Testing Configuration and Benchmarks Used
To verify that the cooler kit operates up to specs, the Cooler Master Glacer 240L liquid cooler was tested with the CPU running at stock and at a known stable overclocking speed using Z77-based and Z87-based motherboards, so that comparative results could be provided for both Ivy Bridge and Haswell-based systems. The results are presented for the cooling kit under review as well as the XSPC Raystorm 750 EX240 water cooling kit, Corsair H100i water cooler, and the Thermalright SilverArrow SB-E air cooler for performance comparison purposes. The benchmark tests used should give you a good understanding of the cooler's capabilities so that you, the reader, can make a more informed purchasing decision. The comparison coolers were selected based on their superior performance capabilities.
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Test System Setup |
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CPU |
Intel Z77-based system Intel Core i5-3570K Stock – 3.4GHz, 34 x 100MHz Base Clock Overclocked – 4.4GHz, 42 x 105MHz Base Clock Intel Z87-based system Intel Core i7-4770K Stock – 3.5GHz, 35 x 100MHz Base Clock Overclocked – 4.68GHz, 28 x 167MHz Base Clock |
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Motherboard |
MSI Z77 MPOWER MSI Z87 MPOWER |
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Memory |
Intel Z77-based system G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 modules Stock – 1600MHz, 11-11-11-30-1T Overclocked – 1960MHz, 11-11-11-30-1T Intel Z87-based system Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 modules Stock – 1600MHz, 9-10-9-27-1T Overclocked – 1780MHz, 9-10-9-27-1T |
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Hard Drive |
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD Intel 520 240GB SSD Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA III HD |
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Sound Card |
On-board sound |
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Video Card |
Intel Z77-based system MSI R7870 Hawk 2GB Intel Z87-based system NVIDIA GTX 570 1.25GB |
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CPU Cooling |
Cooler Master Glacer 240L CPU cooler Corsair Hydro Series™ H100i Extreme Performance CPU Cooler XSPC Raystorm 750 EX240 water cooling kit Thermalright SilverArrow SB-E CPU Air Cooler |
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Video Drivers |
AMD Catalyst 13.12 NVIDIA 320.18 |
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Power Supply |
Corsair 650 Corsair HX750 |
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Operating System |
Windows 7 Ultimate x64 |
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Thermal Paste |
MG Chemicals 860-60G Silicone Heat Transfer Compound |
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Coolant |
XSPC kit 1 liter Distilled water 3 capfuls Redline Water Wetter 1 capful Iodine (10% solution) 1 drop PT Nuke |
The 64-bit Windows 7 based test bench used for LGA1155 board testing includes an Intel Core i5-3570K CPU, 8GB of DDR3-2133 memory, an MSI R7870 Hawk 2GB video card, and an Intel 520 240GB SSD drive. Using the selected components gives us the ability to demonstrate the cooling system's capabilities rather than that of the system components.
The 64-bit Windows 7 based test bench used for Intel Z87 LGA1150 board testing includes an Intel Core i5-4770K CPU, 16GB of DDR3-1866 memory, an NVIDIA GTX 570 1.25GB video card, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD drive. Using the selected components gives us the ability to demonstrate the cooling system's capabilities rather than that of the system components.
Benchmark Tests used for evaluation:
- LinX Intel Linpack Benchmark v0.6.4 (Intel Z77-based testing)
- AIDA64 Extreme Edition v3.00 (Intel Z87-based testing)
- Geeks3D FurMark v1.10.2
Will you be testing this unit
Will you be testing this unit with an expanded loop say a gpu block? It seems to be the main selling point of the unit and any word on the 360l?
We are planning on testing
We are planning on testing this unit in the near future in conjunction with gpu block…
Awesome!
Awesome!
Isn’t this a rebranded
Isn’t this a rebranded swiftech h220 with a more powerful pump
I thought the same thing…
I thought the same thing… :/
You both might very well be
You both might very well be correct in that. Thanks for pointing that out…
It’s just the plastic cover
It’s just the plastic cover on top of the pump that’s different, otherwise it is the same. The pump in the CM version is allowed a little higher RPM, as it has a separate power connector. The original version had only a 4-pin fan connector. People connected this to voltage-controlled fan-ports, dealing damage the pump electronics. It was stated very clearly in the instructions not to do this, but people being people…
My Swiftech H220 also came with a 8-way PWM splitter/adapter, also stated quite clearly in the instructions that always using the adapter was the preferred method. I have had my H220 in a 2011-system now for almost a year, running very close to 24/7.
The Swiftech Helix fans are quite nice, I think they are quieter at the same airflow compared to the CM ones, but I have yet to see real tests comparing them. Martin’s Liquid Lab has tested the Helix fans, they were not as good as the all time high Gentle Typhoon AP-15 though.
Still sticking with the
Still sticking with the Corsair H100i CLC, nevertheless great Review.
How powerful is the pump, for
How powerful is the pump, for example, can it handle an additional 120mm radiator and a GPU block, so that the fluid leaving the CPU block can be cooled by the 120mm radiator before going to the GPU?
As this is a rebranded
As this is a rebranded Swiftech H220, it can handle additional radiators with no problem. Another 240mm radiator is no problem.
Edit: Martin measure a 0.6 GPM flow rate in his H220 review. He comments on this as a problem when bleeding the loop, the CM version should have a little higher flow rate (~500 more rpm on the pump) making it a bit easier to bleed when expanding the loop.
Martin’s review: http://martinsliquidlab.org/2013/01/27/swiftech-h220-prefilled-2x120mm-water-cooling-kit/
Very impressive “living” review that starts in jan 2013 and the last updates are in may 2013. He also follows a couple of forum threads and talks about the problems of batch 1 (mine is one of those). You can’t compete with this guy 😀
Can you address the issues
Can you address the issues regarding the slew of users reporting fires caused by their Cooler Master 240L? These typically occur withing a few weeks of installation. I just bought one recently and I am seriously concerned about possibly burning my house down. I have seen many, many reports of these fires.
Great review! Any news on the
Great review! Any news on the expanded (CPU+GPU) review?
I’m also interested in the pump failure / catching fire problem that many people seem to be having with this cooler, several can be read on Newegg and watercooling forums… Any insight on this?
Thanks!