Gigabyte's Aorus Liquid Coolers Tame Intel Core i9-10900K at 5.2 GHz Without a Sweat

Aorus Liquid Cooler 240 (Image credit: Gigabyte)

Overclocking the Core i9-10900K and keeping the processor's operating temperature under check could prove to be a difficult task. Have no fear, though, as Gigabyte thinks that the brand's lineup of Aorus liquid coolers can get the job done.

Gigabyte demostrated the Aorus liquid cooler's prowess by submitting an overclocked Core i9-10900K for some Prime95 beating for over 30 minutes. The manufacturer overclocked the Core i9-10900K to 5.2 GHz on all ten cores. CPU-Z and HWiNFO64 reported voltages of 1.392V and 1.423V, respectively. During the stress test, the processor pulled over 320W, according to Gigabyte.

Gigabyte offers the Aorus liquid cooler in 240mm, 280mm and 360mm flavors. In the press release, the company didn't specify which model was used for the test. The temperatures ranged from 85 degree Celsius to 96 degree Celsius with a Tjunction max of 115 degree Celsius. Gigabyte has told us that the brand tests a significant amount of samples so this particular Core i9-10900K isn't cherry-binned to make the cooler look good.

Intel Core i9-10900K @ 5.2 GHz (Image credit: Gigabyte)

All of Gigabyte's Aorus liquid coolers are based of an Asetek design with a copper baseplate. To add a bit of bling, Gigabyte equips the pump with a little 60 x 60mm circular LCD display that displays useful information, such as the processor's frequency, temperature and the fan's speed.

Like many liquid coolers, the radiator for the Aorus liquid cooler is made of aluminium. The radiators come in the 240mm, 280mm and 360mm sizes, depending on which model you pick up. Gigabyte's own Aorus-branded PWM fan is in charge of cooling. The 280mm model comes with two 140mm fans while the 240mm and 360mm models feature two and three 120mm fans, respectively. Addressable RGB lighting is present on both sizes.

The 120mm fan spins up to 2,500 RPM to provide a static pressure of 3.51 mmH2O at a maximum noise level of 39.5 dBA. The 140mm fan, on the other hand, tops out at 2,300 RPM, boasts an impressive static pressure of 5.16 mmH2O and a maximum noise level of 44.5 dBA.

Gigabyte backs the Aorus liquid cooler with a limited three-year warranty. The 240mm model retails for $189.99, while the 280mm and 360mm models go for $214.99 and $229.99, respectively.

Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

  • Gurg
    I like the temp, CPU frequency and fan speed displayed on the pump. The RGB on the pump and fans would show up nicely on an open glass sided case like my Thermalake P-3. Price seems a little high.
    Reply
  • DZIrl
    My biggest problem with this is: "the company didn't specify which model was used for the test. "
    Why Gigabyte marketing? Why? Now I even do not believe you used your AIO :mad:
    Is it really big problem to publish picture of system? Or you are hiding something?
    Reply
  • Gurg
    DZIrl said:
    My biggest problem with this is: "the company didn't specify which model was used for the test. "
    Why Gigabyte marketing? Why? Now I even do not believe you used your AIO :mad:
    Is it really big problem to publish picture of system? Or you are hiding something?
    Whether it was the 280 or 360, both at $215 and $230 are equally expensive. You can buy a non-RGB fan 280 for $140-160 . So you are paying $55 premium for RGB in fans and the stat display on pump,

    By not stating, the assumption would be it was the more expensive top line 360.
    Reply
  • derekullo
    85 degree Celsius to 96 degree Celsius sounds like a little sweat
    Reply