More waterblocks on i7 tested - Overclock.net

HESmelaugh · 04-11-09

Some of you may have seen my previous roundup of waterblocks. In the meantime, I've tested a few more so here's the data on those blocks together with all the data of the previous roundup.

Test setup and procedure is the same as in my last posts, but for easier refenence, I'll repost the details here:

Test Setup

Hardware used:
- Intel Core i7 920 @ 3.7GHz, 1.28V
- Asus P6T
- 6GB Mushkin XP12800
- T-Balancer BigNG and Sensorhub for measuring and logging temp data
- Three digital thermal probes measuring ambient temps
- Arctic Cooling MX-2

Cooling loop:
- Swiftech MCP355 with EK X-Res top
- Digmesa Flowmeter
- Four inline thermal probes
- XSPC RS360 radiator
- 3x Nanoxia FX1250 fans @ 1200rpm
- 13/10mm tubing

Sftware used:
- T-Balancer Navigator
- RealTemp 3.0
- CoreDamage

Testing Procedure

The testing is done with the above hardware set up in a CPU-only loop so that there is no thermal interference from other components in the loop.
A test run has a duration of 40 minutes during which the CPU is fully loaded using CoreDamage. I did a lot of preliminary testing and determined CoreDamage to be the best suited program, because it produces very high and very stable temperatures. The 40 minutes might seem short, but in my testing I got identical, just as repeatable results after 40 minutes as after 60 or 90 minutes.
From the 40 minutes of CPU-burning, I collect all the data from the last 20 minutes of each run and average out all the data to get average Core temperatures, average water temperatures and average ambient temperatures.

Blocks tested

Alphacool Livingstone

The Alphacool Livingstone uses the same base plate as the Yellowstone, tested in the last roundup, but it has a different top and jet plate. It's also a bit cheaper.

EK Supreme LT

The Supreme LT. I suspect you already know everything about this block.

Innovatek i7 CPU Kühler

The Innovatek block is made completely of metal (don't know what the black stuff is exactly but it's definitely metal) and it's huge. Unfortunately (and strangely), it cannot be disassembled. Innovatek officially state that there is no need to disassemble the block...

Phobya CPU Waterblock

The Phobya block has an extremely thin base (middle pic) and a thin copper jet plate (right pic) that is placed on top of it. It's a very unusual design, that's for sure.

D-Tek FuZion V2

I suspect you've heard about this block already...

Enzotech Luna Rev. A

The light, that always looks so neat in pictures is actually annoyingly blinky unless you do some soldering.

Enzotech Sapphire Rev. A

Damn good looking block, if you ask me. For the record: The Rev. A of this block is all copper. The blue thing you see is just a thin plastic cover on top of the copper top.

OCZ Hydroflow HF-MK1

Great price and lots of extras in the box!

Flowrates

I simply measured the flowrates achieved in the loop with the pump at 12V with each block. Since all other parts of the loop are always equal, this represents the restrictiveness of each block.

Results:

I thought the Soleil couldn't be topped when it comes to flowrates but the Enzo Sapphire Rev. A went right ahead and did it. It's a spectacularly unrestrictive block, that. The Hydroflow and the FuZion V2 did very well here, too. The Phobya turns out to be very restrictive, as does the Enzo Luna though both are not as bad as the original Supreme. The Supreme LT is definitely a lot less restrictive than it's predecessor bit still rather restrictive compared to some of the other blocks.

Orientations

Each block is mounted and tested six times. Three times in one orientation and three times in an orientation rotated by 90°.
I test each block in two different orienations, once with the outlet on the top right (viewing the motherboard frontally) and once with the outlet on the top left:

Or, with the non-diagonal flowing blocks, one orientation is "vertical" and the other "horizontal:

The problem here is that the socket's orientation on the mainboard isn't always the same. Some mainboards (e.g. Gigabyte) have 90° rotated sockets. What ultimately matters (if anything) the direction of flow accross the CPU itself. On my mainboard, it would look like this for the diagonal blocks:

And like this for the horizontal/vertical ones:

Averaging out the results from three mounts per orientation, this is what we end up with:

Diagonal-Flow:

Vertical/Horizontal-Flow:

Temperatures

Next, let's take a look at temperatures achieved. (all temperatures shown are differences between CPU and water temps)

Here are the three runs in the optimal orientation for each of the blocks. All of the results are sorted form lowest to highest temperature for each block to keep the graph tidy:

Of the four blocks in this roundup, the Enzotech Sapphire Rev. A delivers the best results.
I mounted the FuZion V2 many times but couldn't ever get as neatly repeatable results with it as I did with all the other blocks. I'm guessing that there is some problem with the mount, since I'm using a 775 mount on an i7 (my mainboard, the Asus P6T has dual mounting holes).
If I get a chance to retest this with a proper 1366 mount, I will.
The Supreme LT does very well and is on par with the Sapphire. The Alphacool Livingstone delivers a respectable performance, very close to that of the EK Supreme and the cuplex XT di, but its overshadowed by the performance of the Alphacool Yellowstone and the top two blocks. The Phobya's performance is just about average. The Innovatek-block shows the worst performance I have so far measured on the i7 test rig. At this point, it might be worth mentioning that it is the most expensive block in the roundup, costing close to three times as much as the Supreme LT (Fail, anyone?).

Here's what we get as an overview, when all the results from the three runs above are averaged out:

Not that some people don't approve of the above illustration of the results because showing bars like that is an over-simplification. We're looking at averages here, not actual temperatures. No two mounts are ever exactly the same (well, sometimes they are, but it's the exception) and the measurement tools are simply not precise enought to make very fine distinctions. I like this type of graph for a quick overview. But for example, if you look at the results with the Alphacool Livingstone and the EK Supreme, don't conclude that one is better than the other. Differences that small could go either way.

Temperatures in relation to flowrates

The last part of testing consists of lowering flowrates by using a shutoff valve and measuring how this impacts temperatures. I lower the flowrates to predetermined values with 30l/h or 60l/h increments. converted to GPM, the increments don't make as much sense as in l/h, but the important point is that each block is tested at identical flowrates.
Because of this, the following graph does not take into account the different levels of restrictiveness each of the blocks has.

Due to the amount of data, the comparison has become quite chaotic:

The flow-dependance of the Innovatek and the Alphacool blocks are about average. The Supreme LT is less dependant on flow for good performance, than most blocks. This makes it well suited for larger loops or setups with relatively weak pumps. Which is not to say that it doesn't perform well with a strong pump, either.
The Phobya block is also very dependant on high flowrates for it's performance. This is bad news, since it's quite restrictive.
The Enzo Luna is very dependant on flow. Again, here it's generally a bad thing since it's so restrictive. Hydroflow, FuZion and Sapphire show what I would call "regular" flowrate-to-temp curves.

As usual, more pics and stuff in the original (German) article, here and here (for anyone who' interested).

And that's all, folks!

Cheers,
Shane

P.S.: Cause I know someone will inevitably ask: Yes, a Koolance CPU 350 is on it's way to me and it will be tested (as well as a few more blocks).

thehighlander123 · 04-11-09

wow i didnt know the enzotech was so unrestrictive! and its pretty damn close to the HK

150% unbelievable work (wish i could give u ten reps)

nafljhy · 04-11-09

rekindled my love for my enzotechs!

thhanks for the great testing hes!

**ira-k** · 04-11-09

Now that is what I call good testing.

Extensive, well documented and as through as can be expected. There are just to many variables to try every config.

The HK is well ahead of the pack, I'd call that just a hair better then being a mount difference.

The flow is just about what I get when I use dual 18W orange DDC or a Iwaki, its always good for a C or two. I know your just using the one DDC but it seems to still scale about the same with more flow.

Thanks, That just so well done. Thats a lot of block mounting to. I'm going to put this with your other one. Thats just some really good stuff there..

Slightly skewed · 04-11-09

I've never even heard of some of these blocks, although I am still a noob. Excellent work.

Wadkiller · 04-12-09

Thanks for the great testing. I saw on another forum where almost all of these blocks were tested & you get very similar results. The other guy had my LC also in the mix & it performed better than the rest only the 2 more expensive HK blocks performed better, it had better flow than the HK Rev 3.0 Lt & Cu For halve the price.

Thats what i call bang for buck.

Captain Buffalo · 04-12-09

Well done, HES! It's refreshing to see some actual numbers.

mcgrunt42 · 04-12-09

sorry if this is off topic, am i getting good temps with my ek supreme and i7
about 38,38,35,34c idle and 67,66,64,63 100% load on all 8 threads @ 4.2ghz, 1.4vcore

Slightly skewed · 04-12-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrunt42

sorry if this is off topic, am i getting good temps with my ek supreme and i7
about 38,38,35,34c idle and 67,66,64,63 100% load on all 8 threads @ 4.2ghz, 1.4vcore

Load temps are solid.

HESmelaugh · 04-12-09

*UPDATE*

I made a stupid mistake that I just corrected in the first post: In the "orientations" diagram, the numbers for the GTZ were switched.
I've put them in the right way round now, with the better results achieved with the outlet to the top left.

To make this very clear: The ideal orientation of the GTZ on an i7 is achieved, when the swiftech logo aligns (i.e. runs parallel to) the lever on the CPU socket.

04-11-09	#1 (permalink)
HESmelaugh WaterCooler Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Winterthur, Switzerland Posts: 146 Rep: 158 Unique Rep: 116 Trader Rating: 0	More waterblocks on i7 tested Some of you may have seen my previous roundup of waterblocks. In the meantime, I've tested a few more so here's the data on those blocks together with all the data of the previous roundup. Test setup and procedure is the same as in my last posts, but for easier refenence, I'll repost the details here: Test Setup Hardware used: - Intel Core i7 920 @ 3.7GHz, 1.28V - Asus P6T - 6GB Mushkin XP12800 - T-Balancer BigNG and Sensorhub for measuring and logging temp data - Three digital thermal probes measuring ambient temps - Arctic Cooling MX-2 Cooling loop: - Swiftech MCP355 with EK X-Res top - Digmesa Flowmeter - Four inline thermal probes - XSPC RS360 radiator - 3x Nanoxia FX1250 fans @ 1200rpm - 13/10mm tubing Sftware used: - T-Balancer Navigator - RealTemp 3.0 - CoreDamage Testing Procedure The testing is done with the above hardware set up in a CPU-only loop so that there is no thermal interference from other components in the loop. A test run has a duration of 40 minutes during which the CPU is fully loaded using CoreDamage. I did a lot of preliminary testing and determined CoreDamage to be the best suited program, because it produces very high and very stable temperatures. The 40 minutes might seem short, but in my testing I got identical, just as repeatable results after 40 minutes as after 60 or 90 minutes. From the 40 minutes of CPU-burning, I collect all the data from the last 20 minutes of each run and average out all the data to get average Core temperatures, average water temperatures and average ambient temperatures. Blocks tested Alphacool Livingstone The Alphacool Livingstone uses the same base plate as the Yellowstone, tested in the last roundup, but it has a different top and jet plate. It's also a bit cheaper. EK Supreme LT The Supreme LT. I suspect you already know everything about this block. Innovatek i7 CPU Kühler The Innovatek block is made completely of metal (don't know what the black stuff is exactly but it's definitely metal) and it's huge. Unfortunately (and strangely), it cannot be disassembled. Innovatek officially state that there is no need to disassemble the block... Phobya CPU Waterblock The Phobya block has an extremely thin base (middle pic) and a thin copper jet plate (right pic) that is placed on top of it. It's a very unusual design, that's for sure. D-Tek FuZion V2 I suspect you've heard about this block already... Enzotech Luna Rev. A The light, that always looks so neat in pictures is actually annoyingly blinky unless you do some soldering. Enzotech Sapphire Rev. A Damn good looking block, if you ask me. For the record: The Rev. A of this block is all copper. The blue thing you see is just a thin plastic cover on top of the copper top. OCZ Hydroflow HF-MK1 Great price and lots of extras in the box! Flowrates I simply measured the flowrates achieved in the loop with the pump at 12V with each block. Since all other parts of the loop are always equal, this represents the restrictiveness of each block. Results: I thought the Soleil couldn't be topped when it comes to flowrates but the Enzo Sapphire Rev. A went right ahead and did it. It's a spectacularly unrestrictive block, that. The Hydroflow and the FuZion V2 did very well here, too. The Phobya turns out to be very restrictive, as does the Enzo Luna though both are not as bad as the original Supreme. The Supreme LT is definitely a lot less restrictive than it's predecessor bit still rather restrictive compared to some of the other blocks. Orientations Each block is mounted and tested six times. Three times in one orientation and three times in an orientation rotated by 90°. I test each block in two different orienations, once with the outlet on the top right (viewing the motherboard frontally) and once with the outlet on the top left: Or, with the non-diagonal flowing blocks, one orientation is "vertical" and the other "horizontal: The problem here is that the socket's orientation on the mainboard isn't always the same. Some mainboards (e.g. Gigabyte) have 90° rotated sockets. What ultimately matters (if anything) the direction of flow accross the CPU itself. On my mainboard, it would look like this for the diagonal blocks: And like this for the horizontal/vertical ones: Averaging out the results from three mounts per orientation, this is what we end up with: Diagonal-Flow: Vertical/Horizontal-Flow: Temperatures Next, let's take a look at temperatures achieved. (*all temperatures shown are differences between CPU and water temps) Here are the three runs in the optimal orientation for each of the blocks. All of the results are sorted form lowest to highest temperature for each block to keep the graph tidy: Of the four blocks in this roundup, the Enzotech Sapphire Rev. A delivers the best results. I mounted the FuZion V2 many times but couldn't ever get as neatly repeatable results with it as I did with all the other blocks. I'm guessing that there is some problem with the mount, since I'm using a 775 mount on an i7 (my mainboard, the Asus P6T has dual mounting holes). If I get a chance to retest this with a proper 1366 mount, I will. The Supreme LT does very well and is on par with the Sapphire. The Alphacool Livingstone delivers a respectable performance, very close to that of the EK Supreme and the cuplex XT di, but its overshadowed by the performance of the Alphacool Yellowstone and the top two blocks. The Phobya's performance is just about average. The Innovatek-block shows the worst performance I have so far measured on the i7 test rig. At this point, it might be worth mentioning that it is the most expensive block in the roundup, costing close to three times as much as the Supreme LT (Fail, anyone?). Here's what we get as an overview, when all the results from the three runs above are averaged out: Not that some people don't approve of the above illustration of the results because showing bars like that is an over-simplification. We're looking at averages here, not actual temperatures. No two mounts are ever exactly the same (well, sometimes they are, but it's the exception) and the measurement tools are simply not precise enought to make very fine distinctions. I like this type of graph for a quick overview. But for example, if you look at the results with the Alphacool Livingstone and the EK Supreme, don't conclude that one is better than the other. Differences that small could go either way. Temperatures in relation to flowrates* The last part of testing consists of lowering flowrates by using a shutoff valve and measuring how this impacts temperatures. I lower the flowrates to predetermined values with 30l/h or 60l/h increments. converted to GPM, the increments don't make as much sense as in l/h, but the important point is that each block is tested at identical flowrates. Because of this, the following graph does not take into account the different levels of restrictiveness each of the blocks has. Due to the amount of data, the comparison has become quite chaotic: The flow-dependance of the Innovatek and the Alphacool blocks are about average. The Supreme LT is less dependant on flow for good performance, than most blocks. This makes it well suited for larger loops or setups with relatively weak pumps. Which is not to say that it doesn't perform well with a strong pump, either. The Phobya block is also very dependant on high flowrates for it's performance. This is bad news, since it's quite restrictive. The Enzo Luna is very dependant on flow. Again, here it's generally a bad thing since it's so restrictive. Hydroflow, FuZion and Sapphire show what I would call "regular" flowrate-to-temp curves. As usual, more pics and stuff in the original (German) article, here and here (for anyone who' interested). And that's all, folks! Cheers, Shane P.S.: Cause I know someone will inevitably ask: Yes, a Koolance CPU 350 is on it's way to me and it will be tested (as well as a few more blocks). Last edited by HESmelaugh : 04-12-09 at 02:48 PM

04-12-09	#10 (permalink)
HESmelaugh WaterCooler Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Winterthur, Switzerland Posts: 146 Rep: 158 Unique Rep: 116 Trader Rating: 0	UPDATE I made a stupid mistake that I just corrected in the first post: In the "orientations" diagram, the numbers for the GTZ were switched. I've put them in the right way round now, with the better results achieved with the outlet to the top left. To make this very clear: The ideal orientation of the GTZ on an i7 is achieved, when the swiftech logo aligns (i.e. runs parallel to) the lever on the CPU socket. Last edited by HESmelaugh : 04-12-09 at 03:05 PM

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