Pentagram NXC 100-Cu

[W1zzard]

[Page=Introduction, Packaging]
Introduction

I would like to thank Pentagram (http://www.pentagram.com.tw) for supplying the tested cooler.

<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Dimensions</th>
<td scope="row">106 x 106 x 55 mm </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Heatsink</th>
<td scope="row">Copper</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Bearing Type </th>
<td scope="row">Double ball </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Fan Connector </th>
<td scope="row">12V 3-pin </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Speed</th>
<td scope="row">Silent mode 1700 RPM<br>
Normal mode 3000 RPM </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Noise</th>
<td scope="row">Silent mode 19 dB<br>
Normal mode 27 dB </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Socket <br>
Compatibility </th>
<td scope="row"><p>Socket 478 - all models<br>
Socket 775 - all models <br>
Socket 754 - all models<br>
Socket 939 - all models<br>
Socket 940 - all models</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Box <br>
contents </th>
<td scope="row">1. CPU cooler <br>
2. Fan Speed Controller <br>
3. Mounting bracket Socket 478 <br>
4. Mounting bracket LGA 775 <br>
5. Mounting bracket Socket 754/939/940 <br>
6. Thermal grease <br>
7. User's manual</td>
</tr>
</table>

Packaging

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/package2.jpg)

Box contents:

CPU Cooler
Mounting bracket for Socket 775
Mounting bracket for Socket 478
Mounting clips for Socket 939, 745, 940
Thermal grease
Instruction manual
Fan speed controller


http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/contents.jpg)

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/surface1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/surface1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/surface2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/surface2.jpg)
The heatsink's base is flat but has a lot of milling marks. On the photos you can clearly see how the base is composed of all the small copper fins joined together in the center.
A bit further out near the edges the surface is quite rough, but this is not a problem since the CPU will not need heat transfer there. In modern processors all heat is generated in the tiny die right in the middle, under the heatspreader.

[page=A closer look]
A closer look
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/cooler4.jpg)
The Pentagram NXC 100-Cu is made from all copper fins. There are other versions available which substitute part of the copper fins with aluminum to reduce cost. An even lower cost version uses only aluminum fins making it very light and cheap. Also models with smaller footprint or less height exist.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/controller1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/controller1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/controller2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/controller2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/controller3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/controller3.jpg)
This small fan controller is included in the package. Using the little knob you can freely change the output voltage between 5V and 12V. It is very easy to use and seems to work great. In the third photo you can see a small metal heatsink shine through, good engineering.

[pagE=Installation]
Installation

The installation is very simple for all platforms and is well documented in the multilingual manual.

We will show you the installation on the Socket939 ABIT AT8 here. Please not that this is not the board on which we conducted the benchmarks.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation1.jpg)
You start with putting the mounting bracket under the motherboard.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation3.jpg)
Then you put on the upper part of the mounting bracket and screw it down.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation4.jpg)
The screws are a bit too long so they stick out. Consider this when installing the cooler outside of the case on your shiny new wooden table. It's easy to damage the surface if you press down a lot on the screws.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation5.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation6.jpg)
Next you put on the heatsink (don't forget the thermal paste on the CPU) and screw it down. The screws are easy to reach through the fan blades. Also it is not necessary to use a lot of force to tighten the screws.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation7_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/installation7.jpg)
Installation completed. The whole process will take you maybe 15 minutes even if you are not so experienced.

[PAGE=Performance]
Performance

<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 1MB; Venice)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">Clock speed:</th>
<td scope="row">9 x 200 MHz = 1800 MHz, Memory at DDR-400</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Sapphire PI-A9RX480<br />ATI RX480</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 1024MB G.SKILL PC-3200</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI Radeon 9000 PCI</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">WD Raptor 360GD 36GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Sansun Arctic 450W </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 6.1</td>
</tr>
</table>

Temperature data was obtained by directly reading the Athlon64 thermal diode with a MAX6655 reader which offers an accuracy of 0.125°C. The CPU, cabling, diode reader setup has been calibrated in a water bath over a 0°C - 75°C range. Room temperature was kept at 20°C, data has been normalized if necessary.

Idle means Windows sitting at the desktop for 30 minutes. Load is after 30 minutes of Prime95. The different clock/voltage settings are representative of an un-overclocked, medium overclocked and heavily overclocked system.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/graph2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/graph3.gif
Cooling performance on all three load settings is quite weak. However, as long as the temperatures stay in an acceptable range and the system is stable at the high load setting, I see no reason to be worried about that. There is certainly room for improvement in new revisions of this cooler.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Pentagram/NXC100-Cu/images/graph4.gif
Using the included fan controller allows you to freely choose between cooling performance or silence. On the 50% setting, which we achieved by running the fan at 6V supplied by an external lab PSU the cooler is very quiet. Together with its rather low profile this might be a viable choice for a home entertainment system.

[page=Value & Conclusion]
Value and Conclusion

<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The Pentagram NXC 100-Cu is available for a price of about USD 30.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Wide compatibility
Easy to install
Fan controller included
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Noisy at 12V
Cooling performance could be improved
</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.0</th>
<td>Pentagram did engineer a solid CPU cooler which offers good cooling performance. With the included fan controller the noise level can be adjusted easily without the need of additional equipment.<br />
Installation on all platforms is very straightforward. The easy to understand multi-language manual makes this even easier.
</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td></td></tr>
</table>

[pt]

Isn't this a Zalman? :confused:

[gygabite]

I dont want to run down this cooler, but i had it before i got my watercooling and the quality is bad: Someday one rotor blade tore off from the fan and the cooler was vibrating, so i had to buy a new one, although i only needed a new fan.Then i bought the 80mm cooler from this company because i was cheaper and mounted the fan onto the 100mm: http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/182 , but anyway, what do you exspect from a 14.99€ cpu-cooler?I bought it, because i thought it is a Zalman.

[Migons]

Isn't this a Zalman? :confused:

Agree, I was gonna ask if this is some Zalman fork... :confused:

[newtekie1]

No, this is not a offshoot of Zalman, they just copy Zalman's designs, change one or two things and then call the design their own.

[OOTay]

m3h i dont like it...

[INSTG8R]

Would rather spend the extra money on a real Zalman....

[PVTCaboose1337]

This looks EXACTLY like a Zalman... It probably is and then they are like... Uhh... we changed the ratio of copper and aluminum to .01 more.... yeah....