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For our CPU cooling tests, we use the same hardware, overclock and configuration for every test to minimize environment variables in testing. This allows for all results across all coolers tested on the platform to be viable as side-by-side examination for direct compare/contrast.
CPU | Intel i3-8350K LGA1151 (Coffee Lake), all 4 cores 4.0 Ghz |
Motherboard | ASRock H370M-ITX/ac |
Memory | SuperTalent DDR4-3000 (2x8GB) |
Storage | Inland m.2 2280 NVMe, 256GB |
Graphics | Gigabyte GTX 1050Ti |
Power Supply | Silverstone SX800-LTI (SFX-L) |
Chassis | Silverstone LD03 |
Monitoring | CrystalFontz CFA-633-TMI-KU, 4x Dallas One Wire WR-DOW-Y17 sensors |
Fan Control | Corsair Commander Pro, 100%/50% PWM Speed profiles (liquid cooling pump always @100%, if applicable) |
OS | Windows 10 Pro 64bit |
Networking | Disconnected, not used |
Thermal Compound | Arctic MX-4 |
Comparisons are based on data collected from testing performed on our Intel i3-8350K system.
Prime95 v29.4b8 (no AVX) is used for two-hour intervals, one managing fans at 50% PWM and the other at 100% PWM with RPM measurements being taken every 3 seconds and averaged across the duration of each 2-hour capture. Omitting AVX instruction sets allows for accurate, 100% loads at chosen clock speeds, while allowing AVX instructions would provide higher, albeit, unrealistic synthetic CPU loads and excessive heat production, less indicative of real-world use.
HWInfo64 is used for real-time core temperature readout, thermal throttling alerts, motherboard power consumption, CPU speed and logging of data, while a CrystalFontz CFA-633-TMI-KU is used to monitor and later average both ambient room (2 probes) and motherboard voltage regulator heatsink (2 probes).
Current page: Test System Setup
Prev Page Features and Specifications Next Page Comparison Coolers, Testing Results and ConclusionGarrett Carver is a contributor for Tom’s Hardware, primarily covering thermal compound comparisons and CPU cooling reviews; both air and liquid, including multiple variations of each.
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watzupken I feel the review is not being fair to the cooler. From what I can tell, most if not all the coolers used as a point of comparison are bigger. Perhaps the best comparison for this are,Reply
Noctua NH-L9A/i
Intel/ AMD stock cooler
From my personal experience with this cooler, I feel despite it being low profile, it beats the stock coolers with comparable height, particularly from Intel, handily. Unfortunately, it couldn't handle the heat output from the Ryzen 5 3400G well. With an ambient temp of around 27 degree C, my system will crash when running 3D Mark's physics test and is pretty unstable even in the graphics test. I can't pinpoint if it is 100% an issue with the cooler or is it the 150W PSU not able to keep up with the load, but the temps are not looking good when I was testing it out. In games like Diablo 3, I can see temps in the late 70s to 80s. At idle, temps fluctuate between 50s to early 60s. -
rubix_1011 Both of the IceBerg Thermal coolers are very similar in size as well as the Intel E97379-003. Even the Noctua NH-L9x65 isn't that much larger in size, so there are several on the list which are direct comparisons in both size and price.Reply -
watzupken I agree for the IceFloe T65 and Intel stock cooler, and the results are pretty close for these 3 coolers. But for T95 and Noctua NH-L9x65, these are much bigger heatsink if we consider their height.Reply