Testing Configuration and Benchmarks Used
To verify that the cooler kit operates up to specs, the Noctua NH-U12S CPU cooler was tested with the CPU running in both stock and at a known stable overclocking speed using both 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 Noctua NH-U14S, 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 Koolance kit'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.
| Test System Setup | |
| 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 |
| Motherboard | MSI Z77 MPOWER MSI Z87 MPOWER |
| 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 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD Intel 520 240GB SSD Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA III HD |
| Sound Card | On-board sound |
| Video Card | Intel Z77-based system MSI R7870 Hawk 2GB Intel Z87-based system NVIDIA GTX 570 1.25GB |
| CPU Cooling | Noctua NH-U12S CPU cooler Noctua NH-U14S CPU cooler Thermalright SilverArrow SB-E CPU Air Cooler XSPC Raystorm 750 EX240 water cooling kit Corsair Hydro Series™ H100i Extreme Performance CPU Cooler |
| Video Drivers | AMD ATI Catalyst 12.8 NVIDIA 320.18 |
| Power Supply | Corsair 650 Corsair HX750 |
| Operating System | Windows 7 Ultimate x64 |
| Thermal Paste | MG Chemicals 860-60G Silicone Heat Transfer Compound |
| 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
why not spend $10-15 dollars
why not spend $10-15 dollars more and buy a nice closed loop water cooler and get better performance, better looking and save space. Not to mention this monstrosity is butt ugly.
Huh? It’s quieter, cheaper
Huh? It’s quieter, cheaper and performs nearly as well. I would actually buy this over a H100i.
then your a straight up tart.
then your a straight up tart. nothing is quite about the Noct. and any closed loop if you actually own or have used one is silent.
AIOs are loud, overpriced,
AIOs are loud, overpriced, poorly built, and risk leaks. If you want the ultimate performance shy of custom water cooling, the D15 is really the only choice.
Ugly? It’s a classic tower
Ugly? It’s a classic tower design as stated early in the review. Not everyone is ready to try liquid cooling. For several years now Noctua has pushed the development of quiet fans for PCs, doing original research and design in Austria. Look, I don’t like the colours either, but there’s no mistaking a Noctua fan for any other brand. Plus, they just announced two new lines that are more muted in colour.
Is this much better than 35€
Is this much better than 35€ Raijintek Ereboss? In Serbia this Noctua is 60€.
I have not tested that unit,
I have not tested that unit, but based on the specs and build of the Ereboss, I would expect similar or better performance. The only odd thing with teh Ereboss that *may* work against it is the included fan. With the thickness of the Ereboss' radiator tower, a thin fan may not cut it well if you plan to o/c because the fan does not have the power to push air with enough force though the radiator to effectively cool it.
Again though, the above is only based on looking over the specs of the Erebus in combination with my knowledge of how both air and water coolers function…
I would check out the
I would check out the Raijintek Themis. From what I hear it actually does a better job at cooler due to the larger fan and is a bit cheaper.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Raijintek/Themis/9.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Raijintek/Ereboss/9.html
Why Haswell has lower/better
Why Haswell has lower/better temps when being cooled by an watercooler?
I assume you referring to the
I assume you referring to the differences between the Silver Arrow air cooler and the XSPC DIY water cooler and the Corsair H100i all in one water cooler. Haswell CPUs tend to produce quite a bit of heat and a water-based cooling system will tend to be able to keep up better with dispensing the heat because of the liquid medium's heat carrying capacity. While the heat is dispersed via radiator in both water and air coolers, the water cooler radiator has a lot more surface areas within the radiator to transfer the heat out to so the the fans can dissipate the heat from the radiator.
oh this must be where all the
oh this must be where all the nay saying air cooled people rally. Afraid people of water cooling.
Custom water cooling is
Custom water cooling is great, no premade solution (air or water) can match the performance, but closed loop coolers only really offer less obstruction compared to air coolers, which are better in almost every other way.
Closed loop coolers combine all the disadvantages of custom water cooling (price, noise, risk of leaks) without actually performing better than a good air cooler.