3RSystem iCEAGE: A New Cooling Company Tackles the Heatpipe Tower
by Wesley Fink on June 21, 2007 12:02 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Cooling at Stock Speed
Some users will never overclock their CPU, but they still want to run the coolest CPU temperatures possible to enhance stability and extend CPU life. The 3RSystem iCEAGE comes with a high-quality slot-mounted rheostat coupled to a high-output fan. Therefore we tested the iCEAGE with the supplied fan and rheostat.
Where the very good Intel stock cooler keeps the X6800 at 41C at idle, the iCEAGE managed 29C, which is among our top performers. This is a significant improvement over the Intel stock cooler performance at 41C, and results are 3C short of the best we have tested. The Thermalright coolers, at the top of our heatpipe tower performance charts, cool to 26C and 27C, and the Tuniq 120 maintains 27C. The iCEAGE is competitive in cooling at stock idle speed.
It is more difficult to effectively simulate a computer being stressed by all of the conditions it might be exposed to in different operating environments. For most home users CPU power is most taxed with contemporary gaming. Therefore our stress test simulates playing a demanding game.
The Far Cry River demo is looped for 30 minutes and the CPU temperature is captured at 4 second intervals with the NVIDIA Monitor "logging" option. The highest temperature during the load test is then reported. Momentary spikes are ignored, as we report a sustained high-level temp that you would expect to find in this recording configuration. This test configuration roughly equates to an 80% CPU load test using Intel TAT.
Cooling efficiency of the 3RSystem iCEAGE is then compared under load conditions at stock speed to the retail HSF and other recently tested CPU coolers.
The iCEAGE under load at stock speeds reached a maximum temperature of 39C with the included fan at highest speed. This compares to the Thermalrights at 32C and 33C, the Tuniq at 34C and the Cooler Master Hyper 6+ and Zalman 9700 at 36C. Stock load performance is average at best among tested coolers.
We strongly suspect results with the iCEAGE would have been comparable to the Scythe Infinity had we been able to mount two fans in a push-pull configuration. However, 3RSystems will need to slightly modify the cooling fins to allow the option of two-fan mounting.
Some users will never overclock their CPU, but they still want to run the coolest CPU temperatures possible to enhance stability and extend CPU life. The 3RSystem iCEAGE comes with a high-quality slot-mounted rheostat coupled to a high-output fan. Therefore we tested the iCEAGE with the supplied fan and rheostat.
Where the very good Intel stock cooler keeps the X6800 at 41C at idle, the iCEAGE managed 29C, which is among our top performers. This is a significant improvement over the Intel stock cooler performance at 41C, and results are 3C short of the best we have tested. The Thermalright coolers, at the top of our heatpipe tower performance charts, cool to 26C and 27C, and the Tuniq 120 maintains 27C. The iCEAGE is competitive in cooling at stock idle speed.
It is more difficult to effectively simulate a computer being stressed by all of the conditions it might be exposed to in different operating environments. For most home users CPU power is most taxed with contemporary gaming. Therefore our stress test simulates playing a demanding game.
The Far Cry River demo is looped for 30 minutes and the CPU temperature is captured at 4 second intervals with the NVIDIA Monitor "logging" option. The highest temperature during the load test is then reported. Momentary spikes are ignored, as we report a sustained high-level temp that you would expect to find in this recording configuration. This test configuration roughly equates to an 80% CPU load test using Intel TAT.
Cooling efficiency of the 3RSystem iCEAGE is then compared under load conditions at stock speed to the retail HSF and other recently tested CPU coolers.
The iCEAGE under load at stock speeds reached a maximum temperature of 39C with the included fan at highest speed. This compares to the Thermalrights at 32C and 33C, the Tuniq at 34C and the Cooler Master Hyper 6+ and Zalman 9700 at 36C. Stock load performance is average at best among tested coolers.
We strongly suspect results with the iCEAGE would have been comparable to the Scythe Infinity had we been able to mount two fans in a push-pull configuration. However, 3RSystems will need to slightly modify the cooling fins to allow the option of two-fan mounting.
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strikeback03 - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
I often get an error if it has taken me a while to type a response. My solution is to copy the post, then try and post. If/when it throws the error, close the comments page and reopen, has always let me post after that.I had assumed serrated meant that the fins were bent up and down in plane, allowing more surface area for the overall width. Looking back at the pictures that appears to not be the case though. Maybe the cuts on the fins are to quiet down some noise caused by tip vortices or something.
Wesley Fink - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
On p. 3 CPU Test Configuration - we state "Room temperature is measured before beginning the cooler tests and is maintained in the 20 to 22C (68 to 72F) range for all testing." According to my test notes ambinet temp was just below 71F at the start of these tests. The lab is air conditioned, but we do have to set the system off to keep fans off during the few munutes it takes for noise measuremtns.brian_riendeau - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Cliff notes:-$50
-Another decent tower cooler
-Nothing special or mind blowing
+8 pages of "content" to explain the 3 lines above
I am continually amazed at the length and number of cooler articles that keep coming out of AT. With 8 pages, you could easily cover the relevant information on 8 seperate coolers, with pics and performance numbers for each cooler.
brian_riendeau - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Also from earlier..."With the vast number of heatsink tests done to date it's surprising the ACF7Pro has yet to be tested."
Not really. People would lose interest in this type of article if they all ended with something like "Too bad the ACF7Pro works as well (or better!) at less than half the cost". The coolers that keep getting tested have very high mark ups.
strikeback03 - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
umm, right...
And despite how much of the article is cut-and-paste from previous reviews, it's amazing how many people will complain about aspects of the testing that have been mentioned each time.
strikeback03 - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
2nd page under Specifications - the box says Thermaltake MaxOrb Specifications.4th page right under the Idle graph - says the VX managed 29C.
yacoub - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
"The iCEAGE 120 should retail for around 45 to 50 USD"yacoub - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I didn't see a $xx anywhere in the article.yacoub - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
Curious how much an improvement this offers over the AC Freezer 7 Pro, which a lot of overclockers run because it's cheap, easy to install, and performs decently well.If it's a significant enough improvemnt to warrant the purchase, that would be important to know. With the vast number of heatsink tests done to date it's surprising the ACF7Pro has yet to be tested.
Duraz0rz - Thursday, June 21, 2007 - link
I want to see this cooler tested as well...I've had their A64 version for a while, and I loved it. I want to know how well the Freezer 7 Pro does with the Core 2 Duo, as I'm running the stock cooler right now, and the Freezer 7 Pro is freely avaliable and cheaper than the Scythe Mine Rev B I wanted to buy.Love how you guys are doing your cooler reviews here...keep it up! :)