I’ve recently tested the popular Arctic Freezer 34 air cooler, which eventually won an editorial award. Now I would like to give a liquid all-in-one cooler from the same manufacturer a hard time on a hot processor. We will see if Arctic can design an AIO cooler as well as it did with an air cooler. Liquid Freezer II 240 should offer a very interesting price to performance ratio without unnecessary decoration.
Testing methodology
The testing methodology has been formed for some time and, of course, there are no changes to maintain consistency. So I use Intel Core i7-5820K in the ASRock X99 Taichi motherboard as a heat generator. The whole rig is placed on the Streacom BC1 benchtable without other fans that would provide airflow. Stress tests are performed using the Aida64 Extreme application with a duration of 45–60 minutes. I test coolers at three speed levels (800, 1200 and maximum) at a processor frequency of 4200 MHz with a voltage of 1.150 V and then at 4500 MHz with a voltage of 1.350 V. The power draw of the processor is ~150 W and ~200 W, respectively. Especially the second level is already a big burden for most coolers. Therefore, it cannot be realistically expected that all tested coolers will be able to cool the processor at less than the maximum speed.
I measure the noise at three fan speed levels (800, 1200 and maximum) approx. 50 cm from the cooler using a calibrated Voltcraft SL-100 device in fast measurement mode (125 ms) with a sensitivity range of 30–100 dBA. The fan speed is regulated by Noctua NA-FC1. This cooler is equipped with only one cable, which provides the power supply and regulation of the pump and fans. While this greatly simplifies cabling and eliminates the problem of the low number of connectors on the motherboard, it is also a minor testing issue because I am unable to affect the speed of the pump or the small fan in the block. Fortunately, the small fan in the block has a relatively low speed range for its size and is practically inaudible. The pump is also quiet, the biggest source of noise on this cooler are the fans, and at higher speeds the air flow from these fans.
The ambient noise level is usually below 33.0 dBA. At the end of the test, the highest temperature reached is always noted down. All data regarding temperatures and power draw of the processor are obtained from the HWiNFO64 software. The results are then corrected for ambient temperature as the resulting Delta T. The test success limit is set at 80 °C. Any higher Delta T value means a processor temperature above 100 °C and a risk of thermal throttling. Therefore, if the cooler does not pass a load with a Delta T value below 80 °C, such a test is marked as failed.
Test results
It can already be seen here that a high amount of waste heat in combination with low speeds means that most coolers are not able to prevent the processor from overheating and subsequent throttling. This is not unexpected, it is simply the physical limit of the cooler and does not mean that the cooler is of poor quality.
