CPU at 2.66ghz


Sound the trumpets and clear the throne because we have a new king in town! At an impressive 33.25 degrees, the Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme breezes its way to the lead, ahead of the Thermolab Baram and the Alpenföhn Nordwand. Idle temperature are slightly behind the other two but 0.25 degrees is no reason to complain. If we reduce the fan speed halfway to 1430 RPM, the temperatures go up by 2 degrees, still an amazing feat for a cooler sporting only one fan. While the reduced fan speed sacrifices performance, it is next to inaudible so for the silence freaks, me being partly one, this is an acceptable compromise. Comparing this setup to other fans, it only lags behind the push/pull Alpenföhn and the Baram. At the lowest fan setting, the Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme still hangs in there with better than acceptable cooling performance. We definitely cannot laugh at a cooler that on the lowest fan setting matched the almighty Noctua NH-U12P.

CPU at 4ghz


This is what we're really here to see, the overclocked results. At 4ghz, Tuniq truly justifies its Extreme signature and sets itself once again as the king of cooling. Let's start with the lowest fan speed and make our way up. Practically inaudible at 1025 RPM, Tuniq demonstrates the sheer efficiency of its overall heatsink design. The wave-like fins, the base heatsink, the 5 U-shaped heat pipes and the position of the fan all add up to give us performance on par with the Noctua NH-U12P. By cranking the fan speed up to 1430RPM, we still retain the silence but cooling performance dramatically increases to levels only achieved by the Baram. Following that trend, it comes to no surprise that at full speed the Tower 120 Extreme finally pulls ahead. It may seem a mere 0.25 degree lead but considering the cost and features, the Tuniq delivers a massive blow to its competitors.

Noise

The noise level will inevitably vary when you use the fan controller. The fan speed is advertised as operating between 1000-2000RPM and Everest detects full speed running at 1860RPM. The fan is definitely audible at this speed, starting with a relatively high pitched sounds generated by the motor which gradually blends with the acoustics of the case fans. Although high pitched, it is not intrusive and it would be a miracle for a fan of this calibre to remain quiet. However by dialling it down half way to 1430RPM, the high pitched motor sound disappears leaving only the sound of rushing air. The fan sound in my case was drowned by the front Scythe intake fans. At the other extreme, the fan operates at a lowly 1025RPM and yet generates an adequate amount of airflow to keep even the 4ghz i7 cool.