The Star Ice is a massive copper heatsink with a plastic shroud that directs airflow over its fins. The problem is that the small 80mm fan it uses has to spin like the dickens to dispense the accumulated heat. Consequently, the Star Ice was the loudest heatsink in the roundup by a large margin; it emits an annoying audible hum at even moderate speeds.
Asus provides all the tools needed for installation, a process that’s rendered tricky by the heatsink’s massive girth. The Star Ice is the only heatsink in this roundup to provide the convenience of an externally accessible fan-bus.
As the numbers show, the Star Ice runs much hotter than the stock cooler with its fan set at its slowest, quietest setting; but it’s so insanely loud when set to high that its otherwise-good temperature-reduction numbers are rendered irrelevant.
--Josh Norem
| AMD @ idle | AMD @ load | Intel @ idle | Intel @ load | Sound output (dBA) | |
| Asus Star Ice * | 35/40 | 48/59 | 38/42 | 52/62 | 72/62 |
| Stock cooler | 36 | 52 | 42 | 57 | 67 |
* Temps measured at fan-speed high/fan-speed low
Month Reviewed: September 2005
Verdict: 6
URL: www.asus.com
Comments are closed on this article
Print
