and has no casing around it. This design makes it visually stand out from the majority of the rest of the heatsink & fan combo market. Upon initial evaluation… Pros: Lighter Less sturdy (no structure, it is more apt to handle vibrations) Cons: It doesn't channel the air through the heatsink. Air could easily flow just between the fan and the heatsink without ever flowing through it. The heatsink looks very similar to any other heatsink you'd see. It is bladed, or finned, which provides a extra surface area for heat dissipation. It is lightweight and silver in color, which suggests a primarily aluminum structure. The clip for mounting is slightly different than most heatsinks. On one side it has the standard 3-notch clip. On the other, instead of a spring-loaded clip that requires the use a screwdriver to press down, it has a screw-mounted clip. To install the Copper Lite, put the clip over the notches and screw it in. On the underside of the heatsink, there is a copper ring in the middle (where the CPU touches the heatsink). This exists to provide maximum heat transfer between the CPU and the heatsink. Copper is a better conductor than aluminum, but it is also much heavier too. There are a couple more things worth mentioning about the Copper Lite. Included in the box is a tube of MX-1 cooling grease, which easily contains enough grease for multiple installations. It is also nice that Arctic Cooling took the extra step and sleeved the power cable. [page] Installation: Unfortunately installation of the Copper Lite was more difficult than most other cooling systems. When installing, because there is no spring, both sides of the mounting bracket must be lined up before screwing one side down to the motherboard. Although it is not overly difficult, it did take approximately 10 minutes of fiddling to get the sides to clip on correctly (compared to 3 to 4 minutes with a "normal" heatsink & fan CPU cooler). However, in defense of Arctic Cooling, the Copper Lite is not going to fall off once it's clamped down. The extra security will allow a regular LAN party attendee to tote around his/her computer from home and back with little to worry about. Testing: Although a unique looking CPU fan is neat, it's practically worthless if it cannot cool properly. The Setup: Athlon XP 2100+ CPU MSI K7TPro266 WD 160gb 8mb 7200rpm Antec 350w Powersupply The first test was a sound test. Most computers have an audible hum coming from the tower. This is normally due to slight vibrations in the CPU cooler, fan noise, hard drive clicking and platter spinning, as well as CD/DVD disc spinning. After testing Arctic Cooling's Copper Lite, Absolute Insight staff can honestly say that they have never heard a quieter CPU fan. The only noise coming out of the case, with the side open, was from the hard drive and power supply. With the hard drive disconnected, the testing staff could barely hear anything besides the quiet hum of the PSU. With the case closed, there was very little to no sound. Quantitative sound measurements were taken using a RadioShack "Sound-Level-Meter" which measures decibel output through an attached microphone. The microphone was placed about 2" from the fan (remember that sound intensity is a function of distance from the source). Although the tests showed an output between 66-69 dB (this is about the noise level of normal conversation), but the reading was easily skewed by the power supply (which was significantly louder than the CPU fan). To put it in perspective, if someone were to place his/her ear 2" away from the Copper Lite it would only be as loud as normal conversation. The typical computer user sits multiple feet away from his/her computer, and covers it with a case, which makes the sound coming from the Copper Lite itself nearly inaudible in comparison to regular noise from the aforementioned sources (case fan noise, PSU noise, HDD noise, etc.). Next, the cooling capabilities of the Arctic Cooling's Copper Lite were tested. Absolute Insight took a quantitative approach to testing how well the Copper Lite wicks away heat. All measurements taken using lm_sensors in Linux 2.6.11: K7 Stock Air-Cooling Idle: +45.0 C Load: +56.0 C Copper Lite Idle: +40.0 C Load: +49.0 C Koolance PC6-201 Water Cooler: Idle: +39.0 C Load: +45.0 C The CPU was loaded by using a simple script that required maximum CPU usage, thereby clocking the CPU to 100% usage. The load test was run for about 20 minutes, at which time the temperature stopped fluctuating. The data shows that the Copper Lite has a cooling capability that is comparable to the water-cooling system. It also runs a bit quieter, and is considerably cheaper as well ($19 for the Copper Lite compared to $100 to $150 for a Koolance Water Cooler). Arctic Cooling's Copper Lite provides great, quiet cooling at a good price. Compared to a normal "stock" CPU cooler, the Copper Lite is around 4 to 5oC cooler during idle, and 6 to 7oC cooler under load. Arctic Cooling has managed to create a considerable performance gain while keeping quiet! [page] Conclusion: Keep in mind that the Copper Lite was tougher than most CPU heatsink & fan combos to put on. When installing the Copper Lite a second time, Absolute Insight staff had to adjust it multiple times while trying to line it up properly, and ended up cracking a corner off the die of the CPU. Please use caution and be careful when installing the Copper Lite to prevent damage to the CPU. While the stronger clip exists to prevent the heatsink & fan combo from falling off your CPU in transit, it does cause a few extra installation hastles. Even though the Copper Lite is only for AMD Duron and Athlon XP processors, Arctic Cooling also has a Copper Lite equivalent for all Semperon (Socket 754) Athlon 64 up to 4000+, Athlon 64 up to FX-55, and AMD Opteron known as the Silencer 64 series. With the increased popularity and market share of AMD 64-bit processors, Arctic Cooling has already adapted their quiet, yet powerful, cooling technology to the new platforms. Absolute Insight has not yet been able to test the Silencer 64 series (we would like to!), but if the Copper Lite is any indication of Silencer 64 performance, then the Silencer 64 series may also be worth checking out. So if you're in the market for a mid-range cooler to reduce the noise coming from your computer tower, the Copper Lite definitely deserves a chance. The Copper Lite is a solid all-around cooler. It keeps the temperatures to a safe level, and manages to stay quiet while doing it. However, if you are looking to overclock, or push your CPU a bit harder, you should still look for a water cooling system. Pros: Very quiet Light weight Good cooling capabilities Neat looking design Comes with a tube of thermal paste Sleeved power cord Reasonably priced ($19) Cons: More difficult to install than standard heatsink & fan combos Included thermal paste is a bit thick and hard to spread
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