No Power Limits Cinebench Results
With Intel's i9-13900K pushing speeds of 5.5 GHz or higher, even the strongest of coolers hit TJ Max while running Cinebench R23 and other demanding scenarios. As the 13900K is designed to aim for its top safe temperature, we’ll be comparing the overall benchmark score and the CPU’s clock speeds instead.
The results below are for a 10-minute testing run. But to be sure that was sufficiently long to tax the cooler, we also retested both Thermalright’s Assassin X 120 R SE and DeepCool’s LT720 with a 30-minute Cinebench test. The results didn’t change much at all with the longer test: The average clock speeds maintained dropped by 29 MHz on DeepCool’s LT720 and 31 MHz on Thermalright’s Assassin X 120 R SE. That’s an incredibly small 0.6% difference in clock speeds maintained, a margin of error difference that tells us that the 10-minute tests are indeed long enough to properly test the coolers.
Because of the difficulty of cooling the i9-13900K in this workload, we feel the best way to compare coolers here is to record the average power consumption of the CPU. As Cinebench R23’s multi-core benchmark will push coolers to their limits, it’s also a great test for recording the worst-case scenario of fan noise levels.
Looking at noise levels, you’ll see Corsair’s cooler reached 52.6 dBA in this test. This does place it on the louder end of the results shown here, but it’s still in the range of what I consider an acceptable noise level.
You might notice that our noise charts start at 36 decibels, which is the noise floor of our testing environment. This makes 36dB our baseline measurement, as we’re unable to measure noise levels below this threshold. Keep in mind that noise measurements are logarithmic, meaning the differences between the noise levels of the coolers will be more perceptible than these graphs would suggest.
When it comes to total cooling capacity, Corsair’s iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT achieved the best result we’ve ever seen paired with Intel’s i9-13900K – cooling on average over 325W in Cinebench testing.
200W Cinebench Results
Looking at CPU temperatures when restricting power consumption to a more reasonable 200W, Corsair’s iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT maintains its lead over all other coolers tested in comparison – if only by a single degree.
However, the acoustic results are not as impressive due to the unique way in which Corsair’s AIOs operate, tying coolant temperature to fan speed rather than CPU temperature. This causes a sustained 200W load to run just as loudly as a 300W+ load.
It’s important to note here that in shorter term loads of the same wattage, Corsair’s AIO will run much quieter than competing coolers for the first minute or two, whereas other coolers will reach their peak noise levels sooner.
125W Cinebench Results
The lowest power limit I test at is 125W, mainly because this is also the lowest level where I can reliably measure noise using Cooler Master’s HAF 700 Berserker. Lower power consumption causes the noise of the CPU cooler to fall below the noise created by the system fans (even while restricted to 35% speed).
In this scenario, Corsair’s cooler was tied with the best 360mm AIOs we have tested for best overall CPU temperature. While the cooler was not noisy in any sense of the word, the acoustic levels at the end of testing were louder than the competition again because steady, sustained loads cause the AIOs coolant temperature to rise. In common bursty tasks, the cooler will run much quieter.
Conclusion
Corsair’s iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT is the strongest AIO we’ve tested with Intel’s i9-13900K, cooling over 325W in our most intensive thermal tests. Unlike other coolers, the noise level of Corsair’s cooler is tied to the CPU coolant temp, resulting in quieter operation during most common tasks and the elimination of bursty fan behavior, but noisier operation under the kinds of sustained loads that we use for testing.
There’s no question. The Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT is one of the best coolers currently available. It’s also quite expensive at $310. But if you don’t mind going without the display, the company also sells an iCUE H170i Elite Capellix XT (opens in new tab) that the company says features the same radiator and pump for the same cooling performance at a lower $240 price. That’s still no small amount of money. But if your cooling needs are extreme enough to warrant a 420 mm radiator, you can probably afford to spend a bit extra on keeping your powerful CPU as cool as it can be under load.
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