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Testing
The usual test methods were employed here. The supplied Stars thermal compound was tested with this unit, as was Artic Silver 2. After testing both I decided to go with the Artic Silver 2 simply because that's what I tested the majority of other HSF's with and helps me to maintain consistency. For the record there was no difference in temperatures between the Stars and the Artic Silver 2.
The test system is as follows:-
AthlonXP 1900+ (supplied by ) @ XP2000 1.75v 166FSB
Abit AT7 Max
Skyhawk Midtower with 2x Intake, 1x Exhaust, with all fans including the PSU fans set to low.
Windows XP (SP1)
As comparison coolers I've used the Coolermaster Aero7 and the Swiftech MCX462 with an 80mm 3000rpm CoolerMaster fan. I've also thrown into the ring temperatures from the Deep Impact using a Delta 60mm Screamer just to help us see the efficiency of the Deep Impact's Supertube technology. For idle settings, Windows was booted up and left for 15 minutes and a reading taken. For load settings Folding@Home was left running for at least an hour and readings taken. This was done 3 times and the average temperature taken for each. Room temperature was maintained at 26C and the case side was left off.
The Swiftech is an older HSF which has served me well in the past, and in relative silence. The Aero7 scores shown here are with the fan at its top speed of 4500 rpm which is not quiet at all. Now the big selling point of the Deep Impact cooler is good performance without the noise, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Under load with the supplied fan, the Deep impact comes pretty close to the Aero7 scores, but what you also have to remember here is that the Deep Impact's supplied fan is only 24dB, virtually silent, and will certainly be drowned out by any other system fans. Indeed my GeForce 4 Ti4600 fan can be heard over the Deep Impact.
Looking at the scores with the Delta fan we can see that there is only a 2C difference under load. This surprised me as I expected a much bigger difference with the Delta pushing out almost three times as much air. Now this could be down to the fact that the fan is cooling one side of the Deep Impact only whilst the cooling fins surround the entire cooler. But perhaps that's not the case. Perhaps it's just due to the efficiency of the Supertube that a faster fan isn't going to have that big an impact on temperatures. I had to know just how efficient it was so I went a little crazy and decided to shut the fan off.
I powered down, removed the fan from the motherboard header and after allowing the CPU to cool for 15 minutes powered up the computer and went straight to the bios. The CPU was at 37C when I got the health status screen and I sat there and watched the temperature rise. 45C came and went quite quickly but when we reached 55C a funny thing happened.
The climb in temperature slowed down. After about 10 minutes the temperature finally levelled out at 61C. Too high to be of any use but still impressive none the less. I left it like that for about half an hour and the temperature remained at 61C. Now that scared the crap out of me but I was very surprised that I had no lock ups or problems at all. At this point I figured what the hell, and exited the bios to boot windows. Unfortunately we locked up midway through the boot process. Relaxing the overclock didn't help with us still locking up during boot, but the machine posted every time and was happy to sit in the bios. Impressive.
Final Words
have gone back to the drawing board and designed this cooler with silent performance in mind. The cooler utilizes a Superconductor style tube to transfer heat from the CPU in an efficient manner in virtual silence. Overall quality of manufacture could be better but there's no denying that performance is excellent, with it being close to useable as a passive cooler. It isn't going to win any awards for good looks but it was never intended to; performance above aesthetics.
The overall package is good, with simple instructions, some decent and easy to use thermal paste and only minor assembly. This is a tall cooler, being twice the height of your average HSF and you'll have to keep this in mind before buying.
Performance is great, and all in virtual silence. Load temperatures never exceeded 46C, which for a quiet cooler is pretty damn good. Hell, I can even boot into the bios with no fan at all, though Windows locked up the PC before it was loaded.
Bad points; the clip needs some work. It is entirely possible to mount this cooler in 4 different directions, since the clip is not restricted or attached to the cooler's base. Make sure you note the orientation of the base. You can also mount the cooler off centre, thanks again to the clip not being restricted in anyway. I'd of liked to have seen a grill for the fan and a mention about centralising the cooler with the CPU die in the instructions. A minor point this one, but as an added precaution I would have preferred to see the fan shroud attached to the bottom fins as well, rather then the top fins alone. It didn't present any kind of problem but would have made me feel happier.
If the clipping mechanism had been attached to the base in some manner I would have been happy to award the Deep Impact our Recommended award, but have fallen just short. This is an excellently performing cooler, quiet and with a very unique look and technology. You can buy this cooler from our friends at .
Pros
Virtually silent cooling
Good performance even with a low CFM fan
It booted into the bios with no fan!
Good overall package with decent thermal paste included
Simple instructions
Cons
Fan shroud should have another 2 screws
Clipping mechanism requires more thought then others
Physically possible to mount the cooler in 3 incorrect directions
Easy to mount off centre
Overall quality could be better
Bottom Line
Silent cooling with performance in mind, the Deep Impact wont disappoint. It isn't a looker, and does require a few extra brain cells when installing but if you know what you are doing, don't let that put you off.
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Aerocool Deep Impact DP-101: The appearance is certainly unique, but will the Deep Impact's Supertube give us the performance we are looking for?
