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Noise levels
We’ve measured noise levels at two settings to give you an idea of how the cooler operates when tied to a motherboard’s default fan curve. Our first measurement is when the fans are allowed to run at full speed, their loudest noise levels possible.
In terms of maximum volume, SAMA’s L70 is one of the louder units on the market, reaching 47.2 dBA. This comparison chart is larger than others you’ll see in this review because we’re using data collected from previous systems here.
Our next acoustic measurement is the cooler’s volume when the CPU consumes 150W. This is more similar to “worst case” gaming scenarios, especially if PBO is enabled.
SAMA’s L70 reaches 40.3 dBA in this scenario. I think most users will find this level of noise acceptable, but those who prefer the quietest systems may want to manually lower the fan speeds.
Noise-normalized testing
Most testing is performed with the cooler tied to the default fan curve of our MSI X870E Carbon motherboard, but some of y’all prefer to see tests when the noise levels of coolers are equalized. This is especially important to those of you who prefer silent computers.
We’ll start with the “easiest” of these tests, which runs Cinebench R23 with a “stock” power limit. With our motherboard, this means the CPU will consume roughly 200W. SAMA’s L70 kept the CPU at an average of 78.7 degrees C, placing it between ID-Cooling’s FX360 and Thermalright’s Wonder Vision 360.
The next test is a bit harder, with PBO enabled to allow the CPU to use as much power as it wants – that was 242.7W over the course of testing. This is in line with the previous results, placing it again between competitors from ID-Cooling and Thermalright.
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For our last test, we’ve added the heat of a GPU to the mix, which contributes 295W of thermals into the PC case. Sama’s cooler handles this test better than the previous two, and doesn’t lose as much thermal capacity with the added GPU heat. As a result, it secures the second-best position of the 360mm AIO coolers we’ve tested in this setup.
PBO Performance – full fan speeds
While some builders prefer to run coolers at low noise levels, I know a lot of you just want maximum performance. This test lets the fans run at their full speeds, to test the maximum potential of the AIO’s cooling abilities. Turning on PBO allows AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X to stretch its legs and guzzle power, pushing the limits of any closed-loop CPU cooler on the market.
SAMA’s L70 does remarkably well for a budget $70 AIO, cooling 258.2W from the CPU, on par (within margin of error) with the best results we’ve seen from pricier 360mm liquid coolers.
200W thermal benchmarks and noise levels
For the next thermal test, I leave motherboard settings at their defaults, which results in a power limit of 200W when running Cinebench R23. SAMA’s L70 continues to punch above its weight here, trailing our best result from a 360mm AIO by only 0.1 degrees C, and at a fraction of its competitors’ prices!
150W thermal benchmarks and noise levels
For the next thermal test, I’ve set the power limit to 150W.
SAMA’s position in this test drops a little bit, but it still performs exceptionally well at 60.6 degrees C, only 2.4 degrees behind Arctic’s larger, more powerful Liquid Freezer III Pro 420mm.
100W thermal results
Our next test is the least difficult benchmark featured in this review, with a workload consuming only 100W. This is a simple test, one that even most SFF coolers should have no issue handling. Results, as expected, are excellent – the average temperature of the CPU measured 47.7C using Sama’s AIO.
Conclusion
Sama’s L70 challenges one of the longest-standing assumptions in the AIO market: that strong 360mm liquid coolers must come with a premium price tag. In terms of raw cooling potential, the L70 stands among the strongest offerings currently available on the market, while carrying a price tag of only $70. It’s not the quietest cooler you can buy, but if you don’t like its noise level, you can dial down the fan speeds somewhat and still get the level of cooling that most users need.
Albert Thomas is a contributor for Tom’s Hardware, primarily covering CPU cooling reviews.
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thestryker Looks like the noise normalized fan performance must be a bit better than the others near it as the drop in performance with video card load is less.Reply
The performance on these cheaper AIOs has really impressed me over the last year or so. We'll find out over the next handful of years how the reliability is on them, but they're really seeming to be a great deal. -
Albert.Thomas Reply
Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised by this AIO from SAMA. I wasn't expecting it to perform as well as it did.thestryker said:Looks like the noise normalized fan performance must be a bit better than the others near it as the drop in performance with video card load is less.
The performance on these cheaper AIOs has really impressed me over the last year or so. We'll find out over the next handful of years how the reliability is on them, but they're really seeming to be a great deal.