Testing and Results

We've included results from several CPU coolers in each test. Not all are present in all socket tests because some aren't compatible. In this case we've tried to include a similar cooler from that particular company, such as the Noctua NH-C12P which is compatible with LGA 775 and Socket AM2+, but not with LGA1366. In this case we've used Noctua's NH-U12P SE 1366.

Where CPU coolers had alternative fan speeds, we've tested at both the lowest and highest fan speed settings and recorded idle and load delta T results for each setting to give you some idea as to how much performance is affected.

We've also included the reference cooler for each socket which is a good indicator of what kind of improvement you'd see if in fact you're using the reference cooler. it also acts as a benchmark. For instance, you certainly wouldn't want to buy a cooler that performance worse than the reference cooler.

Delta T is the difference in °C between the ambient temperature and the recorded temperature of the hardware, in this case the CPU. We used Core Temp 0.99.4 to take temperature readings of the CPU from the Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) embedded in the core of every modern CPU, at idle and under load while using the small FFT test in Prime 95.

A multimeter thermal attachment probe was used to take the ambient air temperature three inches away from the case's primary intake location. Delta T is a more accurate and comparable method of recording temperature because the ambient room temperature fluctuates from day to day.

For Socket AM2+ we used a 3GHz AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition overclocked to 3.6GHz with the vcore boosted to 1.6V. Our LGA775 coolers had to contend with a 2.13GHz Xeon X3210 overclocked to 2.66 GHz by increasing its FSB from 266MHz to 333MHz and increasing the vcore to 1.41V. Finally, the LGA1366 test rig used a 3.2GHz Core i7-Extreme Edition overclocked to 3.6GHz with a vcore of 1.3V.


LGA775 is still one of the most popular sockets out there and probably will remain so for some time so it still pays manufacturers to come out with new designs even if they are LGA775 specific. Here we can see the Titan Fenrir at its low speed setting is neck and neck at idle with a delta T of 17°C with the Cooler Master V8 using its maximum fan speed. Strangely at high speed, the Titan Fenrir's delta T levelled out 2°C higher at 19°C but idle can often produce mixed results and after all it's the load temperature we're more interested in. However even at idle, the difference in delta T between the Titan Fenrir's best result and the Intel reference heatsink is an impressive 7°C.

At load, things are shaken about quite a bit but the Titan Fenrir proves to be totally and utterly dominant, managing a lower delta T than any other cooler, even when its fan speed is reduced. At high speed, it recorded a delta T of 38°C - a whole 5°C lower than the Cooler Master V8 which was again its nearest rival. The Intel reference heatsink put in a comparatively shocking result of 56°C, nearly 20°C higher than the Titan Fenrir. If you still have a stock heatsink, this has probably sent you running for your nearest PC store, and rightly so.


Intel's LGA1366 Core i7 CPUs, while expensive, have some pretty impressive performance on offer. If you're wondering which cooler to get for your shiny new (and expensive) system then look no further. The Titan Fenrir again proved to be dominant recording a delta T of 15°C in high speed mode with the CPU idle, which was 1°C better than the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme 1366 RT and Noctua NH-U12P SE 1366. At low speed, the temperature rose by 2°C to 17°C but this was still enough to put it ahead of a majority of other coolers including the Cooler Master V8 in lowspeed fan mode.

Its load temperature again was awesome where it recorded a delta T of 44°C - 1°C better than the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme 1366 RT and a clear 5°C below that the Cooler Master V8. When we dropped the fan speed, the delta T rose to 48°C but incredibly this was still enough to trounce all the other coolers bar the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme 1366 RT. This is a fantastic result because while the Fenrir is awesome at maximum fan speed, it's also very noisy. At its lowest speed, it's very quiet.


Finally, we got round to pitching the Fenrir against our overclocked Phenom II. Clearly Titan takes dominance very seriously indeed - yet again it recorded the lowest idle delta T with a result of 14°C. This time it was the Noctua NH-C12P (high speed) and OCZ Vendetta 2 which came close to taking its scalp but they both missed out by 1°C with delta Ts of 15°C.

At load the Fenrir had some stiff competition in the form of the Noctua NH-C12P (high speed) and OCZ Vendetta 2 which were both much quieter. However it still held on to its lead by a margin of 2°C. We reduced the fan speed, only to find it simply matched the other two coolers' delta T of 37°C, absolutely refusing to give up its crown. What's more it was much quieter at this setting too, evening the odds in the noise department.