The
We have tested the CPS RZ820 cooler earlier on an “optimized” platform, but only now has it passed the standard methodology. And what do you know, no other tower cooler in our large database outperforms the RZ820 in terms of cooling performance per unit of noise. In this regard, the PCCooler is the most efficient, but it should also be added that it is also the heaviest cooler tested yet.
The RZ820 on LGA 1200
Short background: the PCCooler CPS RZ820 cooler came to our editorial office with a note that it was tuned on the Intel Core i9-13900K processor and thus should be super efficient, for example, for the Intel Core i9-14900K with the same base, or with the same hotspots within the processor die.
Tuning is understood here as the emphasis on the best possible contact of the cooler base with the IHS of the processor. This of courśe in the places where the heat flux is highest, which in the case of LGA 1700 platform processors is the south side (with the P cores). The distribution of base pressure can also be seen to some extent in this thermal paste imprint on a Core i9-13900K. But these tests are already behind us. The RZ820 cooler performed very well there, but it wasn’t until the LGA 1200 platform with the Intel Core i7-11700K processor that we saw truly unmatched results.
Pavel tested this cooler using the traditional methodology, which has now resulted in more than 60 coolers being compared against each other. Across the noise levels, the PCCooler RZ820 often achieves the highest cooling performance of all the tower coolers (only selected liquid coolers perform better, but they are also led by a PCCooler model – the CPS DS360-BK).
In modes with higher CPU power consumption (approx. 210 W), the PCCooler RZ820 beats all the top competing tower coolers (including the Noctua NH-D15 G2). Not significantly so, but up to “45 dBA”, we did see at least slightly lower CPU temperatures with the RZ820 cooler. In the 48 dBA mode, it’s then a draw with the BeQuiet! Dark Rock Elite.
At maximum speed, however, even this cooler (BeQuiet!) is already beaten when it comes to pure cooling performance. It should be added here that the big difference of the RZ820 compared to other coolers is mainly at the expense of significantly higher noise level. But at relatively lower speeds and comparable noise levels, the RZ820 also has the upper hand, and that’s what’s important. Sure, the PCCooler solution has a significantly higher weight (approx. 1830 g) compared to others, but you have to accept that as a necessary tax for the superior cooling efficiency in this case.
Don’t miss: PCCooler CPS RZ820: Against the elite, weighing over 1.8 kg
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
- Contents
- The
- Testing methodology
- Results – 39 dBA
- Results – 42 dBA
- Results – 45 dBA
- Results – 48 dBA
- Results – maximum speed
- Spectral analysis of noise
