Last time we took a look at an interesting all-in-one cooler from Valkyrie and today we’ll loosely follow up on that theme with a review of the Vind SL125 air cooler, which is the only air cooler model Valkyrie has in its lineup so far. The Vind SL125 air cooler combines a single dense fin bundle with a pair of mirrored fans. So I’m curious to see how this interesting combination performs in our stress tests.
Testing methodology
As a test processor and heat generator I use the Intel Core i7-11700K on the Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI motherboard. The entire build is mounted on a Streacom BC1 frame with no fans to provide airflow. Acoustic shielding (acoustic foam on OSB boards) is installed around the test rig to eliminate ambient noise. The Voltcraft SL-100 calibrated noise meter is placed perpendicular to the cooler in a fixed position relative to the motherboard at a distance of approximately 35 cm from the processor socket.
Stress tests are performed using Prime95 with a duration of 30-35 minutes. Coolers are tested at three standardized noise levels (36, 39 and 42 dBA) and then at maximum speed. In addition, I am gradually adding tests at 45 and 48 dBA levels and you will also find this data in the results over time. The tests are run in two sets based on the thermal output of the processor.
The first set of tests is at 125 W, i.e. the forced PL1 limit of the processor. In the second set, the power draw is then about 210 W (4500 MHz at 1.285 V). However, this second level represents a very high concentration of heat per mm2 due to the small size of the chip itself. Thus, not all coolers can be expected to pass this set of tests at all noise levels. For example, no cooler has reached the 36 dBA level at this load, and I ended up eliminating it from the tests after some consideration.
The highest temperature reached after the test is always recorded. All data regarding temperatures and thermal output of the processor are obtained from HWiNFO64. The measured values are then adjusted against the temperature in the room as the resulting Delta T. The test success limit is set to 75 °C. Any higher value means a risk of processor temperature above 95-100 °C and a risk of thermal throttling. Therefore, if the cooler does not pass the load with a Delta T value below 75 °C, such a test is marked as a failure.
