Testing

The fan included with the Aerocool HT-101 is a translucent blue color with a blue LED at each corner. The fins have a little different shape to them but the thing sure does move some air when it's plugged in. There is no included fan controller but even at full speed the fan is quiet; both the video card and power supply put out more noise. My picture doesn't do it justice, but the four LEDs are very bright and make for a nice effect. The combo of heatsink and fan are actually quite attractive in my case and it's almost enough to make me forgive the installation hassle!almost.


For my test system I am using a DFI LanParty PRO875B motherboard and a 2.8GHz/800FSB Northwood processor in a Thermaltake XaserV case. The side intake fan bracket was removed due to its size and because it blocked the window. That leaves me with the front intake fan, the top and rear exhaust fans and the power supply for airflow. The Aerocool HT-101 heatsink is properly oriented so that the fan blows across the fins directly towards the rear exhaust fan. For my "idle' readings I closed out the unnecessary applications and was left with 0-1% CPU utilization. For load testing, I ran the "In-Place Large FFT's' torture test of Prime95. With all that in mind, here are the numbers:

CPU Temperature
(Show All Graphs) (Collapse Graphs)

Idle

Load

Zalman 7700 (LOW speed)

Zalman 7700 (HIGH speed)

Zalman 7000 (LOW speed)

Zalman 7000 (HIGH speed)

AeroCool HT101

Thermaltake 103 Fanless

33

32

33

32

34

38

0

°Celsius

100

 

 

Idle

Load

Zalman 7700 (LOW speed)

Zalman 7700 (HIGH speed)

Zalman 7000 (LOW speed)

Zalman 7000 (HIGH speed)

AeroCool HT101

Thermaltake 103 Fanless

50

45

51

46

48

62

0

°Celsius

100

 

 

I said the included fan moves a lot of air and you can see it in the numbers. While it doesn't quite keep up with the Zalman coolers at high speed, the performance of the HT-101 is very good. Where performance does suffer is in the "bonus airflow' department. The northbridge never gets scary hot, but it certainly isn't cool; and for overclocking, the northbridge temperature can be just as important as the CPU temperature.

The Aerocool is not quite as loud as the Zalman 7000 when both are at full speed. However, the Zalman includes a fan speed controller, so its loudness can be adjusted to suit your needs.

Conclusion

The Aerocool HT-101 is definitely a good cooler. While the northbridge temp got a little high for overclocking use, if you have active cooling or a side intake fan, you should be set. The Zalman coolers perform a small amount better, but the Aerocool heatsink will be much more forgiving in the compatibility and weight departments.

Where the Aerocool does not compete however, is in the price category. This cooler is also difficult to find - I could only find it for sale at SharkaCorp and Newegg, priced at about $55. That's more expensive than both the Zalman 7000 and 7700 heatsinks. If the HT-101 performed a few degrees better than it does, I would say it's a great deal. As-is, I would call it a toss-up; there is no weight problem with the Aerocool but you lose a little performance. You also get a very nice, quiet LED fan with the HT-101 and that's a nice addition if you are trying to establish a theme with your system.

I would definitely recommend the Aerocool HT-101 cooler. Installation may be a hassle on some systems, but you only have to do it once and you will be rewarded with very good cooling performance.

If you'd like to buy this cooler, you can pick it up for $54.95 from SharkaCorp.

Pros

Quiet
Very good cooling
Nice LED fan
All copper + heatpipes = Looks good

Cons

Installation takes time
Kinda pricey