"Cooling-Now Technology"

Manufacturer: PowerCooler

By: Jack Kolesar 01-04-03

Introduction

While Power Cooler may not be the largest HSF manufacturer in the world, they are certainly one of the most inventive. The PCH161S includes their patented, 6800 RPM dual-blade fan which sits atop a cold-forged copper heatsink. Included in the package is a thermal speed adjustment controller (TSAC). The TSAC makes automatic adjustments to the rotational speed of the fan. We will detail this feature later. The package arrived in a transparent blue case which contained all of the components shown in the picture. The heatsink is rated for an Athlon XP 2600 and up as well as a P4 3GHz. Additional clips are provided for the P4 installation. The power for the unit comes via a 4-pin Molex connector. However, one wire runs to a 3-pin plug for sensing the rotational speed via the motherboard. 

The following are specifications from the PowerCooler's website:

Installation

Installation was fairly easy. There is no thumb-clip to lose or break. Instead a screw-driver is used to force the retention clip into place. This worked well but was kind of tricky due to the flathead screwdriver getting in the way of the hole in the clip for the socket. Still, it took only a few minutes to install. I then placed the thermal sensor between two of the fins in the middle of the heatsink. The dial on the controller was turned to a little below midway. One thing that I don't like about the TSAC unit is that the lead of the thermal sensor and power cable is way too short. It would be nice if the controller could be mounted outside of the case. In its current state, the controller must be within 4 inches of the heatsink. This makes adjustment a pain. On the other hand, adjustments shouldn't need to be made often because the TSAC will do it for you. When the temperature of the HSF rises, the TSAC increases the rotational speed. When extra cooling is not needed, the fan speed and noise will stay as low as you set the dial. 

Testing

To test the operation of the TSAC, I ran Motherboard Monitor when the system was idle. I then ran CPU Burn-In to max out the CPU and took readings again. The overclocked results were done with the TSAC dial at midpoint under load from CPU Burn-In. The test system was an AMD Athlon 1600 on a Shuttle AK35GTR motherboard. Arctic Silver was used for grease. 

IDLE MEASUREMENTS

MAXIMUM LOAD MEASUREMENTS

OVERCLOCKED LOAD MEASUREMENTS

The maximum output the fan will produce when attached to the rheostat is around 6250 RPM. This is due to the resistance in the rheostat and is normal. 6800 RPM can be obtained by plugging the fan directly into the power. You can see that the RPM increased around 300 when the temperature rose by 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Great cooling and little noise. I also overclocked the CPU to 1800+ speeds (1.53GHz) at 1.8v. The system was stable and the CPU temp stayed at around 111 degrees. Though, the fan increased to its maximum of 6300 RPM. While the TSAC works, it is a little flaky. If the dial is turned down too low, the fan cannot max up. If the dial is too high, the fan will not back down. Also, it is not an exact science. There doesn't seem to be an exact correlation between temperature and RPM. 

Conclusion

Overall, the PCH-161S offers great cooling. When coupled with the TSAC, it will keep the fan quiet when under low load. However, there are a couple of things which could be improved. First, the rheostat will create noise for the fan under certain speeds. This normally does not last long though. The biggest beef I have with the unit is the short temperature probe and 3-pin connector wires which supply the rheostat. Again, it would be a huge improvement if this device could be mounted outside of the case. While the TSAC performs as advertised, it doesn't vary the RPM as much as I would have expected. Aside from the TSAC, the PCH-161 is a great cooler and I would definitely recommend the unit. Special thanks to PowerCooler for supplying the unit for review.

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