Test Settings And Benchmarks
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4770K (Haswell): 3.5 GHz Base Clock Rate, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, LGA 1150, Overclocked to 4.50 GHz at 1.25 V (1.24 V Set) |
| Motherboard | Asus Z87-Pro Rev 1.02, BIOS 1007 (05/17/2013) |
| RAM | G.Skill F3-17600CL9D-8GBXLD (8 GB) at DDR3-1600 C9 Defaults |
| Graphics | Intel Integrated HD 4600 Graphics |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 840 Series MZ-7PD256, 256 GB SSD |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Corsair AX860i: ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Platinum |
| Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8 Professional RTM x64 |
| Graphics | Intel 9.18.10.3071 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.4.0.1017 |
| Benchmark Configuration | |
| LinX 0.6.4 | Default benchmark at 500 repetitions |
| RealTemp 3.70 | Maximum Temperature, All Cores Averaged |
| Galaxy CM-140 SPL Meter | Tested at 1/4 m, corrected to 1 m (-12 db), dB(A) weighting |
Asus’ top-overclocking Z87-Pro lays the groundwork for thermal testing, but not without compromise: knowing that CPU throttling would prevent accurate thermal measurement, I decided to prevent that occurrence by reducing core voltage to 1.25V.
LinX 0.6.4 is the new application that generates the most taxing thermals using Intel's diminutive Haswell die. I also warned cooler manufacturers that we'd have to drop them from contention if the CPU reached 100° Celsius, since throttling would prevent accurate readings above that point. For our part, I kept the room temperature below 23° Celsius. I further prevented the case from affecting thermal readings by leaving the motherboard in open air, hanging the board vertically to replicate its position in a chassis.
Lacking any mechanical support for a hanging graphics card, I used integrated graphics during these tests.
