The testbed that we’ll be using for this review is as follows:
- AMD Athlon XP 2500+ @ 2196MHz (Barton core, around the same as an Athlon XP 3200+)
- 512MB of Kingmax PC4200 ram
- Radeon 9800XT 256MB
The load test will be conducted using MotherBoard Monitor 5’s ‘HeatUp.exe’ which is made solely to force the CPU to run at 100 percent until the program is closed. It was made with the intent of helping to keep peltier cooled CPUs from freezing but has found its way into testing hands due to its ability to really get the CPU working. It will be left running for an hour, then temperatures measured.
Idle test will be sitting on the desktop with no open applications (no tray applications either). Again, left for an hour then temperatures measured.
Ambient temperature in the room was 19°C (66°F) for the entire test (air conditioned).
Idle Temperature: 21°C (70°F)
Load Temperature: 24°C (75°F)
All we could do was sit and stare at the beautiful temperatures. This block is really a performer. Keeping in mind that most onboard sensors are only accurate to about ±7°C, this is still extremely low, even if our load temperature may actually be around 30°C (80°F).
Originally this OEM CPU was using a Thermaltake Volcano 9+. Temperatures at idle was roughly 30°C and 37°C at full load.
Overall, we were very impressed with the Maze4 block. The packaging for the block could be improved greatly, the least we would have expected would be a foam pad or plastic cover over the base of the block. Once lapped however, this gem really shines and is a worthy addition to any system.
