Testing Methodology:
To test the 2CoolPC Plus we will measure the temperature of the
specified system without the cooling system on idle and heavy
loads. We will then place the 2CoolPC Plus in the case and again
test the temperature on high and heavy loads. We will allow the
system to run for 30 minutes after opening the case to allow it to reach
it's normal temperature. We will use Motherboard Monitor along with the
built in thermal monitor on the motherboard to read the case
temperature.
Here is the system configuration used for this test:
|
System Configuration |
- Pentium III
550 @ 825MHz
- Soyo SY-6BA+IV
Motherboard
- 128 MB CAS 2 Kingston
PC-100 SDRAM
- ELSA Erazor X2
DDR GeForce
- Aureal SQ2500
Vortex2
- D-Link
DE-530TX+ NIC
- Adaptec ISA
SCSI card
- Diamond
SupraExpress 56i Sp
- Pioneer 6X DVD
Drive
- Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 40 15GB
HD
- Quantum
Fireball KA Plus 13.6 GB HD
- Microsoft
Windows 98 SE
|
|
Celeron
400 @540Mhz
|
|
Idle |
Heavy |
| Without 2CoolPC Plus |
36°C |
38°C |
| With 2CoolPC Plus |
33°C |
35°C |
Please note that you're results may vary. All cases are not
created equal, nor do they all have the same cooling configurations.
Also, the components may differ significantly from yours in both numbers
and heat production.
One important thing to note is that I have an Alpha P3125 cooling the
Pentium III 550 in this system. The P3125 is an excellent cooler,
but as a byproduct, dumps an incredible amount of heat into the case
which is why the temperatures are a tad higher than normal. When I
don't overclock the CPU, the case temperature is a few degrees lower.
| Price |
90 |
| Performance |
94 |
| Fan Quality |
96 |
| Installation |
100 |
| Noise Level |
95 |
|
Overall |
95 |
South Bay Engineering's 2CoolPC Plus is a fantastic and incredibly
easy wa y
to cool your system down and increase airflow. It's simple and
effective design easily decreases your case temperature by a few degrees
Celsius and even lets you overclock your video card higher because of
direct airflow above and below the card. Perhaps the only
questionable thing about the system is it's price. While $30 isn't
too bad, some people might consider it a tad much for such a simple
device. However, what's $30 if it helps keep your $2000 machine
running more smoothly and reliably? The 2CoolPC Plus receives our
gold editors choice award because of it's innovative design and
effectiveness.
If you would like to buy the 2CoolPC Plus, head over to the CoolerGuys.
Hardware Pros Home Page
The Hardware Pros are not
responsible from any damage resulting from overclocking. |