Testing

I’ll put these coolers through the normal testing procedure which consists of the following:

Let them idle for 30 minutes with nothing running, and record the end temperature.
Start both StressPrime on both cores and a single instance of folding@home.
Let them run for 30 minutes and record the end temperature.

The fan was set to maximum speed throughout the testing to show its maximum cooling potential. The case sides were put on the case, and the ambient temperature was a constant 19 C throughout testing.

When they were installed, they showed their silent attribute well. If they are controlled by PWM, they are silent. Even when my ear was right next to it, I couldn’t hear a thing. When using them at full speed however, it was a different story; it’s quite easy to hear the usual rushing air noise that fans make.

I found that leaving the fan speed up to the BIOS was the best course of action. When idle the fan would be on silent mode, and cool as well as having the fan at full speed. Once the core started heating up, the fan speed would increase all the way to maximum.

I decided to test whether the thicker fans on the BTF95 actually caused a difference in passive performance. As you can simply slide the fan mounting out of the BTF90, I did exactly that and let the test run.

As you can see, the thicker fans of the BTF95 equate to a better passive performance. You can mount the fan on the BTF95 but the results would have just proven that thinner fins are better for active cooling, while thicker, wider spaced fins are better for passive applications. Obviously ZEROtherm have done their thermal dynamics homework.

All the results above are taken from our other reviews with ambient temperature correction applied.

The Max Orb was set to full power which was far from silent.

The BTF95 isn’t designed to be used on a dual core AM2, which is why its temperature wasn’t particularly fantastic. It’s designed for either Core 2 Duo processors which have a lower TDP (amount of heat they pump out at maximum load).

I did a quick test with the system outlined above, not at idle, and not a full load, but playing a DVD. Instead of 61 C max temperature, the BTF95 managed to keep the 3800+ at 50 C which is much better news. If you are just going to be watching DVD’s or browsing the internet, then the BTF95 will look appealing.

The other two coolers performed well considering their size and volume. They are much better than the stock cooler, and are much quieter. They also manage to cool the same amount as the Max Orb, even when that was making a racket at full pelt.

However, these benefits are outweighed by a) they look like butterflies and b) their price.

They go for:

BTF80: £34.00
BTF90: £37.99
BTF95: £36.00

All of these seem pretty high, when the Max Orb cools to the same degree with its idle temperatures being a lot less. The BTF95 seems the most ridiculous as you aren’t even getting a fan for your money, and the performance isn’t great. If it was used on an already fully silenced PC, which had either a single core, or a Core 2 Duo the verdict would be different.

There isn’t a major difference between the BTF80 and BTF90, apart from price. They both cap out at the same temperature but the BTF90 manages a lower idle temperature. If you have the extra £4, the BTF90 seems like a sound choice.