discussion Coolink Corator DS CPU Cooler Review

[AkG]

Mid-Speed Fan Performance Results

Mid-Speed Fan Performance Results

2.6GHz

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/nfp12_1300_266.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

While the Corator DS’ numbers are still decent, and better than the D14’s, it is quite obvious these dual tower cooling solutions need high speed, high static pressure fans perform well. The fin array certainly has been improved and tweaked to be more forgiving, but that is still a LOT of surface area to pull and push air through for one fan.

3.42GHz

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/nfp12_1300_34.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

The improved fin array once again is giving this cooler an advantage over the D14. However, it still has a firm grasp on third to last place. We truly believe the less than optimal base could be the culprit here.

3.8GHz

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/nfp12_1300_38.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

When the heat is turned way up we can see the D14 show the Corator who’s boss. The D14 may not like running in single fan mode, nor was it really designed to do so, but it still its execution is flawless. Compare this to the Corator DS, which WAS designed with a single fan in mind but the execution of the overall design leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[AkG]

Low Speed Fan Performance Results

Low Speed Fan Performance Results

2.6GHz

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/nfp12_900_266.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

After seeing how much this cooler “liked” the Noctua NF-P12 fan at 1300rpms these results were not surprising. To be honest, it is not a question of how less than optimal the Corator DS results are going to be; rather the big question is IF the drive will pass all three tests. On the positive side, at least this massive cooler is not in last place. Though this is not all that brag worthy as it does weight about as twice as much as the Gelid Tranquillo, a cooler it barely beats.

3.42GHz

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/nfp12_900_34.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

Things really don’t look good here as the DS simple struggles to cope with the increased heat due to its centrally-mounted fan design.

3.8GHz

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/nfp12_900_38.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

On the positive side, the Corator DS did in fact pass the toughest test we have which is no mean feat as many coolers are not capable of it.

 

[AkG]

Sound Level Testing / Value

Sound Level Testing

While everyone "hears" noise differently there is one easy way to remove all subjectivness and easily compare different fans: use a sound level meter. This way you can easily compare the various fans noise envelopes without us colouring the results and see what fans fit within your personal comfort level. All measurements are taken with a calibrated decibel meter and are taken at a 30 inch distance from the heatsink in question.

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/noise.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

There is no getting around the fact that this fan is loud which is actually not the usually mild-mannered SWiF 2’s fault. The issue is the design of the cooler amplifying the fan’s noise profile. This is very common and does happen to a certain extent with all air based heatsinks as the intake and exhaust air passes through the fin array.

Also worth noting is while this fan is relatively loud, it is down right tame in the type of noise it creates (mostly low tonal humming sound) and easily ignored at all but the full 12v speed. We can also say that, the Scythe S-Flex “G” was a lot more annoying when paired with this cooler as it exhibited a very annoying, and very noticeable, high pitched whining sound which sounded to our ears to a lot louder than the SWiF2 fan.

Value

The term “Value” is such an amorphous term that it truly has different meanings for different people. For some a CPU cooler is only as good as it over-clocking potential, for others it is how quiet it does its job; for others still it’s how effective it is for its cost. We here at HWC try to provide as many answers as possible for the term “Value”. Hopefully by this point in the review people looking at OC potential or loudness levels will have a fairly good idea of what its Value is. For the “best bang for the buck” crowd we have included a chart below showing how much each 1°C less costs when compared to Intel’s FREE stock cooler. No consideration has been made for noise levels, “looks” or any other extraneous factors; this is just raw performance vs. monetary cost. For any cooler which performs worse than the Intel stock cooler a rating of “FAIL” will be given. For any cooler which has a “Value” of more than $10 per 1°C a rating of “FAIL” will be used in the graph but the chart will list its actual “Value”.

All prices are based on either their MSRP (if no e-tailer prices were available at review time) or the average price found across various price comparison engines.

We here at HWC are in no way saying this is the definitive answer to “Value”, rather it should be considered another tool to help you make your final decision. After all something is only as “valuable” as what you consider it to be.


Please Note: This chart has be calculated based upon the differences between Intel stock cooler’s average load at its highest OC on a 920 @ 3.42GHz versus various after market coolers average load temperatures (in their stock configuration with MX-2 TIM) also on a 920 @ 3.42GHz.

<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/value__up_chart.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Air_Cooling/Corator_DS/value__up.jpg" border="0" alt="" />​

With an overall value of under three dollars, the Corator DS is a fairly decent value. In fact, when compared against the D14 for example one can consider this a down right good value. However, due to the fact it can only mount one fan without resorting to extreme tactics, it really is hard for us to call it anything but slightly above average.

 

[AkG]

Conclusion

Conclusion

Coolink is one of the few companies that are constantly on our radar simply because they have a habit of releasing great performing heatsinks that don’t cost an absolute fortune. The overall cost of certain products are being closely scrutinized these days by discerning consumers who want the most bang for their buck which would normally play right into Coolink’s hands. While the Corator DS does carry on this price / performance tradition to a certain extent, it fails to live up to the potential of several other, less expensive cooling solutions that are readily available on the market.

There are a number of areas where Coolink’s Corator DS lives up to our expectations and then some. Installing a heatsink this large onto a motherboard is usually a lesson in frustration but with the included SecuFirm 2 system, everything ends up being completed in a matter of minutes. Speaking of installation, we have to give credit to Coolink for bucking a mind-bogglingly idiotic trend of other heatsink manufacturers and actually including AMD mounting hardware. Performance with the stock fan is also quite good at most loads.

The development and material costs of such a large and complicated cooling solution are definitely on the high end of the spectrum and the Corator’s $60 price reflects this. Even with its massive size, its true cooling potential is stymied by single fan that struggles to deliver sufficient airflow since it is sandwiched between a pair of large fin arrays. However, some innovative approaches were used to counteract this shortcoming which resulted in extremely promising stock fan numbers. The proof is in the pudding though and as we progressed in the tests it became obvious that Coolink should have released this heatsink with the ability to mount an extra fan. They’re actually working on a revised dual fan version of the Corator DS which we showed you in our Computex Preview article but for the time being, the market is stuck with the product we reviewed in this article.

We can’t really hold the Corator’s poor performance with the mid and low speed fans against it since the fan it ships with (and the one people are most likely to keep) allows for good performance across a number of heat outputs. However, these tests do highlight a number of shortcomings when it comes to the design of dual tower heatsinks. Since there is a need to provide sufficient airflow through not one but two fin assemblies, a powerful fan with a high static pressure envelope is needed but most manufacturers (Coolink included) are unwilling to sacrifice acoustics for high performance. To make matters even worse, the inherent nature of the fan positioning means more fan noise to begin with. This means that for its size the Corator DS just can’t keep up with most of the similarly-priced competition. We liken this situation to buying a massive, mean-looking pickup truck and realizing it can’t tow the weight it should have.

Unrealized potential is what the Corator DS is all about. It has a massive fin array but the single fan setup starts stumbling at higher heat loads. Its base design is innovative but poorly finished. The fan’s performance is awe inspiring in other applications but it is held back by the dual tower layout. We could go on and on with these points and yet one thing remains constant: the Corator is a well designed, high end heatsink which provides us with acceptable performance across most heat loads and comes with one of the most user-friendly mounting methods we have ever come across. Unfortunately, for all its size and $60 price tag the actual performance isn’t quite up to the level of comparable products.



Pros:

- Innovative Asymmetrical Fin array design
- Innovative base design
- Good cooling potential at mild and moderate heat loads (with proper fan selection)
- Great F.D.B. fan included
- Excellent SecuFirm 2 mounting setup


Cons:

- Size and weight belie its limited cooling performance
- Base needs a lot more work on fit & finishing
- Can only mount a single fan
- Dual tower design really needs two fans to reach its potential
- Very limited availability

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