Measurement methodology and test results
Today’s article concludes a review trilogy of SilentiumPC’s Fera coolers. After the good old Fera 3, we tested the colorful and quieter version – the Fera 3 RGB. And now it’s time for the Fera 3 Evo ARGB. This cooler is just a minor upgrade of the previous model and differs only in the fan used. However, this change can change the cooling efficiency and noise, which we will look at in today’s review.
Test methodology
The Intel Core i7-5820K in the ASRock X99 Taichi motherboard serves as a heat generator. The whole rig is placed on a Streacom BC1 benchtable without fans that would provide airflow. Stress tests are performed using the Aida64 Extreme application with a duration of 45–60 minutes. The coolers are tested at three speed levels (800, 1200 and maximum) at a processor clock speed of 4200 MHz with a voltage of 1.150 V. This is followed by another series of tests at 4500 MHz with a voltage of 1.350 V. The processor power draw at these clock speeds is approx. 150 W and 200 W, respectively. The second series of tests represents a heavy load for most coolers. Thus, not all tested coolers can be expected to be able to cool the processor at all speed levels.
The noise is measured using a calibrated Voltcraft SL-100 sound level meter in quick measurement mode (125 ms) with a sensitivity range of 30–100 dBA at a distance of 50 cm from the cooler. Measurements take place at three fan speed levels: 800, 1200 and maximum. Speed control is provided by the Noctua NA-FC1 controller. The ambient noise level is below 33.0 dBA. At the end of the test, the highest temperature reached is always recorded. All data regarding temperatures and power draw of the processor are obtained from the HWiNFO64 application. The results are then corrected for ambient temperature as the final Delta T value. The test success limit is set at 80 °C. Any higher value means the processor temperature above 100 °C and a risk of thermal throttling. Therefore, if the cooler does not pass the stress test 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.
