Q6600 Temperature Testing


Q6600 Idle Temperatures



This Kentsfield quad produces much more heat while evening idling. Once again the 5750 was able to easily handle its thermal load and was very quiet while doing it even though the processor would lock while at higher speeds. Of course, the Ultima 90’s more efficient design did start to highlight the Igloo’s limitations.


Q6600 Average Load Temperatures



This really shows the design limitations of the Igloo 5750. While it was much better than stock and while it did allow for a better OC, its constant RPM fans really started to struggle under the increase thermal loads. It was just as quiet at 3.2GHz as it was when at 2.4GHz but the numbers really do suffer for it. It should be noted however that if you are using an overclocked quad core processor, Glacialtech recommends the Igloo PWM model instead of the Silent model we are reviewing today.

Please note: the Ultima 90 was not at its thermal limits, rather this is how far this particular q6600 will OC with 1.45volts. If we had been willing to increase the vCore to 1.5 volts 3.6GHz is possible but it is outside our comfort zone.


Stock Thermal Compound Performance



One of the concerns with a budget cooling solution is that the included thermal paste may not perform as well as retail thermal pastes. With this in mind, we will attempt to provide comparisons between included thermal paste and a quality retail thermal paste for our air cooling reviews. In this instance Arctic Cooling MX-2 was used as a comparison and contrast between the factory applied TIM.

In the case of the Igloo 5750, a quite a significant difference was found between the factory stock compound and MX-2. While the differences are minor, they are still significant enough not to be discarded as a statistical anomaly due to slight temperature and/or humidity difference during testing conditions.

If one is so inclined, removing the pre-applied TIM and using an aftermarket thermal compound can help increase the effectiveness of this CPU cooler. Not everyone has the aptitude or willingness to do this, and in the end it is safe to say that the factory applied TIM is a decent choice, not a great choice but still decent. However, this minor additional time and expense does make sense and will pay dividends if you are looking for as low a temperature as possible or even a slightly higher overclock.