Cogage True Spirit

Cogage True Spirit Details ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-05-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Cogage True Spirit

In the quest for the fairest and most accurate evaluation, we wanted to compare the Domino A.L.C. to a similarly-priced air cooling sink, using the same fan to remove any question of “performance to noise ratio.” We found that similarly-priced sink in Thermalright’s Ultra 120 extreme, available with fan in the -1366 RT package for a Web price starting around $65. We contacted Thermalright immediately to request a sample.

Instead, Thermalright sent its newer True Spirit, which resembles the less-extreme original-version Ultra 120. The Cogage brand is still relatively new, and we've seen very limited coverage of Thermalright's new arm, so we decided to give this less-aggressive solution a shot in the ring.

Because the True Spirit is a mainstream product, its $39 estimated retail price threw off our ~$60 water/air comparison. So, the Cogage sink will either succeed brilliantly or fail miserably as it goes up against the Domino. Representatives at Thermalright estimate that this cooler will hit retail shelves mid-May.

The use of four heat pipes, rather than six, separate the True Spirit and the original Ultra 120 from the pricier Ultra 120 extreme and Thermalright True. Included in the retail box are the sink, a 120 x 25 mm fan, two fan retention clips, a fold able mounting bracket, a tube of Thermalright Chill Factor thermal paste, installation instructions, and a decorative sticker.

Installation is not difficult to understand, but the physical process not easy either. Getting the folding bracket to the exact required shape to make it line up with all holes can be difficult, and the bracket’s center screw doesn’t simply fall into the sink’s matching divot. Furthermore, the extra tension required to keep this tall cooler square with the CPU means that extra force must be applied to the top of each pin to get it to lock, and we hate putting that much pressure against the board.

We managed to get it on “wrong” once before we decided the best way to install this sink is to remove the motherboard, center the socket over a knee for support, and push to get the pins in. Remember to check constantly to make sure the bracket’s screw has not slid out of the sink’s divot. It may not deserve our harshest criticism, but this installation bracket is certainly among the more cumbersome we’ve used. We'd suggest a larger screw head that more positively aligns with the divot.

The True Spirit’s 140mm fan is rated at 1,000-1,500 RPM on its Web page, 1,000-1,800 RPM on its label, and it ran at 1,600 RPM when we connected it to a continuous 12V source. The Cogage Web site also lists noise levels between 19.6 and 37.4 decibels.

Cogage True Spirit

Cogage True Spirit Review

2012-04-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Cogage True Spirit

One of the top heatsink manufactures Thermalright has impressed us multiple times with their top performing heatsinks. Recently they introduced a new brand and product line called CoGage. CoGage products are designed to have Thermalright's performance on a budget for penny pinching enthusiasts. Our new friends over at Acoustic PC contacted us and wanted to know if we wanted to check out the True Spirit, and of course we would love too. They sent out a whole box full of goodies to help in the testing so big thanks go out to them!

http://lanoc.org/review/hardware/cooling/2113-cogage-true-spirit

Cogage True Spirit

Testing Methodology ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-03-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Cogage True Spirit

To ensure that the results from one review to another are not only reproducible but actually pertinent to this review, the Testing Methodology will be the same throughout all reviews used. If something does change we will be sure to make a special note of it and explain why this change was done and more importantly why things had to be changed or altered.

Thermal Paste and Application Methods:

Arctic Cooling MX-2 thermal paste was used for all coolers during these tests unless otherwise noted.

For all non HDT coolers, application of thermal paste was in accordance with the TIM manufacturer’s instructions; and while not necessary, the TIM was allowed to cure for 24 hours under moderate to high loads (with periods of low loads) prior to testing.

For all 3 pipe HDT coolers two lines of TIM is applied to the two centre metal posts and for all 4 pipe HDTS three (smaller) lines of TIM are applied to the metal posts. This method has been found to provide significantly better coverage than the more typical methods.

Fans Used

120mm:
For all CPU Cooling Solutions which do not come with their own fan, a Noctua NF-P12-1300 and a Scythe S-Flex “G” 1900RPM fan will be used if it accepts 120mm fans. With these two fans we are able to simulate different fan speed conditions as indicated below.

Low Speed:

900RPM with a Noctua NF-P12-1300 with ULNA adapter. To be more precise our specific fan runs at 930RPMs. Any stock fan which comes with the ability of being controlled by means other than the motherboard (e.g. remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc) will be set to this speed during the low speed test and BOTH sets of performance results will be included.

Moderate Speed:

1300RPM Noctua NF-P12-1300 with NO adapters used. To be more precise our specific fan runs at 1326RPMs. Any stock fan which comes with the ability of being controlled by means other than the motherboard (e.g. remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc) will be set to this speed during the moderate speed test and BOTH sets of performance results will be included.

High Speed:

1900RPM Scythe S-Flex “G”. To be more precise our specific fan runs at 1860RPMs. Any stock fan which comes with the ability of being controlled by means other than the motherboard (e.g. remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc) will be set to this speed during the High speed test and BOTH sets of performance results will be included.

Dual Fans*:

Dual NF-P12-1300s

*Dual fans only used if the cooler comes with the necessary mounting hardware.

92mm Fan:

If the cooler being tested only accepts 92mm fans, a Noctua NF-B9-1600 will be used.

If the given CPU cooling solution comes with a stock fan we will also include its numbers in the closest of the main tests BUT we will also include our standard fan results in that particular tests.

Fan Notes:

- If a heatsink cannot mount an aftermarket fan, we will be only including the stock fan results. However, if the stock fan speed can be precisely controlled by means other than the motherboard BIOS (an included remote fan speed controller, potentiometer, rheostat, etc), the cooler will be tested at different fan speeds.

- For dual fan results ALL coolers capable of mounting two fans (and come with the necessary hardware) will be tested with two NF-P12s and the Dual Fan graph will contain data for other such dual capable fan coolers.

We feel that the combination of multiple speeds and multiple fans will allow us to give you our readers clear and precise idea of the capabilities of a given unit, in an accurate comparison. It will also help eliminate the occasional “zinger” such as when a manufacturer includes an extremely high-speed fan in order to possibly offset poor heat sink thermal performance.

Environment:

All comparison testing was done on an open bench with a constant ambient temperature of 24°C. If at any time the room temperature increased or decreased by more than 1°C, testing was halted until the temperature constant was re-established.

Testbed:

Unlike our previous methodology which used an open bench setup with a horizontally orientated motherboard, our new open bench is a modified Tech Station with a twist.

It has been modified so that the motherboard is in a more typical vertical orientation as it would be when installed in a case.

This has been done by the simple expedient of drilling out the bumper pads and threading long bolts (typically used for mounting fans to water cooling radiators) up through the top base of the tech station. Then by simply threading the bolts up through the motherboard we can then secure said motherboard to the tech station. Rubber mounts followed by a nut ensures that nothing moves. When the motherboard has been secured we simply tip the tech station on its side and using weights on the lower “legs” to keep it from tipping over we end up with a vertical orientated motherboard which is safe and secure yet still an open, controlled benching environment.

Mounting Orientation:

Only the typical East / West (aka forward / back) orientation will be used.

Temperature Recording:

Recorded temps were as reported via the Real Temp plug-in for the RivaTuner monitor program.

Max and Average load temps are based on 15 minutes of running Prime95 “small fft” and are taken directly from RivaTuner’s built in capabilities.

The maximum temperatures will be the highest recorded temp displayed for any of the cores during the 15 minute test. While RivaTuner will display each core's average temperature it does not easily show the average of ALL the cores. To this end we will be simply taking the average of all the cores adding them together and then dividing by the number of cores.

If during any test temperatures of 90°C or more are displayed in RivaTuner (for any core) for more than 10 consecutive seconds the testing will be halted and that test run will be considered a "fail".

Idle temperatures are the lowest recorded temperature during idle period as recorded by the RealTemp Rivatuner monitoring program.

All CPU throttling technology was disabled in the BIOS; as was all CPU fan speed control. In addition, Turbo Mode was disabled and Hyperthreading was enabled.

All tests are run a minimum of three times and only the best results are represented.

Charts & Graphs:

Due to clutter and confusion we now will only be including the best of the best. We understand that “best” does mean different things to different people, to this end we will only be including what we feel are the best representatives of the main price ranges. These main prices ranges approximately are Intel OEM (free), $30, $40, $50, $60, and unlimited. Please keep in mind that prices are variable and while we have done our best to pick what we feel best represents a given price range there can and will be some overlap as these price ranges are not set in stone (with the exception being the Intel OEM cooler). To further help clarify a given cooler’s performance we will also be including a seventh CPU cooling solution, a cooling solution which irregardless of price best exemplifies what a good “all round” dual fan capable cooler should be. For the time being this last will be the TRUE Black. After each published cooler review we will re-evaluate the coolers being included in the charts and based on the value or performance may swap out a cooler for a cooler that was just reviewed.

This way you will not only know how it compares to the Intel stock unit and the best Damn Good Value coolers but also the best of the best Damn Good coolers out there. In grand total there will only be 8 coolers represented in a graph. However, if the review is a “round up” review this limitation will be extended to include all coolers in that review plus the above 7 cooling solutions. We will endeavour to keep the number as low as possible while still giving an accurate picture of the performance of all coolers being reviewed.

Each chart will include the Maximum or “peak” temperature we recorded, the average temperature and the idle temperature.

No passive results will be shown UNLESS manufacturer claims the ability to passively cool a processor. If a manufacturer claims passive capabilities we will include the performance numbers in the charts. The only exception to this is if the review is a “review roundup” and to keep the charts from becoming confusing we may not do so.

Sound Pressure Testing:

To give a more accurate and less of a personal opinion on the noise level of the stock fan which accompanies the heatsink, we have included a new section for sound pressure testing. These tests are done in our open case setup outlined above with the meter positioned 30 inches away from the cooler and mounted on a tripod. To ensure the background noise does not skew the results all tests will start by recording the ambient noise of the room. Only when it meets our standards will the testing commence.

To ensure that no external noise unduly skews the results, the GPU used will be a passively cooled unit and the only active fan will be the one on the cooler while the PSU and HDD are isolated away from the immediate area.

These tests are run late at night when no other people or animals are awake and thus unable to influence the results.

All fans are run at their maximum speed with no voltage or PWM control being used during the sound pressure tests.

The sound pressure meter used is a DT-805 which has been professionally calibrated and NIST certified. We will record the highest levels obtained with said meter and record it as our result. The test will be 15 minutes long and will be run while the fan is running full speed via a Molex connector and the CPU cores are under a full load via Prime 95 Small FFT.

Please note: The Scythe S-Flex G and Noctua NF-P12-1300 (at 1300 and 900rpms) numbers are taken when mounted to a Cooler Master Hyper 212+. We feel that it would be extremely unfair and unrealistic to include noise rating for these after market fans if they were NOT mounted onto a cooler. They are included to help give some sense of proportion to the charts and allow you to more easily compare a stock fan against a known quantity.

Complete Test System:

Processor: Intel i7 920

Motherboard: Gigabyte X58-UD3R

Memory: 6GB Aneon Xtune DDR3-1600

Graphics card: EVGA 7300GT passive

Hard Drive: 1x WD 320GB single platter

Power Supply: Topower Powerbird 900W

Cogage True Spirit

Installation ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-03-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Cogage True Spirit

As with many of the bigger coolers, and unlike the previous iteration of this CPU product, the newly revised True Spirit needs a backplate to be installed. While it will add a few moments of time to the previous pushpin installation we feel that this is time and effort well spent. We have to applaud Cogage for making the decision to revise their popular cooler with a suitable mounting method.

Unfortunately, there are two issues straight off the bat: there is no adhesive backer for the backplate making the whole affair a bit of a challenge to install and it is not compatible with AMD motherboards.

Once you slide the X-bracket into place it is relatively easy to install the TRUE Spirit over your CPU, line up the four corners of the brackets and screw in the four spring loaded mounting bolts. Since these retention bolts are not attached to the bracket, we recommend installing them one at a time and only just threading each one in about one turn before moving onto the next bolt. This will not only make it easier to get all four bolts in place but also allow you to keep even pressure applied to the CPU.

Before you mount the fan you have to peel off and stick two small (yet long) strips of anti-vibration rubber to the face of the cooler. This is a tried and true method of dampening fan vibrations and it works very well. Of course once those strips are in place you place your fan in the proper position and using the two included wire brackets, mount the fan to the cooler.

The True Spirit does stand fairly tall off the board and its fin array is not overly wide so compatibility issues will be kept to a minimum. This combination means you should have no issues with it rubbing, touching or bumping into any of your motherboard’s passive heat sinks or overly tall memory heatspreaders either.
Click here to find out more.

Cogage True Spirit

The True Spirit 120mm Fan ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-02-27T07:07:00.000-08:00

Cogage True Spirit

The 120x25mm fan which accompanies the TRUE Spirit is labeled as “CGG-1212PSL” and is a study in contradictions. Cogage states it runs between 1000-1500RPMs yet at the specifications on the fan itself states 1000-1800RPMs. While an additional 300RPMs isn’t a huge deal on paper, it can translate into significant acoustical differences. The reason for this could be one of two things: either Cogage has limited the voltage in some way we can’t see or the 1800RPMs is within the usual 10% margin of error when it comes to fan RPMs and Cogage wanted to err on the side of marketing lower speeds. As the specifications are so suspect it is hard to state with any certainty what the CFM ratings of this fan puts out but Cogage states 35 – 66.5CFM.

The fan is itself exhibits the same moderate ticking which we have come to associate with ball bearing designs and it does exhibit an annoying amount off-axis slop. This can result in a lower lifespan for the fan itself but the more likely thing is that you will be done with this cooler (and maybe even the 1366 socket) long before it kicks the bucket.

The fan also has a 4 pin PWM connector. Unfortunately, the wire is not sleeved nor are the wires even bonded together which makes the whole setup look a bit messy when installed into an otherwise clean case. In a nutshell, this is the exact same fan as which accompanied our previous True Spirit.

Cogage True Spirit

A Closer Look at the TRUE Spirit ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-02-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

Cogage True Spirit

As you can see, the TRUE Spirit really does look like a mini Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme….albeit one with a lot less heat pipes. Indeed, even the old Thermalright Ultima 90 has more and that cooler has been out for a long while. In grand total the TRUE Spirit has four 6mm heat pipes and is 133mm by 38mm by 158mm in size while weighing in at a respectable 670 grams which makes it no different from the original iteration.

Both older and newer versions of the True Spirit use four 6mm U shaped heat pipes, two of which start at the left top end, head down through the base (where they are soldered to the base and thus are able to pick up a huge amount of heat) and then climb back up to terminate the right end of the top. The other two heat pipes follow this same route but from right to left.

As with the previous version of the True Spirit, the top of heat pipes have been capped to give that nice clean look we like so much. We really wish more companies would take the time and either use metal caps on the top of their products’ heat pipes, or hide them in some other fashion like Zalman does. If Cogage can “afford” to do this, so can other manufactures on their more expensive kit.

The heat pipes have been staggered so as to allow the air from the fan the best possible chance of hitting each and every heat pipe equally with no inefficient dead spots where the heat pipes are competing for cooling (i.e. in each other’s “shadow”).

Just like most other great designs, Cogage has given the Spirit a truly dual face design. In fact it uses the same design as the venerable TRUE in that the face is not only concave to help channel the air towards the centre (and removed the dead zone created in front of the fan’s engine hub) but also the fins themselves are multi-angled. Each fin in the array has half of its edge (per side) angled up and the other half angled downwards. Cogage / Thermalright calls this design a "bent winglet" design and it is an apt description.

The base of this unit is decently finished and considering its price range the Spirit has been designed for, it is not too bad at all. Polishing a solid surface like this base should be easy and relatively inexpensive so there isn’t much excuse for the lack of absolute perfection. As expected the base is not even close to being flat, but this is par for the course and Thermalright does this on purpose as they state it helps “fit” the IHS better and thus is more efficient in transferring the heat from the CPU to the cooler.

Cogage True Spirit

Cogage True Spirit CPU Cooler - Socket 1366 ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-02-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

Cogage True Spirit

CPU cooler Cogage true peace of mind for Intel Socket 1366

The new CPU cooler Cogage true spirit brings balance to the outstanding performance and value to the PC enthusiast for us. Cooling of the Intel CPU Socket 1366 CPU ... Best overall value and performance please read for detail.

Features: Cogage
• Quiet and powerful cooling due to multiple heat pipes and aluminum fins superstores.
• Supports clock for Intel Core i7
• folded fin design exclusive to minimize drag.
• Uses four heat pipes 6 mm high quality, strategically positioned to take the form of heat from the CPU.
• Stack of 48 pieces of aluminum fins. Can completely by a 120mm fan to absorb all covered the incoming air.
• Includes the PWN fan controller 120mmx25mm (1000-1500rpm + -15%).

Specifications:
• Dimensions: L133 x W156 x H38 mm
• Weight: 670g
• Heat pipes: Four

Fan specifications:
• Dimensions: L 120 x W120 H25mm
• Rated speed: 1000-1500rpm + -15%
• Noise: 19.6 ~ 37.4 dBA
• Airflow: 35 CFM ~ 66.5

Components:
• CPU cooler
• PWM fan silently 12c
• 1366 push-pin retention mountain
• Thermal Compound
• The vibration band x 2
• 12 cm fan x 2 wire clip

Click here to find out more.
Cogage True Spirit

Packaging and Accessories ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-02-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

Cogage True Spririt

As we mentioned in the introduction, the new Cogage TRUE Spirit’s box has undergone a bit of a face-lift. Gone is the less than optimal windowed affair and in its place is a much larger, much more colourful two piece affair with a flap that contains additional information.

When you open the box, you will see that the bottom section contains only the heat sink while the top flap is where all the accessories -including the fan- reside. We like the idea of keeping the fan separate from the cooler as it will reduce in-transit fan killing accidents from happening.

The accessories which accompany the newly revised TRUE Spirit have also undergone their own metamorphosis. The original True Spirit had a push-pin mounting setup which was sadly less than optimal; whereas this one comes with a backplate and mounting bracket.

Unfortunately, Cogage still only ships an Intel 1366-compatible bracket which to us is unacceptable in this day and age. Considering the increasing popularity of AMD’s processors, this omission is a total slap in the face in our opinion. Nonetheless, you also get an installation pamphlet, a Cogage case badge, two wire retention clips for the fan, two anti-vibration strips to reduce fan induced vibrations (and thus noise) and a syringe of TIM.

Cogage True Spirits

Specifications ( Cogage True Spirit )

2012-02-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

Cogage True Spirit

Features

Quiet and powerful cooling due to multiple heat pipes and large aluminium fin area.

Support all clock Intel Socket 1366 Processors.

Proprietary bent wing let design to minimise airflow resistance.

Utilizes Four High quality 6mm heat pipes, strategically positioned to pick up the heat from the CPU.

Stack of 48 pieces of aluminium fins, can be covered entirely by a 120mm fan to absorb all in-coming air flow.

Technical spec

Heatsink Spec
Dimension: L133 x W53.44 x H163.8mm
Weight: 670g
Heat pipes: Four Heat Pipes

Fan Spec
Dimension: L120 x W120 x H25mm
Rated Spedd: 1000-1500RPM+-15%
Noise Level: 19.6-37.4 dBA
Air Flow: 35-66.5CFM

Compatibility
Intel Socket 1366

Cogage True Spirit