For testing, we decided to test the cooler using
Artic Ceramique paste instead of the included thermal
grease. We placed a layer on the CPU and left the
system working in order for the thermal paste to
stabilize for about 24 hours. Also, since the cooler
features an adjustable fan, we took thermal readings
at 2 speeds, the lowest and top speed. CPU load
was achieved by running two instances of Prime95
for 30 minutes. The idle temperature measurements
were noted after the system was resting at the windows
desktop for 30 minutes. Ambient temperature is maintained
(as accurately as possible) at 22 degrees Celsius
at the time of the test. Cool-&-Quiet is disabled.
We did not run any tests with the system overclocked,
as it is pretty clear that this particular cooler
is not meant for extreme performance.
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From the
above results, we realize that the NorthQ 3390A
is a merely adequate performer while running entirely
silent. It can cool your average class socket 939
well enough, but it cannot perform much better than
the stock cooler AMD provides. That said, the stock
cooler is many times larger, and does not have a
fan controller or alarm, nor will it fit inside
a short media center case. While running at full
speed, the NorthQ 3390A improves upon the stock
cooler but not dramatically.
Final
words and conclusion
What
we did like:
The NorthQ
3390A is a cooler designed for special applications,
so comparing its performance to other, many times
larger coolers is certainly not a viable proposition.
The quality of the 3390A is surprising, as the finish
of the cooler appears excellent from every aspect.
It is a quiet cooler as well, despite the handicap
which it receives from its very small size.
What
we did not like:
The only
thing which we did not like is the design of the
fan controller, this is a design which has been
very popular among cooler manufacturers for years
now. The problem with this design is that you have
to open the case in order to adjust the speed of
the fan, which means “on the fly” adjustments
are extremely inconvenient.
Who
would we recommend it to:
It is rather
obvious to whom we would recommend this cooler to,
first of all, people who have or want to buy very
tiny media center computer cases, such as those
Hiper produce. Also people who like to work and
build custom enclosures (i.e. car PCs) could certainly
find use for the NorthQ 3390A inside space restrictive
environments.
The average retail price of the NorthQ 3390A in
the EU is 33€ at the time of this review.
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adapted by craig5320 & Zardon. Additional artwork/DH logo by Zardon.
Review coding Zardon.
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