Yes, I bought a black TRUE and a white fan
First things first: let's void the warranty...
After 2500 grit - I know it's unnecessary, but it came in the lapping kit so I used it anyway!
Silverstone FM122, 800rpm - 2400rpm... not everybody's favourite but it moves a lot of air
Side-by side with an old Thermaltake fan
Overhead view showing 32mm depth vs standard 25mm depth
Motherboard and Q9650 ready for installation of TRUE
First installation without thermal paste, solid as a rock, no swaying or twisting, so no need for washer modification etc.
Installed and ready to go into the PC - this combo means business
TRUE + FM122 installed and running:
Integrated fan controller, which conveniently slots inside a floppy drive bay, unlike the crappy Zalman Fanmate 2 (no, I'm not bitter ):
Enough pictures...how does a lapped TRUE compare with the Zalman CNPS 9700 when cooling a Q9650 @ 4.3GHz, 1.368v?
When dealing with a very intense CPU workload at moderately high vcore, the TRUE is more efficient by a margin of
greater than* 15°C.
Zalman small FFTs load: 82°C and climbing, so I had to stop it
TRUE small FFTs load: 67°C
*I say "greater than" because the ambient temperature was significantly higher when I tested the TRUE, so in all probability the TRUE can shear nearly 20°C off the load temps yielded by the Zalman in this scenario.
Note: the performance of the TRUE will vary between CPUs, as will the performance of the Zalman. Bear in mind that with a dual core CPU the difference in load temperatures may not be so pronounced. The intensity of the workload also affects the heat generated by the CPU even at the same voltage, so with larger FFTs (a lighter workload) the difference was closer to 10°C (Zalman 65°C, TRUE 55°C). Not surprisingly, the idle temps are virtually the same with both cooling solutions.
Ironically, the TRUE cost less than the Zalman that it replaced (even though the Zalman was a gift).
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