This next round of our CPU cooler tests fell on a week of scorching hot weather when the thermometer reported 32 deg. and higher, when people would drink pails of water and other liquids per day, and when a slightest puff of the wind seemed like God's grace. It's hard to live in such weather but it is good for the hardware reviewer' work: if a cooler passes tests successfully under such conditions, its stable operation at lower ambient temperatures is guaranteed. To make the testing even more rigorous, I installed an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor onto the testbed. This CPU is very hot even by today's standards, having a TDP of 105W.

For this test session I take four Spire coolers from different price categories and varying in design: DiamondCool, VertiCool IV, Fourier III, and Fourier IV. They are going to pass a trying ordeal considering the above-mentioned conditions, yet this only makes it the more interesting to me. Besides examining and testing the coolers, I will measure their noise. The measurement method will be explained in the last section of the review.

Spire Testing Participants

DiamondCool (SP507B7-U)

The junior model among the reviewed ones comes in a small cardboard box that shows the manufacturer's name and has a sticker that indicates the product model. There is nothing else on the box:

Well, it is a low-end model and the manufacturer's desire to save on everything is understandable. The box contains a brief installation manual and a plastic back-plate:

The Spire DiamondCool is small by today's standards at 92x92x53cm.

It is small but surprisingly heavy for its size. The all-copper heatsink consists of 55 thin ribs that have contact with the copper base as well as with the copper pipes. The pipes are unusually thin, with a 4mm diameter.

The cooler exhibits superb quality of manufacture on every side. Just take a look at this cutie: