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 Posted: February 29, 2004
Author: Jason Kohrs
Manufacturer: Evercool and Speeze
Source: Evercool and Speeze
Installation:
The packaging for each cooler provides brief installation instructions. To be honest, an inexperienced person will probably have difficulty if they are relying on the 2-3 pictures and sentences provided by either manufacturer. Not to say the installation was difficult to figure out, just that the instructions don’t contribute much.
As pictured previously, the Speeze mounting clips are built into the device, and the lever is used to clip the cooler into place. The clips aren’t particularly robust, and I was concerned that they may not be getting a good grip on the socket, or that perhaps with time they would flex and weaken. Installation wasn’t difficult, as the device is just dropped in place, and the lever is pushed to one side to cause the clips to grab the socket.
The clips with the Evercool cooler are far more sturdy, but are provided loose. Not a big deal, but it does make installation more precarious, as it requires both hands, and perhaps a third if you want to do it carefully, insuring that you aren’t putting too much pressure on one side of the core, as you connect one clip at a time, while holding the heatsink in place.
The images below show the two heatsinks installed in the test system...
 
Testing:
Temperature and noise were the concerns to be addressed during testing, and noise was tested first. Using a Seasonic Super Versatile mATX power supply jumpered for use as an external power source, I ran each heatsink with no other devices powered that could create noise. I compared the relative noise production of the Speeze LeopardClaw and Evercool CUW8-715 to the stock Intel heatsink that came with the 2.6C processor that will be used later in the testing. Much to my surprise, the stock Intel heatsink was the quietest, with the Evercool CUW8-715 coming in a relatively distant second, and the Speeze LeopardClaw being just louder than the CUW8-715. The fan on the stock heatsink spins at about 2800 RPM, and the other two are rated for about 700-800 RPM more, but the noise associated with that speed increase was significant. The three heatsinks are pictured below, with the stock Intel unit in the middle...
Now on to the cooling portion of the testing. Test system hardware specifications:
• Intel Pentium 4 2.6C processor
• Abit IS7-G motherboard
• (2) 40 GB Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 8 hard drives in RAID O
• (2) 256 MB sticks of Geil PC3200 DDR memory
• 420W Enlight dual fan power supply
• 24X CDROM
• Gigabyte Radeon 9600XT AGP card
• AMS gTower aluminum case
The following software was used in testing the CPU temperature:
• Motherboard Monitor 5.3.4.0 (to acquire CPU and system temperature)
• SiSoft Sandra 2004 SP1 “Burn-In Wizard”
• Folding@Home 4.0 (to stress the processor)
• Windows XP Professional SP1
With only Motherboard Monitor 5.3.4.0 running, the system was first allowed to idle for 2 days after installation, so that everything could stabilize and a good baseline of temperatures could be recorded. Then, both SiSoft Sandra 2004’s ‘Burn-In Wizard’ and Folding@Home were run for a minimum of 4 hours in order to stress the CPU and to generate additional heat to be dissipated. For comparison purposes, the stock Intel heatsink fan combination (all aluminum construction) was run through the same test. All phases of the testing were conducted while maintaining an ambient (room) temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and a system (case) temperature of 28-30 degrees Celsius. The chart below details the results of the testing...
The results speak for themselves. Either heatsink is going to provide improved cooling as compared to the stock Intel heatsink. The Evercool CUW8-715 and Speeze LeopardClaw both drop two degrees Celsius off the stock cooler’s performance, but at full load conditions, the Evercool heatsink really shines. The LeopardClaw impresses by knocking 4 degrees off the stock cooler at load, but the Evercool CUW8-715 really scores major points with me by knocking off 7 degrees.
Conclusion:
The Speeze LeopardClaw and Evercool CUW8-715 Pentium 4 heatsinks are both decent coolers for the price (under $20 US). Either device will provide an upgrade in cooling performance over the stock Intel heatsink, but the decreased CPU temperatures come with an increased noise level that puts a bit of a damper on the excitement. In order to maintain the same noise level as the stock cooler (less noise might be nice), a fan controller would be required. Reducing the fan speed would no doubt impact the impressive thermal results, and nothing may be gained from such an ‘upgrade’. If noise is as much of an issue as cooling performance, perhaps these aren’t the coolers for you.
Despite the coolers being promoted as selling for $20 (US), locating a supplier may be the tricky part. A search of PriceGrabber turns up nothing on either cooler, and I had to head north of the border to ADPMods to find the Evercool CUW8-715 for $29.95 Canadian (roughly $22.35 US).
In this Intel P4 “East vs West” Budget Heatsink Showdown, I’d have to declare the Evercool CUW8-715 the winner, even if it is by a slight margin...
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Speeze LeopardClaw
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Evercool CUW8-715
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Pros:
• Cools better than stock heatsink
• Priced less than $20 (US)
• Sheathed power lead
Cons:
• Louder than stock heatsink
• Design is dull
• Mounting clips are not robust
• Not widely available
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Pros:
• Cools better than stock heatsink
• Priced less than $20 (US)
• Very stylish design
Cons:
• Louder than stock heatsink
• Not widely available
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Final Rating (out of 5 stars):  
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Final Rating (out of 5 stars):
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Special thanks to Evercool and Speeze for providing these Pentium 4 Heatsinks to BigBruin.Com for review!
Please drop by the BigBruin.Com forum, and feel free to discuss this review.
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